From the Rector

The Source of Salvation

As I was preparing my sermon this past week, heading for the Sunday before this election, I had a realization. That as profound as this election might be, as disparate as the major party candidates might have been from each other, that our salvation was not going to be found through this election. 

Yes, the challenges that we face as a nation will be different depending on who we elect to lead us, for they have dramatically different approaches, beliefs, and ways of being. And, no political party or elected official can be the source of our individual or collective salvation. Simply put, it’s a category error.

I do not mean that we should absent ourselves from the political sphere. Jesus didn’t do that, and neither should we. Real and tangible good comes from governmental policy, and terror and destruction can follow as well. Being active participants in the life of the polis is the responsibility of every faithful Christian. And yet, this is not the only medium that we should be paying our attention to.

A few words about salvation might be helpful. So often we equate salvation with being saved from something, and with good reason, as certain expressions of Christianity have seen this as the primary way to communicate the Christian faith. Usually it’s articulated as hellfire and damnation. And that’s not the only way to understand salvation.

It turns out that way back in the Latin origins of the word salvation you’ll find the word salvare, which is also the root of the word English word salve. They both mean to save, and over the years, as I’ve spend more and more time with Jesus the Christ, I’ve found that the kind of saving that he offered had everything to do with salving, or healing. You can see it throughout the Gospels in the Greek word sozo, which is translated into English both as save and as heal. And, most profoundly, you can witness it in the actions that Jesus took. To be saved is to be healed, made whole.

No matter the outcome of the presidential election, which still hangs in the balance as I write this reflection, it is clear to me that this nation is in need of significant healing. Healing from our original sins, healing from our rapacious appetites, healing from our unwillingness to see the other as bearing inherent dignity.

This is the work that I am aiming my life towards, and have been since hearing this calling to be a guide with God’s people. And it is the work of every Christian to participate in the reconciliation of the world through the love of God. It has always been our work, it’s just that now this work of repairing the breach, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, has taken on more clarity and urgency.

So as we find our way through anxious nights and confusing days, as we begin to find a way forward, remember where salvation can be found, and let this Source be your well of your wholeness as our collective healing in the days to come.

Peace,

Phil+

From the Stewardship Committee

Pledges are rolling in!

In the week after Ingathering Sunday, we continued to have a strong response to the pledge campaign.  We received 32 more pledges, totaling more than $100,000!  After two Sundays, we have had a total of $483,296 pledged by 104 All Soulsians.

We lag a bit behind compared to last year after two Sundays, but we can catch up with another strong week, so keep those pledge cards and Google forms coming.

If you haven’t returned your pledge yet, please mail it in, use the Google form, or drop it by church as soon as you can.  We are trying to shorten the time of the campaign this year and will end the general appeal on Sunday, November 22nd.  After that, we will be contacting individuals whom we haven’t heard from.

Not all of us may be able to get to an in-person service now, but the parish is counting on all of us to prayerfully consider pledging to support All Souls.  We invite you to consider how your pledge can continue to sustain the fruits of the work we do together at All Souls.

-The Stewardship Committee

Announcement from Peggy Patterson

Cathedrals

I guess my love affair with Cathedrals began when my Grandmother took me on the Grand Tour of Europe during my first college summer.

There were many amazing adventures on that trip…being in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean for days on the Queen Mary (both ways!), climbing up the stoney Path to the Monastery atop Mont St. Michael, the Greek Islands, the Amalfi Drive, Venice,…but I can honestly say  that the high point of the trip for me was seeing Chartres Cathedral for the first time.

It  was on that trip that I fell in love with  Gothic Cathedrals…Chartres Cathedral to be exact.  The jewel colored rose windows, the Black Madonna, the soaring Gothic spires and carved doorways. Most of all, I loved the way Chartres Cathedral was a living beacon of faith which anchored the entire village.

As God would have it, many years later, my first call as a newly ordained priest was also at a Cathedral…as Canon Pastor at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Dallas. Then six years later I was joyfully surprised again when I got a phone call during Staff meeting that I had been elected as Dean of the Cathedral Church of Saint John in Wilmington, DE.

I guess I should not have been surprised, therefore, when Dean Malcolm Clemens Young called three weeks ago to invite me to consider being the Interim Executive Pastor of Grace Cathedral, taking the place of the Vice Dean Ellen Clark King who returned to the UK to be the Dean of Kings College, London.

I am writing you today because after prayerful conversations, I said “Yes”. This Sunday, All Saints Sunday, I will be commissioned for my new Ministry by Bishop Marc at Grace Cathedral’s Livestream Eucharist.

Of course, I hope to return to All Souls as an Assisting Priest sometime in the future, Godwilling. I ask your prayers for me as I embark once again on the glorious joy of Cathedral Ministry. I shall miss you, each one of you, but you will be in my heart as I hope I shall be in yours.

-Peggy+

All Saints and All Souls Day

 

On Sunday, to honor All Saints/All Souls Day, Art at All Souls created an interactive altar on the triptych that was open for community engagement. Many people stopped by to add a name, post a picture, or take a moment to reflect on those we have loved and lost.  In the afternoon, the Children’s Ministry team hosted an event for All Saints Day for children and families, complete with art and activity stations to help us learn about the Saints of our church, the saints in our own lives, and how there is a little bit of a saint in each one of us.

Breaking Bread and Building Bridges

I’m really looking forward to Season Two of Breaking Bread and Building Bridges. Season One brought me new friendships with congregants of Temple Beth El and of St Paul AME. We all learned from each other and from Pastor Anthony and Pastor Dorisalene Hughes, Rabbi Stern, and of course Father Phil as they widened their friendship to include us.

At the luncheon we hosted at All Souls, Pastor Hughes spoke about his experience as “a recovering homophobe”. When he was in college, the only place available for meetings of his campus Christian club turned out to be a gay bar. Through his ordinary interactions with the men who owned and managed the club, he found himself transformed in new friendship, despite the powerful prejudices of his upbringing. He demonstrated the power of simply encountering others with genuine openness and respect. It changes us. It changes the world. It’s how we enact God’s love.

I was introduced to Church Women United (“agreed to differ, resolved to love, united to serve”) through a woman who sat at my table at the first luncheon, an excellent feast at St Paul AME. I found a note from her on my doorstep after work the next day, inviting me to the May Friendship Day event later that week at Berkeley United Methodist Church on Carleton Street, a historically Japanese American congregation. I couldn’t have been welcomed more warmly. The Fellowship of the Least Coin was honored — a worldwide ecumenical movement of prayer for peace and reconciliation, where women set aside offerings of the least coin of the currency of their country. My friend brought a roll of pennies for me to put in the plate, knowing that I wouldn’t be prepared for that practice of giving the least coin at this meeting. I was asked to introduce myself, and also to present one of the readings. There were several women there whom I had briefly met at the previous Sunday’s luncheon, in the lunch line, for example, and connecting again cemented our bond. We’ve continued to keep in touch, and this fellowship has been importantly sustaining for me.

I hope to see many All Soulsians via Zoom at Breaking Bread (“Sipping Tea” this time) and Building Bridges on Sunday, November 15, at 1:30 pm. There’s also another Church Women United meeting coming up soon, celebrating World Community Day. Feel free to contact me (julie@julieholcombprinters.com) for more information.

-Julie Holcomb

Announcements

In-person worship this Sunday!

We are gathering in person this Sunday for the 9am service. You can read more about what you’ll need to know in order to sign-up (and of course, the link to sign-up) on our Regathering page here!

Sunday Livestreaming News

The livestream of Sunday services can be accessed through our website or by tuning into our All Souls Episcopal Parish Facebook page. Click here to watch on Sunday morning.

Adult Formation Class this Sunday

Reading Between the Lines Bible Study. Contact Daniel Prechtel, dprechtel1@gmail.com, to join that Zoom call at 10:10am. 

Carrying the Cross Together via Zoom at 10:10a, taught by the Rev. Phil Brochard and Wendy Calimag. In response to the reckoning around race that is taking place in this country, Phil and Wendy will be teaching a class exploring racial allyship for three Sundays in November: the 8th, 15th, and 22nd. Using personal narrative, individual reflection, scripture, and discussion we will explore what it means to suffer with each other, what the Cross might mean at a time like this, and how we might be able to live together as Christians as we pursue racial justice, healing, and reconciliation. The class is open for one and all at All Souls and intended to be complementary with the Sacred Ground curriculum. This class will meet on November 8, 15, and 22nd. You can find the Zoom link to this class here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85268240086

Missed the previous week’s class?? Not to worry, we’ve got you covered. We’ll be recording all of the Adult Formation offerings and loading them to the Adult Formation page of our website. Click here to get there and access the class recordings.

Breaking Bread and Building Bridges

Join us for the next in our series of Building Bridges programs with St. Paul AME Church and Congregation Beth El! In reflecting upon our experiences both of isolation and connection in recent months, we will renew and strengthen our connections with one another. Bring your late lunch or early afternoon snack and a beverage of choice as we gather around our screens to learn, laugh and support each other through this challenging time. Questions? Email phil@allsoulsparish.org. Whether you’ve participated in previous Building Bridges programs or this will be your first, all All Soulsians are welcome.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/98006349605?pwd=NDFXSTFlaUZ6TEtlcUZvLzZwNWI0UT09
Meeting ID: 980 0634 9605
Passcode: 1UEMce

Children & Family News

In person Children’s Formation takes place every Sunday at 10:10 in the Courtyard, and there is a Zoom option available for those who prefer to participate virtually (password is 216504). Please be prepared to stay with your children and to keep your children in their own family pod, and also, to be wearing masks. Read the Family Bulletin or see Maggie Foote (maggie@allsoulsparish.org) for more information.

If you are looking for some current information regarding Children’s Chapel or the Kids Book Club – check out the new additions to the All Souls website, which has been updated to include some new information and resources (including the links for all the storybook videos) for families.

Stephen Ministry: We’re here for you!
2020 has been a challenging year, right?! Most of us have been struggling and overwhelmed. You are not alone. Stephen Ministers understand and are available to listen, support and pray for you. We can offer you a confidential caring relationship or an occasional phone call to help you through these ever-changing times. Contact Maggie Foote at (513) 309-1079 or Madeline Feeley at (510) 495-4512 so we can be there for you.

Newcomer Coffee

New in town? New at All Souls? Just checking out churches in the area? Please join us for a Newcomer “coffee”/Meet & Greet with our Associate for Ministry Development, Emily Hansen Curran, via Zoom at 10:10a on both November 15th and the 22nd. For more information, you can email Emily, emily@allsoulsparish.org. You can find the Zoom call link here.

Thursday Compline via Zoom

Here is the link for the Thursday night BCP Compline, which starts at 8:30 PDT:
Join Zoom Meeting: Zoom Link
Meeting ID: 786 3029 4068
Passcode: Compline

Soulcast
Check out Season 2, Episode 9 of the Soulcast!

Ongoing Canned Food Drive
The ASP Food Drive continues to pick up and deliver food for the Berkeley Food Pantry on a weekly basis. Food contributors and drivers participate every other week. Please email Cathy: ogoshca@yahoo.com for more information.

Wednesday 9:00am Service
Join the Zoom call here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86087951049?pwd=THNxbjlqMm5zdjc5RGNLWkFrZk16QT09
Meeting ID: 860 8795 1049 Password: 520218

Meal Train
If you are able to help provide some meals for parishioners in need, please contact Cathy Goshorn to help out! We are in great need at this time to help care for each other – please consider helping other All Soulsians in need by providing meals or gift cards for meals. You can reach Cathy at ogoshca@yahoo.com.