From the Vestry
Update from the April Vestry Meeting: After Careful Consideration
This month the All Souls Vestry activity was dominated by one primary task: discerning and deciding upon our next best steps for the Living Waters construction work. To this end we had an extra meeting prior to the regularly scheduled monthly meeting, which had the sole focus of reviewing the main building options and associated budgets put forward by the tireless work of the parish’s Property Committee. This gave the Vestry a chance to ask our final questions and hear answers from Patrick Tahara and Martin Ortega from the Property Committee, in collaboration with our architect and contractor. Together we thoughtfully talked through several iterations of our building plans with a careful eye on the long term needs of the parish, particularly around accessibility, the Living Waters goals, the input of the parishioners, the scope of the possible projects, and our budget. This supplemental meeting was a chance to clarify our thinking and discern together where the Holy Spirit was leading us, with some breathing room. Without the pressure of a vote.
Our regularly-scheduled monthly meeting followed a few days later. The tone of this meeting felt different, more tense. We felt the gravitas of the responsibility we had to make the best decision for the parish for decades to come, knowing that we could not immediately complete every piece of the building project on our list, nor satisfy every individual. Appropriately enough, we began the meeting with a Eucharist celebrated by Phil, as an act of grounding and peacemaking, centering God and community at the heart of our work. The Vestry proceeded to hear public comments from parishioners who had come to share their opinions of the options before us, we used the Gradients of Agreement tool to clarify our thoughts, and ultimately voted unanimously to proceed with plans to place an elevator outside the parish hall, providing access to the sanctuary, parish hall, and undercroft. This decision was not without some trade-offs, but felt to the Vestry to be the best course forward.
This monthly meeting was nearly four hours long and, not to diminish our other work, we also engaged in the first of six discussion modules of the Episcopal Church’s Anti-Racism course, Becoming the Beloved Community. We look forward to seeing where this course takes our Vestry and those in the Episcopal Church who are engaging in this work. Finally, we heard about plans for a pilot two-service Sunday structure, approved financial reports, and received good news about our new parish bookkeeper. It was a full evening, and we sincerely thank the parish supporting us with their continued prayers and trust in us.
Respectfully,
Grace Telcs, Vestry member
From the Staff
An Invitation for Conversation
Hello All Soulsians!
As you may have noticed over the last several weeks, there is a lot going on at All Souls at the moment, and much of it is going on behind the scenes. Decisions are being made about the scope of work for the Living Waters Project, there is a search on for a new Associate Rector, we are in the process of redesigning our website, and we will begin a new Sunday Morning worship schedule on Pentecost, May 28th, 2023. With all of these things in process, we thought it would be a great time to begin a new practice: periodic congregational conversations. These conversations will happen once in a while to allow time and space for questions and conversation when it feels like it would be helpful. These conversations are open to anyone who would like to come to learn more about what’s happening in the life of All Souls Parish. Phil, Emily and Maggie will be present to answer questions. Join us in person, or on Zoom Sunday, May 28th at the 9:15 formation hour to hear updates about these ongoing processes and ask questions!
See you there!
Phil, Maggie & Emily
Topic: Congregational Conversation
Time: May 28, 2023 09:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85140849285
Meeting ID: 851 4084 9285
From the Tiny House Empowerment Village
Village News!
Since August 2019, when All Soulsians in hardhats and tool belts helped build tiny houses for Youth Spirit Artworks (YSA), a community of formerly houseless young adults and staff has brought the vision to life. The Tiny House Empowerment Village has grown into a vibrant space with the requisite supports to make meaningful, life-affirming change possible for its residents.
The Village is striving to become more than just a shelter, which are typically modeled on rigid compliance and arbitrary “denial of service” regulations. Instead, the Village is cultivating a trauma-informed practice of care, supporting residents to develop into adults with life-skills and abilities which will enable them to make a transition out of the Village within two years. This practice includes case management, housing navigation, mental health support, links to employment, financial wellness facilitation, and life coaching, among others.
The 22 youth residing in the village come from Berkeley and Oakland, and they are a mere fraction of the more than 700 unhoused young people in Alameda County each night. Among its plans, the Village is working toward becoming a drop-in center where many of the other youth can learn how to access vital resources.
I had the privilege of attending an open house and tour on Good Friday. Though I and others from ASP have visited the Village over the years, to deliver items provided by All Souls parishioners and furnish and decorate existing homes, this visit felt different. We gathered for introductions by the entry way, where we were greeted and asked to proceed respectfully into the Village home; we were asked not to photograph anything that might invade residents’ privacy. Instead of volunteers milling about, only Delilah, a resident and staff person, Zae, the interfaith coordinator and Operations Manager, and Alex, a case manager, were present. Most residents were at their jobs or appointments, and some young men were boxing on the punch bag.
The tour included the on-site health clinic, with easy sign-up, an outdoor relaxation corner, the counseling room, the case manager’s office, the community yurt (with critical free laundry, something that’s unavailable to most unhoused people), and the kitchen yurt stocked with donated food. During the presentation, visitors learned that to date over 1,235 services have been provided to residents by volunteers and paid YSA staff!
So, what’s next for ASP involvement? How can All Soulsians chip in to help?
The Village is seeking mentors to help with cooking classes, soul care (such as healing art and meditation), as well as to care for the beautiful garden. Zae Illo will share more about the vibrant Village community in an upcoming Soul Cast. Please stay tuned and continue your prayers for our neighbors at 633 Hegenberger Road in Oakland.
In community,
Jenny Kern
Save the Dates
- May 28, Pentecost!
- July 14-16, All-parish Big Sur camping trip
Weekly Worship
Join us for worship this week:
- 9am, in-person, indoors
- 11:15am, in-person, indoors. (click here to access the live stream)
- 5p, the Sunday Night Service, in-person, indoors, in the Chapel.
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 @ 7:30a. Click here to join by Zoom, or join them in-person in the Common Room.
- Reading Between the Lines Bible Study @ 10:15a. Click here to join by Zoom, or join them in-person in Phil’s old office, (now called the Shadrach Room).
- The Desert Ammas and Abbas taught byThe Rev. Dr. Daniel Prechtel. May 7 and 14 in the Parish Hall and on Zoom (click here to enter call). A profound movement beginning around the 3rd century gave birth to what we now know as monasticism and had a deep impact on the Christian faith. In this course we will explore what forces influenced those hermits and ascetics that came to be known as the “desert fathers and mothers” to form a variety of communities in the wilderness regions in Egypt, Syria, and Palestine. We will get impressions of what life was like and what prayer practices evolved. We will sample some of the “sayings” of the desert elders that have endured over the centuries and the fascinating people behind those sayings. And we will learn about the sophisticated spiritual psychology and anthropology of highly educated monastics, Evagrius Ponticus and John Cassian.
- Newcomer Class: April 30, May 7, May 14, and May 21 in the Common Room (downstairs), taught by the Rev. Phil Brochard and Emily Hansen Curran. This class is welcome to anyone who is new or wondering about learning more about All Souls. You’ll get a chance to share some of your stories and we’ll share some stories of All Souls. If you are looking to become a member at All Souls, this is the class for you!
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.
Sunday School This week, join us for Children’s Chapel during the 9:00am 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 next Faithful Families will be Thursday, May 25th from 5:30-7:15pm! Join us for dinner, intergenerational formation, and a short evening prayer service. Click Here to RSVP!
Confirm Not Conform continues this Sunday at 10:10
Youth Youth in grades 6-12 are invited to meet in the “Fiery Furnace” downstairs in the undercroft for a check-in on Sunday mornings. Youth Group Continues this week for Grades 6-12 at 7:00pm in the “Fiery Furnace”
Youth Walking Pilgrimage to Grace Cathedral: May 21st after the 9am service for grades 6-12!
You may recall that last year, Phil led a group of young people on a walking pilgrimage from All Souls, that left after the 9:00am service, to Grace Cathedral, mostly walking, and taking the ferry. Last year, this was something that we did, just as our youth group, because we had been talking a lot about pilgrimage, and thought it would be a fun way to experience a taste of what a pilgrimage is like. WELL, lots of people got excited about our idea and this year, it has turned into a much bigger event with churches from around the diocese planning to participate and meet up at various points along the way to Grace Cathedral for dinner and an evening service, that youth will have a chance to participate in. We will be participating in collaboration with other churches in the Alameda Deanery, meeting up at St. Augustine’s on our way to Jack London square. Like last year, we will leave at the end of the 9:00am service and begin walking, and the day will end around 7:00pm at Grace Cathedral. Click here to sign up!
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 culture. Keep an eye out for updates on our fundraising efforts in the weeks to come, and in the mean time, 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:
Other News & Notes
New Worship Schedule
Starting on Pentecost, May 28th, we’re moving our Sunday worship schedule to a said/contemplative Eucharist service at 8p in the Chapel downstairs, followed by our Adult Formation teaching hour from 9:15-10:15, followed by our principle/choral Eucharist at 10:30a in the Nave. We’ll continue with our 5p service downstairs in the Chapel. The 10:30a service will be the only live streamed service for the day.
Pentecost Ministry Fair & Potluck
Hang around after the service on Sunday, May 28th, for a church potluck and ministry/connection fair in the courtyard. Bring some food to share and come see all the varied ministries of All Souls in one place!
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
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.
Open Door Dinner Help Needed!
Next Sunday, May 14th, is our next Open Door Dinner (a jambalaya meal we serve on the 2nd Sunday of every month to anyone who is hungry). We’re in need of some extra help, just after the 11:15 service. If you’re able to help out, please contact Mary Rees, merees@mindspring.com.
2nd Thursday Lunch
All women of the parish are invited to a potluck lunch on the 2nd Thursday of the month (May 11th) at 12p in the Parish Hall. Please bring one of your favorite lunch dishes or a beverage to share and feel free to invite other women. Contact Gloria Bayne for more information: gloria.bayne@comcast.net.
“Sacred Earth: Growing Beloved Community”
This month, on May 18 Thursday at 7p, the Sacred Earth podcast series continues with Dr Cynthia Moe Lobeda. Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda has lectured or consulted in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and many parts of North America in theology; ethics; and matters of climate justice and climate racism, moral agency, globalization, economic justice, public church, eco-feminist theology, and faith-based resistance to systemic oppression. A renowned global scholar, she is Professor of Theological and Social Ethics, holds a joint appointment at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and Church
Divinity School of the Pacific. She founded the Center for Climate Justice and Faith at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary to empower leaders in cultivating moral, spiritual, and practical power for the work of climate justice in communities of faith and in collaboration with others. She is one of 3 North Americans appointed to a global team to advise the World Council of Churches and Lutheran World Federation on their work toward a more equitable international financial and economic architecture. Moe-Lobeda’s ethical approach weds Earth ethics to liberation theologies including eco-feminist theology.
Register at www.faithinformed.org
Flowers on Sundays at Church
If you are interested in dedicating the flowers in the Church on Sunday mornings to a loved one or a particular remembrance, please fill out this form and indicate which day you would like to contribute the flowers and what you would like the dedication to say. The dedication will appear in our announcement sheet on the Sunday you have selected. The suggested contribution for flowers is $75, which can be paid to All Souls either electronically or by check (see the giving page on our website for more information there), and be sure to write in “flowers” in the memo line.
Please contact Maggie Cooke for any questions, dmcooke92@comcast.net.
Healing Prayer Ministry
Do you often sit in church with something weighing on your heart? Especially during Eucharist? All are invited to the back of the church to receive healing prayer on Sundays. This is a beautiful way to know that the prayers on your heart are also being held by another person at All Souls. There’s also anointing oil available to be a comfort to you as you leave this place and head out into your life. Or perhaps you are interested in being a healing minister and offering these prayers for others in our midst? If so, we would love to have your gifts in this ministry. Please text or call Erin Horne at 206-850-8886. It is a remarkable experience to walk with another in this way.