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.

What's the Word?!

The Flame for Friday, March 17, 2023

Picture, if you will, the announcement segment of our 10 AM Sunday service. Sarah Glover, vestry and choir member, and instigator of past Dymphna play hilarity, approaches the lectern. “What’s the word?” she asks, gesturing out to all of us. “FIESTA!” we acclaim.

Tomorrow evening as of 6 PM that will indeed be the case, and in the days leading up to this weekend the spirit of that event has been much in the air.

Last Sunday afternoon, the Wajnert room was a hive of activity. At one corner of the table Sarah, Dave Frangquist, and Nicole Miller were talking through event logistics, while Jim Oerther, Anne Benninger and I chimed in. Simultaneously at another corner, Anne and Nicole were cutting out colorful tissue paper for decorations with Janice Tickner Leonard and Coco Lin. The decoration prep continued on Wednesday with the two Annes – Benninger and Edwards – whose laughter wafted through the parish office. And that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg — so many people have been contributing to this effort!

In earlier Lenten Flame reflections, I’ve shared comments from Sister Benedicta Ward on the power of gathering, with a particular emphasis on processions. People “dance and sing and shout with joy in processions which are carnivals; they go together towards a special place in pilgrimage, religious or otherwise,” she writes. “In all these ways, it seems natural for people to want to be together and to be seen to be together, just walking, not doing anything except the fundamental action of a human being…This affirmation of humanity is somehow enough, it says what cannot otherwise be expressed” (In the Company of Christ, vii)

Fiesta! may not be a procession but, in the spirit of Ward’s description, it is an affirmation of our shared humanity, a show of support for community radiating out from 101 Gold Mine Drive. As a fundraiser, it will be our first in-person event since 2019. We’ve kept that flame burning in the intervening years, with fun virtual events in March of 2021 and 2022. But this year felt like the right time to shift back to an in-person event, retaining an online “silent” auction via Auctria, a platform Nicole Miller and Christine Powell introduced us to along the way. Janet Lohr connected us with the Peña-Govea Family who will be playing two sets for us tomorrow evening, and the food will be from Glen Park’s La Cornetta (which happens to be my favorite Mexican food anywhere in the Bay Area. It is so good!).

We know not all of you will be able to make it tomorrow, but if you can join us, please do. Online registration is via Auctria, as described in the announcements below.

It may be Lent. It may be a time of much turbulence in the world, including economic uncertainty in our own region. It may even be St. Patrick’s Day today (and I forgot to wear green!). In the midst of all that, as Sarah Glover would ask, “what’s the word?” With gratitude for this joyful community of the Spirit, resiliently making its way and building community in turbulent times, the word is Fiesta!

Peace,

Cameron

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Fiesta! Saturday Evening March 18, Doors Open at 6 PM!

Our Spring fundraiser, Fiesta!, is coming up tomorrow evening, March 18th! Our even raises funds to support the ministries of St. Aidan's, including food-centered, community-centered, and social justice ministries. If you've ever been to one of our events before, you'll know that this is truly a FUNdraising event.

We're excited to present a full in-person event this year -- the first since 2019 -- and there is also an option to bid on items via an online auction. Entertainment will feature Mexican music provided by the Peña-Govea Family: René, Miguel and Susan. Mexican food will be catered by La Cornea in Glen Park.

Please use the link below to buy tickets for the in-person event or registration for online bidding, and to view auction items: Auctria.events/StAidanSFAuction2023

Online and live auction bidding will require a purchased ticket (registration).

The Silent "Online Auction" begins Monday, March 13th and will close Sunday, March 19th at 6pm. A ticket or online registration is required to bid. Items may be added in the course of the week, and some items will be offered as "Buy It Now."

Tickets (Registration) may be purchased with a credit card at this link: Auctria.events/StAidanSFAuction2023

$45 per person

$150 for a "Table for 4"

$225 for a "Table for 6"

Please note that if you purchase a "table," you may be sharing it with others.

Online bidding only is $25 (no food or entertainment and unable to bid on live auction). Sliding scale for online bidding only is also available starting at $15 per person.

Questions, or unable to get signed in to Austria? Email staidansfauction@gmail.com

Come enjoy Fiesta!

Wisdom of the Desert: A Formation Series for Lent
Join us for five Wednesday evenings in Lent for "Wisdom of the Desert” which will feature a progression of “desert experience” stories and spiritual practices to journey together through this sacred season. We'll gather via Zoom after Evening Prayer (using the Evening Prayer link) from 7-8:15 PM on

March 1 - led by Barbara Stevenson

March 8 - led by Elaina LeGault

March 15 - led by Lisa da Silva

March 22 - led by Weston Morris

March 29 - led by Cameron Partridge

Please reach out to office@staidansf.org if you don't already have the link, and we look forward to seeing you!

VITAL + THRIVING UPDATE

Come to a cottage meeting!

The next step in the Vital + Thriving process Is “corporate spiritual discernment.” The V+T steering committee is preparing a report summarizing all the data and insights gathered from the activities we have completed so far: the Timeline Event in July, the household surveys, the interviews the Listening Team conducted, and our operations data report.

Throughout March, we will share the report and lead small-group conversations around targeted questions designed to help us discern the future God imagines for us. (See list below for times/dates and details. We will ask everyone to COVID-test before in-person meetings.)

Thank you for your faithful participation in this important work.

V+T Steering Team: Cameron Partridge, Margaret Dyer-Chamberlain, Nicole Miller, Barbara Stevenson, Jim Oerther.

Saturday March 11, 10 a.m. – 12 noon at Mealy/Stevenson residence in Glen Park.
Facilitator/hosts: Barbara Stevenson & David Mealy. Brunch.

Tuesday March 14, 6 – 8 p.m. at St. Aidan’s. Facilitator: Cameron. Soup supper.

Sunday March 26 – 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Zoom Session. Facilitator: David Mealy
For this session, an unlimited number of slots is available. The group as a whole will be together for the V+T steering team report and Q&A and then we will break down into small groups via breakout rooms for discussion.

Wednesday, March 29 – 7 to 9 p.m. at the Nocero residence in Daly City. Facilitator: TBD. Dessert.

HOW TO SIGN UP: Sign-up sheets will be available in the narthex after Sunday services. You can also sign up online here. If none of the dates/times listed is possible for you, please contact Barbara at Barbara.f.stevenson@gmail.com.

Sunday March 5, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at St. Aidan’s. Facilitator/host: Margaret Dyer-Chamberlain. Simple light brunch

***This in-person session will be held outdoors, on the patio outside the church. In case of rain, we will go into the narthex (and keep the doors open).

Saturday March 11, 10 a.m. – 12 noon at Mealy/Stevenson residence in Glen Park.

Facilitator/hosts: Barbara Stevenson & David Mealy. Brunch.

Tuesday March 14, 6 – 8 p.m. at St. Aidan’s. Facilitator: Cameron. Soup supper.

Sunday March 26 – 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Zoom Session. Facilitator: David Mealy

For this session, an unlimited number of slots is available. The group as a whole will be together for the V+T steering team report and Q&A and then we will break down into small groups via breakout rooms for discussion.

Wednesday, March 29 – 7 to 9 p.m. at the Nocero residence in Daly City. Facilitator: TBD.

HOW TO SIGN UP: Sign-up sheets will be available in the narthex after Sunday services. You can also sign up online here. If none of the dates/times listed is possible for you, please contact Barbara at Barbara.f.stevenson@gmail.com.

Altar Guild Shine Day - SATURDAY, MARCH 25 from 11 to 1 PM.
We will shine everything in sight from 11 to 12 and then have some lunch together. Bring a sandwich. There will be sweet treats, hot tea and fruit to share. See you then, with joy and delight!

St. Aidan’s Gourmet Book Group - Next Date: Monday, March 27, 2023, 7pm

We will continue to meet via zoom with LeeAnn DeSalles serving as our zoom master. She has set up a zoom link, listed below, that will serve for all our meetings. If you would like help with zoom, please contact LeeAnn at leeanndesalles@comcast.net<mailto:leeanndesalles@comcast.net>. If you would like to join the Book Group, please contact elaine@mannon.com<mailto:elaine@mannon.com>.

Monday, March 27, 2023 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
- Still Alice by Lisa Genova (292 pages) – A compelling novel about a 50-year-old woman’s sudden descent into early-onset Alzheimer’s disease
Monday, April 24, 2023 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
- The Daughters of Yalta by Catherine Grace Katz (416 pages) The untold story of three intelligent and glamorous young women who accompanied their fathers, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Harriman, to the Yalta Conference in February 1945 and the conference’s fateful reverberations in the waning days of World War II.
Monday, May 22, 2023 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
- The Wisdom of the Olive Tree by Corey Stewart (296 pages) A story of learning to live with grief, injustice, and the chaos that touches all of our lives. (NOTE: The author will join our meeting via zoom)

New Jim Crow Anti-Racist Book Group – May 21, 4-5:30 pm via zoom
All are welcome to the book group – we are reading Frederick Douglas, Prophet of Freedom by David Blight, from chapter 22 to the end of the book for this discussion. Questions? Contact Deacon Margaret, mdyerc@stanford.edu.

Good News Gardens – Saturday April 1, 12:30-2 pm

Our next gardening day will be April 1. Please join us at the Church, 12:30-2 pm. Questions? Contact Deacon Margaret, mdyerc@stanford.edu.

Support for Barry Koron

Barry Koron's family has set up a Go Fund Me (linked below) to help support the care he needs that is not covered by insurance. If you are able to lend your support to Barry and family in this way, they would very much appreciate it. Thank you.

Barry’s GoFundMe, https://gofund.me/1a227c81

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 continues: Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday from 9-10 AM via Zoom
Contemplative prayer continues during this time of sheltering in place, 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 continues: Mon, Wed, Fri at 7:30 AM via Zoom
We also continue to have Morning Prayer to help sustain and ground us, online/over the phone! 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

Our CDSP Seminarian Weston Morris has resumed the service. Evening Prayer usually lasts a half hour. Readings for the day often feature commemorations from the Episcopal Church’s 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

Mask Policy: After carefully considering survey input from parish members, as well as City and diocesan guidance and the current practices of other churches and public venues, the Regathering Committee has concluded that it is time to revise our mask policy. Beginning Sunday, November 20, if you are fully vaccinated and are comfortable removing your mask, you may do so during church services. We will respect the preference of anyone who feels safer by remaining masked. In accordance with diocesan guidance, the celebrant will still be masked while consecrating and distributing the elements for the Eucharist. We will also maintain a well-ventilated sanctuary by opening doors and windows, so remember to dress warmly as winter approaches. 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 be modified again as is 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