All Souls / Our Values

Culture and Community: No matter who you are or where you are on the spiritual journey, you are welcome and honored here. Our table and hearts are open to all who come because we believe that there are no outsiders in God's commonwealth of justice and compassion.

Here we experience Christ risen among us through sharing one another's joys and burdens and living the Good News of unconditional love for all. We go forth from this place nourished for the journey and ready to bear this love for the healing of the world.

A Progressive Edge But With Respect for Tradition: While we are open and progressive in our approach to matters of faith, as well as social issues, All Souls Parish is rooted in the ancient Anglican tradition. We see our experience in the light of those who have gone before and with a vigilant eye on those who are yet to come. Indeed, we often say that we exist more for those who are not yet with us, or will never be with us, than we do for ourselves alone. This is a place where questioning is welcome, where you are not required to abandon your intellect or your doubts. As we value the beauty and richness of our Anglican heritage of music, liturgy, poetry, and prayer, we seek fresh ways of bringing new life to that tradition. Ours is a mystical path with an activist edge.

We are proud to be a part of the world-wide Anglican Communion, representing over 80 million Christians throughout the world, the majority of whom are now in Africa. Our origins are in the Church of England, reformed in the period of Henry VIII in the 16th century, yet retaining the liturgy and spiritual traditions of the ancient Christian church. This is a remarkably flexible and open tradition, including elements of both Protestantism and Catholicism, as well as one that takes an honest approach to the pursuit of truth. In many ways this is a poetic spiritual path that encourages questioning and allows for considerable "room to breathe."

Welcome for All: All Souls Parish prides itself on welcoming all who come to us—young and old, families and singles, couples, and people of all backgrounds and racial and ethnic groups. Children are celebrated at the heart of our life together. We are an Oasis congregation, which means we have made a commitment to be a haven for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people.

Care for Social Justice: There is a long tradition of concern for social justice at All Souls Parish. Some of our most notable activities have included:

• We took the lead in establishing a ministry to convalescent homes; this ministry is still active and is supported by several churches in the area.
• In 1998, we formed the Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation Committee (JPIC) to address social justice and environmental issues.
• All Souls Parish is an Oasis Congregation that welcomes gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people.
• We host the Open Door Dinner each month for the hungry in our community.
• Because we are equally committed to care for the earth, All Souls sponsors such events as Earth Day and holds a special liturgical celebration of St. Francis Day with a blessing of the animals.
• We participate in the peace movement organized through Berkeley churches.

The All Souls Vision

We affirm a Gospel of the universal, unconditional, inclusive love of God in Christ. This understanding of the Gospel calls us to welcome all who seek Christ into our communion and our community, and to honor them for who they are. It also reminds us to keep reaching out to those who are not yet with us.

We embrace the priesthood of all believers. Our goal of growing the church has led us to encourage lay ministry within worship, within program leadership and service, and as we pastor each other.

We put children and youth at the center of the life of this church. Strengthening this commitment does not come at the exclusion of others, but recognizes that children and youth, as much as adults, are the Body of Christ today.

We make our liturgy fresh, vital, and inclusive. We support both the faithful use of traditional forms and the inclusion of formal, informal, and new liturgies to celebrate God's love.