From the Rector
A Variety of Voices
In a conversation a couple months ago with the Very Rev. Mark Richardson, the Dean and the President of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, he mentioned that the Rt. Rev. Eugene Sutton, the bishop of Maryland, would be visiting in the new year. Often bishops travel to seminaries to visit students from their diocese and get a feeling for the current life of that seminary. Bishop Sutton was scheduled to visit CDSP in February (it’s also not unusual to have bishops from the East Coast visit seminarians in California, say in mid-February), and Mark wondered if All Souls might be interested in having Bishop Sutton preach with us.
This was one of the easier decisions of the last few months for me and I’m excited to share that this Sunday, February 13th at the 9a and 11:15a services, Bishop Sutton will be preaching with us. You may remember Bishop Sutton from a session in last year’s class about a Christian understanding of racial reparations. If you haven’t yet seen that session, you can stream it here. Since 2008 Bishop Sutton has been a courageous and compassionate leader in his diocese and the wider Church, and has spoken widely about the need to “repair the breach,” including with the United States House of Representatives in 2019.
I am eager to have Bishop Sutton preach with us for several reasons, and one in particular is that I am always looking to broaden the voices of those who lead us into Scripture. We are fortunate to have a skilled and varied group of preachers at All Souls. And, it is important to me over the course of our life as a parish that we have a breadth of perspective in the pulpit: of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and background.
This has been something that I’ve given thought, attention, and prayer to over the years. When I first began at All Souls, I invited even more voices to preach. And then I was approached by a few pillars of the parish who said that while they appreciated the variety of preachers I had asked, that they had called me to serve as the Rector for a reason. It was important that I remain a primary voice on Sunday mornings.
So, over the years I’ve aimed to preach about twice a month and have felt it important to have the same preacher at each of our services so that the whole parish can have that teaching and encounter on our collective hearts and minds. And, it’s been important that our Associate Rectors, the Rev. Kristin Krantz, the Rev. Liz Tichenor, and the Rev. Maggie Foote––all compelling preachers––preach at least once a month. Which leaves, on average, one or two more opportunities for preachers a month. Between our faithful and skilled assisting priests and members of the staff and seminarians, it can be a challenge to make up the Sunday rota––a challenge for which I am grateful.
The benefits to me, though, for having a variety of voices is clear. Because preaching by its nature is one person’s encounter with the presence of God in our sacred texts, hearing a breadth of experiences and approaches is a great gift. So please join in this gift on Sunday, February 13th at the 9a and 11:15a services. Listen to a leading voice in our Church and continue to recognize the Realm among us.
Peace,
Phil+
Meet Our New Members
You may remember that a few weeks ago, we introduced some new members to the congregation. Over the next few weeks, we’ll publish their brief bios in the Pathfinder. I hope you all get to meet these fine folks, hear their stories, and bring them into the life of this congregation.
–Emily Hansen Curran
Introducing Lorena Grundy:
I grew up in Ohio, went to college at Princeton in New Jersey, and then moved to Berkeley a few years ago to pursue a PhD in Chemical Engineering. In fall 2022, I’ll be moving to Boston to study engineering education at Tufts. I was raised without ties to any religious traditions, and had never been to a religious service until 2021. Mid-pandemic, I started feeling a pull towards exploring religion within a welcoming community, but didn’t know where to start. I didn’t know anything about Christian denominations, and chose All Souls somewhat serendipitously because I walk past it on my way to campus. I wandered into a 9am service that had been moved to Zoom due to rain, Phil reached out via the Zoom chat since I was a new face and set up a meeting with me, and before I knew it I had been swept into this wonderful community. I love All Souls’ engagement with service and the love and care we all show each other on a daily basis, which was exemplified by the amount of food parishioners brought me after a surgery I had late last year. I feel so thankful to be a part of this community!
Soup + Story Launch
Since 2017 (with the exception of last year) we’ve held a practice here at All Souls of gathering into small groups to journey through Lent together. Because we were not able to gather in homes over meals last year (the vaccine wasn’t available to everyone yet at this time last year!), we decided to take the year off, but because things seem to be turning a corner with the surge, we’ve decided to give this small group thing a shot this year.
We realize that not everyone is ready or able to be in small groups with other All Soulsians and eat together, but we figure that some of you are. So, this year we’re going to offer a couple of different ways to engage with Soup + Story. For fun, we named the three different tracks: Soup + Story, Zoom + Story, and Step + Story.
Soup + Story
This is what it has been. You sign-up for a night that works for you and/or your whole family, then you show up to the group each week of Lent. We’ll share soup dinner (made by members of the group) and a discussion over the curriculum that we as the staff will provide. It’s lovely: you get dinner, you get to meet new folks, you get to be in someone’s home (!), and you get to make meaning together out of these lives that we lead. It is likely that the host will ask for everyone to be vaccinated in order to attend these groups, but that will be on a group by group basis.
Zoom + Story
This is how it sounds. It is all of the programming of Soup + Story, in small groups, but over Zoom. We’ll recommend eating a soup supper together (over zoom), but that will obviously not be required.
Step + Story
This option is for folks who are not able or ready to meet in someone’s home, but also are not in a place to want another zoom group. There is no “group” as part of this track, but we will make sure you have the curriculum that you can do on your own throughout the weeks of Lent.
This year our theme will be “A Pilgrim’s Path” and we’ll use the labyrinth as our centering image: while we walk out the same path we walked in, we are never the same people. This year, one of the weeks of your group’s meetings will have an additional element, which is the introduction and discussion of our Living Waters Capital Campaign. Our hope is that in these small groups, you’ll be able to spend some time discussing the stewardship of what we as a community hold together.
We’re still in the process of gathering hosts and facilitators and so the sign-ups will go live soon. We’ll have a google form for a way to digitally sign-up and we’ll also have some sign-ups at the church on Sundays to sign-up in person. We hope you’ll join in one of these ways as we journey through this wild Lenten season together.
–Emily Hansen Curran
Save the Dates
March 1, Mardi Gras
March 2, Ash Wednesday
March 6, First Sunday of Lent
Weekly Worship
Join us at 9am, in-person, outdoor service in the courtyard. This service will move indoors if the weather is below 40 degrees at 8:15a, if the AQI is over 150, or if there is rain.
Or (and!) join us indoors for the 11:15 service or on the live stream at 11:15a, which can be accessed through our website or by tuning into our All Souls Episcopal Parish Facebook page. Click here to watch on Sunday morning. At our 11:15 service, masks are required.
Then join us outdoors at 5p Sunday Night Service for a Eucharistic Service.If you miss a Sunday, you can always catch the sermon on our homepage or as a podcast, anywhere you listen to podcasts!
Mask Mandate
Due to the CDC mask mandate, masks are required for all large indoor gatherings regardless of vaccination status. This also applies to when you visit the church offices during the week. Thank you!
Wednesday 9am Service
Join the Zoom call here, or join us in person in the Nave at 9a. Password: 520218. Masks are required for this service as it is indoors.
Adult Formation Classes
This Sunday
We have just three classes being offered this Sunday:
- Reading Between the Lines Bible Study @ 7:30a. Contact Kate Murphy, kmurphy2209@gmail.com to join that Zoom call.
- Reading Between the Lines Bible Study @ 10:10a. This Bible Study meets in the Chapel downstairs or on Zoom. Contact Daniel Prechtel, dprechtel1@gmail.com to join that Zoom call.
Resurrection, part 3 taught by the Rev. Michael Lemaire. This class begins the final part of a three part series on the resurrection. Last spring we explored the range of beliefs that were present in the pagan and Jewish community about life after death. In the second part, we explored the resurrection as reflected in the letters of Paul. In this third and final part of the class, we will take up the various Gospel traditions that tell of the resurrection and look at each Gospel in turn from the empty tomb in Mark, to the encounters of the resurrection at the tomb in Matthew, the Emmaus story in Luke, and finally the story of Thomas in John 20 and the appearance of Jesus on the beach in John 21. It is my hope that this journey together will enrich our faith by clarifying both our questions about the resurrection as well as our hopes in the resurrection. This class will meet on Zoom (click here) and in-person in the Parish Hall, February 6, 13, 20 and 27 at 10:10 am. Children & Family News
Sunday School for kids age prek-5th grade is moved to Zoom for the next few weeks. Click here to access the Zoom call on Sunday morning at 10:10a. Keep an eye out for the Pathfinder and/or the Children & Family newsletter for updates on when we’ll be back to in-person.
Youth Group, for now, is cancelled, until we can meet again safely (or safer) in person.
Children and Family News
Sunday School for kids ages prek-5th grade is back in person! If you’re prek-3rd grade, head to the courtyard and if you’re in the 4th or 5th grade, head downstairs to the classroom between the 9 & 11:15 services.
Youth Group and Youth “office hours” (donuts and hanging out in Maggie’s office) will restart on 2/27!
Other News & Notes
Online Giving
There is a super easy way to give to All Souls––for either a one-time donation or for your ongoing pledge––that is through an app called Vanco Mobile (what used to be called GivePlus). You can find this app through the app store on your phone. Once downloaded, search for All Souls Episcopal Parish and you’re in! If you’d prefer not to download the app, you can just as easily give online through our personalized online donation page by clicking here.
Stephen Ministry: Christ Caring for People through People
That’s the motto of Stephen Ministry. The Stephen Minister’s role is to bring God’s love into the lives of people who are going through a difficult time or experiencing a crisis. What do Stephen Ministers do? They listen, care, support, encourage, and pray with and for a person who is hurting. And in the midst of this confidential, one-to-one, caring relationship, God’s healing love comes pouring through.
If someone you know is facing a crisis—large or small—and could benefit from the caring presence of a Stephen Minister, talk to Rev Maggie Foote (maggie@allsoulsparish.org) or Stephen Ministry Leader Madeline Feely (madelinefeeley@gmail.com). Our Stephen Ministers are ready to care for you!
Soulcast
Check out Season 5, Episode 6 with our special guest, Irina Wolf Carrière!
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.
Memorial for Joan Blair
The Celebration of Life and Memorial Service for Joan Blair will be on February 19th at 11a in the church. There will be a lunch reception to follow the service in the courtyard. The service will also be live streamed from our homepage and on Facebook. You can see photos of Joan and family on her memorial site (click here). Click here to see the announcement for Joan’s memorial.
Lenten Soup + Story Groups
It’s that time of year, again! Soup + Story is a small group program that we host during the 5 weeks of Lent. This year, we’re going to offer a few different tracks of engaging our
Soup + Story programming: one in-person in parishioners homes or in the church courtyard (we’ll likely ask for vaccinated & boosted folks only for indoor gatherings, but if you can host outdoors at your home or in the courtyard at church, then that will not be required or advised), one over Zoom, and one individual track. If you’re interested in hosting a Soup + Story group in any of the forms listed above, please contact Emily, emily@allsoulsparish.org. These groups will start the week of March 6th and will meet weekly until the week of April 3rd.
Catechumenate
What is the Catechumenate? The Catechumenate is a class where we teach about the Episcopal Church in an attempt to give an idea of what this Episcopal church and faith tradition are about. Folks who take this class (called Catechumens) will learn from a number of thoughtful people in this community and hopefully get a glimpse of Episcopal theology, history, and structure, as well as how to use the Book of Common Prayer and some ideas on how to read the Bible. The class will meet on the six Sunday evenings of Lent (March 6-April 10) at 7p in person and on Zoom. All are welcome, even if you’ve been an Episcopalian for a long while. But, if you are looking for an introduction to this tradition or are hoping to be baptized (whenever that can happen), Confirmed, Received, or Reaffirmed into this tradition, this is most certainly the class you’ll want to take. I hope that many of you will join this year’s class as we attempt, together, to wrestle with what it means to be an Episcopal sort of Christian in our world. If you have any questions or would like to sign-up, you can write to Emily at emily@allsoulsparish.org.
Episcopal Summer Camps––Save the date!
Interested in Episcopal summer camps for your kids? While registration has not yet begun, the dates have been dropped. Check out the latest with all the dates and descriptions of camps (click here).
Associate for Music Position
As many of you know, Dr. Jamie Apgar, our beloved Associate for Music, will be leaving us this spring. The job posting for his position just went live today, click here to read about it (or pass it along to a potential candidate!).
San Francisco Night Ministry w/Paloma Pavel
Parishioner Paloma Pavel is inviting all of us to join her on February 14th at 7p to an event called “Subscribe to Love”. They will meet at St. Paulus Church at 1541 Polk St in San Francisco, and then walk together, handing out basic necessity items. The group will then regather for a meditation, art activity, and refreshments. See Paloma Pavel, breakthroughcommunities@gmail.com for more information.