| |
QUICK LINKS
|
Martin Luther (Feb 18)
|
|
|
|
From the Rector
|
Come to the 100th Annual Meeting!
|
Over the past couple of years, we've tried a variety of
formats for our parish Annual Meeting. We've changed service times, held joint
services, had the meeting on Saturday, and had it after the 10:00 service. This
year, we'll try one more format. I think it's going to be one we're going to
want to keep, as it will allow everyone to share the morning together as one
community.
Here's the format. On the 7th, at 8:00 a.m. we will gather
in the church for a Rite I Morning Prayer. If you haven't ever experienced this
with music, be sure to check it out, as it's a glorious part of our tradition.
Around 8:45, we'll break for coffee cake and some savory dishes. The vestry
will provide refreshments.
At 9:00 we'll convene for the meeting itself. I'll start us
with a prayer and a few housekeeping items. Then we'll hear from Liz Berg, our
Rector's Warden, who will report on the prayer and goal-setting completed at
the Vestry Retreat January 22-24.
Treasurer Larry Camp will then present the 2010
budget, and I'll follow with the annual Rector's Address. We'll do our annual
thanksgivings and recognitions and complete our work by 9:45. Then at 10:00
we'll gather for a celebratory Eucharist in the church.
As
our centennial year, 2010 is a year to celebrate. It's a time to give thanks
for what God has done in this place and share our optimism for God's work to
come. On February 7 we'll do all this, and more, together.
|
|
Pastoral Care Team
|
|
John Trubina
We are in the process of setting up All Saints' Pastoral
Care Team. Please take some time and prayer to see if God is calling you to this
wonderful ministry, serving our sisters and brothers who are in need of
spiritual and physical support from us.
 We will hold our next team meeting on February 12 from 7 to
8 p.m.
The amount of time you offer is up to you. And if you are
interested but can't get out to visit others, we still can use your support in
praying for this team.
If you have questions or want to share your thoughts
or concerns, please email me at jtrubina@comcast.net.
|
Crab Feed 2010
|
|
Saturday, February 27
Tickets are now on sale for the All Saints 38th Annual Crab
Feed!
Social hour 5 p.m.
Dinner is served at 6 p.m.
We are able to hold prices the same 
as last year:
$35 for teenagers and adults
$10 for children 8 to 12
Children under 8 get in free
We are once again asking for donations for the raffle. We would
like a minimum of four baskets; perhaps two or three people could make up a
basket. Because of your donations last year we made over $800 profit from the
raffle. If you have any questions
regarding the raffle, please call Jim Muir at 882-635-5215.
We thank you for your support.
For more information about the Crab Feed
generally, contact Jean Saastamoinen at 886-2035.
|
Social Ministries
|
|
Tom Breckenridge
2009 was a year of enormous generosity by the extended
family of All Saints Parish. We
continued all of our programs: cooking for Building Futures with Women and
Children (BFWC), preparing lunches for April Showers, hosting the picnic for
National Night Out (NNO), providing food packets for the homeless, and feeding
the hungry through our Food Pantry.
The Pantry alone provided food for 3,617 household
members. Add the 1,200 April Showers
lunches, 420 BFWC dinners, and 50 guests at NNO and you come up with the
astounding figure of 5,287 feedings for the year. Not bad for a small but growing parish.
We spent over $6,000 on these programs, thanks to the
generosity of the parish. Any time you
see the Blue Bucket, drop in a dollar, and you've just fed a neighbor.
Speaking of growing, approximately 275 people volunteered in
our Social Ministries programs during the past year. More than half of these folks are not
officially listed on the All Saints roster, but they have certainly become an
important part of our extended family. Thanks be to God.
Tom Breckenridge
Team Leader, Social Ministries Team
tom.breckenridge@gmail.com
Social Ministries Calendar
Saturday, 2/6
Food
Pantry 11:00-3:00, All Saints
Sunday, 2/7
April
Showers 11:00-2:00, San Leandro Boys and Girls Club
Sunday, 2/21
Bag lunch preparation for April Showers after 8:00 service, All Saints
April Showers 11:00-2:00, San Leandro Boys and Girls Club
|
What's New at the Neighborhood Center
|
|
Meeting Space Available
The Neighborhood
Center at All Saints has a new email address and updated information on the All Saints website.
If you know of someone or an organization that needs space
for a meeting or social gathering, one time or on a regular basis, please
direct them to:
Email address: neighborhood.center.at.all.saints@gmail.com
Website: www.saintsalive.net
(Click on the tree at upper right for information and an application form)
Maxine Sitts, Coordinator sittsbreck@att.net
|
County Food Bank Meeting Report
|
|
All Saints Food Pantry volunteer
Alameda County Community Food Bank
January 28, 2010
ACCFB continues to
pursue its mission to provide nutritious food to people in need. ACCFB also
continues to provide nutrition education, assistance to clients to access
social services, and ongoing information about political action which can help
keep social services available.
At the January 28 meeting, Executive Director Suzan
Bateson emphasized the huge growth of the food bank in the last five years. For
example, 5 years ago about 800,000 pounds of produce were distributed from
the food bank. In the last year about 8 million pounds of produce were
distributed.
Bateson also emphasized that food stamps are the most efficient way for people to shop
for food to meet their personal needs and preferences. She recommended that all
participating agencies actively promote that their clients apply for the food
stamp program.
The 2010 Census is beginning. It is very important that
every person be counted, since $1,300 comes from the federal government for
each person counted in Alameda County.
An accurate count of the number of persons served by
participating agencies is very important. ACCFB depends on this information to
streamline its inventory and generate new donations.
It's important to notify the food bank if your agency needs
to break down goods received into smaller units for distribution. Food bank
volunteers may be able to do some of this work on site before agencies receive
it.
It is hoped that visits of ACCFB to member agencies can
occur each year instead of every other year. In addition to inspections,
Bateson would like to include more conversation with agency reps as to their
needs whether storage, sanitation, pest control, food safety training, etc.
Guest speaker Sayla Eisner-Mix of the People's Federal
Credit Union, a 10-year-old nonprofit organization, spoke about their program
to provide free tax preparation services to low-income families. Volunteers in
the program have completed 40 hours of online training in tax preparation.
Clients are advised on topics such as Earned Income Tax Credits, Child Tax
Credits, and the advantages and disadvantages of taking "refund
anticipation loans."
Chris Ogbu from Alameda County Environmental Health spoke
briefly on food safety, reviewing safe storage and sanitation procedures. Food
safety training is available through his agency and through ACCFB.
Classes in nutrition education are available to all member
agencies. ACCFB's nutritionist will come to you to present workshops.
The meeting was highly informative, and the
participants were energized and enthusiastic.
|
From the Rector's Warden
|
|
Liz Berg
Vestry Retreat
I am so happy to be serving on the
vestry and a member of a wonderful team.
The 22nd-24th of January found
almost all of us at Bishop's Ranch for an incredible weekend with vestry
members from five other churches in the Southern Alameda County Deanery. We
have already been working more closely with Holy Cross in Castro Valley and are
now working to see what over 500 Episcopalians can do in the southern part of our
county.
We spent time getting to know each
other on Friday evening and had a very nice Compline service that night.
Saturday brought us all together to do a number of values clarification exercises
that were extremely thought provoking. Bishop Marc was there and presented us with
challenging questions to ponder about what it means to be a Christian in today's
world, and what it means to be an Episcopalian. We also discussed just what our
church means to us.
The afternoon brought our vestry
together to begin work for the new year and to do a little team building. What
an exciting group of people to work with!
- Everyone is very forward thinking
about how we can better serve our community through our Community Center.
- We became
very clear about our roles on the vestry, and each person has adopted an area
to shepherd.
- We look forward to meeting our ADA requirements, which will make
us far more accessible to our church members and the community at large.
- We
celebrated the ministries that are taking place at All Saints and were excited
about our growing membership of people who eagerly participate at All Saints
for the food pantry, even though they may not attend church with us. They are
finding a spiritual home at All Saints and appreciate the fact that we don't pressure
people to be church going.
- We reaffirmed that wherever you are on your
spiritual journey, all are welcome at All Saints. We also found out that
several vestry members had become active participants at All Saints because of
this welcoming statement and belief.
The evening brought us together
for another work session, but it became the most important time of the weekend.
We were are very comfortable with each other and very trusting of each other as
we delved into our own personal beliefs. In the spirit of Jesus, we were able to
completely agree on a direction that we feel Christ is calling us to action.
Sunday was a time of conclusion.
As a vestry we met a final time together and then joined the entire group for a
decision-making time about what we wanted to do as the Southern Alameda County
Deanery. It became very apparent that the group would like to work on a building
project together.
Each day brought us all closer to
the Spirit. How great it is to pray with over 60 other like-minded people! We
offered up some very powerful prayers! Compline services were beautiful, and some of our
services were just joyful celebrations of who we are.
What an exciting time to be an Episcopalian!
|
|
All Saints Supporting 2010 Census
|
|
Maxine Sitts
Next month, along with 130 million addresses across the
nation, each of us will receive a 2010 Census form in the mail. Please complete
and mail back your form and encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to do
the same. For more information, you can visit the website at www.2010census.gov.
Every person living in the United States must be counted.
This includes people of all ages, races, ethnic groups, citizens and
noncitizens. Census data directly affect how more than $400 billion per year in
federal funding is distributed to state and local governments.
The All Saints Social Ministry Team and the
Neighborhood Center are providing information about the census to homeless people and to visitors to the Hospitality Room. We have posters, flyers, and brochures
in several languages explaining the importance of the census. We also have
flyers produced locally by the Interfaith Homelessness Network that encourage
homeless people to participate. If you want to help spread the word, please
contact neighborhood.center.at.all.saints@gmail.com.
|
|
Walk with Me
|
|
John Trubina
Deacon saint Yazzie
Mason, the first Navajo deacon, served at St. Michael's at Upper Fruitland, New
Mexico, on the Navajo reservation. He died on April 2, 1997.
This past weekend we started our Spring 2010 semester at the
School for Deacons. It was hard to get
back into the routine, but our instructors got us acclimated rather quickly
with readings, new books ordered, and plenty of papers to work on. Again this year
during the Lenten season, the first-year-students at the School for Deacons
will collect new socks for homeless men and women.
I have begun the next phase of my diaconal path. I will
submit a letter of application to the Diaconate describing my academic and
spiritual growth during my postulancy and outlining my goals for growth during
the remainder of my theological education. I have asked my Congregational
Vocation Committee to discern and pray to God with me for guidance in approving
me to move forward in my vocation and then going before the Vestry to ask for
their approval to move forward. Once this is done, I will interview with the
Commission on Ministry, and if they approve of my moving forward, I will
interview with the Standing Committee to gain approval for candidacy.
Over some months, I have interviewed with churches in the
diocese that are potential sites for my pastoral field education-that is,
working in a parish for a year and discerning which ministry to go into after
ordination.
My chaplaincy field education at Fairmont Hospital will end
this May. I will leave the hospital with sadness but also with much knowledge,
spiritual growth, and many graces from all those whom I have visited in the
past year. My special acknowledgment of
gratitude and love to Deacon Kay Landers, who has guided me throughout my year
there as a volunteer chaplain. If I can be half the deacon Kay is, I would be
so honored.
There is a lot going on, and I ask for your continued
prayers and support for me.
As usual, you are cordially invited to attend a community
dinner at the School for Deacons (CDSP). The next one is on May 15. If you wish
to attend, please let me know.
On March 13 we will host an Inquirers' Day for anyone who is
interested in learning more about deacon training and the community. Guests
will visit us in classes and be given an introduction to the school.
Did you know you can audit classes at the School
for Deacons? For $80 per unit, laypersons, clergy, and aspiring deacons
can take in-depth classes on topics including Church History, Biblical Studies,
Anglican Theology, and Foundations for Social Ministry. Classes are held
every third weekend for 90 minutes (1 unit) or three hours (2 units)
starting Saturday, January 23, 2010, on the campus of CDSP in
Berkeley. To register or for more information, contact the school at
(510) 848-1723 or the registrar, Mary Louise Hintz, at mlhintz@sfd.edu. You can also visit our
website at www.sfd.edu.
In Christ's Service,
John, Deacon Postulant
jtrubina@comcast.net, 415-517-5646
|
|
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT ALL SAINTS
|
|
Check the online calendar at www.saintsalive.net for upcoming events. Or
check the Neighborhood Center bulletin board in the parish hall.
Better yet,
consider joining a dance group . . . or an exercise class . . . or chaplain training
sessions.
There's lots to do at All Saints during 2010.
|
|
|
|
|
