The Flame

Each week we send out an e-newsletter, the Flame. It includes a reflection by Cameron, brief articles by parish leaders, community announcements, and the parish prayer list. On Saturdays we also send out "The Spark" with links to the Sunday Worship booklets and brief announcements. Past issues of both the Flame and Spark can be found here. If you would like to add someone to the prayer list for the Flame and the Sunday bulletins, please reach out to our parish administrator. To ask for prayers from the Prayer Chain, please reach out to Lois Roach here.

Heart of Advent

The Flame for Friday, November 29, 2024

Yesterday we gathered for St. Aidan’s annual neighborhood Thanksgivingdinner. This was the second year since the pandemic that we had enjoyed the meal as a sit-down, communal meal, much the way we did prior to 2020. We had turkey and stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and lots of pie – pumpkin, apple, and pecan. Folks gathered indoors at the tables as noon approached, reconnecting or meeting one another for the first time. Then, a few minutes after noon, I said a blessing and a line formed to receive food.

We sat and ate, talking and laughing, getting up for seconds. The group was noticeably larger than last year—close to pre-pandemic size. It was so good to be together in community.

On this Thanksgiving weekend, tremendous thanks go to all who made yesterday happen. Curveball catering once again provided the food, thanks to our introduction to them by Nicole Miller. Deacon Margaret Dyer Chamberlain and her husband Page came early and helped me set up the tables, even as they limped in their matching boots! Kate Fritz picked up dessert and Martinelli’s, as did Kateri Paul, ahead of time. Then the set-up, serving, and clean-up unfolded thanks to the efforts of Lee Hammack and JoEllen Brothers, Dave Frangquist, Peter Fairfield and Linnea Sweet, Young Qiu, Gilbert Chavez, Ava Soiffer, Nancy Sabin and Michaela Hinds, Jim Oerther, Coco and Alton Lin, Kateri, Maddy, Brendan, Alayna and Vicki. Others – too many for me to recall – helped clear the tables and put them away, along with the chairs. It was truly a communal effort!

Over the next days I hope you have a chance to rest, enjoy any leftovers you may have, and come together once again on Sunday. As we make our way into the fourth Sunday, into the heart, of our extended observance of Advent, the rest of the church will now join us in this season of anticipation and hope. The gospel texts of the liturgical year will shift from Mark to Luke as we begin year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.

Sunday will also mark the Ingathering of our fall Stewardship pledge campaign, whose theme has been “Walk in Love.” At the offertory, just prior to the start of our Great Thanksgiving – the Eucharist – we will be invited to bring our cards forward and place them in the stoneware jar that Janet Lohr made for us several years ago.

With gratitude as we make our way into the heart of Advent, participating in God’s Dream, already in-breaking and not yet realized, may we continue to walk in love, together.

Peace,

Cameron

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Ladder to the Light: An Advent Formation Series
In his book Ladder to the Light: An Indigenous Elder’s Meditations on Hope and Courage, Bishop Steven Charleston writes, “this book, this ladder, is for all of us who have been standing together in the darkness. It will call us to be a new light for one another, to form community, to work together, to share in a common love that transforms reality and promotes justice. It will call us to see ourselves as the tribe of the human beings, a community still in the kiva, waiting to be born” (13).

St. Aidan’s and St. Cyprian’s friends are co-forming and -leading this Advent series, framed by the chapters of Bishop Charleston’s book, to lead us on a shared journey of discovery with the intention of deepening our relationship with local indigenous history and community here in San Francisco and the wider Bay Area.
We are meeting via Zoom for five weeks in November and December from 7-8:15 PM:

· Wednesday, November 13th – Faith and Blessing
· Thursday, November 21st – Hope and Community (note date change)
· Wednesday, December 4th – Action & Truth
· Wednesday, December 11th – Renewal & Transformation
· Wednesday, December 18th – Synthesis and Planning

Come, join us on the journey.

Christmas Giving at Saint Aidan’s
Please join in our Christmas giving at St. Aidan’s. This year we have three options (listed in order of when the gifts are due.) Please contact Margaret (mdyerc@stanford.edu) if you have any questions. Thank you in advance for your generosity to our neighbors in the city……

Episcopal Community Services (ECS)
Gifts of $20 and up would be incredibly appreciated, which ECS will put toward parties in their shelters and other service sites. You may recall that last year, ECS focused on holiday parties for the first time, and contributions from churches like St. Aidan’s enabled them to offer a holiday gathering at each of their sites. ECS has shared that the parties were a resounding success, bringing joy and a sense of community to those who need it most. You may make donations through St. Aidan’s by check or Zelle. Send Zelle donations to treasurer@staidansf.org. Please note “ECS holiday party” in your check or Zelle memo. Gifts need to be received by December 6, to allow us to get them to ECS in time for their party planning.

Urban Angels Toy Drive for children in shelter in the Tenderloin neighborhood:
Our neighbor in Diamond Heights, Urban Angels (https://www.urbanangelssf.org/), is again sponsoring a toy drive for children in shelter throughout the city. Their goal is to raise $50,000, which will ensure that 1,000 children in our city have a special holiday gift valued generously at about $50 each. This year Urban Angels has a super easy way to participate - you can donate at any level you select to their gift registry here:
https://urbanangelssf.app.neoncrm.com/forms/40
Donations need to be received by December 13th.

SafeHouse Gift Card Drive
SafeHouse, an organization that empowers and supports women who are experiencing housing instability and sexual exploitation or trafficking (https://www.sfsafehouse.org/) is well known to St. Aidan’s. We are again collecting gift cards for the women of SafeHouse. We have committed to 10 gift cards at the $60.00 level. Any extra money will be used to purchase cards for women who come to the drop in center and are in need. You may purchase gift cards and give them to Susan Spencer, or you may make a donation through St. Aidan’s by check or Zelle. Send Zelle donations to treasurer@staidansf.org. Please note “SafeHouse Gift Card” in your check or Zelle memo. Susan will use your donations to purchase the gift cards. Please contact Susan with any questions – 363spencer@gmail.com. Donations need to be received by December 20.)

Men's Group: Saturday, December 7, 9-10:30 am, via Zoom. We will connect for prayer, study and fellowship. All men are cordially invited. If you haven’t received connection information by December 5, contact Dave Frangquist (frangquist@acm.org).

Music on the Hill Presents The Simas Trio, Sunday, Dec 8 at 7:30pm
Renowned musicians from the San Francisco Symphony and faculty of the S.F. Conservatory of Music come together to perform an exciting program of Duets and Trios by Johannes Brahms, Paul Hindemith, Lucas Foss, and Robert Muszynski.

Tickets will be sold online for $20 each. See our website for more information about the 2024-2025 Season: https://www.musiconthehill.org/

To purchase tickets for this Simas Trio concert click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1085015202679?aff=oddtdtcreator

Individual tickets and season tickets can also be purchased at the door. There will be a number of comp tickets available to St. Aidan's members. Please check with Dave Frangquist if you are interested in these (frangquist@acm.org).

Performances are at St. Aidan's Episcopal Church, 101 Gold Mine Dr, San Francisco

The Altar Guild is in need of new members for the 10 o’clock service. Members set up the Altar for the service and put away items after the service. Twice a year members gather to clean, polish and shine items used in the services. If you are interested in this mission, please phone or text me. Jackie Buckley, Altar Guild Chair 650-534-7875

Blue Christmas Service is coming up Sunday, December 15, 2024 at 2 PM
Christmas is a season of joy, yet for any number of reasons, from personal experiences to national or global events, some of us may feel "blue" as the season approaches. To acknowledge and make space for this experience, St. Aidan's has held a "Blue Christmas" service for the last several years. This year's service will take place at 2 PM on Sunday, December 15th. Come and join us for a service of readings, reflections, quiet contemplative space, and beautiful music. The service will be at St. Aidan's with a Zoom option for those who cannot join in person. The link will be the same as Sunday morning. Please reach out to the office if you need it: office@staidansf.org.

Join us December 13-14 for the Guadalupe Play and overnight at St Francis Retreat Center in San Juan Bautista, CA. The play is at 8pm on Friday December 13. This is a perfect Advent experience away from our chaos to a quaint village where roosters wander the streets. Please contact Margie Wolcott (margery.wolcott@gmail.com) if you're interested.

Next Meeting of the New Jim Crow Anti-Racist Book Group
The group's next meeting will be Sunday, January 5 at 4 pm via Zoom. We’re reading The Ohlone Way by Malcolm Margolin. Please feel free to reach out to Deacon Margaret with any questions at mdyerc@stanford.edu.

St. Aidan's Gourmet Book Club
We will continue to meet via zoom with LeeAnn DeSalles serving as our zoom master. If you need the link or would like help with zoom, please contact LeeAnn at leeanndesalles@comcast.net. If you would like to be on the Book Group’s mailing list, please contact elaine@mannon.com.

No meeting in December - Happy Holidays!
Monday, January 27, 2025 7:00 p.m.
The Soul of the Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery – A journey into the emotional, intellectual, and physical world of the octopus and its remarkable connections with humans.

Deanery News: The San Francisco Deanery met at Trinity+St. Peter’s on Saturday, November 9. The convocation adopted the following grants totaling $12,200: $1,000 to Holy Innocents Teen Room, $1,200 to Holy Innocents Open Cathedral, $2,000 to SF Night Ministry, $2,000 to the diocesan Young Adult Task Force for retreat subsidies, $1,000 to St. John’s Gubbio Project, $2,000 to Sojourn Chaplaincy, $2,000 to Episcopal Community Services (ECS) Healthy Aging, and $1,000 to St. Mary the Virgin Migration Ministries. Grants are partly funded by the diocese, but mostly by “fair share” payments that all congregations make to the deanery. Dave Frangquist (Deanery Delegate) frangquist@acm.org

Remembering Francis Geddes: St. Aidan’s recently received a grant of $500 from the Geddes Lessner Charitable Fund in honor of Francis Geddes (1923-2019). Fran was a UCC minister married to Virginia Geddes, a former member of St. Aidan’s. Over the years, Fran led many of our education programs, including training for people who prayed with laying on of hands at our healing station on Sundays. He was a published author on the subject of contemplative healing and congregations as healing communities. At a planning meeting of the Education Committee, someone once asked, “What kinds of programs do people like most?” to which someone else immediately responded, “Anything led by Fran Geddes.” Dave Frangquist treasurer@staidansf.org

Resources for Engaging in Anti-Racism, from Elena Wong
Thank you to Elena Wong for sharing this list of resources that were in turn shared with her through her membership in the Western Association for College Counseling:

READ
Resources on talking to young kids about race and racism
The 1619 Project (all the articles) | The New York Times Magazine
“Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi | Atlantic (May 12, 2020)

LISTEN (Podcasts to subscribe to)
1619 (New York Times)
Code Switch (NPR)
Seeing White Series on Scene On Radio

WATCH
13th Film (2 hours)
When They See Us (Four episodes)

DONATE
Color of Change
Southern Poverty Law Center

FOLLOW
Groups and people doing anti-racist work, such as @colorofchange @weinspirejustice @showingupforracialjustice

Contemplative Prayer: Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday from 9-10 AM via Zoom
We offer Contemplative prayer via Zoom. Contemplative Prayer is silent with the beginning and ending marked by a bell. You can practice meditation, silent prayer, journal, or otherwise enjoy the collective quiet. Thank you to Susan Spencer for offering to anchor this practice once again, especially the Saturday, during this time. Please feel free to reach out to the office for the Zoom access information: office@staidansf.org.

Morning Prayer: Mon, Wed, Fri at 7:30 AM - M/W Hybrid, Fri via Zoom
We offer Morning Prayer in hybrid mode (at church and via Zoom) on Mondays and Wednesday, and on Fridays via Zoom only. Please feel free to reach out to the office for the Zoom access information: office@staidansf.org.

Evening Prayer: Wednesdays at 6:30 PM via Zoom

We offer Evening Prayer via Zoom. Readings for the day are from the Episcopal Church's daily lectionary or calendar of saints, and the service includes a brief reflection time on the readings. Please feel free to reach out to the office for the Zoom access information: office@staidansf.org

Hybrid In-Person/Zoom Sunday Worship

Sunday worship is hybrid, with both in person and Zoom platforms available. We encourage you to connect with worship in whatever way is most accessible for you.

Mask Policy: We respect the preference of anyone who feels safer by masking. We will also maintain a well-ventilated sanctuary by opening doors and windows. We acknowledge that COVID is likely to be with us in some form for the foreseeable future, and we will be monitoring public health advisories. Our mask policy may be modified again as appropriate. Please pray for the health and safety of all our members and friends as we continue to navigate this challenging time.

To add an announcement to the weekly bulletin of the Flame, please send your edited text no later than 11:00 am Wednesday to office@staidansf.org