The Pathfinder: June 13th, 2024
Rite of Reception
“Giddy” was the word my pew-mates used to describe me on Sunday, June 2nd, after I was formally received into the Episcopal Church. I was elated, and my joy was clearly evident in the massive smile that took up nearly half my face. It was such a gift to have this sacred moment occur at All Souls and to celebrate this significant step in my faith journey with the community who welcomed me two and a half years ago. It felt like a true homecoming, and while my joy was through the roof, I also felt a sense of deep rootedness, grounded in the peace of God.
That said, the wonderful feeling of right-fit that I felt that day took me a few years to cultivate. I first stepped foot in All Souls (and the Episcopal Church as a whole) almost three years ago, in October 2021. I had just arrived in Berkeley to begin my graduate program, and I was seeking an inclusive faith community where people of all identities are welcomed and invited to participate in the fullness of the life of the community. I joined the first Newcomer Class that was offered after I arrived, and I was formally welcomed as a member of the parish a few weeks after Christmas, in January 2022. I quickly followed this by diving into the Catechumenate Class that Lent. Throughout that six-week catechumenate experience, I had hoped that it would feel right to formally join the larger church in the Rite of Reception that spring. But after praying with it, I knew that I needed more time before I made this significant decision.
I was raised Roman Catholic, and I had spent my adult life trying to reconcile my love of the faith with the knowledge that the Catholic Church never felt like the right fit for me. I pursued several years of graduate study at Catholic theological schools, trying to figure out how I could live the faith with integrity while remaining true to my core beliefs. It became clear that this couldn’t be achieved in a Catholic environment; I needed to find a new faith home.
My time at All Souls over the last few years has proven that the Episcopal Church is a place where my core beliefs are affirmed and shared by others. While I rejoiced at this and continued to embed myself deeper in the All Souls community, formally claiming the Episcopal Church as my own meant undergoing a significant faith identity-shift. It was not something I took lightly. I wanted my “Yes” to the Episcopal Church to come from a place of true freedom, without any reservation, inhibition, or hesitancy. Throughout the last two years, I have felt God drawing me closer and closer to being able to utter a bold and proud Yes to this new faith identity. I had to be patient and trust that God would make it clear to me when the time was right to do so.
Whenever the diocese offered the Rite of Reception over the last two years, I spent considerable time discerning and praying whether it was the right moment for me to finally join this church as an official member. Yet, each time, I felt that I wasn’t in a space where I could offer my fullest Yes. So, I continued to wait, and to pray.
Finally, this past spring, I could see the moment was dawning. I felt a new spaciousness growing in my heart, and I was ready for the Episcopal Church to take root there. When I learned that Bishop Marc would be offering the Rite of Reception in June (and at All Souls, no less!), I knew deep in my bones that the time had come. I felt free to give this church my full, complete, uninhibited YES.
The joy and giddiness that my pew-mates saw on June 2nd was rooted in this deep knowing. When my joy is grounded in such authenticity, when it springs forth from my bones and the smile on my face can’t contain it, it’s then that I know that “the peace of God” that St. Paul tells us of, “which surpasses all understanding,” is real, and it’s worth waiting for.
I am thrilled to be here.
– Annie
Empty! Empty! Empty! We Did it!
All Souls Parishioners demonstrated their continuing enthusiasm for our Living Waters Project by EMPTYING the Parish Hall, the Kitchen, the Crow’s Nest, and the entire Undercroft so that construction can begin! A Big Huge THANK YOU to the many, many people who helped to make our move to storage a success!
Here are a few highlights of the Moving Project:
Jeannie Koops, Molly Nichol, Ann Cockle, and Emily Boring recreated a Sunday School area in the storage area, so the youth will have a comfortable place to meet throughout construction.
Don Gates and Pat Jones identified and packed all the items needed for Open Door Dinner so we can continue to prepare 65 meals for the encampments every second Sunday throughout construction.
Marilyn Flood, Jill Churchman, Ann Cockle, Patricia Granberg, and Priscilla Camp packed and moved all 55 boxes of Archives items in order to continue their work throughout construction.
Pat Jones, Renae Breitenstein, and Jill Churchman removed non-essential items from the kitchen and packed everything else for the long winter’s night.
Diane Haavik packed all the books in the library and all other items in the Common Room.
Cathy Goshorn spent a day moving half the chairs and all the tables from the Parish Hall.
Deirdre Nurre and Caroline Putnam helped to clear out and pack up the Choir rooms.
Phil, Emily HC, Emily B, and Diana Markley, our church administrator, all pitched in throughout the process. Scott Garriott, our Sexton, and Roberto Garcia, our custodian, prepared what they need for coffee hour and custodial tasks.
Ann Cockle gets the prize for working the most number of days—discarding items and working in the Tool Room, the Boiler Room, the Archive Room, the Sunday School Rooms, the Choir Rooms, the Crow’s Nest, and any other rooms that exist.
Toni Martinez-Borgfeld assisted in the sale or donation of 8 pews and several unused vestments and choir robes. The vestments were donated to churches in Mexico and the choir robes to a high school drama and music department. Many items found new homes with passersby at the corner of Spruce and Cedar. Some pews became part of an art installation in San Francisco, and others, part of a waiting area in a tattoo parlor in Merced and a cafe in Mendocino.
Two days prior to the All Parish Moving Day, John and Sharon Chipman donated a crew of 3 strong men from their family moving company for an entire work day. The crew moved the piano, 2 safes, 2 couches from the Crow’s Nest, 8 file cabinets, many tables and chairs, and dozens of boxes that had been packed by parishioners over a period of several weeks. They also took a very large load of items to the dump. All at no cost to us. Without their help, we would have been hard pressed to complete the job by June 8th. All the many hours of work discarding items and packing boxes were essential preparation for to the arrival of the professional crew.
On Saturday, June 8th, twenty-five All Soulsians (approximately) arrived for our final push, including a few new members who wanted to lend a hand! Many jobs still remained to be completed in every room of the church. And everyone spread out to complete them all.
David Brown, a lifelong Episcopalian but new to All Souls, was the first to report for duty on Saturday morning. He, Kris Nube, Martín Ortega, and Dean Williamson disassembled and moved to storage the wooden bookcases from the walls of the Library and Phil’s former office, two difficult and time consuming tasks. Martín Ortega removed light fixtures and other affixed items that need to be retained. Garett Estadt and George McLaughlin worked tirelessly to move boxes and to organize the packing in the storage room. So many parishioner came to help, including some new people, that within 3 hours, the job was finished.
Of course, Margaret Sparks made delicious snacks: deviled eggs, chocolate chip cookies and brownies. She also made lunch, but the work was completed before she could even bring it from the refrigerator.
Jill Churchman, my co-conspirator, and I enjoyed working on this project because (we’re a little crazy and) because so many parishioners came to help—some worked for many days and several hours, and others came for our work day on Saturday. We apologize for not being able to name all the tasks and everyone who donated time or supplies to help. But each person was an encouragement and an inspiration, and together we accomplished the task.
A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HELPED!!! Let the Living Waters flow! Let the Construction begin!
Retired Moving Coordinators,
– Kaki Logan and Jill Churchman
Big Sur Camping Trip
Join the All Souls community for a relaxed weekend of fellowship and fun!
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.
The campground has running water and toilets (but no showers), picnic tables, a group barbecue area and a large campfire circle. A communal dinner will be prepared for all on Saturday night, but otherwise meals are individual responsibility. The weekend will be framed with Evening and Morning prayer, and an informal Sunday Eucharist in the outdoor chapel.
Julia Pfeiffer Burns and Andrew Molera are both beautiful state beaches within driving distance for those who want to venture out. In general this weekend is a time to relax, play in the river and on the beach—and for the kids to roll in the dirt!
The campground is reserved from 2:00 pm on Friday through 11:00am on Sunday.
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 12th!
To register, fill out this form (click here).
Directions and final details will be sent out to those registered a week before the camping trip.
–Emily Hansen Curran
Ready, Set…Wait
Living Waters construction has had its first delay. But not all is lost.
After a successful all-parish work day on Saturday, June 8th, our spaces have been cleared for construction and we were just waiting for the permit from the City of Berkeley. We expected the permit to be approved Monday, June 10th, and to begin construction the next Monday, June 17th. But instead, Berkeley came back to us with more "minor" comments about the plans. These appear to be minor corrections to the submission and we hope they will not substantially delay the construction.
The response to the City's newest comments should be submitted this Friday and then we wait for Berkeley. Again.
In the meantime, we have successfully completed the sewer lateral work. We have also altered the cooper narthex doors facing Cedar Street. Those doors will be the only way in or out of the nave for some phases of construction. Until this week could only be opened from the inside, but now they can be opened from the inside and outside.
There will be ups and downs in this process. I'm not sure this delay, so far, counts as a down. It feels more like a wait.
–Richard Lynch
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 Eucharist Service. (Note: this service will not be available via Zoom the weeks of June 12 and 19. Zoom will return at this link on the 26th. We apologize for the inconvenience).
Reading Between the Lines Bible Study, Sunday @ 7:00a. Click here to join by Zoom, or join them in-person in the Common Room.
Adult Formation
First Summer Book Group!
Join Jack Shoemaker and other All Soulsians this week for our first book 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. Sign-up here!
Children’s Book Group While Sunday School is on a break for the summer, we are excited to offer a new form of fellowship for kids: children’s book groups! Fourth to sixth graders will read The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers. First to third graders will read The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls by M.J. Thomas. If you are interested in participating, please email Molly Nicol (molly.joan.nicol@gmail.com).
Look out for more info about Faithful Families and playground meet-ups this summer!
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 No Youth Group this week.
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.
Undergraduate Street Medicine Outreach Undergraduate Street Medicine Outreach (USMO) is a Cal student group that organizes outreach events every Saturday to bring food and resources to homeless encampments in Berkeley. Because these encampments are in resource deserts, they often lack access to quality food, medical services, and other resources which we try to facilitate through our many partnerships. All Souls has been supporting this effort through donation of menstrual hygiene products.
Now, USMO has invited us to take part in more direct outreach efforts, especially as USMO student volunteers are away for the summer. The USMO group meets on Saturdays at 12:10 pm at the West Circle on UC Berkeley's campus (location linked here). From there, they organize pick-up and delivery of food and supplies. If you would like to join in this effort, please contact Beth Christensen for details (beth.christensen@gmail.com). She will connect you to the USMO leadership team.
Finally, while menstrual hygiene products continue to be welcome, there is additional need for the following items:
Power banks
Phone chargers
Batteries
General hygiene and first aid products
Size 8 women’s shoes
You can drop off these items in the red donation bin in the narthex. Thank you!
Needs of the Community
Meal Train If you are in need of meals, or if you’d like to join this network to deliver food to others, please email Sarah Oneto at sarahoneto@gmail.com.
Everything Else
Juneteenth Feast Day Celebration, June 15th @11a at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Oakland. All are welcome to join in. Here’s the letter of invitation from Chapter Co-Chairs of the Union of Black Episcopalians.
“We are honored to have The Rt. Rev. Dr. Marc Andrus, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California, as our Celebrant for this joyous occasion. Additionally, The Rt. Rev. Austin Keith Rios, Bishop Co-Adjutor, will be delivering an inspiring sermon as our Preacher. In observance of this significant celebration, we ask that clergy wear Cassock and Surplice with either a Kente or Red Stole. Following the service, we will host a reception where we can continue our fellowship and enjoy refreshments together.
Juneteenth holds deep historical and cultural significance, commemorating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. As we gather in worship and celebration, we reaffirm our commitment to justice, equality, and unity within our communities and beyond. Please extend this invitation to your congregations and encourage them to join us in this meaningful celebration. We look forward to worshipping with you and sharing in this special day of remembrance and hope.”
Yours in Christ,
Sincerely,
Barbara Vassell, Chapter Co-chair
Jeanette Dinwiddie-Moore, Co-chair
No CA/Vivian Traylor Chapter
The Union of Black Episcopalians
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.
