A Sunday to Have and to Hold
One of the signal acts of the shift that occurred with the 1979 American Book of Common Prayer was the recovery of the existence of baptism at the center of the life of the church. In that prayer book the baptismal rite now directly followed the newly rehabilitated liturgy of the Easter Vigil.
And when it wasn’t being practiced at the Easter Vigil, there were some very specific instructions about when it could be practiced, as is seen in the rubrics on page 298 of the ’79 BCP, “Holy Baptism is appropriately administered within the Eucharist as the chief service on a Sunday or other feast.”
Of the many acts of recovery—like weekly Eucharist and more significant liturgical roles for all baptized people—the expectation that baptism no longer be relegated to simply a rite with close family members on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon was a significant shift of corporate practice.
One of the reasons for that shift, I believe, is that we wanted to recover a sense that the whole body of the Christian community was supporting this new Christian. It was a clear signal that the responsibility of discipleship is fundamentally a shared one. And this shift also recognized that in order for this shift to be fully understood it needed to be experienced in the Sunday liturgy, in the regular work of the gathered assembly.
In the 40+ years since the adoption of the ‘79 Book of Common Prayer, this change of practice has largely been very successful. It is now unusual for a Christian in the Episcopal Church to be baptized outside of Sunday worship. And, as the practice of this sacrament being celebrated in a corporate setting has become the norm it has also had delightful ripple effects, one of which we enjoyed this past Sunday.
For the third time in the last decade or so, we had the joy of celebrating and blessing a marriage on a Sunday morning. (shout out to Blair & Andrew, and Ari & Mark!) This past Sunday at the 10:30am service we blessed the marriage of Jill Anderson and Ugo Ofoegbu, as a way for this Christian community to honor and bless what had taken place at St. Callistus Roman Catholic Church in El Sobrante, a couple of weeks prior.
Continuing a long-held practice of All Souls, Jill and Hugo were two of the primary ministers of the rite––the processed with the altar party and were lectors and chalice bearers for the service. And, like with a baptism, people who had walked part of this journey with them came forward as presenters: Gert Allen, Kim Wong, and Sarah Crawford and Kieran King presented the couple to God and to the parish. And, after Jill and Ugo renewed their vows, the rest of us gathered there from All Souls Parish took on our vows to pray for them and support them in their life as a married couple. It is hard to describe in words the feeling of ecstatic joy that reverberated through our church this past Sunday morning.
Yes, there was a fullness of joy watching Jill––an All Soulsian since she was a preschooler, and now a Vestry member––wed her beloved Ugo. Our hearts were also full and open, remembering the love and devotedness of Jennifer Boehler and Mark Anderson, Jill’s parents whom we love yet see no longer.
Alongside these feelings there was something added. It came out in the full-throated singing, in the tearful reception of communion, and in the witness of two people devoting themselves to God, and each other. There was a remarkable intimacy in publicly witnessing two people share the kind of profound joy and honor and love the emanates from God.
And it was clear to me once again that this kind of witness to God’s love of us and our love of one another need not be relegated to Saturday afternoons. This kind of extraordinary fullness and richness and belovedness is a gift that can (and perhaps should) be shared with many, many more. For the couple, their family, their friends, the congregation, for all of us.
Thank you Jill and Ugo for your witness and your gift. May it resound for ever.
Peace,
Phil+
Homecoming Is Coming
This Sunday All Souls will celebrate its first Homecoming. Whether you have been away for the summer, since COVID or just since last Sunday, it will be time to re-gather, re-connect and look forward to a busy and exciting fall. We have invited our neighbors to come learn more about All Souls, so we hope to see a number of new faces on Sunday.
Homecoming will start with our regular 10:30 a.m. service. The choir will be in full voice and Children’s Chapel will be offered during the service. Please plan to arrive a bit early and to park a bit farther away than usual to allow any guests to have easy access. If you need access to the Jordan Court parking spaces, please email Emily Hansen Curran. Once you get to church, please wear your name tag and welcome any unfamiliar faces to church as you would welcome them to your home.
After the service the Homecoming Festival begins and here is what is in store:
The Rev. Emily Boring, sea star expert and our new Associate Rector, will be in the courtyard talking about Family and Children and Youth ministry plans for the fall. She will also be taking sign ups for a tide pooling excursion she will be leading on September 9th. Come by and welcome Emily to her new home.
The Adult Formation class calendar and ministry opportunities for the fall will be available.
A new project, Other Homes, will make its debut. We will be welcoming everyone to share a description of other spiritual homes they have lived in before arriving at All Souls. Your spiritual path may have taken you from the church of your baptism to a support group or to a Yoga practice that helped you find balance. Or you may have started your spiritual path when you walked through the door at All Souls. The Other Homes project is a collaborative art project that can give us all a glimpse of the paths All Soulsians have followed to arrive at this spiritual home. For instance, the photo with this article is me, circa 1972, when I went to St. Agnes Catholic Parish in Louisville, Kentucky every week with my father and brother. I took first communion there, was confirmed there and still know people I met as kids in CCD there. I will be at the Other Homes table looking to share stories of your Other Homes.
And to put the ‘festive’ firmly in Festival, we’ll have a bouncy house, a photobooth, music from the Angel Band, watermelon, popcorn, sno-cone stations and straight from Oakland, the Burrito Truck!! The Burrito Truck offers standard taco truck fare and accepts credit cards and Applepay. If you would like assistance with the cost of your food, All Souls can help. In the Narthex, at the Newcomers’ Table and by the Burrito truck, there will be baskets of blue raffle-style tickets. Each ticket can be used as $3.00 for food purchases at the Burrito Truck. Use as many tickets as you would like or need and enjoy the day! At the end of the festival All Souls will pay the Burrito Truck for all the tickets used. Everything else is available at no-charge.
To mark the beginning of the school year, there will be the ancient and revered Blessing of the Backpacks. If you are starting on a new path – a new year in school, a new job or some other new beginning -- bring a backpack or some other symbol of your undertaking and join in the Blessing of the Backpacks.
Every week on the front page of the bulletin, we are reminded that at All Souls, “No matter who you are or where you are on your spiritual journey, you are welcome here.” Homecoming will be a tangible opportunity to practice that welcome, both for current All Soulsians and for people who may be coming to a new home for the first time. See you Sunday!
–Richard Lynch
It is Parish Retreat time!
This year’s retreat theme is Repairing the Breach, led in part by some of the members of our Isaiah Project team. We’ll use Isaiah 58 as our guide and place of study as we look at the history of the East Bay and the story of All Souls, and look at how we can be engaged in repair. We’ll have programming for adults, youth, and children.
This retreat is a sweet time of intergenerational learning and community, a beautiful setting, and lots of play. Please consider joining us this year by registering (click here). We realize that the cost of this retreat might be prohibitive for some, and if you are feeling like that’s the case, please reach out or indicate that on the registration form. There are scholarships available and we would be glad to scholarship you or your family.
–Emily Hansen Curran
Announcements & Events
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.
Sunday School This week, join us for Children’s Chapel during the 10:30am service. Children are invited to follow the Children’s Chapel leaders down the center aisle after the gospel reading, and rejoin their families before communion!
Youth Sunday morning hang outs and youth group are on hold for the summer.
New Adult Formation Class The Rev. Dr. Ruth Meyers kicks off our 2023-24 Adult Formation year! Click here to learn more!
Sunday Night Service The core team for the Sunday Night Service has decided to permanently suspend the weekly worship services for the Sunday Night Service. You can read more about this decision by clicking here.
We’re hiring! Our beloved administrator, Annie Rovzar, has stepped down and we are hiring a new part-time administrator. Please click here to read the job description, and pass along this notice to anyone who you think might be a good fit!
Free Books The late Rev. Anne Coburn left some Bible study books to be passed along to anyone interested. You can find those books on the back counter of the Narthex—please feel free to take them home with you.
Making Space for Others As we’ve moved to one principle service, the Nave is feeling a little more full on Sundays (which is great!) As a way to help folks who are late or new feel welcome, please try to sit as far forward as you’re comfortable and try to sit in the center of the pew, leaving space for others on the sections of the pew closest to the aisle.