Our Mission .com



All Saints’Parish Profile DraftNovember 2020Our Mission All Saints’ is a progressive Episcopal church in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. In the name of Jesus, we strive to build a spiritual home rich in worship, parish life, and community service, in gratitude for the fullness of God’s love. Sustain us, O God, in your Holy Spirit. Give us an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. Amen. Our ValuesGuided by the Gospels A community of faith living the good news of Jesus ChristCelebrating Anglo-Catholic Spirituality The beauty of All Saints’ liturgy is a unique and long-standing traditionA Spirit of GenerosityGiving our time, talent, and treasures Embracing DiversityWe seek, encourage and welcome diversity Our History Nothing better describes the history of All Saints’ than the book For All the Saints, The First Hundred Years of All Saints’ Episcopal Church, San Francisco by Lawrence R. Holben (2010). The book covers the detailed history of All Saints’ from its founding in 1903 to 2003. As Fr. Holben describes in the book’s Introduction, All Saints’ has gone through much in its first 100-years: from being “…a fairly typical Episcopalian congregation: middle class, Caucasian;” then changing as “…neighborhood demographics began to shift” in the 1950’s to become more diverse; surviving through the Summer of Love; experiencing a revival in the 1980s that was interrupted by the devastating AIDS crisis; to finally, at the turn of the century “…saw an increase in neighborhood couples—gay and straight—and, with them, for the first time in decades, young children.” Our previous Rector, who retired in 2018, served 30 + years spanning a time of great change in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, San Francisco, and the world. The Haight went from a neighborhood of tired Victorian homes needing renovation, to a place where the flats next to All Saints' sell for over a million dollars each. The middle-class families which once lived in the neighborhood now routinely move to the suburbs or other more affordable areas in the city.Our previous Rector nurtured All Saints' Anglo-Catholicism traditional and, at the same time, its progressive approach to embrace diversity. That combination of Anglo-Catholic liturgy and inclusivity is unique and something to celebrate. For many at All Saints', the beauty of the liturgy has created a place of solace and peace within a world of change—sometimes unwanted change.? We value the timeless quality of Anglo-Catholic liturgy in a city that has become the center of innovation in the tech world.? In the 2000's the average age of the parish began to rise. Members retired, moved away, or died, and a younger cohort of parishioners did not replace them.? Learning to welcome and integrate new, younger people—with possibly different priorities into the life of the parish—is an important task for the days to come post-pandemic.?As we look to the future, looking to our past can help guide the way. Fr. Holben concludes For All the Saints introduction by stating: “The history of All Saints’ is, finally, the history of individual believers in a particular place, a particular neighborhood, determined to build and maintain a community of worship and service, a local expression of that transhistorical mystery we call the Church, the Body of Christ. They are clergy and laity, women, and men, adults, and children. Of some we know a great deal. Of others we can only cobble together fragments. But each of these individuals is a vital part of the composite history of this congregation, this parish now over a century old, this particular breaking forth of the Kingdom of God that is always in our midst.”To read the Introduction, click here: Parish Survey, 2020All Saints’ conduced a Parish Survey in September 2020. Fifty-six people responded to the survey—a remarkable response for a small parish—which demonstrates the care and concern All Saints’ parishioners have for the church. The survey provided a wealth of information for All Saints’ future leaders to understand and take action on. Highlights of the Parish Survey include About Us, All Saints’ Core Values, Important of the Music Program, HACS, Single Most Important Goal and About You: Our Next Rector. To read Survey highlights, click here: Music ProgramThe foundation of the music program is the small, but very dedicated, and very talented, volunteer choir.? Anthems from medieval chant, through the high Baroque and Romantic eras, and including contemporary pieces by Hallock, Bernstein, and others are in their repertoire. Rehearsing weekly, polishing up Introits, Hymn descants, Psalm settings, Offertory Anthems and Communion Music, the amount of time and talent the choir members give is remarkable, especially during Holy Week and in the Advent/Christmas season.? Some persons considering making All Saints’ their parish have become involved in the choir from when they started attending.? Besides the Hymnal 1982, music from "Wonder, Love, and Praise" is also regularly used.? The Congregation loves to sing, and we are blessed to have so many good voices within the ranks.? When we do sing gospel hymns—in part to honor when the parish was more mixed racially—it is done with a bit of soul.Underlying the music at All Saints’ is the wonderful 1989 Michael Bigelow, two manual and pedal, mechanical action, free standing, encased, 14 rank, pipe organ.? Though not large, it is considered a gem by many local organists, including by San Francisco Symphony’s organist.? Featured in the December 1991 issue of “The American Organist” magazine, organists from across the country, visiting San Francisco have attended services here wanting to hear the organ, or contact the church during the week, asking to try out the organ.?Instrumentalists and vocalists also occasionally join in the music making at All Saints’ services. Byron Hopps is featured playing saxophone in a You Tube video recorded at All Saints’ of Richard Proulx’s “Fantasy on Veni Creator Spiritus.” With an octave of handbells, used to occasionally add a bit of sparkle to the music and a piano recently donated to the church, the music program promises to continue to broaden in variety and scope.Our Ministries All Saints’ Ministries include, but are not limited to, the following (in non-COVID times): Haight-Ashbury Community Services Committee (HACSC), our 50-year old Saturday Neighborhood Food Program. Eldercare. We visit residents at the Grove Street Extended Living and Care home, on the fourth Sunday of every month. Neighborhood House. Many 12-step groups and other organizations (e.g. Music Together) use our facilities.Pastoral Care. We provide pastoral care to members and friends of the church and to patients in hospitals in our neighborhood.Parish Representatives. Members of the Parish officially serve in many community and diocesan organizations: Episcopal Impact Fund, the School for Deacons; the Church Divinity School of the Pacific; Commission on Ministry.Financial Stewardship & Support Planning for All Saints’ annual stewardship drive starts in May, when the stewardship officer meets with the rector to begin planning the actual campaign to take place in the fall. Ideas from the diocese or from the TENS website form the starting point for the rector and the stewardship officer to discuss the theme and material that will be the backbone of the campaign. In June, the finance committee meets to consider the financial needs of the church and create a preliminary budget and required amount in pledges to meet it. At the August meeting of the vestry, the stewardship officer presents the preliminary budget including the pledge target along with a draft of the stewardship drive material. At the September vestry meeting, the stewardship officer presents the final draft of the appeal. With vestry approval, the elements of the campaign are prepared for mailing during the final week of September.The stewardship drive officially begins the first Sunday in October, on the celebration of the Feast of Sts. Francis and Clare. For that Sunday and those following – prior to All Saints’ Sunday – the homilies will all touch on stewardship. During that time, personal canvassing of members and friends of All Saints’ will ensue to make certain that everyone has received the stewardship materials and answer any questions they may have. At the request of the donor, canvassers may take pledges over the phone and turn in pledge cards for the donors. The in-gathering of pledges occurs on the first Sunday of November, at the principal Mass for the Feast of All Saints.All Saints’ stewardship efforts are rewarded year after year by the generosity demonstrated in donations received by year’s end. Over the past few years, we have started off each year with a budget deficit, only to have it closed through the generosity of All Saints’ parishioners. Many pledges are fulfilled in advance of the new year; many pledgers are pleased to overpay in the course of the year. All Saints’ is incredibly fortunate to have such generosity from parishioners. For 2020 budget information, click here: Our EndowmentThe All Saints’ Endowment started life at the Annual Meeting in 1985 as the All Saints’ Church Memorial Fund to which “gifts, devises, and bequests may be made, held and administered for the benefit of the Parish.” The Endowment is governed by a trust document and administered by three volunteer trustees elected at an annual meeting. Three times in the existence of the Memorial Fund/Endowment have “invasions of the Corpus” been initiated. Both times were for Capital Projects, first in the early 2000’s for remodeling the front of the church building and installing a lift so that people with limited mobility could access the sanctuary. The second time was in 2015 after the Annual Meeting to fund “deferred maintenance” work. Both of these were designated as loans. The first one was paid back by the remainder of the bequest that funded the Phos Hilaron “Candle Fund,” and the second one was “forgiven” in order to clear the way for a simple transfer of cash assets to a Capital Asset as a portion of the funds (less than 20% of the total) needed for the renovation of the Rectory.We are blessed by those who came before us who saw the wisdom of establishing the Endowment and those who have given so generously to it. To honor their memory, our next step should be an organized planned giving campaign.For more information, click here: About You: Our New Priest-in-ChargeYou embrace diversity, are compassionate to others, a builder within to the community, a biblical scholar, inclusive in your approach to leadership, have a positive attitude, and have a sense of humor. You are willing to join us as a full-time Priest in-Charge as we rebuild our Parish. You are enthusiastic for our future as we strive together to make the position a FT Rector within a few years. Your sermons are intellectually stimulating and challenge us to grow spiritually; they include insights and reflections on social justice issues; they speak to contemporary issues faced in daily life; and they illuminate the weekly Bible readings. Your style is formal or unformal; conversational or lecture (we like variety).The capabilities you will possess the most include: Preaching: Ability to preach fluently and conversationally, and to clarify the application of the Gospels to events in our lives and in the larger community.Liturgics: Ability to plan and conduct Anglo-Catholic worship.Administration: Ability to manage the affairs of the congregation, including programs, finances, managing staff, etc.Theology: Ability to demonstrate and impart a disciplined understanding of biblical and historical revelation and the perception of God's activity in the world.Social Justice: Ability to help the congregation contribute to addressing social justice issues in daily ministry.Church Growth/Development: Ability to reshape or restart existing congregations or to plant new congregations.Pastoral Care: Ability to care for people so that they are nurtured and challenged for growth within the community of faith.Collaboration: Ability to work together with lay and ordained persons in the leadership and support of congregation ministries.Crisis Ministry: Ability to provide pastoral care to people at significant points in their lives, e.g., death, dying, sickness, birth, trauma, success.Rector HousingAll Saints’ Rectory, built in 1922, stands next to the church building on a residential block lined with tall shade trees and 100- year-old houses, just a three-minute walk from the historic corner of Haight and Ashbury streets, with many convenient shops and restaurants, and the eastern entrance to the gem of western San Francisco: Golden Gate Park. The home shares a lovely garden with the church. Above a one car garage, the home’s first floor consists of an entry, living room with bay window and gas fireplace, a dining room, “sun room,” and a brand-new kitchen and half-bath; an open flight of stairs leads down to the garden. On the second floor are three bedrooms, a full bath (shower over tub), and laundry; a fourth room, potentially office, library, or playroom, looks out over the garden. While it is possible to investigate the property using the common Internet real estate sites, they collectively have missing or totally incorrect information. However, their estimates of the property’s value and estimated potential monthly rent are useful in helping anyone not from the San Francisco Bay Area understand the financial importance of this home being a portion of the Rector’s compensation. Also useful is their assessment of the area as regards walkability (“Walkers’ Paradise”). Transit consists of three bus lines a block away and light rail less than half a mile away. With generous support from the members and friends of All Saints’, two fortuitously timed bequests and an infusion from our Endowment, we are in the final phase of a thorough renovation of the building. All foundation issues have been remedied, plumbing and electrical systems brought up to code and contemporary usage standards, full bath and kitchen rebuilt from the studs outward and “public floor” half-bath added as well as Ethernet in appropriate rooms.About San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury NeighborhoodAll Saints’ is located on Waller Street, between Masonic and Ashbury Streets in San Francisco’s historic Haight Ashbury neighborhood. The “Haight”—as it is called—is an eclectic mix of colorful Victorian houses brightening the hillsides and the streets are filled with restaurants and boutiques. Vintage clothing shops, piercing and tattoo parlors, and long-loved stores such as Ben & Jerry’s on Haight mix with hip restaurants and boutiques along Haight street. There is so much to discover with the neighborhood’s colorful history through any number of public web sites and tours—for city dwellers and visitors alike. ................
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