The Pathfinder: October 17th, 2024
Launching New Emmaus Groups
As this fall is underway and we’re looking towards closing out this year, I'm looking at these last remaining months and wondering if I have been who I wanted to be this year and if I did what I set out to do. We’ve still got one quarter left in the game to make it happen. To that end, we’re launching one more round of Emmaus Groups to close out the year.
What are Emmaus Groups? In short, they are spiritual journeying groups. There are many reasons why you might be looking for a small group here at All Souls. Perhaps you’re new to the church. Maybe you’re looking for a place to build deep community. Maybe you’re trying to be intentional about growing and caring for your spirit as a follower of Jesus. Maybe you’re looking for a place to work out some personal discernment alongside others. For these reasons and more, Emmaus groups might be the right fit for you.
The name “Emmaus” comes from the resurrection story in Luke 24:13-53, where Jesus meets two apostles talking and journeying to Emmaus. Discussing their dejection and then amazement at having just discovered that Jesus' body was not in the tomb, Jesus appeared to these two men. They, however, did not recognize him. Not until they were at dinner, seated around a table, when the bread was blessed, did their eyes open and could they name that their hearts had been on fire while on the road with this stranger, and that this stranger before them was the one they loved, Jesus. The presence of Jesus was with them on their journey––in their questions, as they wrestled with their sadness and amazement––even when they could not see him.
With this as the basis, our vision for Emmaus Groups is simple: to gather and journey together in small groups in order to deepen our understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.
Functionally, Emmaus Groups meet every-other-week (or every week, if the group decides), as groups of no more than 12, in 16-week covenant periods throughout the year. By "covenant" I mean simply that for 16 weeks folks will be committed (covenanted) to meeting. At the end of the 16-week period the groups will open so that some folks can leave and other folks can join (if that is desired and/or if there is room). But the idea is that most of these groups will continue to meet in the next 16-week period, and will then continue to do so for as long as the group wants. There will be some structure to the meetings themselves (i.e. content), though it won't be anything as tight and structured as, say, Soup + Story groups. Generally, these groups will focus much more on journeying together than studying together. In the past we have had groups of women, men, married folks, parents of teens, and groups based on no demographics at all––it all depends on who is interested at the time when we start the group.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer says in his book Life Together, “the person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.” Journeying together is tough, but if community is what you’re after, jumping in with each other and doing the work is how we get there. If all of this resonates with you, consider an Emmaus Group––it will challenge your ideas of community, and my hope is that this effort will also create in us the kind of community and Jesus followers that we’re hoping to be. If you have questions or would like to sign-up, please email me, Emily Hansen Curran (emily@allsoulsparish.org).
Peace,
–Emily Hansen Curran
Sharing Difficult News
As some may have heard, on Tuesday morning difficult news went out from our diocesan offices and then the national Episcopal Church News Service about a credible allegation that our former bishop, Marc Andrus, had an inappropriate relationship with an adult while he was Bishop of California. More about the process ahead can be found in the text below. At this time, I ask for this congregation to join Bishop Austin in his prayers for the person who has brought forward the complaint, for Bishop Marc and his wife Sheila, and for all within and outside of our Diocese who are affected by this news.
Peace,
Phil+
+++
October 15, 2024
Dear Siblings in the Diocese of California,
I am writing today with some difficult news. Late last week, I learned that Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves, acting in her role as presiding bishop-designate, has issued a restriction on the ministry of Bishop Marc Andrus due to a credible allegation that he had an inappropriate relationship with an adult while he was bishop of California.
This restriction was issued on October 9 and is in keeping with the church’s Title IV clergy disciplinary canons. It means that Bishop Marc is not permitted to function as a bishop or conduct any ordained ministry while the disciplinary case against him is pending, and he will not be able to be in contact with anyone in our diocese. Allegations of misconduct against bishops are handled by the presiding bishop’s office and the Disciplinary Board for Bishops, and so this case will not unfold here in California, but rather at the churchwide level.
This was difficult news for me to learn, and I know it will be hard for many people in our gathered community to hear. I have asked the Rev. Canon. J. Sierra Reyes and the Ven. Miguel Bustos to be available to talk and pray with you if you need pastoral care during this time, and I will be meeting with the clergy of the diocese in the next few days to support them as they care for you. If you have information about this or any related matter that you would like to share, please be in touch with the Rev. Barbara Kempf, intake officer for disciplinary complaints against bishops, at titleivreport@episcopalchurch.org
When I became your pastor, I wrote to you about the work we have to do, the trust we have to build, and the wounds we need to entrust to Christ’s healing power. I did not anticipate that this kind of painful situation would be among our first challenges together. But I believe that by loving God and one another and following the wisdom of Jesus, we will emerge from this difficulty more connected and more committed to the mission of God in our context.
I do not know when I will have more news to share with you about this matter, but when I do, I will write to you again. Until then, please join me in praying for the person who has made this allegation, for Bishop Marc, and for all those who are affected.
Yours in Christ,
– +Austin
Catching Up With All Soulsians
Gloria Bayne, one of the great connectors within our All Souls community, has been her loving self with many of the folks who have left All Souls since Covid to live in places elsewhere. Below are a few updates from those beloved All Soulsians.
Patricia O'Gillooly lives in Vancouver, WA
Grace Kobayshi in Bellevue, WA in a retirement facility and is enjoying the social life. Her family is preparing for her 101th birthday celebration.
Harriett Patton lives in Folsom, CA She reads the Pathfinder regularly.
Gloria Fleming is in Hawaii with family.
If you have other updates of people who have moved away from the Bay, please let us know. We would love to stay connected to the All Souls community, near and far.
–Gloria Bayne
Order of St. Naucratius on the Bay
Over the summer, on my way east across the country, I happened to be in Clinton, Oklahoma on a Sunday morning and attended St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. It was an entirely lay-led service, and I was the eighth person in attendance.
The small group of people were welcoming and friendly. Before the service I heard people chatting about food and recipes. Afterward, my conversation with one of the parishioners centered on their enthusiastic activities in the Order of Saint Naucratius. I had never heard of this Order nor heard of Saint Naucratius.
Saint Naucratius lived in the 4th century in what is now Turkey. He was the son of Basil the Elder and Emmelia of Caesarea. He was the younger brother of Macrina the Younger and Basil the Great, and an older brother of Gregory of Nyssa and Peter of Sebaste. (I am not sure of another family with so many saints amongst them!). Although a talented rhetorician, Naucratius abandoned that career in 352 to become a hermit not far from the family estate at Annesi. He was joined by an enslaved person, Chrysapius. They fished and hunted, bringing the catch and game into the town to feed elderly and hungry.
In the Episcopal Church, the Order of Saint Naucratius continues this simple ancient ministry bringing the produce of hunting and fishing to feed others in need. There are active Orders in Oklahoma, Michigan, Texas, and Louisiana that I could find. I was warmly invited to participate in events, but also encouraged to organize events elsewhere. This is how the idea for a fishing trip on the Bay emerged.
Another inspiration came this term, from my Ethics class at PLTS, a Lutheran school in the GTU consortium here in Berkeley. One assignment is to disrupt economic injustice and our privilege in a public way. I decided that an Order of Saint Naucratius event would provide an opportunity to interrupt the economic injustice of the industrial food system of which we all take part with and without intention or consent. For me, interrupting economic privilege is not simply about redistribution of wealth, but transformation of the economies of injustice that shape our society.
Perhaps the most pressing injustice surrounds our relationship to the food we eat and the food we feed others. In ranking it the most pressing, I am not devaluing the injustices associated with marginalized groups of people, but arguing that the ecological relationship encompasses all the others. The way we feed ourselves and each other lies at the center of our creaturely existence and remains fundamental to the health and wellbeing of all the other organisms and environmental features of creation. Whether we think about it or have any direct contact with its processes, I’d suggest that one’s relationship to the land (and waters) through the agriculture that keeps us alive is the biggest impact we have here.
On Saturday the 5th, nine of us (eight humans and one dog) went out from Emmeryville on a charter trip to see what God’s abundance would provide us that day. Of course it would be easier and more economical to buy fish and distribute it. In fact the cheapest fish we could find on special would feed more people. We could even donate money to an existing feeding program able to buy in bulk and serve it widely without any involvement from us beyond the press of a button deducting money electronically. However, in any other scenario, we haven’t challenged our economic privilege or disrupted the industrial food system. Much privilege lies in even having such choices and access to cheap food. Of course, there is economic privilege in other facts such as our time and the resources to make the trip happen. Many people can’t spend half a day fishing because they are working a second or third job.
Just before we left on a glorious sunny day, one participant asked, “What does this have to do with church?”
That is the perfect question…
First, I’d say that church has to do with everything we do. As Christians, we ARE church, and anything we do in community intentionally as Christians takes on new life as Ministry. Connecting community activities to Liturgy and other prayer imbues such activities with God’s grace and a story far larger than our own life. The Order of Saint Naucratius has a Rule of Life: “Prayer, Conservation, & Charity.” The Order draws Eucharistic parallels with Jesus’ own taking, breaking, sharing, and eating. The whole premise of a religious Order venerates a particular figure in our tradition and emulates their ministry through our contemporary work dedicated to their Mission.
All work is God’s work anyway, but hunting and fishing are areas of work that can really test our trust in God’s gifts and provision. On our trip, we only caught 3 fish as a group and someone made a joke about a miracle of multiplication. Later on, this miracle occurred through the generosity of the Captain and crew who gifted us fish from their catch earlier in the day. Another blessing came from a participant who formatted and bound a prayer booklet for our event containing various prayers for fisherfolk and seafarers more generally. He also included beautiful writing from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick and a portion of Psalm 107 all bound by hand.
If anyone is interested in the next event or anything to do with Saint Naucratius, please get in touch with me! There are drafts of an Indigenous Land (and water) acknowledgement and my own take on the Rule of Life, and I’d love to share and receive feedback.
–Michael Drell, Seminarian
Our fall pledge drive, Answering the Call: All Souls 2025, is moving toward Ingathering Sunday (Oct. 27th!). We are excited to continue to share news and resources related to our annual pledge campaign.
Reflections
Last Sunday, we heard from Vimala Tharisayi as she reflected on the ways in which the All Souls community has enriched her life. You can watch her video below. We will continue to hear reflections from All Soulsians in the coming weeks.
Visit our new “Answering the Call” page for more.
Pledge Packets
Pledge packets were sent to everyone this week (by mail or by email), and should be received between today and Saturday. The packet contains a letter from Phil+ and Emily+, a pledging chart, a brochure with a brief recap of the pledge drive and a tailored letter from Giving Secretary, Maggie Cooke extending an invitation to pledge.
If you’ve missed this mailing, there are generic packets, sans the letter from Maggie, in the narthex. Please contact Richard Lynch if you would like a packet or would like to discuss the pledging process.
Ingathering Sunday – October 27
The pledge drive will culminate with two events on Ingathering Sunday, October 27.
AM - Ingathering Services @ 8:00 and 10:30. Nathan Brostrom will give the Ingathering sermon and we will continue the All Souls tradition of offering our pledge cards at the altar.
6:00 p.m. – All Parish Ingathering Potluck at St. Mary Magdalen Parish on Henry Street. There will be designated tables for children and for youth; all are welcome. We’ll wrap up around 8:00 p.m.
Please sign up for the dinner ASAP! Sign up with Realm (even if you do not have a profile already set up in Realm), or sign up physically in the narthex this Sunday, October 21st. Reserve your seat now! We will make every effort to accommodate sign ups after this Sunday, but we’d like to know you’re coming now.
Thanks,
–All Souls Operating Campaign Committee
Living Waters Weekly Update
Understanding; tolerant and forgiving.
The elevator pit is being finalized, but elevator installation is still months away.
Final grading of the courtyard is in process and the pouring of cement will hopefully happen mid-November. There are many, many steps in getting a beautiful and functional courtyard!
Egress stays the same this week and the next month. Entrance is on Cedar, emergency egress is through the sacristy (follow the signs) and porta potties are available in the off street parking and at Jordan Court.
Thank you for your tolerance as this ongoing project unfolds!
The pictures below are from last week; more recent pictures forthcoming! Check back in the next few days.
Left: Elevator shaft, from basement; right: elevator pit (which is dry)
Left: Taping of corridors and restrooms; right: downstairs corridor
Sheetrocking of kitchen.
–Ann Myers and the Property Committee
Announcements & Events
Happening This Week
Worship This Sunday
8:00am, Holy Eucharist in Chapel. Please access the Chapel through the copper doors on Cedar St.
9:15am, Adult Formation. Church Meets State with The Rev. Phil Brochard and two All Soulsians, Jim Copeland and Dr. Christine Trost, in the Jordan Court Community Room.
10:30am, sung Eucharist (click here to access the live stream). Enter through the Cedar St. doors.
Wednesday 9am Eucharist Service, in the Jordan Court Community Room. Join us on Zoom here.
Reading Between the Lines Bible Study, Sunday @ 7:00a. Click here to join by Zoom, or join them in-person in the Jordan Court Conference Room.
Adult Formation
This Week: “Church Meet State,” led by the Rev. Phil Brochard
Have you been curious why more Episcopalians were signers of the Declaration of Independence and more Episcopalians have served as President of the United States than any other religious tradition? Do you struggle with what an appropriate Christian response to the Gospel might be in a country where Christian nationalism is on the rise? Do you ever wonder about Jesus of Nazareth’s own political ambitions? Are you trying to figure out how to live out your Christianity in a country that is becoming more polarized? To learn more about all of these questions join the Rev. Phil Brochard in conversation with two All Soulsians, Jim Copeland and Dr. Christine Trost this week, October 20th, at 9:15am in the Jordan Court Community Room.
Coming Up Next: “Heretics and Creeds,” led by The Rev. Phil Brochard
Every Sunday at All Souls we say or sing the Nicene Creed. You may be wondering why. Well, in a word, heresies. For four weeks in late October and into November the Rev. Phil Brochard and the Rev. Dr. Mark Richardson will explain what a heresy is, why they were important to the early church, and why they continue to matter today. Come engage the tensions of a Christ that is both human and Divine, a God that is three in one and one in three, and the meaning of free will. Come to understand why you believe what you do, and quite possibly how that relates to the right belief of the Church.This class meets in the Jordan Court Community Room on the following Sundays at 9:15 am: Oct. 27, Nov. 10, 17, 24.
Children & Family
Sunday School: Sunday School (for kids pre-K through 5th grade) happens every week during the 10:30 service. Meet outside of main Cedar St. doors at the start of the service; teachers will lead you around the corner to our temporary classroom space. (If you’re late, ask an usher for directions). Children will return to church at the “Peace.”
Godly Play Training Join us to learn about Godly Play, a unique curriculum of spiritual formation for children. November 23rd, 9am to 1pm, at All Souls. Email Emily B to sign up.
To join our Children and Family mailing list, email emilyb@allsoulsparish.org
Youth Program
Youth Group happens each Sunday from 7-8:30 pm.
This week, Oct. 20th, is all-grades youth group (6th-12th grade). Our topic is Dia de los Muertos. We’ll do crafts and discuss cross-cultural perspectives on dying and celebrating life.
A reminder that this year, we are following a new structure for Youth Group. We will alternate between an all-grades gathering, and a high school small group, every other week of the month:
Weeks 1, 3, and 5: All grades, 6th-12th
Weeks 2 and 4: High school small group, 9th-12th
View and download our full fall calendar (Sept. - Dec.) here.
To join the weekly youth mailing list, email emilyb@allsoulsparish.org.
Justice & Peace
Film Screening: “Crip Camp,” Thursday November 7th Join Jenny Kern, Erin Horne, the Rev. Emily B, and others to view a documentary about the intersection of civil rights and disability justice, followed by a discussion. 6:30-9pm, Jordan Court Community Room.
Fundraiser for Unhoused Disabled Elders
Please see the following announcement on behalf of the Center for Independent Living:
We’ve seen a surge of encampment sweeps in the East Bay in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s April 2024 Grants Pass decision, a ruling which allows local and state governments to evict and criminalize people for camping in public even if they have nowhere else to go. In the last week alone, the City of Oakland forcibly displaced a long-standing unhoused community of primarily disabled elders at Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Grand Avenue in Oakland.
In response to the violence of these sweeps and the needs of our unhoused neighbors, Center for Independent Living is launching a fundraising campaign to serve the underserved. Their goal is to raise $5,000 to fund the cost of storage units for people who are houseless, elderly, and disabled. This fundraising ask sprung directly from urgent requests by displaced residents of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Grand Avenue in Oakland, many of whom are Black, disabled elders. Make an online donation at this link.
Hurricane Relief Episcopal Relief & Development mobilizes in coordination with local partners to provide assistance to those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Please consider contributing to the Hurricane Relief Fund to support relief and recovery efforts.
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. These days, they are especially seeking donations of the following items:
Bottled water, water filters or bottles, or other purification devices– anything that helps provide clean drinking water.
Basic hygiene products (toothbrushes, deodorant, bandaids, soap, etc.)
Tarps, blankets, ground covers, and other shelter items.
Please bring these donations to the red bin in the Narthex. Email Beth Christensen (beth.christensen) for donation and other direct volunteer opportunities with USMO.
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
All Saints Sunday Potluck and Remembrances On Sunday, Nov. 3rd, we’ll celebrate the Feast of All Saints & All Souls. At this service, we read the names of those who have passed away in the last year. All names of the deceased on our Prayer List from the previous year will be automatically included. If there are any additional names that you would like to have read that are not on that list, please e-mail Diana here.
Additionally, we’ll have a potluck after the service in the Jordan Court Community Room from about noon to 1pm. You are invited to bring a dish that honors someone who has passed away— perhaps a favorite family recipe, or a dish that brings up memories of loved ones who are gone.
Stewardship Dinner Sign-Up & Celebration All are welcome to join us for our annual Stewardship Celebration Dinner! October 27th from 6-8p at St. Mary Magdalen’s on Berryman Street in Berkeley. This is a super fun night together as a parish, celebrating the gifts of this church and each other. Sign-up here!
Young Adults Group The next meeting of our 20s and 30s group will be a content-based discussion, on October 28th, from 6:30-8:00, at the home of Lizzie and Tommy Belgum. Email Tommy to join the young adult email list.
Sermon Poetry Corner is back by popular demand! Enjoy the following limerick, composed by Chat GPT, based on Emily Hansen Curran’s sermon last Sunday.
A rich man asked how to succeed,
But Jesus said give up your greed,
Your wealth won't suffice,
To enter paradise,
Be vulnerable, love those in need.
You can listen to this sermon and past ones on our website or our podcast channel.
