The Pathfinder: September 4th, 2025
Welcome to the Adult Formation Year!
When I attended the membership class at All Souls (online during Covid times!), I loved the clear set of expectations for our common life. One of the six expectations is “Learn with us: When you learn with us at All Souls you nurture your heart, mind, and soul.”
The Adult Formation committee is excited about the many opportunities to do just that during the 2025-2026 program year.
The result of the work of the committee each year is the publication of the schedule in the form of a poster and a listing of classes. Click here to find the links to those as well as to audio recordings of the classes right on the All Souls website.
I hope that what follows will give you a better sense of our annual planning process for the Adult Formation program. We start planning in February for the following year. At that time, we publish an article in the Pathfinder requesting input from the congregation for topics and speakers for the following year as well as recommendations for books for the summer reading groups.
The committee then convenes an advisory panel to talk about the classes in the current year and to think together about classes for the upcoming year. We try to have a mixture of topics that include things in bible, theology, church history, liturgy, social justice issues and spiritual life. We ask some of our “regulars” what they might want to teach the following year. And we let ideas bubble up. We think about small experiential classes that might run at the same time as some of our large parish-hall classes.
After this first meeting, the committee or its chair meets with the rector to solicit additional input and ideas. We then have a second meeting (late March or April) with the advisory panel where the program for the following year begins to take on shape. We also vote on the books that people have recommended for summer reading group at that meeting.
After that, we start fitting all the pieces together into the schedule that you see now. We attempt to have the schedule basically set by the end of May. We then solicit brief descriptions of each class. We get things to Diana by mid-July so that she can make the poster and we can get it printed before Homecoming Sunday when we reveal the schedule!
All through the year we keep the congregation up to date with weekly announcements in the Pathfinder and on the blue sheets of what is happening in Adult Formation. But really, all you have to do is show up on Sunday morning at 9:15am to join other parishioners in learning something new!
If you have any questions, please click here to send me an email.
– Anne Yardley
Parish Retreat: Registration Closes THIS Sunday!
You won’t want to miss our annual Parish Retreat held at the beautiful Bishop’s Ranch in Healdsburg. Our theme this year is Action and Contemplation: how our spiritual life can inform how we show up in the world and confront injustice, division, and issues of othering.
Do you have questions? Here are some of the answers!
Who is invited? YOU!
When is it? Friday, September 12th, 5 pm to Sunday, September 14th, 1:30 pm
Where is it? The Bishop's Ranch, 5297 Westside Road, Healdsburg
How do I sign up? See the link below!
Alongside our experiences of food, fellowship, and play, we take intentional time together on Saturday morning and split into parallel programs-- kids, youth, and adults-- for a time of learning and spiritual reflection. We'll focus primarily on texts and practices of Christian mystics, historical and present, whose faith lives offered radical alternatives to existing power structures. Together, we'll explore: What practices, individual and collective, nourish and sustain us in turbulent times? How can we balance inner practice and outward action? Our time will include a mixture of teaching, small-group discussions, storytelling, and prayer. We hope that you will join us!
Pricing Options: (Financial assistance is available)
Double Room (2 people) - $320
Dorm Occupancy (5-8 people) - $253
Standard Family Occupancy (3-5 people) - $264
Youth (6-12th Grade) - $176
Children (Pre-K to 5th Grade) - $102
Campsite or RV (Adult or Youth) - $176
Camping Child $66
Saturday Day Trip (Adult/Youth) - $82
Saturday Day Trip Child - $33
Questions regarding the retreat, or if you are interested in volunteering? Click here to email Mother Rachel.
Thank you,
– Mother Rachel
Greetings from Central New York!
Phil+ invited me to send my best regards to you, give you a little update on what’s been happening with me, and share some ways to be in touch, should you want to be. I am happy to take him up on that offer. As some of you know, my plan for a long time was to move back to New York City when it came time for me to leave the Bay Area.
Well, I made it back to the East Coast. I even made it to New York State! But instead of returning to New York City, I decided to make a big change and move to Syracuse. My entire family is here and I thought it was time to make spending time with them a priority. I left at age 18 and have only been back for college breaks and very occasional visits since. I have not regretted my decision. It’s been a real joy to connect with my family this way for the first time in my adult life.
I also made another big decision, which is to bring my career in theological education to a close. In fact, I have opted to leave the academy altogether. Higher education, including in seminaries, has changed massively, even over the relatively short time of my career. I plan to continue my work as a theologian and to serve The Episcopal Church in new ways. I am still figuring out what that is going to look like.
My time at All Souls was one of the most formative experiences of what it means to be church I’ve had. All Souls is a unique community, full of vibrant, faithful, loving people and it was a joy to spend nearly ten years among you. I have memories of so many of you that I will treasure forever. Thank you all so much for the gift of yourselves and of including me in the community. I am sorrier than I can say that I was not able to tell you in person what it has meant to me to be an All Soulsian or say goodbye properly. Trust me when I say that if there had been any way for me to do that, I would have done it.
If you would like to be in touch, you can click here to connect on Facebook and message me there, or click here to email me. I would love to hear from you! Ruby Jane says “Hi!” too.
Wishing you all every good thing.
– Scott MacDougall
Homecoming Sunday 2025
Homecoming Sunday was an incredible gathering! During the 10:30 am service, the children sang a song they had been practicing throughout the entire month of August. Immediately following the service, the Rev. Emily gave a blessing of all the backpacks. The day was sunny and fun-filled, and we have the pictures to prove it! Enjoy some of the photos below.
– All Souls staff
Announcements & Events
Happening This Week
SUNDAY
7 AM, Reading Between the Lines Bible Study, either in person in the Common Room or click here to join by Zoom.
8 AM, Holy Eucharist in the Chapel. Please access the Chapel through the copper doors on Cedar St.
9:15 AM, Adult Formation in the Parish Hall.
10:30 AM, Sung Eucharist in the Nave. Join us via livestream here.
Coffee hour following the service.
MONDAY
7:00 PM, Reading Between the Lines Bible Study, either in person in the Common Room or click here to join by Zoom.
TUESDAY
8:00 PM, Taize Service in the Chapel.
WEDNESDAY
9:00 AM, Eucharist in the Chapel
Learn with Us
COMING UP IN ADULT FORMATION
September 21st - The Rev. Dr. Ruth Meyers & Christopher Hayes: To Have and to Hold: Christian Understandings of Marriage
Although marriages are celebrated in the church, marriage is not a uniquely Christian practice, and unlike other Christian rites, in the United States, marriage also involves the state. In this course, we’ll explore the meaning and significance of marriage, especially in the Episcopal Church. Week one will focus on marriage in scripture, and week two will consider teaching and practices in the Episcopal Church today. In the final week, Diocesan Chancellor Christopher Hayes will join us for a discussion of the involvement of the state and legal foundations for marriage. Class meets in the Parish Hall on the following Sundays: August 31, Sept. 7, Sept. 21
Date TBD - Kaki Logan: “Immigration with Dignity” - An Episcopal Resolution
Join us for this two-week series intended to increase awareness of the realities facing immigrants today. The first session offers an overview of the Episcopal conference “Leaving Home, Migration Through the Eyes of Children” and introduces the Welcoming Quilt Project. The second session gives the upshot of the Episcopal Pilgrimage to 5 detention centers in New Mexico and Texas in early June. Both sessions will offer ideas about why immigration has increased and changed in recent years, and suggest how we might support immigrants in this present and rapidly changing environment. Class meets at 9:15 am in the Common Room on the following Sundays: August 31, and a later date soon to be named.
2025-26 Adult Formation Calendar
Click here to see the calendar for the entire year.
Gather with Us
ALL PARISH RETREAT - September 12-14th
We are looking forward to seeing many All Soulsians at our annual all-parish retreat up in Healdsburg at The Bishop’s Ranch. It is a beautiful intergenerational weekend set in a spectacular setting.
ALE SOULS BREW EVENT - September 21st
On September 21st at 1:00 pm, we will be meeting as an Ale Souls group to brew a fall Beer. Food will be provided. All are welcome, including kids, non-beer drinkers, etc. Click here to RSVP to David Gutfield. New members encouraged if you haven’t come to an Ale Souls Event yet.
Worship with Us
TAIZE TUESDAY
Join us on Tuesday evenings this Fall for a community-led Taize service. These weekly services will be held from 8 pm-8:30 pm until November 18th. All are welcome to join us in the Chapel for a simple program of silent meditation and Taize chants.
WEDNESDAY EUCHARIST
The 9 am Eucharist will remain in the Chapel of the Nativity. Come join us for a reflection on the Saint of the day and sustenance for the rest of the week.
CHILDREN & FAMILY
Sunday School is Back!
Sunday School happens every week during the 10:30 service. Kids pre-K through 5th grade are welcome. Children begin the service in the nave with their families. About five minutes into the service, they process down to the classroom together - look for the leader with a wooden cross! We follow the Godly Play curriculum: a mixture of storytelling, wondering, and creative work time. Children return to church at the “Peace.”
Save the Date! Kids & Youth Pajama + Pizza + Movie Night, October 5th.
Join us on Sunday, Oct. 5th, for a screening of King of Kings (2025), a new animated movie about the life of Jesus. Families with kids of all ages are welcome.
6:00 Pizza dinner
6:30 Movie
This will be a joint event with our older youth, too. Pajamas encouraged! To sign up for our Children and Family newsletter, please email Emily B.
YOUTH PROGRAM
Youth Group Is Back!
Youth Group happens on Sundays from 7 pm-8:30pm during the school year. We alternate between a high school small group and an all-grades (6-12th) youth group. See the Fall calendar here.
Serve with Us
Food Bank collection is active. Please bring non-perishable food on Sundays and use the baskets in the Narthex. We also need drivers to deliver food. If you want to help, click here to e-mail Cathy G.
Meal Train delivers food to others. If you are in need of meals, or if you’d like to join this team to deliver to others, click here to email Sarah O.
Open Door Dinner (ODD) makes a warm jambalaya meal for anyone who is hungry every second Sunday of the month. If you are interested in joining the ODD team, click here to email Jennifer A.
Please note: Our next Open Door Dinner is Sunday, September 14th. Since many folks will be away this weekend at our Parish Retreat, we could use some extra hands. If you plan to stay in town – or if you just join the retreat for the day on Saturday – please consider helping out! If you’re able to help cook/serve, click here to email Terry Nicol.
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. They are especially seeking donations of the following items:
General hygiene products (toothbrushes/toothpaste, deodorant, soap, etc.)
Clothing
Bottled water
Please bring these donations to the red bin in the Narthex. Click here to email Beth Christensen for donation and other direct volunteer opportunities with USMO.
Looking for ways to be politically engaged from a faith perspective?
Learn more on the Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations site. You can find out about timely action alerts, service opportunities, and ways to be involved on local and national levels.
In particular, consider joining their weekly network call via Zoom, which the Rev. Dr. Ruth Meyers mentioned in her recent sermon. Register here.
You can also receive action alerts from the Episcopal Public Policy network here.
Ways to respond to the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Education: Learn and educate yourself on the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict dating back to the late 19th Century.
Partnership: Consider partnering with these organizations: Episcopal Relief and Development (episcopalreleif.org), Episcopal Peace Fellowship (episcopalpeacefellowship.net), and the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity (www.im4humanintegrity.org).
Advocacy: Our baptismal covenant calls us to "...strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being."
