On Saturday, December 2, members the St. John's delegation — the Rev. Scott Denman, Carolyn George, David Mundy, Alex Slatoff, and Greg Slatoff — took part in the special electing convention of the Diocese of California at Grace Cathedral. The Rev. Austin K. Rios was elected ninth bishop of the diocese. Thank you to our delegates for their time, consideration, and service! [Dec. 2, 2023- SAN FRANCISCO] The Episcopal Diocese of California elected the Rev. Austin K. Rios as its ninth bishop during a special convention on Saturday, December 2, 2023, at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. “God has blessed our diocese with so many resources and the gift of proximity to and influence upon the ideas, trends, and possibilities for the future of our world,” Rios said in an address to the diocese shortly after being elected. “We as a connected network of congregations called DioCal have the chance to bless the larger church and the world through our witness that a multicultural, multigenerational, multi-faceted, and multilingual community is where our greatest strength and possibility as a people are found,” he added. Read more on the diocesan website.
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Temescal Creek, that tiny creek running mostly underground parallel to Thornhill Drive, opens to daylight between Alhambra Lane and Gouldin Road. At the peak of the rainy season, it has been known to have between twelve and fifteen inches of water flowing past St. John’s property.
One of the conditions of our regulatory approvals for The Gateway Project was to mitigate (or offset) the 375 square feet of shade that our new bridge will cast on the creek and the foliage on its banks. Since it was not possible on St. John’s property, we were required to provide double the square footage that would be shaded by the bridge somewhere else along Temescal Creek. We were able to accomplish this just down the street at Montclair Presbyterian Church. This turned out to be a huge task requiring submittal of architectural and landscape drawings, environmental and biological specifications and three costly city permits. The work was completed to the satisfaction of the city inspectors of the four governmental agencies involved thanks to the tireless work of St. John’s volunteers in collaboration with the Presbyterian Church. A huge shout out is due to the St. John’s parishioners who devoted countless hours and talent to complete more than 90% of the labor. These unsung heroes of Temescal Creek are David Brown, Paul Brumbaum, Bob Davidson, Rev. Scott Denman, Bob Kridle, Randy Levandowski, and Jerry Moran. Please feel free to stop by Montclair Presbyterian Church and have a look at this beautiful creek, its banks, and the new deck railing, the fruits of the labor of these unsung heroes! By Ken Fuller All men aged 18 and over are invited to St. John’s 20th (or thereabouts) Annual Men’s Holiday Dinner on December 12. Please consider joining in for catching up and conversation, dinner, prayers, and fun. Social time will start at 5:45pm and dinner around 6:45pm. Start thinking now about how you will contribute to the event: what dish will you bring to share (the main course will be supplied)? Willing to show up early (5:15pm) to set-up chairs and tables? Might you also bring some "greens" to decorate the tables? We will exchange gag/repurposed gifts valued at no more than $20, so be on the lookout. If you have questions or aren’t on the men's email list, please email me. Ashley Henderson, LCSW
If we stay open in meditation, we can’t help but come into contact with our fragile places. This may be why we are intimidated by silent retreat. We intuitively know the inevitability of this contact when we are not distracted. Allowing ourselves to not only touch into our most tender places but to sit and stay with them is powerfully healing. We give ourselves permission to feel, to surrender to the shame, the grief, the anger, the panic, and we simply stay, witnessing, experiencing what has patiently been waiting for our attention. And when we stay and feel and witness, a love arises on its own to hold us there. We can feel a loving presence that reassures us, that says yes, yes, here. And then at the center, at the heart of the pain, we discover our power, our joy, our freedom that was trapped there. A return to deep knowing, unconditional love, an anything is possible heart opening. This is our power. This is the reconnection to self that always calls you back to you. By Nancy Kho In the immediate wake of the heinous Hamas attack on Israel on Saturday, October 7, many of us struggled with how to respond in a meaningful way. Our Jewish and Israeli neighbors were traumatized, and it was also clear that innocent people in the Gaza strip would be harmed by an Israeli counterattack. In the week that followed, with division and hatred highlighted on social media and in the streets, the challenge was to find a response that showed compassion, faith, and a recognition of complexity and shared humanity of the situation. A few members of St. John’s found a step to take that was simple but felt profoundly meaningful. Earlier in the week, Senior Rabbi Jackie Mates-Muchin had issued an invitation to the greater Oakland interfaith community: By Kathy Araujo Mark your calendars for the biggest, bestest Parish Retreat ever! Scheduled for Mother’s Day weekend, May 10-12, 2024, your retreat planners are moving into high gear to plan games, talks, walks, meditations, massages, and gatherings so there will be something for everyone. Additionally, the Rev. Dr. Fran Toy and two of her biographers are enthusiastic about having a forum to discuss the book about Fran’s exceptional life and career. We have reserved the whole Ranch, with places for rambunctious families, sedate quiet seekers, and everyone in between. If you haven’t been to a Parish Retreat for a while, we hope you will plan to come. By Sylvia Ahern If you’re dreaming of a mall-free Christmas, the Vision Holiday Bazaar on December 10 may be your answer. Calling all cooks and makers: we are seeking stocking-stuffer items, decorations, and kitchen gifts—your famous spiced nuts? Fudge to make folks swoon? Pickled okra? (wait, no...) Lime marmalade? (that's better)—to add to the inventory. New this year, we have two other ways you can contribute:
By Ken Fuller We have a hit! Armchair Travelers has met twice this fall to great response. In September the Felders presented their travels in Alsace, France, and in October Nancy Kho shared about hiking New Zealand’s South Island. We’ll meet again November 15 when Judi Marr will share photos and information about the British Virgin Islands. Mark your calendars for the second Wednesday of each month, noon to 1pm. Bring a lunch if you’d like and meet us in the sacristy. John Seals will present in January and we’re still looking for someone to share in December. Please contact Ken Fuller, for more information or to volunteer to present December 13. By Laurie Bennett St. John’s “Come Together” party on Saturday, August 26 was highlighted by the “Stump the Rector” live auction items. Ultimately, Lilah Greene won Rev. Scott’s sermon. The “Stump the Associate Rector” item was even more competitive and finally won by Tim Hart who will take great delight in testing Rev. Kathleen’s talents. As a result of all the activities (raffle, silent and live auctions, and party proceeds), more than $25,000 was raised for the church. This will be split between the 2023 and 2024 operating budgets. |