The Pathfinder: May 2nd, 2024
Spreading the Word
If you’ve ever tried to ask a question at All Souls, chances are you’ve been told, “Ask Emily.” And if you’ve ever wanted to share a piece of information– an announcement, an event, an idea– chances are you’ve been told, “Tell Emily!”
The question is– which Emily? B or HC? Who does what these days? And you’re right to ask. Over the last few months, there have been some important changes in how we divide up tasks and responsibilities among the All Souls staff team.
Beginning in April, Emily Hansen Curran stepped down to half-time as she prepares to launch her long-time vision– a new Episcopal church plant– in spring of 2025. (Read more about her vision here).
Meanwhile, I, Emily Boring, stepped up from 0.8 time to nearly full-time (with some extra Mondays off this summer to work on a book).
At the same time, Diana Markley, our office administrator, has been doing fabulous work and taking on more responsibilities.
And, just so he doesn’t feel left out, there’s Phil, steadily doing the work of a rector as excellently as always!
What does all of this mean for you, members of the All Souls community? How do these changes affect the weekly flow of our parish life?
One of the primary ways you’ll encounter our staff changes is in the area of communications: how we share events and information among our community. That’s the topic of today’s article. Recently, the staff team sat down to streamline, clarify, and re-imagine the process and channels through which we share important information about parish life and life outside of All Souls. We’re excited to share the outcome of that visioning with you.
We hope that this article will clarify how we communicate (Blue Sheet, Pathfinder, website, and calendar) and who to go to when you have information to share. (Spoiler: the answer is usually me!)
Channels of Communication
There are four main ways we communicate about what’s going on at All Souls. They are:
1. The Blue Sheet
A physical newsletter included in each week’s bulletin.
Intended to provide a glimpse into a variety of ministry areas of All Souls (Children & Family, Justice and Peace, Parish Life, Adult Formation, etc.)
Imagine: You’re a newcomer visiting All Souls for the first time, and you want to get a sense for what’s going on in this community and how we spend our time and energy. The Blue Sheet should give you a sense of who we are.
Space is limited, so:
Announcements are usually no more than 50 words.
We tend to restrict the content to: parish-hosted events (i.e., not events from the surrounding community) that are happening in the next week or two.
Diana Markley, our office administrator, recently took over production of the Blue Sheet with help from Em&Em.
2. The Pathfinder
Our weekly email newsletter, which you’re reading now.
You can access the Pathfinder in two ways:
Through the weekly mailer, which arrives in your inbox on Thursday. This includes excerpts from each article, links to “read more,” and a peek at the events happening this Sunday.
Through our website, here. (Where you can also find archives of past weeks’ Pathfinders)
Within each Pathfinder, after the featured articles, the final section is called “Announcements and Events”:
This is a full list– much more comprehensive than the Blue Sheet– of everything coming up within All Souls and the broader community.
Announcements are typically 50-100 words.
All things Pathfinder – articles and announcements, website and mailer– are Emily B’s job. Please direct all material or questions to emilyb@allsoulsparish.org.
3. All Souls Google Calendar:
Accessible on our website here. This is updated by staff regularly and has short descriptions of all events.
4. The “Events” page on our website:
Here, you’ll find the same events that are displayed on our calendar, but with more detail: a picture, a description, and any RSVP links.
How to Submit Announcements and Events
All communications content from parishioners should be emailed to Emily B (emilyb@allsoulsparish.org). I will ensure that the info gets forwarded on to another staff member if needed.
The deadline for submitting announcements is noon on Wednesday for inclusion in that week’s Pathfinder and/or Blue Sheet. This deadline is important because it gives us time to create the Blue Sheet and print it with Sunday’s bulletins. And it makes sure that we have all content gathered in time to assemble the Pathfinder on Thursday mornings.
For Pathfinder announcements, pease send Emily B a 50-100 word blurb including: the title of your event, the time/place/date, a short description, and any info needed to RSVP. You can send this blurb in the body of an email (preferred), or in a Word or Google Doc.
Note: Please do NOT simply forward a flier or an external email; it helps us immensely if you take a moment to rewrite the description with the relevant info. Make sure to share with All Soulsians why this event is important.
If you’d like your announcement included in the Blue Sheet (in addition to the Pathfinder), first ask: Is this happening within the parish, and in the next 1-2 weeks?
If yes, then please submit a shorter version of your blurb– no more than 50 words– in addition to your longer Pathfinder blurb.
If your event belongs on our Google Calendar or website, we’ll take care of adding it there.
The above deadlines apply to announcements and events only. If you’re writing a longer featured Pathfinder article, your deadline is midnight on Wednesday (so that it can be formatted and edited first thing Thursday morning). Please email the article and a photo (a recent headshot, or another picture relevant to your article) to Emily B.
One important note: Submitting content doesn’t always mean that it will be put in the publication of choice. Sometimes, the staff need to move things around to a different channel of communication, or push something off for a week (if there’s too much already going on). Other times, we may determine that something’s not quite right to be announced in the context of All Souls. You’re always welcome to ask questions about our process.
Real Life Examples
Here are a few common scenarios we encounter and how they fit within our new communication system.
Example #1: I’m a member of the Ale Souls affinity group. I want to invite people to attend our upcoming beer-brewing event the Friday after next.
This is an event within the All Souls community, happening within 1-2 weeks. It belongs in the Pathfinder, and also in the Blue Sheet.
By noon on Wednesday, I’ll email two blurbs to Emily B: a 50-100 word description for the Pathfinder, and a less-than-50 word description for the Blue Sheet.
Example #2: I’ve heard about an upcoming lecture on science and theology at UC Berkeley next week. I’m going, and I think other All Soulsians would be interested, too.
This isn’t an event hosted by All Souls, so it doesn’t belong in the Blue Sheet.
However, there’s definitely room for it in the Announcements & Events section of the Pathfinder.
By Wednesday at noon, I’ll email Emily B a summary (50-100 words) with the date, time, place, and why I think this would be relevant to All Soulsians. I can include a link to the event website, but I won’t simply forward an external email; I’ll write the info in my own words.
Bonus: Perhaps (just hypothetically!) science and theology is an area I’m passionate about, and I’m interested in writing a whole Pathfinder article– not just an announcement. Maybe I’ll write a reflection after I attend the lecture. I’ll email Emily B to offer this idea and get on the Pathfinder calendar. When I’ve written the article, I’ll submit it by the end of Wednesday the week that it’s running.
Why This Matters
Thank you for reading this far, and for being willing to embark on this new process with us!
One of the things that makes All Souls unique is the high number and quality of ministry teams, events, initiatives, and service opportunities that our community undertakes together. By helping us streamline our communications, you’re helping ensure that information reaches the people it needs to in an efficient way.
And following this process is one of the most tangible, meaningful ways you can support our staff, giving us the time and space each week to direct our energies where it matters most.
With gratitude,
– Emily+
A Community Group for Young Adults
We (Tommy and Lizzie) are excited to announce the launch of a new All Souls community group, specifically for folks in their 20s and 30s. We have been attending All Souls for almost three years now and have noticed an influx to this age group. We are hoping to bring these folks together for community, spiritual growth, and some good times!
Upon sharing our vision with Emily B and Emily HC, we discovered that All Souls has a rich history of versions of this group coming together, fading away, then rising up again over the years. In fact, the dynamic group affectionately earned the name “the Phoenixes” after the mythical bird that rises anew from its own ashes. Well, folks, it’s time for the Phoenixes to rise again! We hope you will join us for our first gathering on Tuesday, May 21st, at 7:00pm at our home on Cedar Street, just a few blocks up from the church.
Our first gathering will kick off with snacks and bevvies on the patio, followed by a guided conversation about what this group could become. Together, we want to define the framework for our group; we’ll discuss the logistics such as frequency of gathering, as well as our vision for balancing social time and meaningful content. We've got some ideas, but want to hear from you all, too! We will wrap up around 8:30 pm.
If you are in your 20s or 30s, whether you’ve been with us for a while or are new to All Souls, you’re warmly invited to come along and be part of shaping this new community group. Please reach out to Lizzie and Tommy at tommylbelgum@gmail.com if you plan to join us on May 21st (or if you have any questions).
We look forward to seeing many new and familiar faces!
– Lizzie and Tommy Belgum
Reflections on the Jewish Festival of Passover
In the Book of Exodus, Adonai commands the Israelites to celebrate their deliverance from slavery every year and to tell the story of how God brought them out of bondage and into freedom. In our modern day, this commandment translates into the holiday of Passover and especially the observance of the Seder meal.
This year our Jewish neighbors at Congregation Beth El hosted a Community Seder and for the first time invited the members of All Souls Parish and of St. Paul’s AME to attend. On April 23, 2024, approximately 200 people, led by Rabbi Rebecca Stern, gathered in an over flowing sanctuary to partake of the Seder meal. With stories, symbols, songs, and a delicious meal we reflected on the meaning of “freedom,” of the familiar phrase, “next year in Jerusalem,” and the morality of God’s punishment inflicted on the Egyptians in favor of the Israelites. Here are a few reflections from members of All Souls who attended a very special evening.
“I keep remembering what the Rabbi said, quoting Nicholas Kristoff from the New York Times about the Middle Eastern crisis, ‘If your empathy is with one side or the other, then your moral compass is broken.’ I was grateful for the evening.” - Leslie Goldberg
“Rabbi Rebecca and the Beth El Community did a wonderful job welcoming everyone and made the Hagaddah (‘the telling’) very accessible visually and through teachings that introduced each segment of the Passover ritual. The celebration of freedom and the call to accept responsibility for one another was braided throughout the meal and evening. It was a privilege to participate and to make new connections.”- Jenny Kern
“This was my first Passover Seder; I am so glad I was able to experience this ritual passed down through millennia. I liked the way storytelling and teaching was integrated with the various elements of the meal. On a lighter note, this was my first time to try Manischewitz wine (not quite my thing) and gefilte fish (definitely not my thing), but the rest of the meal was delicious!” - Paul Matthew
“There were some great people at my table, including a Jewish couple who were, like me, visitors at Beth El. I recognized one woman at the table, but wasn’t quite certain why she was familiar. The next morning we found ourselves together at an exercise class we both attend and were delighted to connect the dots. I recognized people I had met previously, from Beth El and St. Paul’s AME, and was able to reconnect. A lot of fellowship for one Tuesday evening!” - Julie Holcomb
If you were not able to attend this year, the save the date for 2025 when the second night of Passover will be on Sunday, April 13!
– Bonnie Bishop
Faith, Food, and Fellowship
Dear All Soulsians,
There are a couple events coming up that I wanted to highlight and hopefully entice you to join. First, there will be the 10th Annual “Faith, Food, & Farms Conference” in Petaluma on the 8th of May. This event is organised by the “Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative”. It will run from 11:30 am to 7:30 pm at the Petaluma Community Center.
There will be interactive workshops, local and national speakers, congregation tours, network opportunities, resources for churches, as well as delicious, locally sourced lunch and dinner. Registration is $80, but the organisers tell me that there is a sliding scale, and no one will be turned away due to lack of funds.
Secondly, on May 10th at 5:30pm, there will be an evening event here at All Souls praying the Daily Office of Evening prayer in Spanish followed by a meal (please advise if you are dairy or gluten free). After several weeks of weekly prayers with low attendance, Elena and I discussed the possibility of less frequent gatherings with more time for fellowship and food. This is the first of these gatherings and we’d welcome your input as we plan more in the autumn. The evening is open to anyone and everyone! We want to provide an opportunity for you to practice Spanish or simply listen along and then eat with us.
Both these events will hopefully represent perfect opportunities for us to further abide in love (John 15:10), recognizing the food and faith relationships among us, and the interconnectedness throughout creation.
If you have any questions or planning to attend, come speak with me on Sunday or send an email: mdrell@ses.cdsp.edu. You can register directly for the conference too at www.interfaithfood.org or call 707-634-4672.
– Michael Drell, Seminarian
Be Still Concert
Next Saturday night, May 11th at 7:30p, the Sunday Night Service crew (soon to be the new east bay church) is putting on a concert here at All Souls. We’ve gathered four musicians (and a band behind them) to come play together, telling the stories of their faith journeys, through song.
It’s a special gathering of artists who have all experienced life as musicians in the Evangelical world and who, to varying degrees, have left that world with the post-Evangelical movement.
We’ve got two of our own Sunday Night Service musicians opening the event, Kate Lamont and Keith Watts, in addition to another local musician, Aisea Taimani. Then, the headliner for the concert is Audrey Assad, a Nashville artist and musician, who is flying out specifically to play in this show with us! Audrey is a pretty big name to those of us who have contact with the Evangelical and post-Evangelical world, so this is a pretty incredible thing to have her out to play for us.
Even if this is not your experience of faith or religion, please consider coming out for the concert. It’s bound to be a night of incredible music and heart. It’s also free, but we are certainly accepting donations (suggested $25 per person). You can read more about the concert and each of the musicians (and make a donation) on the Eventbrite page (click here).
– Emily Hansen Curran
Announcements & Events
Happening This Week
Worship This Sunday
8:00am, Holy Eucharist in Chapel
10:30am, sung Eucharist (click here to access the live stream)
Wednesday 9am Service. Join the Zoom call here, or join us in person in the Nave. Password: 520218.
Reading Between the Lines Bible Study, Sunday @ 7:00a. Click here to join by Zoom, or join them in-person in the Common Room.
2nd Thursday Lunch Join us on Thursday, May 9th from noon to 2 in the Parish Hall for a potluck lunch. Bring a dish to share!
Adult Formation
Discovering Practices of Hope with William Stringfellow, taught by Dr. Scott MacDougall
Our social and political climate could easily lead us to despair. The same was true for William Stringfellow (1928–1985). Stringfellow was a lifelong Episcopalian with a fierce loyalty to God’s justice, truth, and love. For him, despair was not an option and active hope the only Christian response to suffering, chaos, and death. This series will ignite our own hope through his inspiring example. This will be our final class of the program year. (April 25, May 5 and May 12)
Newcomer Class with the Rev. Phil Brochard and Emily Hansen Curran
Wondering how to learn more about All Souls and connect with our community? Join us for a newcomer class, April 21 through May 12, 9:15-10:15, downstairs in the Common Room. Email emily@allsoulsparish.org with questions.
Confirmation and Reception Interested in being confirmed or received into the Episcopal Church? Bishop Marc Andrus will visit All Souls on Sunday, June 2nd. Reach out to Phil+ or Emily+ for more information.
Summer 2024 Book Groups
The Adult Formation Committee is excited to announce the schedule for book groups in the summer of 2024. We will be offering three different books and hope that you will choose to participate in at least one of them. The groups will meet at 9:15am on Sundays.
June 9, 16, 23, and 30
Marilynne Robinson, Reading Genesis (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2024) and the book of Genesis from the Bible. Led by Jack Shoemaker.
July 7, 14, 21
Charles Duhigg, Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection (Random House, 2024). Led by Raymond Yee.
July 28, August 4, 11
Steven Charleston, We Survived the End of the World: Lessons from Native America on Apocalypse and Hope (Broadleaf Books, 2021). Led by Marguerite Judson.
More details will follow but we wanted to share this with you now so you can start reading!
Any questions? Contact Anne Yardley at ayardley@drew.edu
Children & Family
Faithful Families Dinner, May 9th! Join us from 6:00-7:30p for a shared meal, fellowship, and kid-friendly prayer. Email Emily B to RSVP by May 6th.
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.
Children’s Ministry Sunday School continues each week during the 10:30 a.m. service for children from pre-K through 5th grade. Children head downstairs at the start of the service, then return after the “Peace.” See an usher if you need directions.
All ages attend a shared Godly Play “Storytime.” Then, our youngest kids (pre-K to 1st grade) remain in the Godly Play classroom for “wondering” and “work” time, while our older kids (grades 2-5) split off for deeper investigation and exploration.
Note to Parents: We encourage all kids to return to the sanctuary after Sunday School and save outdoor playground time for later. In the Godly Play curriculum, we view the Eucharist as an important extension of Sunday School; the sacred space that we create downstairs continues and expands as we join the whole congregation upstairs. We appreciate your help reinforcing this norm!
Note: Our final week of regular Sunday School will be May 26th. Stay tuned for updates about children’s ministry over the summer!
Read more about our Sunday School program here.
Youth Program - Youth Group is back this week, May 5th, from 7-8:30 in the Parish Hall. Our final week of Youth Group for this program year is May 26th.
If you are not receiving weekly Youth Program updates but would like to, please reach out to Emily B to be added to our mailing list.
Justice & Peace
Menstrual Hygiene Donations In partnership with a UC Berkeley organization called Undergraduate Street Medicine Outreach, All Souls has begun a weekly collection of menstrual hygiene products for folks in the Berkeley and Oakland encampments. Please bring products on Sundays and place them in the designated basket in the Narthex. If you'd prefer to make a monetary donation, you can write a check to All Souls and indicate "hygiene donation." Contact Beth Christensen (beth.christensen@gmail.com) with questions.
Needs of the Community
Save the Date! Parish Work Day, Saturday June 1 Come help us pack and move items into storage, in preparation for our upcoming construction. Around 9am to noon; details TBD.
Sunday Hospitality Sign-Ups Coffee Hour is such a sweet time, but is even sweeter when there is food available for young and old, and even for those occasional neighbors who swing by for a cup of coffee and a pastry on Sunday mornings. If you’re able to bake or cook or purchase food for a coffee hour on a Sunday, please put your name on this document (click here). All food can be dropped off in the kitchen before the service starts.
Rides Ministry We are working to reinvigorate our Rides Ministry team, which helps provide rides to and from church on Sundays and to other parish events, especially in the evenings. If you are willing to be added to the list of drivers, please email Emily B and share a bit about your availability. We are also seeking a coordinator of this Rides Ministry team, who will assist in matching drivers with those who need rides. If you are interested in this leadership role or feel called to learn more, please email Emily B or Emily HC.
Call for Volunteers: Communications Team We are seeking volunteers to join our Communications ministry team. We welcome help in many areas: website design and maintenance, social media, weekly communications, livestream and Youtube, outreach to neighbors and newcomers, and more. If you have visions, skills, or enthusiasm in this area, we welcome you! Please reach out to Emily B.
Everything Else
Lector/Intercessor, Chalice, & Lay Liturgical Assistant Training 6/8 If you are interested in getting more involved in the liturgy on Sunday mornings by serving as a chalice bearer, a healing minister, a lector or intercessor, or (we’re attempting to bring back an old practice of ours) a Lay Liturgical Assistant, please come to a training on June 8th just after the 10:30a service. If you’ve got questions, please see Emily HC, emily@allsoulsparish.org.
Spanish Evening Prayer: Join seminarian Michael Drell and other volunteers for an evening prayer service in Spanish followed by a community dinner. Chapel of the Nativity, May 10 at 5:30pm.
Save the Date - Parish Camping Trip, July 19-21! Join us for the annual camping trip to Big Sur this summer. Details and sign-ups forthcoming.
Weekly Sermon Haiku
Fun fact: Chat GPT can take the transcript of a sermon and generate a catchy haiku! Some are lovely, some are awful, some are worth a laugh. Below, see the poem from last Sunday’s sermon.
From The Rev. Phil Brochard’s Easter 5 Sermon:
Vines cling, life prunes back,
Fruit emerges from the cuts,
Harvest richer faith.
Watch All Souls sermons on our Youtube channel, or listen to them as podcasts here.
