From the Rector

Surface Tension

 Human beings love predictability. We like it when our planes and trains run on time, our grocery stores carry the food our kids are willing to eat, and we have reliable energy to power all of our devices. But even beyond what feel like the basic building blocks of our everyday existence, we depend upon a certain level of routine, often without realizing it. It’s not that our routines are always life-giving, or what we would choose if we sat down and considered them, but it’s what we have come to over time to negotiate our friendships or our jobs or the necessity of keeping our children fed. Households run on routine. Marriages run on routine. Parishes run on routine. Businesses run on routine. Countries run on routine.

Until they don’t. I recently came to realize that much of our existence is held together with a kind of surface tension that we sometimes call the status quo. I think this realization emerged after I watched an ant somehow crawl across a pocket of water in the hole of a rock. Because of the surface tension created on the top of that water they were able to stay on top of it. Until that tension broken, that is, and then they weren’t.

These last few years have been one of the most profound experiences of the breaking of that surface tension that we have collectively experienced for several generations. And my sense is that we are still absorbing and metabolizing the effects of that disruption. Some of the changes in the previous status quo have been incredibly challenging––marriages ending, educational losses, careers disappearing. Others have been surprisingly helpful––increased flexibility in work, the opportunity to reflect and begin to address stubborn injustices.

But this experience of collective disrupted equilibrium has also allowed for a kind of leavening that we aren’t always afforded. And it has me considering one of the shortest of Jesus’ parables, the Parable of the Leaven. (Mt. 13:33, Lk. 13:20-21) In this parable the realm of heaven is like a woman who mixes (literally hides) yeast in three measures of flour…which is enough flour to make around 50 pounds of dough. And she waits as the yeast transforms the dense flour into something new.

Sometimes the surface tension that holds parts of our lives together actually prevents us from growing, expanding, changing. Sometimes that tension needs to be broken to allow new ideas, new patterns, new ways of being to emerge. Not all the time, to be sure, but some of the time. Rarely do we seek out those times of leavening. 

But sometimes the Realm is known when the dry flour that has been carefully measured is mixed with water and wild yeast. When the surface tension breaks (unexpectedly, and often without warning), something new comes to life. May we be ready with open hearts when it does.

 Peace,

Phil+

Reflections on Faith

A Holy Land Pilgrimage

At the Dome of the Rock

In late May, I took part in a two-week pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  I wanted to share some of my experiences and, hopefully, encourage you to become a pilgrim as well.

My wife Vicki and I had often talked about touring the Holy Land, but now-forgotten commitments kept us from realizing this dream.  But after Vicki passed away three years ago, the trip took on a bigger purpose: this would be a pilgrimage to immerse myself in the story of my Christian faith.  

Last Fall, I heard that Michael Lemaire and Joseph Delgado completed a Holy Land pilgrimage led by a retired Grace Cathedral priest.  They described a trip focused on Jesus’s life — not on popular tourist sites — with accommodations in pilgrim houses in Jerusalem and Nazareth.  That sounded perfect and I promptly signed up with the Cathedral.

      The Western Wall

If I measured my experience by the traditional travel goals of visiting historical sites, dining on new foods, and gaining meaningful friendships along the way, then my trip easily met those standards.  I visited places where Jesus lived and traveled.  I saw cave-like dwellings where people in Bethlehem and Nazareth lived at the time of Christ.  All of that was good in grounding me in the Christian stories I had heard since childhood.  But what I didn’t expect was how this trip would connect me to the broader human  family and, along the way, reconnect me to my faith. 

As I walked the narrow streets of Jerusalem’s Old City, I saw men and women in stalls selling items — like spices, fruits and vegetables, and curios — just as they have been doing for centuries.  I also found a community passionate about faith.  In pre-dawn walks through the ancient city, I heard mesmerizing Muslim calls to prayer.  Later in the afternoons, I was often swept into streams of young Jewish men dressed in long black coats, rushing past me to places of worship.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the most-prominent Christian site in Jerusalem and covers the area where Jesus was crucified and later entombed.  On the day of my first visit, the church was  crowded by tour groups from cruise ships that landed in Tel Aviv.  The church swarmed with people seeking to touch the stone slab where Jesus was lowered from the cross or praying deeply in the shadowy chapel alcoves.  While the knot of humanity was sometimes uncomfortable, we all seemed to carry a common hope to find God.  

Graffiti on the barrier wall near Bethlehem

Later portions of my pilgrimage provided a different perspective of this region that has a long history of tension and bloodshed.  On our way Into Bethlehem in the Palestinian West Bank territory, I passed through imposing security check points and graffiti-covered barrier walls.  The difficult reality of daily life in Palestine was very apparent, but I sensed that every resident shared exactly my wants for freedom, respect, security, and hope.  

I drew a connection to the human family and my faith in two other places in Jerusalem.  Early one morning, I walked to the Western Wall to pray.  I put on a yarmulke (available at the Wall) and stood in front of the ancient wall next to an older Orthodox Jewish man who was swaying in prayer.  As I stood facing the massive stone blocks, I felt the presence of millions others who had made their way over many centuries to pray in that same place.  And like many of those pilgrims, I squeezed into the wall joints some tiny papers containing prayers for my loved ones.

      Oskar Schindler’s grave

On my last day in Jerusalem, I visited the grave of Oskar Schindler.  His grave was covered by dozens of little stones, left behind by people to honor Schindler’s humanitarian heroism.  To me, those stones embodied the nature of our earthly presence — as brief as it is, in the context of Jerusalem’s history.  The stones reminded me that our lives have meaning and that we each can make a positive impact in our community.  On Schindler’s grave, I left behind a small green serpentine stone that I carried from Marin’s Mt. Tamalpais.

After I returned home, I had the chance for a quiet hike on Mt. Tamalpais, where I found hillsides covered with streams of beautiful wildflowers.  That vista reminded me of breathtaking views I saw a few days earlier – of the serene Sea of Galilee, the desert cliffs above Jericho, the stark Dead Sea – and the natural countrysides seemed as sacred as the holy church spaces.  Indeed, the temple curtain felt torn in two and God’s presence was everywhere.  I smiled as I returned to my car, realizing that, like Dorothy on her journey to Oz, I already had what I was looking for.

~Tom Varghese

Save the Dates

Weekly Worship

Join us for worship this week:

You can access the live stream through our website or by tuning into our All Souls Episcopal Parish Youtube page. Click here to watch on Sunday morning. 

If you miss a Sunday, you can always catch the sermon on our homepage or as a podcast, anywhere you listen to podcasts! 

Wednesday 9am Service

Join the Zoom call here, or join us in person in the Nave at 9a. Password: 520218.

Formation

Adult Formation Classes

  • Reading Between the Lines Bible Study @ 7:00a. Click here to join by Zoom, or join them in-person in the Common Room.
  • Reading Between the Lines Bible Study @ 9:15a. On break for the summer.
  • Thomas Merton Book Group @ 9:15a in the Parish Hall or on Zoom (click here). Thomas Merton was perhaps the most original and influential Christian writer of the last century. From his desk at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, Merton’s Trappist vocation and cloistered refuge provided him with the space and time to write more than fifty books. This year we will begin at the beginning, reading together his first book, his spiritual autobiography, The Seven Story Mountain. Please join us as we explore our own spiritual autobiographies alongside this wonderful book.

Children, Youth, and Family News

Nursery The downstairs nursery is open and available to you for your use whenever you’re at All Souls. This is not a staffed nursery, so an adult must be there with your child, but if you need a quiet place to take a time out, change a diaper, let your child play or take a rest, the nursery is open for you to do all of those things. If there is a service going on that’s being livestreamed, you will be able to watch the livestream on the computer in the nursery as well.

Side Chapel There is a special seating area located in the side chapel that is meant for children and families, giving children a clear view of the altar, and full of materials with which they can immerse themselves in the actions of the liturgy. All are welcome and encouraged to check it out!

Sunday School This week, join us for Children’s Chapel during the 10:30am service. Children are invited to follow the Children’s Chapel leaders down the center aisle after the gospel reading, and rejoin their families before communion!

Faithful Families the final Faithful Families of this year will be Thursday, June 29th from 5:30-7:15pm! Join us for dinner, intergenerational formation, and a short evening prayer service. Click Here to RSVP!

Youth Youth Group is on hiatus for the summer.

High School Immersion Trip This year’s High School immersion trip will be to Mexico City, led by Toni Martinez-Borgfeldt, seminarian Michael Drell, Maggie Foote, and parishioner Teresa Muñoz. Eight youth are signed up to go, and are looking forward to a meaningful immersion experience widening their perspective on the Episcopal Church by connecting with youth from Anglican churches in Mexico, experiencing a day of pilgrimage, eating lots of good food and immersing ourselves in the local culture. If you would like to financially support the youth attending this trip, you can send a check to All Souls with High School Immersion Trip in the memo line. Thank you!

Email Maggie for more information about Children, Youth and Family Ministries at All Souls.

Episcopal Summer Camp Registrations are Now Open!

Episcopal Camps across the country are starting to open for registration, including the Diocese of California’s not one, but TWO summer camps: St. Dorothy’s Rest, and The Bishop’s Ranch. You can find more information about the dates, age ranges, and cost for each camp at the links below:

St. Dorothy’s Rest

The Bishop’s Ranch

Other News & Notes

Going Away Party for Maggie!

On July 2nd, after the 10:30a service, we’ll have a Maggie-style lunch together, of tacos and beers, and celebrate her time with us at All Souls. If you are able to contribute to lunch, please sign-up to bring something (click here). We’ll also be collecting a purse for Maggie to send her off into her summer and her next adventures. If you are able to contribute financially to a purse, please see Sarah Kern, sarahinthenightkitchen@gmail.com, or you can drop cash in the offertory plate (sealed so that we know how much is meant for Maggie) or write a check directly to Maggie Foote and put it in the offertory plate.

Sunday Night Service on Summer Break

The core team for the Sunday Night Service has decided to have the weekly worship services for the Sunday Night Service take a summer break (with the rest of you!). We’re going to take this time off and devote some of our energy to relaxing and making some plans for the future. 

Though we’ll take a break from our Sunday gatherings, we’ll still meet up this summer for:

  • Beer garden hang outs, June 28th and July 26th at Westbrae Biergarten in Berkeley.
  • A family dinner in August. This will be a Storytelling Dinner meets Family Meeting. Stay tuned for more details in July!

Big Sur Camping Trip, July 14-16

The Santa Lucia Chapel and Campground, a mission of All Saints Parish in Carmel, is a private and secluded campground in the gorgeous Big Sur area. It’s a sweet spot that sits right on the Big Sur River, and is right next door to the Big Sur River Inn and restaurant. There’s a spot to float down the river and a little swimming hole and family friendly beach, complete with a rock to jump from. 

Cost: $45 per person for the weekend (children under 5 stay for free; $180 max per family) Note: Santa Lucia has substantially raised their rates, but we are hoping to keep this weekend affordable for all who are interested. Scholarships are available. Talk to Emily Hansen Curran for more information. To reserve your spot you must sign up and pay in full no later than July 1st! 

Summer Book Groups!

The Adult Formation Committee is pleased to announce the summer book groups for the summer. All book groups will meet at 9:15am prior to the 10:30am service.  

  • June 4, 11, 18, 25 Thomas Merton Seven Story Mountain. Led by Jack Shoemaker 
  • July 9, 16, 23 The Meal That Reconnects: Eucharistic Eating and the Global Food Crisis by Mary E. McGann. Led by Ruth Meyers
  • July 30, August 6, 13 The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. Led by Emily McDonald

Summer Book Group #1 – The Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton 

Led by Jack Shoemaker. Starts June 4th.

Thomas Merton was perhaps the most original and influential Christian writer of the last century. From his desk at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, Merton’s Trappist vocation and cloistered refuge provided him with the space and time to write more than fifty books. This year we will begin at the beginning, reading together his first book, his spiritual autobiography, The Seven Story Mountain. Published in 1948, it became a national bestseller and is thought by many to be among the finest nonfiction books published in the 20 th century. Merton anticipates the broad curiosity of contemporary Christians and prepares himself for a life of devotion. His work raises questions many of us have had and many of us have struggled to answer. Please join us as we explore our own spiritual autobiographies alongside this wonderful book. This book richly repays rereading, so even if you’ve read it years ago, refresh yourself and join our group.  (I am warned that the audio version of this book is significantly abridged.)

June 4th – Part I: Chapters 1, 2, and 3

June 11th – Part I: Chapter 4 and Part II: Chapters 1 and 2

June 18th – Part III: Chapters 1, 2 and 3

June 25th : Part III: Chapter 4 and “Meditatio Pauperis in Solitudine”

Summer Book Group #2 – The Meal That Reconnects: Eucharistic Eating and the Global Food Crisis by Mary E. McGann

Led by Ruth Meyers 

In The Meal That Reconnects, Dr. Mary McGann, RSCJ, invites readers to a more profound appreciation of the sacredness of eating, the planetary interdependence that food and the sharing of food entails, and the destructiveness of the industrial food system that is supplying food to tables globally. She presents the food crisis as a spiritual crisis—a call to rediscover the theological, ecological, and spiritual significance of eating and to probe its challenge to Christian eucharistic practice. Drawing on the origins of Eucharist in Jesus’s meal fellowship and the worship of early Christians, McGann invites communities to reclaim the foundational meal character of eucharistic celebration while offering pertinent strategies for this renewal. The book is divided into three sections so we will plan to talk about Part I on July 9th, Part II on July 16th and Part III on July 23rd.

Need a parking spot?

We’ve got a parking lot under the Jordan Court apartment building that is available to anyone with challenges with mobility or anyone who regularly drives someone with challenges with mobility. If that is you, and you would like access to the parking garage on Sundays or other times when you are at the church, please reach out to Annie Rovzar, annie@allsoulsparish.org.