The Pathfinder: January 2nd, 2025
Our Life is Fruit
Maybe it’s the turn to a new year. It also could be because of the death of former President Jimmy Carter. It might even be due to the Jesus Gets Us commercials, “Jesus Was a Refugee,” that were playing during the college bowl games. But for several reasons, I’ve recently been reflecting on a teaching of Jesus about fruit.
In the seventh chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus offers a series of sayings: about judgment (specks in someone else’s eye, logs in our own), about prayer (would anyone hand a snake when asked for a fish?), and about the road to perdition (it’s wide and spacious). He then warns of false prophets, about those who say the right words, but whose lives lead themselves and others to destruction.
And he gives his followers a way to know whether or not those teachers are trustworthy. And it has to do with the fruit of a tree, whether it is good or rotten; whether the life of someone has borne out mercy and justice and compassion. This is the translation from the First Nations version of the New Testament, “When you see the fruit of their ways, you will know them.”
Again, I think that this time of year naturally lends itself to reconsidering how we live our lives. We have just come through the end of one way of accounting for our annual cycle around the sun and are starting on a new one. And we’ve once again emerged from the longest night, with light slowly growing each day. Given these new beginnings, many people wonder, “Is this is really how I want to live my life?” This season can be a fruitful time to consider a rule of life––a set of daily and weekly practices that guide you more and more towards a whole and holy life.
For a long, long time, one person who clearly demonstrated a whole and holy life was Jimmy Carter. Yes, he lived a remarkable life of public service as a state senator and governor of Georgia, and of course, as the 39th president of the United States. But as Jim Copeland witnessed to several months ago in our class on Church and State, and what I have been profoundly moved by in reading articles about the lives of Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter was the fruit borne long after they were intensively in the public eye.
In ways both large and small this is the fruit they bore: monitoring elections around the world so that the elections could be free and fair for all citizens of that country, the eradication of diseases in places in our world with little access to resources, and building houses that served not simply a shelter, but as homes for those without one. It was clear by the life he lived that Jimmy Carter placed his trust in the life and teachings of Jesus the Christ; they formed the ethic of his life, even while being recognized as one of the most powerful people in the world.
My sense is that this question about fruit being borne is also one that can be asked of groups of people––families, congregations, countries. What kind of fruit have we collectively borne? For instance, one question I regularly ask is, if All Souls Parish were to end tomorrow, what would the community around us say about us? What would our fruit have been?
As you make your way into this new calendar year, take some time to consider the fruit of your life. What pruning needs to happen? What could use nutrients or support? In all, what kind of fruit are you, are we, looking to bear?
N.B. This Sunday, January 5th at the 9:15am teaching hour in the Jordan Court Community Room we will be sharing a particular fruit of the Isaiah Project, with the first introduction of the four East Bay organizations that we are partnering with. This Sunday Dr. Jackie Yancy of the Elizabeth House will be joining us to share about their remarkable work providing, “a residence for women and children who have experienced the poverty of homelessness, violence, and addiction.” Please join us!
Peace,
–Phil+
This Sunday: Godly Play Open House!
I have always loved and found comfort in the cycle of a school year. The excitement and anticipation around late summer buying new mechanical pencils and Trapper Keepers, the joy and release of the last day when the freedom of summer hits, and the fresh start of a new semester each January all contribute to the ritual and rhythm by which we mark time.
At All Souls in the 24-25 Sunday School year, our return from the holidays not only brings us all together in a beautiful new space in the undercroft, but also with new and renewed energy in the form of about a dozen recently-trained Godly Play storytellers! With new families and children joining all the time, our Children’s Formation program has come a long way since the lean Covid years, where we were grateful to see one another’s faces on tiny Zoom boxes while trying desperately to stay connected to one another and our spiritual practices. And yet, much is still the same. Such is the beauty of Godly Play, the curriculum we use at All Soul’s.
While much of a Godly Play session is about creating space for whatever may come, there is also a solid structure that fosters safety. One never knows who will be together for the story that particular Sunday, or what the Godly Play story will remind someone of and what they will say. But no matter what time of year you come, or what emotional state or mood you find yourself in, there will always be the same recurring components to greet you: a welcoming at the threshold, a sparse but rich story, an open-ended wondering time and a creative, self-directed response period in which you can process and create as you see fit.
We want to invite families to experience a Godly Play session and check out the new digs this Sunday, January 5th. We will gather at 10am in the Godly Play classroom for bagels and coffee and to explore the new room. Then, at 10:30 parents are invited to listen in to the story of the Epiphany as well as the wondering and response time. We will all return together at The Peace, modeling the typical flow and timing of our Sunday School program.
In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about Godly Play, please check out the Godly Play Foundation website. Hope to see you Sunday!
–Molly Nicol
Come Celebrate Epiphany!
Happy New Year! And happy 8th day of Christmas!
This coming Sunday, we’ll turn our attention (admittedly a day early) to the next season of the church year: the season after the Epiphany.
Epiphany happens on January 6th, at the conclusion of the 12 days of Christmas to celebrate the arrival of the wise men to the scene of Jesus’ birth. In the spirit of putting out music that connects with themes of the season, or just that Matt enjoys listening to, he made us an Epiphany playlist! Click here to give it a listen (but of course, not until after January 6th). Matt Wolka, our Associate for Music (and the entire staff), would also like to give a big shout out to all the choir members and instrumentalists who filled our Christmas with music and magic.
In addition to the playlist, you can celebrate Epiphany this coming Sunday just after the 10:30a service in the courtyard where the cake team is at it again and will bake the traditional Galette de Rois to share with us all. The three lucky people to find Baby Jesus in their slice of cake are crowned the three kings of Epiphany!
–Emily Hansen Curran
Annual Meeting: January 26th
The 121st Annual Meeting of the Congregation will be on January 26th, 2025 hopefully in the newly-renovated Parish Hall, from 12:30-1:30 pm. All parishioners are encouraged to attend.
–Phil+
Celebrate: acknowledge a significant or happy day or event with a social gathering or enjoyable activity.
Merry Christmas! I hope you were able to celebrate Christmas Eve with us and enjoy the reception in the Parish Hall afterwards. It was a festive, fun-filled party and the new kitchen and parish hall were used for the first time. The space was made party-ready by Renae Breitenstein and her crew and looked marvelous! (Covering the pile of new flooring boxes with a tablecloth was genius!)
Although we are turning rooms over for use, work is still in progress! If you have questions or concerns about what you see, please contact Ann Myers @ annclairemyers@gmail.com for clarification. Thanks.
Egress continues through both Narthex doors and out the nave to the Jordan Courtyard. Remember to bundle up!
The building of the candy cane!
All decked out for the holidays!
Some of our youth, celebrating together.
–Ann Myers for the Property Committee
Announcements & Events
Happening This Sunday
7:00am, Reading Between the Lines Bible Study, either in person in the Common Room or Click here to join by Zoom.
8:00am, Holy Eucharist in Chapel. Please access the Chapel through the copper doors on Cedar St.
9:15am, Adult Formation: “Repairs in the Bay Area",” with Isaiah Project partners, in the Jordan Court Community Room.
9:15 Book Group, Augustine’s Confessions 2.0, with Jack Shoemaker, in the downstairs Common Room
10:30am, Sung Eucharist; enter through the Cedar St. doors. Join us via livestream here.
Wednesday Eucharist returns next week, January 8th. Join us in the Jordan Court Community Room at 9:00 a.m., or by Zoom here.
Adult Formation
“Repairs in the Bay Area,” with Isaiah Project partners
The Isaiah Project team will introduce each of the four organizations that are receiving All Souls grants through the tithe from our Living Waters campaign. A representative from each organization will join us to talk about the work of repair that each of these organizations is performing in our local East Bay communities. The four organizations and the dates they will join us are:
Elizabeth House (January 5)
The Center for ArtEsteem (January 12)
The American Indian Child Resource Center (January 19)
Youth Spirit Artworks (February 2).
We will meet at 9:15 am in the Jordan Court Community Room on the following Sundays: January 5, 12, 19 and February 2nd.
Book Group: Augustine’s Confessions 2.0, with Jack Shoemaker
Please join our small group as we continue reading The Confessions by St. Augustine. Among the most important and influential books written in the history of Christendom, it is today among the least read of our founding texts. We will begin with Chapter 9 and read our way thru Chapter 13 in our allotted three weeks. Having not read the first half does not disqualify you from joining – all opinions and pronouncements are welcome. 9:15 in the All Souls Common Room, Jan 5th, 12th, and 19th.
Children & Family
Children’s Program Open House, January 5th All are invited to learn about the philosophy of Godly Play, meet our teachers, connect with other families, and participate in a Sunday School class!
10:00-10:30 Bagels, coffee, and mingling. You’re welcome to explore our classroom materials and talk to the leaders.
10:30 Godly Play Story. Parents are invited to stay and observe.
Sunday School Sunday School (for kids pre-K through 5th grade) happens every week during the 10:30 service, in our newly-renovated classrooms in the undercroft! Enter the narthex and walk down the stairs. There will be signs, and/or an usher can help you find the way. Children return to church at the “Peace.”
Exciting news: The playground is now open! Come join other All Soulsian families and kids in the courtyard after church. Please be mindful of fencing around the perimeter.
To sign up for our Children and Family newsletter, please email emilyb@allsoulsparish.org.
Youth Program
Youth Group (for grades 6-12) happens on Sundays from 7-8:30pm.
This week, January 5th: Join us in the courtyard for an Epiphany bonfire and intentions for the New Year. Look our for a full winter/spring calendar soon!
To join the weekly youth mailing list, email emilyb@allsoulsparish.org.
Justice & Peace
Open Door Dinner is coming up on Sunday, January 12th. If you are able or interested in helping put the meal together or deliver some meals to the camps around Berkeley, please email Jennifer Akiyama.
Undergraduate Street Medicine Outreach 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. As the weather gets colder, they are especially seeking donations of the following items:
General hygiene products (toothbrushes/toothpaste, deodorant, soap, etc.)
Clothes/cold weather gear
Bottled water
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.
Building Interfaith Bridges January Event
Please join the Building Interfaith Bridges community for “4th Friday Shabbat in the Round” on Friday, January 24, 2025 at 6:15p at Congregation Beth El, 1301 Oxford St. in Berkeley.
Congregation Beth El’s monthly extra-musical Shabbat service takes place on the fourth Friday of the month at 6:15 pm and is led by Beth El clergy. Using both the words of our historical liturgy and many wordless melodies, we welcome Shabbat with a focus on the transformative power of music. Bring your voice, your percussion and come play and sing along! Or join us just to soak up the music.
All service attendees are invited to stay after the service for a nosh and meet and greet. Guests from All Souls and Saint Paul’s are also invited to participate in a short Q + A with the Rabbi about the service.
RSVP’s to Anna Fogelman (annaleahfogelman@gmail.com) are appreciated but not required. Hope to see you there!
Questions? Please contact Beth El liaison, Anna Fogelman at annaleahfogelman@gmail.com, All Souls Parish liaison Bonnie Bishop bonniekbishop@myyahoo.com or Saint Paul AME Church liaison Joyce Dawson dawsonje@prodigy.net.
