The Pathfinder: October 16th, 2025
Trip To Bakersfield
Back in August, Kaki Logan asked me to read at an Adult Formation presentation she was giving about an immigration conference she’d recently attended. Seven of us read stories (ofrendas) of a child who had died in an immigration detention center. While awaiting my turn, I read mine to myself. Felipe, an eight year old Guatemalan boy, died of the flu on Christmas Eve 2018.
He’d hoped to buy a bike with some of the money he’d earn while working here. A bike.
Something stirred in my chest.
When my turn came, I stood and began to read Felipe’s ofrenda, which was only a few short sentences. As I recall, my voice started to crack about half way through. I thought I could hold it together, until I hit the word “bicycle”. I broke down. Somehow, I was able to finish, though I’m not sure if any of my speech was intelligible.
That was it. That was the trigger.
The Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity (IM4HI) Convergence started on Friday, 9/26 in MacFarland, a town north of Bakersfield that’s home to the Golden State Annex ICE Detention Center. Because of work, I drove down on Saturday, picking up another latecomer, the Reverend Leah Martens (Haven Berkeley Faith Community) along the way.
I’d driven Highway 5 many times before. A long stretch of road that I’d tolerate because it got me to LA and points south faster than 101. This time, though, I was looking at the San Joaquin Valley in a different way. I wasn’t just flying through. We were headed to Bakersfield, the Kern County seat, at the southern end of this enormous, fertile plain.
As we passed the hundreds of miles of orchards and planted fields, I imagined what was being grown there and how it would be harvested, what labor it would require. Machines would be used, but there were still crops that resisted mechanization. Harvesting of delicate fruit, like strawberries and cherries, still relies primarily on manual labor.
My mind wandered back decades to when I was a young boy. Our father, in his impassioned support of the United Farm Workers, took us kids to rallies and marches in the northern San Joaquin - Modesto, Stockton, Turlock - where we heard Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta speak and Joan Baez sing.
The struggle today is similar to the struggle then. The oppressed are, for the most part, poor brown people. This time, though, the stakes are much higher, the consequences for those being victimized (scapegoated) more drastic and, it seems, more final. And, if we take just a small step back for a wider view, it’s clear that this struggle is very much a part of a larger, all encompassing struggle where all of our freedoms are under threat.
Leah and I arrived at the gathering location in Bakersfield a little after noon, were fed lunch, connected with the All Soulsians in attendance (Kaki, Ruth Meyers, Gretchen Donart), and began to acquaint ourselves with other peregrinos (pilgrims). It was a diverse group. Yes, there were the usual suspects - angry, old white ladies (much respect!). But we also marched and sang with many people in their twenties, thirties and forties of various socio-economic levels, skin color and gender. Many Christian denominations (and non) were represented (the Roman church, however, being conspicuously absent). As well, we met and communed with Jews, Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists, and people from the Bahá’í faith.
All Public Address words spoken were translated (via event-supplied receivers/headsets) into English and Spanish. The Reverend Deborah Lee (“Rev Deb”; tireless, amazing) and the IM4HI leadership have formed a grass roots-based organization with the people that it serves at its center. Their voice is created by them, not for them.
After lunch, testimonies and bi-lingual call-and-reponse singing and chanting (which was integral to every part of the convergence), we were given flags, signs, and umbrellas emblazoned with slogans (“Dignidad y Derechos Humanos Para Todos”, “No ICE Prisons”, etc) and marched from the art museum through the streets of Bakersfield to the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center. I want to believe that the drivers honking their horns did it in support of our cause, but I can’t say for certain.
In any case, we gathered at a small park across the street from Mesa Verde and held vigil. A woman in the crowd was able to FaceTime a person inside who said they could hear us chanting. The vigil went quiet as the caller held up her phone so the detainee could see us. We heard hope rise in her voice as she too held up her phone so that the children inside could see us. We shouted and clapped. In that moment, there was an immense, palpable joy inside the prison and on the street. I felt it in my heart too, along with a deep sadness and helplessness. There were children in that prison, subject to the abuse inherent within.
I was in there with them.
– Martín Ortega
The First Steps Toward Pledging
Ingathering Sunday is October 26 — the day our community comes together to make the financial commitments that will sustain All Souls for the year ahead. In a shared act of generosity and intention, we will gather, make our pledges, and offer them at the altar as a sign of our shared ministry and hope.
The pledge season officially begins tomorrow, with pledge packets being mailed on Friday to all households for which we have an address. Each packet includes a letter from our clergy, a pledge chart, and a personal letter from our Giving Secretary, Maggie Cooke, inviting you to consider a specific pledge amount for 2026. We hope this gives everyone a few days to reflect and discern before Ingathering Sunday.
Our effort to invite pledgers to consider a specific amount is a new one - we started it just last year. Many people found it helpful, and a fair number chose to pledge at that level. Of course, your pledge is ultimately a personal and spiritual decision — we encourage you to use whatever process helps you discern a faithful gift for the year ahead.
We also know that the mail can sometimes be unpredictable. To make sure no one is left out, next week we’ll follow up with an email reminder to all potential pledgers that includes the suggested amount they’re invited to consider.
If you don’t get a pledge packet and/or an email, please click here to contact Maggie to request a pledge packet. Also, please be confident that the pledge invitation, and ultimately your pledge, is a confidential manner. Only the clergy and the lay people who run the pledging program have access to this information.
And don’t forget — the Ingathering Dinner is for the entire community. Whether or not you’ve pledged this year (or ever), you are warmly invited to join us for this annual potluck celebration of community and abundance.
Sign up here, or on a list in the Narthex, to bring a dish, enjoy the evening, and celebrate the community!
– Richard Lynch on behalf of the AOC Team
Our Organ Project is Moving Along!
You may have noticed a new row of big shiny pipes against the back wall of the quire, behind the existing box of pedal pipes. Currently, our organ builder Daniel Gonzalez is working on the wind system: the new organ will have double the number of pipes, and need double the amount of air needed to play the pipes.
That is why there are now TWO blowers in the sacristy closet and new windlines are being constructed to take that air to the wind chests under the pipes. That is also why we haven’t been able to use the organ for the past several weeks.
The next step will be building the frame to support the new pipes. The swell box will be placed behind the existing pipes on a specially built frame supported by the concrete beam, the ceiling,and the back wall. Once that is in place, we will put in a new console with three keyboards and a swell pedal, so all those pipes can actually be played!
When will it all be finished? Before Easter - and, yes Virginia, we will have organ music at Christmas, and most of the Sundays in between too.
– Matt Wolka
Isaiah Project Update:
Visit to Elizabeth House on October 27th
After many months of research, discussion, prayer and reflection, the Isaiah Project team in October of 2024 recommended to the Vestry that All Souls award grants of $100,000 each to four East Bay organizations. The Vestry approved this request. These four organizations are: the American Indian Child Resource Center; Elizabeth House; the Center for ArtEsteem; and Youth Spirit Artworks.
The grants will be disbursed over a three-year period, beginning this summer. Our hope is that these grants may in some small measure promote repair of the harms caused by the history of racism in our local communities.
In addition to disbursing the grant funds, All Souls hopes to be in relationship with each of these organizations, if and in whatever way they may find that helpful. We began this process in January of this year when we conducted a four week Adult Formation class, in which the leadership of each of the organizations met with members of the congregation to engage in conversation and get to know each other better.
One of these organizations, Elizabeth House, has invited All Souls to visit their center in Oakland on Monday, October 27, at 6 pm. The visit will last approximately one hour. Founded in North Oakland in 1991, Elizabeth House is a small organization but it makes a tremendous impact on the people it serves – women and children (primarily people of color) who have been living unhoused and in extreme poverty – by providing transitional housing. Families live at the House for an average stay of 18 months, but can stay up to two years. Approximately 80% of the women who have stayed at Elizabeth House go on to find safe, permanent housing and find employment. Elizabeth House’s website provides much more information about their amazing work. https://oakehouse.org/
Several members of the Isaiah Project and Justice and Peace teams will be participating in the October 27th visit. We would love to have other members of the congregation join us. Elizabeth House is located at 6423 Colby Street in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland. If you are interested, please click here to contact me by email or you can contact me by phone or text at 510-326-7230. If you need a ride, we may be able to provide one. If you can offer a ride, we would also appreciate knowing that.
– Lewis Maldonado
September Vestry Meeting
The Vestry gathered on September 12, 2025 for a brief but fruitful meeting. Sarah Bakker Kellogg opened our time together with a thoughtful chaplain reflection. Afterwards, the Vestry unanimously approved the Consent Agenda, which included August minutes, July financials, and several key reports.
Our Junior Warden—Grace Telcs, provided an exciting update on the Living Waters campaign. The best news is that three-phase power has been successfully installed—an important milestone that now clears the way for other final projects to move forward. One of these projects is final updates to our kitchen including a new stove! The original stove purchase turned out to be incompatible with the needs of our Parish. Thanks to thoughtful feedback and collaboration from all members of the Parish, the Property Committee approved the purchase of two side-by-side induction units. This stove will help us properly feed ALL Souls for years to come. I personally can’t wait for the Advent Festival. I can already smell the mulling spices on the stove!
Over the next few months we should see the remaining Living Water projects completed. These include final landscaping, painting of the Parish Hall, and new shelving in the Crow’s Nest. And yes, the long awaited elevator should be up and running thanks to the three-phase power. For the entire Vestry, it is exciting to see Living Waters come into full fruition.
Next, Ann Myers shared updates on the ongoing seismic retrofit project. The main tasks ahead include shear walling the Parish Hall—work that will be mostly completed on the exterior—and bracketing the concrete pillars in the Nave.
Finally, the entire Vestry took time to reflect on a meaningful prompt: “a time when I came closer to God because of the people or spaces or events of All Souls was…” I was touched by my fellow Vestry member’s thoughtful shares. I personally felt closer to God just sharing time with fellow Vestry members during a meeting. We are blessed to have so many people care so deeply not only for this space, but for the people who fill this special space.
– Mark Wilson
Awe-inspiring: arousing awe through being impressive or magnificent.
We have had some large steps forward these past couple weeks on some impressive major projects. The elevator is nearing installation and hopefully completion will be in a matter of weeks.
The new kitchen appliances are installed and ready for use, after a tutorial on induction cooking.
The sacristy has new quartz counters, sink and faucet and is looking quite spiffy. Cabinets and closets should be painted in November. New skylights have been installed as well.
Additional projects include:
Some major cleanup was begun in landscaping.
The organ master has installed some very large pipes and has built out other cabinets to ready them for smaller pipes.
Rooms up in the Crows Nest are receiving attention as well in the form of fresh paint, closets, and shelving.
All these projects take teamwork, organization and time. We appreciate all those who are working hard to make these enormous improvements to our campus.
We still have projects to complete, please remember that work and organization are still in progress! If you have questions, comments or concerns about what you see, please contact Ann Myers (annclairemyers@gmail.com) for clarification. Thanks again for your continued patience and good humor!
– Ann Myers
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.
10:30 AM, Sung Eucharist in the Nave. Join us via livestream here. Sunday School in the Godly Play room.
12 N, Coffee Hour in the Courtyard and Lector/Intercessor, Chalice and Lay Liturgical Assistant Training in the Nave.
7 PM, Youth Group: All Grades Group in the Youth Room.
MONDAY
7 PM, Reading Between the Lines Bible Study, either in person in the Common Room or click here to join by Zoom.
TUESDAY
8 PM, Taize Service in the Chapel.
WEDNESDAY
9 AM, Eucharist in the Chapel.
THURSDAY
6-8 PM, Beer Garden Meet Up at Cellarmaker Brewing Company.
Learn with Us
COMING UP IN ADULT FORMATION
OCTOBER 19 & 26 - No classes.
Mary McGann's class will be rescheduled at a later date.
November 2nd - Kaki Logan: “Immigration with Dignity”
Join Kaki Logan for the second of her two-part series on Immigration. This session discusses the Episcopal Pilgrimage to 5 detention centers in New Mexico and Texas in early June as well as more recent experiences. It 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.
2025-26 Adult Formation Calendar
Click here to see the calendar for the entire year.
LECTOR/INTERCESSOR, CHALICE, LAY LITURGICAL ASSISTANT (LLA) TRAINING - October 19th
There are many ways to be involved with worship on Sundays such as serving as a chalice bearer, a healing minister, a lector or intercessor, or a Lay Liturgical Assistant (people who assist the altar party). Join Phil+ and Rachel+ for a training on THIS COMING SUNDAY, 10/19. We will gather after the 10:30 am service to learn more about all of these roles. Once you know more, we can help you discern the best fit for you.
REALM HELP - October 26th
Stop by the Common Room on 10/26, after the 10:30 service to get all your Realm questions answered!
Gather with Us
BEER GARDEN MEET UP - OCTOBER 23rd
All are welcome to come for a drink, a bite, a chat, or a game. Beer gardens have plenty of family-friendly, outdoor space and are casual enough that anyone can drop by for a spell as they are able. All ages are invited to join us at 6 pm at Cellarmaker Brewing Co., 940 Parker St, Berkeley. Email Sarah (sbakkerkellogg@gmail.com) for more info.
INGATHERING SUNDAY - OCTOBER 26th
Sunday morning, 10/26, we’ll gather our pledges of financial support to All Souls. Then, Sunday evening at 5:30 pm, we’ll all meet in the Parish Hall and Courtyard to eat and celebrate together. All are welcome to join us for this very fun and celebratory event. For more details, see the Pathfinder article from Mother Rachel above. To register, click here or use the sign-up sheet in the Narthex.
ALL SOULS/ALL SAINTS DAY POTLUCK - NOVEMBER 2nd
Join us as we celebrate our Feast of Title! Just after the 10:30 am service, in the Parish Hall, we’ll gather for a potluck meal together. Please bring a dish that reminds you of someone you have loved but no longer see. Feel free to include a story of the dish, the recipe, and/or a fond memory of the person alongside. We hope you will gather with us as we celebrate the saints and souls of All Souls Parish. No sign up needed.
During the worship services, we will pray the names of those who have died over this past year. If you would like to add a name to that list of names, please do so here or click here to email Diana.
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
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.”
To sign up for our Children and Family e-newsletter, please email Emily+.
YOUTH PROGRAM
Youth Group
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.
Coming Up:
Oct. 19th - All Grades Youth Group, 7-8:30 pm in the Youth Room
Oct. 26th - No Youth Group - join us for the Ingathering Dinner in the Parish Hall at 5:30 pm.
Download our full Fall Youth Program 2025 calendar here.
To sign up for our Youth e-newsletter, please email Emily+.
Serve with Us
Coffee hour isn’t just about coffee and cookies—it’s about community. After worship, we gather not only to enjoy a bite to eat but also to welcome newcomers, catch up with friends, and strengthen the bonds that make our parish family so special. To keep this ministry thriving, we invite everyone to take part, as they are able.
Each week we ask a few parishioners to bring refreshments—homemade treats, fruit, or simple snacks—to share. Your contributions help make our hospitality warm and abundant. Please click the Coffee Hour Sign-Up link to support this ministry. We ask for someone to lend a hand (literally) as “host” in support of Scott, and folks to provide some treats (enough to feed 10-15).
Your help will make coffee hour a joyful expression of Christian community and welcome!
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) will be making a warm jambalaya meal TODAY for anyone who is hungry. If you are interested in joining the ODD team, click here to email Jennifer A.
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:
Bottled water, or water filtration devices
Clothing, particularly large shoes, socks, and jackets/sweaters
Hygiene supplies and toiletries, particularly wet wipes, toothbrushes, soap
Menstrual pads and diapers
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."
Last but not least
ENJOY THIS VIDEO CLIP (COURTESY OF MOTHER RACHEL) FROM THE FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS SUNDAY
FROM THE EPISCOPAL IMPACT FUND
Night of Light Silent Auction is now live!
Click here to explore unique experiences, fine wines, getaways, and more, all while supporting programs that uplift Bay Area families and communities. Start bidding now!
Each bid sparks real change—breaking cycles of poverty and opening doors of opportunity for our neighbors. Your generosity supports Episcopal congregations, like ours, in funding vital programs that strengthen Bay Area communities. From unforgettable getaways to local treasures, every winning bid helps uplift lives and our wider Episcopal family.
Auction closes on Friday, October 24th at 12:00 PM*. Don’t wait—place your bids today and make a difference!
*The online auction closes on Friday, but winners are finalized at the in-person event. Secure your favorite with “Buy Now.”
FROM ARTS AT ALL SOULS
We’d love to make a FINAL call to invite you to LAST WEST— an innovative and moving play about the life of Dorothea Lange, written by our own Tess Taylor. The run is almost entirely sold out! A final batch has just been released to the public, so All Soulsians need to act fast if they want to come. Right now, there are only 20 tickets left to the entire run of LAST WEST, and they are on Saturday, December 6, for the 1 pm show. Please get a ticket now. Https://svma.charityproud.org/EventRegistration/Index/23416
To arrange carpooling, please email Michelle Barger barger1965@gmail.com.
PROTECTION AGAINST EMAIL AND TEXT SCAMS
Over the past several years, scammers have gotten increasingly more sophisticated with targeting people in churches. Stopping scammers can be difficult, so it is important to educate yourself on how to spot suspicious messages and avoid falling for scams.
Keep an eye out for:
Money or information requests — Clergy will never ask for money, gift cards, or personal information via email.
Urgent language — Does the email have vague but urgent language? (Ex: “I’m in a meeting right now, but please send me the gift cards as quickly as possible!”)
Fraudulent email addresses — Check the email address against what is listed on the All Souls website.
If you are unsure whether an email or text is legitimate, please contact the church office via phone or e-mail.
Click here to see a helpful flyer created by our Diocese. Click here to learn more about how to file a complaint.
