CHURCH BUSINESS-GOD’S BUSINESS 

The Rev. Dr. Mauricio Wilson, Rector

In his sermon for the closing Eucharist of the Union of Black Episcopalians on June 21, the Rt. Rev. John Harmon, Bishop of the Diocese of Arkansas, exhorted us to “not let church business get in the way of doing God's business.” In my view, this was one of the highlights of the 2 weeks I spent in Louisville, Kentucky. The back to back events of the U.B.E. Annual Business Meeting and Conference followed by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church were filled with meetings, worship (with sermons from some of the heavy hitters of our church), receptions and not enough time to catch up with long time friends and some new ones.

The business of Church sometimes does feel like the business of God if we allow the Holy Spirit to be at the head of what we do. For example, the activities surrounding the farewell of the 8th Bishop of the Diocese of California, The Rt. Rev. Dr. Marc H. Andrus were all part of the business of the church, but there was a deep sense of the presence of God blessing the past and continuing ministries of our Diocese. This was also the kind of spiritual presence felt at the installation of the Rt. Rev. Austin K. Rios as our 9th Bishop in early August.

Whether we are willing to admit it or not, we can easily be in a place, as the church, where we are more worried about our own wishes and desires for how things ought to be done than for how God might want them. Though it is a Holy place, the human ego and self-centeredness are not left at the threshold of the sanctuary, they actually go into the sanctuary with us and sometimes they become the very center of our worship, instead of God.

My continued hope and prayer for us at St. Paul’s is that we be able to recognize, accept, forgive and control the wishes and desires of our egos (individual and collective) and give more opportunities for the Will of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit to lead us in our ministries. I truly believe that we, the Church of God, the Body of Christ, even as we have Vestry meetings, Annual Parish meetings, Committee meetings and all the other things we do as a faith community, as long as we remember that the reason for everything we do is The Eternal Creator - God.

May this new program/school year be one where you walk closer with God inspired by the Holy Spirit. In a season of world, political and life busyness, may the business of God fill your heart with hope and joy for life as we continue striving to be difference makers in our beautiful city of Oakland and our surrounding communities. May we bless as we have been blessed.

Message from the Senior Warden

Indira Balkissoon

Welcome Back!!! It is so good to start off the fall with everyone back from their summer. Thank you to Reverend Linda McConnell, Father Harding, Archdeacon Cannon Bolton and

Archdeacon England for all your thoughtful words and keeping everything going seamlessly.

Also thank you to all who have been tirelessly planning for the upcoming year. We have a lot to look forward to this year. Our various ministries have been planning amazing activities. There is so much going on at St. Paul’s and by my count we have 9 ministry areas including:

• Worship - Faith Formation and Spiritual Growth - Priorities for this area are set by the Rector, the Church leadership, and the Diocese. Ministries include the rector, seminarians, music director, choir, friends of music, Acolytes, and Altar Guild
• Faith Formation - Family and Youth Ministry: Includes Sunday School (Faith Quest), and Youth Acolytes.
• Welcoming & Hospitality - Includes Ushers, Fellowship, Name Tags and Greeters
• Communication
• Finances
• Stewardship
• Social Justice and Community Outreach
• Buildings and Grounds
• Vestry

I want to share of few of the activities that some of the ministries have been working on over the Summer. Our Choir is changing the date for Evensong to the second Sunday starting in September and hoping to offer a Requiem Mass for All Soul’s Day for a second year. The Altar Guild is planning a Sacristy inventory. Our Family and Youth Ministry Committee held a Whole/Healthy Church training plus fingerprinting. Welcoming & Hospitality including Ushers, Coffee Hour, Name Tags and Greeters. Coffee Hour foods were delicious! Ushers you were all there to with a warm smile each Sunday. We now have a new name tag system. The Stewardship Committee has been working tirelessly to develop our 2024-2025 campaign. We will learn more about the campaign as well as the work of our various ministries during our Homecoming picnic. Social Justice and Community Outreach programs consist of Pantry of Hope, Guns to Gardens, Prayers of the People, Loaves to Fishes, Interfaith Chaplaincy, and Soldiers Against Violence Everywhere (S.A.V.E), the Back-To-School Drive, and the Giving Tree. If you would like to volunteer for one or our ministries contact the ministry leads. A job description and contact information is included in the Ministry Action Plan (MAP).

Speaking of the MAP, with the help of the various ministry leads. We have reached Phase 3 of the MAP process and plan to meet with the Parish in October to get input from the entire congregation. The MAP will be available on the St. Paul’s website.

Environmental Stewardship

By Indira Balkissoon

Were you as surprised as I was by our August rain? I love Autumn. The Autumn Equinox falls on Sunday September 22 and I understand that the full Moon rises around sunset for several nights in a row in the Fall Equinox. Also, the leaves on the trees across from my house are changing color. Have you ever wondered why do leaves change color?

Leaves change color in Autumn due to changes in temperature and daylight length. Plants slow down their chlorophyll production and eventually the chlorophyll which gives the leaf its green color is destroyed. The compounds that are present in the leaves are then unmasked and show their Fall colors, yellow and orange. Various species have characteristic colors, like Oaks and their red, brown and russet, Red Maples and their brilliant scarlet or Aspens and their golden yellow. 

Our little pollinator gardens haven’t yet gone dormant and are still blooming. It is time to plant more California natives at St. Paul’s. It is recommended to plant native plants in the Autumn typically four to six weeks before the typical first frost . This gives them more time for the root systems to develop. Perennial natives look dormant above ground but continue to grow roots. We have extra time in Oakland because typically our first frost occurs around December 15. With that in mind you may see some new native plants in the Pollinator Gardens, this Autumn.

This year, Environmental Stewardship’s goal is to continue to explore Parish energy use and alternative energy sources. Also, we plan to continue to care for and expand our two pollinator gardens and explore establishing habitat stepping-stone areas throughout our parish campus. We hope to continue to finds ways to learn more about ways to green our church. Please send me your ideas.

For more information on why leaves turn color in the Autumn follow these links:

https://roguecompost.com/ask-allen/flowers/what-are-the-benefits-to-planting-native-plants-in-the-fall

https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/fall-colors/science-of-fall-colors

Pantry of Hope Update

The Pantry of Hope will reopen September 8. If you want to volunteer, we will resume operation on Saturday Sept. 7th to serve clients on Sunday Sept. 8th, and on Saturday Sept. 21st to serve clients on Sunday, Sept. 22nd. September is an odd month because it has five weeks. Please see Deacon Carolyn for more information.

Acolytes

Starting in September 2024, Acolyte practice will be held every first Saturday of

the month @ 10am. We’re in need of Acolytes young and old. Please come if

you feel called to serve on the Altar, please see Deacon Carolyn to discuss.

The Ven. Canon Carolyn Bolton

Father Wilson’s 15 Year Anniversary as Rector of St. Paul’s on September 29

Please join the Vestry in the Parish Hall on Sunday September 29th after the 10am service to celebrate 15 years of leadership for The Rev. Dr. Mauricio Wilson!

Thank you Fr. Mauricio!

T

Many Hands Make Light Work

St. Paul’s annual “homecoming” event will be Sunday September 15 (details to follow) following the10 am worship service. During this event, you will have the opportunity to learn about the many actual, and potential new ministries at St. Paul’s.

As we have been preparing for this fall giving campaign, we wanted to celebrate and honor the contributions of time and talent given by our members. I thought it might be interesting to try to determine how many volunteer hours go into supporting the many ministries of St. Paul’s in one year. I got out my excel spreadsheet, started asking questions and entering data.

When we surpassed 9,000 hours of volunteer time, I stopped counting, knowing that this was an underestimate of the actual time spent. If we monetize this, at $33.49/hour (the 2024 value of a volunteer hour*), we collectively contribute over $300,000 to the work of the church. Some of these activities are outward and visible, and some are

behind the scenes. They are all essential to what we do.

Please join us for lunch on September 15 and have a seat at one of the ministry tables that might pique your interest. The tables that will be hosted include:

1. Worship and Worship support

2. Music and Friends of Music

3. Children and Family Ministries

4. Social Justice and Outreach to our Neighbors

5. Hospitality and Welcoming

6. Lay led pastoral care (new)

7. Support ministries

Many hands make light work. Join us!

tps://independentsector.org/value-of-volunteer-time-2024/

Guns To Gardens 2024 

Thank you, those of you who donated; those who volunteered; the OPD officers who supported the event, Pastor Wallace for the hospitality of Mt. Zion: thank you all! July 20 was our 4th Oakland Guns to Gardens event, resulting in getting 50 guns including 21 handguns, and an AK-47 style semi-automatic rifle off the streets!

Of the people who filled out our survey, 14 were 55 and over and 5 were younger. A large majority of people said they had inherited the guns. Only 3 people said they bought the guns. People came from all over the Bay Area, having heard about Guns to Gardens mostly from social media & stories on TV.

Diocesan Resolution from St. Paul's Oakland

During Lent, a group read, met & discussed The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta. We were interested in how we can show up as Christians walking the path of love and acceptance. We believe it is crucial for the Episcopal Church to countermand Christian Nationalist voices to preserve its commitment to inclusivity, justice, and the separation of church and state. To that end, we wrote and submitted a resolution to the 175th Diocesan Convention asking the Diocese to appoint a task force to create a digital tool kit for all institutions of the Episcopal church to use on social media and other forms of communication to spread the message of love and inclusivity, with the goal of strongly countermanding Christian Nationalist voices. Here is the resolution on the Diocesan web site, where you can make comments and voice your support!

Evensong Schedule Change

Evensong will return at 4pm on September 8, and will continue on the second Sunday of each month, September to June.

Liturgical & Service Music for September

CONCERT

Prometheus Symphony Orchestra

Eric Hansen, Music Director

First Concert

Sunday, September 29, 2024

3:00 PM (Preconcert talk at 2:40PM)

Giuseppi Verdi • Giovanna d’Arco Sinfonia

Jean Sibelius • Pelléas et Mélisande Suite

Hector Berlioz • Les Troyens Suite

Music Director Eric Hansen and The Prometheus Symphony Orchestra welcome you to our concert series for the 2024-2025 season, featuring well-established favorites as well as innovative, modern works.

Tickets are required for admission.

There is no admission fee for our concerts, but donations are gratefully accepted.

To assure everyone’s safety and comply with Alameda County coronavirus protocols. Masks are recommended but not required for admittance to our concerts. Please arrive early so ushers have time to check everyone in. All Orchestra Members are fully vaccinated.

See the Prometheus Website for tickets, updates and parking details.

ROTAS & SCHEDULES

Altar Guild 2024

Prayers of the People 2024

Worship Volunteers July - Dec. 2024

By Michael Crozier

Somewhere around noon, or so, Friday, August 16^th, about twenty members of the St. Paul’s Church Choir left the safety of their homes and headed north to the Redwood forests of Sonoma County for a weekend Retreat at St Dorothy’s Rest in Camp Meeker. Upon arrival we found our way up a long single lane tree-lined road to the Main Lodge, or one of the other equally beautiful buildings where we would spend our next two nights sleeping. We were introduced to our Host for the weekend, J.D. HUNT, who explained the services and rules, etc. About 5:00, our Maestro BACHMANN arrived with dinner in hand, and treated us all to a wonderful casserole. There was immediate bustle as everyone stepped up to serve, eat, talk, and cleanup afterwards. The entire spirit of the evening was one of welcoming, fellowship and comfort. Games were played, jokes were told, stories were shared, and everyone marveled at the beauty of God’s world around us.

The next day, everyone was up for an amazing 8:00 AM breakfast prepared by the St Dot’s staff. Then, the real fun began. We spent the next four or five hours talking, sharing, singing, praying, and just enjoying each others’ company. Mauricio joined us for a while to talk about the future events and efforts at St. Paul’s. Then, the staff served up another bountiful meal. After lunch, a little more singing, some hikes in the woods, some swimming in the pool, reading of books, smaller chat groups, and dinner at six. The evening discussions were equally fascinating, where one tried to follow multiple simultaneous conversations. This observer noted the similarity to the Maestro’s description of playing the organ while trying to concentrate on what all the hands and feet are doing at the same time. 

The weekend drew to a close Sunday morning with another flurry of activity as everyone pitched in again to prepare, serve, eat and clean up breakfast. This was followed by a brief gathering to pray, chat a little more about the future back home, and “safe travel” wishes for everyone as we gathered our things and started south to resume our regular daily routine, while remembering the bond that comes from creating music with others; and feeling a little bit better than we did the Friday before.