The Pathfinder: May 30th, 2024
Introduction from The Rev. Dr. Mark Richardson
It is an honor to be invited by Phil Brochard to serve as Priest in Charge during his ten week sabbatical this summer. I am a relatively new member of All Souls and have quickly grown to admire both the leadership team, and the congregation and its ministries. Phil asked me to introduce myself in this issue of the Pathfinder.
I began my ordained ministry in 1979, in New York City, first uptown in an urban diaconal ministry of housing development in Harlem, not far from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, where I was ordained. I later served as a curate at The Church of the Ascension, on lower 5th Ave. During this curacy the urge toward a more specialized ministry of teaching and theological education began to surface due to opportunities to test this vocation. So I came to the Bay Area to begin a PhD in theology, met my wife Brenda, and we started a family here in Berkeley. We have been married for 40 years. Brenda, a former journalist, and author, is now a psychologist and volunteer for The Women’s Cancer Resource Center. We have three adult children.
After a brief return to New York on the professional team of Trinity Church Wall Street, we returned to Berkeley, where I was appointed the Director of Program for the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences and Assistant Professor at the GTU. My connection to Phil began when he was a teenager and occasional and favority babysitter for our two youngest children. Years later, after I was appointed Professor of Theology at General Theological Seminary in Manhattan, I had the good fortune of having Phil Brochard as a student. He often sat quietly near the back of the room with his computer open, so, at first I didn't know whether he was taking notes or looking at Macys ads. The answer soon became clear when he entered the discussions and spoke with depth on the current topic. And, fortunately, he and Sarah were both on the GTS basketball team, so we consistently beat our rivals at Virginia Theological Seminary.
In 2010, Brenda and I returned to Berkeley with the invitation to become the new President and Dean of Church Divinity School of the Pacific. I served in that role for12 years until my retirement in 2022. It was a period filled with the challenges of transition that theological education is undergoing in the midst of rapid change in church and culture. Among other things, we began the hybrid program of theological education, a format of both online coursework and in-person intensives. This quickly proved to be a much needed gift to the Episcopal Church nationwide. I mention this among other developments, because the new President and Dean of CDSP, Dr. Stephen Fowl, is well chosen to take this mode of theological education into its next phase. His particular expertise will add strength to CDSP, and I believe it will be a time of flourishing under his leadership.
This is at least the travelog presentation of my career path. These have been rewarding years of service as both teacher and priest. Let me state once again my thanks for this opportunity to share in leadership with you this summer in our common life. I am grateful to be a member in this vibrant, soulful parish. If the schedule remains intact, this summer will involve an active period of restoration and new development of All Souls property–plans long in the making.
– Mark+
Come, Rejoice With Us!
Every Sunday is the celebration of the Resurrection. It started that first Sunday and has continued ever since. And, some Sundays are even more celebratory than others. This Sunday, June 2nd, is one of them.
To begin, we will be graced with the final visit of the 8th Bishop of California, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Marc Handley Andrus. All Soulsians will be confirmed at the 8am service in the Chapel, and baptized, confirmed and received at the 10:30a service. It will be quite a party.
But wait, there’s more! Because in between the services, starting at 9:15am, Bishop Marc will be answering questions at a forum in the Parish Hall until 10am. At that point, we will move outside into the courtyard for the blessing of the upcoming capital campaign re-construction work. Representatives from the architectural firm and general contracting company will be on hand as Bishop Marc blesses all the work that will happen in the months to come.
But the day is not over! After the 10:30am service there will be a picnic to enjoy. Join All Soulsians of all ages at the Padre picnic ground in Tilden Park, starting around 12:30pm. Please bring side dishes to share, and be prepared for conversation, merriment, and cornhole.
Sunday! Sunday! One day only!
– Phil+
Notes from the Vestry: May 2024
The All Souls Vestry met for our regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 15. I am thrilled to report that the Vestry voted unanimously to approve and sign All Souls’ contract with WCI, based on the bid document we approved last month, clearing the way for our Living Waters construction project to break ground in early June.
In keeping with the season of Pentecost, it’s no exaggeration to say we felt the movement of the Holy Spirit flowing up through the generations before us at All Souls, through the generosity and vision of our current parishioners, through our careful, collective decision-making process, and onward to all the future uses of our space. The Vestry wishes to thank our Property Committee, chaired by Patrick Tahara, and all those who have devoted a great deal of time and skill to bring us to this point. There is more to do, but we are well on our way!
The Vestry also had the opportunity to meet the Very Rev. Dr. Mark Richardson and prepare the way for him to lead the parish, along with our other staff and Wardens, during Phil’s sabbatical this summer. In addition to approving his Letter of Agreement, we heard about Mark’s accomplished professional life in NYC and Berkeley, as a parish priest, theology professor, and previous president of CDSP, among other pursuits. Fun fact: Mark narrowing missed competing in the 1972 Olympic Games!
We heard about other good things brewing in this place, a valuable one being a renewed investment in Welcoming newcomers, Hospitality, and Kinship among parishioners. The Stewardship team is hard at work researching and broadening the ways and reasons we give to and sustain our parish. Our search team for our next Associate for Music is formed and finalizing the job description, soon to be sent far and wide. And Bishop Marc is coming to worship with us on June 2. It looks to be a joyful and busy summer ahead.
– Grace Telcs, Junior Warden
Update on the Music Search Process
The search committee would love for you to fill out the music questionnaire if you have not already!
The committee is currently accepting resumes and will begin to consider them in the middle of June. We will be meeting on June 7th to look at the results of the parish survey and talk about our process for interviewing candidates.
The Associate will be ours alone. Our previous two Associates for Music have been employed not only by All Souls but also by CDSP (Church Divinity School of the Pacific). However, CDSP will no longer be having residential students so we are not sharing the person. The All Souls position is part time (20-24 hours per week) and church housing is available as part of the package we are offering.
Please feel free to contact either Anne Yardley (ayardley@drew.edu) or Nat Lewis (natflewis@gmail.com) with comments, suggestions or questions. We will keep you posted as we move through the process!
–Anne Yardley and Nat Lewis
Announcements & Events
Happening This Week
Memorial Service for David Cooke, Saturday June 1st, 11am Join us as we celebrate the life of David, a beloved member of our community. All are welcome. The service will also be live-streamed on our Youtube Channel.
Worship This Sunday - with visitation by Bishop Marc Andrus
8:00am, Holy Eucharist in Chapel w/ confirmation
10:30am, sung Eucharist (click here to access the live stream) w/ baptisms, confirmations, and receptions
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.
Parish Picnic! This Sunday, June 2nd, just following the 10:30a service, we’ll all head up to the Padre Picnic Site in Tilden Park for our annual parish picnic. The church will provide the burgers (beef and vegan), buns, and condiments. We just need you all to bring sides, drinks, and desserts. We also need some folks to get up to the site early and to help grill. If you can help out, see Jeannie Koops or Emily Hansen Curran.
Adult Formation
First Summer Book Group!
Join Jack Shoemaker and other All Soulsians for our first group June 9, 16, 23, and 30th at 9:15am in the Jordan Court Community Room.
Let’s begin at the beginning. Join us as we read Reading Genesis, the latest book from Marilynne Robinson. A recent review of this book calls her “one of the most influential Christian writers and public intellectuals alive today.” Come see if you agree. Her book includes the complete text of Genesis in the King James version, but feel free to read any translation you wish. We will imagine dividing our reading of the 50 chapters of Genesis into four parts, but our discussions of Robinson’s book may well discover a looser structure.
Other 2024 Book Groups:
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.
Any questions? Contact Anne Yardley at ayardley@drew.edu
Children & Family
Save the Date: Parish Camping Trip, July 19th-21st. Join us in Big Sur for a weekend of family-friendly camping and fun! All ages welcome. Details forthcoming; email Emily HC with questions.
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 is on a break for the summer. We will return with regular classes on August 25th. Stay tuned for updates about summer Children’s Ministry opportunities!
Read more about our Sunday School program here.
Sunday School Survey Parents— we are seeking your feedback to shape next year’s Sunday School! If your child took part in our program in any way, please fill out this survey. We’re grateful for your time and input!
Youth Program Youth Group will take a break from June until August 26th. If you are not receiving Youth Program updates but would like to, please reach out to Emily B to be added to our mailing list.
Justice & Peace
Boost the Vote! “…it is the church’s responsibility to help get souls to the polls.” - Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
The All Souls Justice and Peace team invites you to help increase voter turnout by writing letters, following these easy steps:
Pick up from church 20 individual names, addresses, paper, & envelopes
(The names come from Vote Forward’s analysis, identifying citizens in low voter turnout areas)
Write non-partisan notes to encourage voting
Add postage
Return to Janet or a church basket to be mailed on Vote Forwards’s assigned dates
Ask for 20 more…?
Contact Janet Chisholm, jgchisholm@aol.com to request materials or to ask questions.
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
Parish Moving Day, June 8th: Join us for a group work day as we pack, clean out, and move items in preparation for our Living Waters construction. All hands are welcome and needed! 9a to noon, snacks provided. It’ll be fun!
Request for Temporary Housing We have a newcomer to All Souls who is looking for housing for just the month of June. She is able to pay some rent, but is hoping to find a situation where she trades some labor or some way of contributing to the household for rent. Please see Emily Hansen Curran if you think you might be able to help out.
Meal Train We are excited to announce a new coordinator for our Meal Train ministry, Sarah Oneto! If you are in need of meals, or if you’d like to join this network to deliver food to others, please email sarahoneto@gmail.com.
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.
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.
BREAD Camp: Summer's almost upon us! Sign ups are still open for Episcopal summer camp at The Bishop's Ranch! "BREAD Camp is a great place to discover community, spirituality and learn more about yourself. Campers spend mornings exploring spirituality through activities, conversation, and small group discussions. Afternoons are filled with lots of fun including swimming, arts and crafts, hiking and other elective activities. Evenings are filled with fun games, campfires, compline and a few surprises! Lots of music fills each day." Visit bishopsranch.org for details, or talk to Nat Lewis.
