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"What's the Word?!"
St. Aidan's 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” (Benedicta Ward, 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

Fiesta! Spring Fundraiser - Register and Bid for Silent Auction Items Now!
The event may be tomorrow at 6 PM, but the silent auction is happening now! Bidding started on Monday, March 13th at 6pm and will end this Sunday, March 19th at 6pm. Register and bid by going to auctria.events/StAidanSFAuction2023 
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.

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.
ANNOUNCEMENTS

Wisdom of the Desert: A Formation Series for Lent
Join us starting a week from today 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 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!
 
Altar Guild Shine Day - SATURDAY, MARCH 25 from 11 to one.
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 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)
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.

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.

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

Archbishop Naoum asks for support for those affected by the earthquake in northern Syria
Since Sunday night when the first news of the disastrous earthquake in Central Turkey and Northern Syria arrived, we have been watching with great sadness the destruction across the region and the rescue and relief efforts.

The effects of the earthquake were felt far from the epicenter. Archdeacon Imad Zoorob, head of St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Center in Beirut, sent video of light fixtures rattling in this family’s fifth floor apartment. Dua’a Bisharat, director of Saviour’s School in Jordan, said she thought she awoke with a dizzy spell before she realized it was an earthquake.
Read newsletter
Read Archbishop Naoum's Letter
Donate to AFEDJ (American Friends to the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem)

ERD's Turkey and Syria Earthquake Response
Partner with Episcopal Relief & Development to provide support to people affected by the deadly earthquake along the border between Turkey and Syria. Visit episcopalrelief.org today to make a contribution to the Turkey-Syria Earthquake Response Fund
 
Financial Summary:  For January through February 2023, total operating income was $45,728 and total expenses were $50,071, for a budget deficit of $4,343.  Pledge payments totaled $35,836 compared to a budget of $34,082, for an overpayment of $1,754.  There was a net operating surplus of $4,843 after including changes in market value of investments (excluding endowment).  The endowment has gained $8,927 in value this year.  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:

Please send in your recipes for the COVID Connect Cookbook!
As shared in previous weeks, Peter Fairfield and Linnea Sweet are putting together the COVID Connect Cookbook. He's received several recipes thus far but would very much like more. He writes:

We are living through a time that will change our world in ways that we cannot yet begin to understand. We can hope that our shared vulnerability to this virus worldwide will help us see that all humanity is connected and that we must all work together. As we shelter in place, many of us are concerned with food. If we are not working, how will we afford it? If we cannot go out, how will we get it?

In our community of Saint Aidan’s, many are able to feed themselves and to help others get fed. More than that, we appreciate the food that we get and are finding new ways of making the sharing of food as enjoyable as possible.

The soup recipes that Cameron has been sharing have made our diet much more enjoyable and have given Linnea and I the inspiration to collect recipes from all the congregation and share them. We ask that everyone with a favorite recipe email it to us at peterlinnea@earthlink.net. We will collect and edit them into a cookbook which will be a lasting reminder of this strange and special time in all our lives.

We hope to be able to publish this cookbook in printed form and sell it to raise funds in support of Saint Aidan’s food ministries. We know you have been sharing food. Now please share your recipes!
 
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
 
Hybrid In-Person/Zoom Worship Continues This Week
This week our worship will continue to be hybrid, with both in person and Zoom platforms available. We encourage you to connect to with worship in whatever way is comfortable and feels safest for you.

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
St. Aidan's Vestry
Kate Fritz, Senior Warden
Lee Hammack, Junior Warden
Dave Frangquist, Clerk & Treasurer 
Anne Benniger, Anne Edwards,
Sarah Glover, Michael Jennings, Elaina LeGault
Jim Oerther, Barbara Stevenson     
 
4th Sunday in Lent
March 19, 2023

8 AM Communion (Hybrid)
The Rev. Cameron Partridge, Presider
David Mealy, Preacher
Doris Weyl Feyling, Altar Guild

10 AM Communion (Hybrid)
The Rev. Cameron Partridge, Presider
David Mealy, Preacher
Dr. Lisa da Silva, Postulant
David Austin, Guest Music Minister
Anne Benninger, Lee Hammack, Michael Jennings, Jackie Lewey, Janet Lohr, Jim Oerther, Kateri Paul, Barbara Stevenson, Riven Stevenson, Jill Tollefson, & Rolf Tollefson, and perhaps you!, Choir
Patricia Busk, In-Person Greeter
Peter Fairfield, Zoom Greeter
Elaine Mannon & Kateri Paul, Lectors
JoEllen Brothers, Intercessor
Christine Powell, Altar Guild
David Mealy, Sound/Liturgical DJ
Kate Fritz, Bread Baker
CoCo Lin, Child Care
 
Calendar for the week starting Friday, March 17, 2023
Friday,
March 17
Saturday,
March 18
Sunday,
March 19
Monday,
March 20
Tuesday,
March 21
Wednesday,
March 22


 
Thursday,
March 23
 
Morning Prayer (via Zoom), 7:30 AM
Food Pantry, 1 PM
Contemplative Prayer (via Zoom), 9 AM
Spring Fundraiser - Fiesta, 6 PM
Holy Eucharist (Hybrid), 8 & 10 AM
 
Morning Prayer (Hybrid), 7:30 AM
 
Contemplative Prayer (via Zoom), 9 AM
 
Morning Prayer (Hybrid), 7:30 AM
Evening Prayer (via Zoom), 6:30 PM

"Wisdom of the Desert" Lent Formation Series (via Zoom after Evening Prayer), 7 PM
Contemplative Prayer (via Zoom), 9 AM
Kaffeeklatsch (via Zoom), 3 PM
Our Prayers 
In Your Prayers, Please Remember:

In deep acknowledgment that St. Aidan’s is located within the unceded, ancestral land of the Yelamu tribe of the Ramaytush Ohlone people who have lived in vital relationship with this holy place for thousands of years.
 
In the Episcopal Church: Pray for Michael our Presiding Bishop; Marc our Bishop; the clergy of the Diocese; our Rector Cameron; our assisting priests Don and Gary; our Deacons Margaret, and Mark; our Music Minister Barry; our Guest Music Minister David; our seminarian Weston; our postulant Lisa; our Childcare Provider CoCo.

In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Pray for The Anglican Church of Southern Africa.

In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer: Pray for our diocese as we prepare to elect a new bishop in December and for Church Divinity School of the Pacific.

In our Parish Cycle of Prayer: Pray for the Gourmet Book Group.
 
For those with birthdays this coming week:  Page, Doug, Rolando, Johnnie, Ann, Nedi, Rolf.

For all striving for mental and emotional balance and wholeness, and for their families and friends.
 
For those who have asked for our prayers: Barry K., Dawn, Elaina L., Faith G., George J., Jack P., Jim F., Joan T., Kathy R., Margaret T., Margie W., Marilyn W., Michael & Elaine J., Nancy F., Nathan C., Patrick M., Reyna G., Tim F.
 
For the ongoing work against intersecting forms of oppression, particularly racism; and in affirmation of human dignity;

For our work in the world: Habitat for Humanity on Amber Drive, the Friday Food Pantry, Diamond Diners.
 
For Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, Elijah McClain, Walter Wallace, Adam Toledo, Daunte Wright, Tyre Nichols, and all whose lives have borne deep witness that Black Lives Matter, and that systemic racism, white supremacy, and police brutality must be eradicated.
                                                   
For our congregation as we embrace our call to be a sanctuary people, may we commit ourselves to prayer, education, and practices of sanctuary to support immigrants to this country and all people who are estranged, excluded, or threatened in 21st century America.
 
For all who are struggling in this time of pandemic, vulnerability, intensified injustice and division; for strength, support, and community across physical distances and for deepened engagement and commitment to our common life;

For those who have recently died: The Rev. Dr. Norman Somes, John Anthony Fabatz, Roger Wolcott, Linda, Ann Schembari, Jean Amos, Marjorie Wilkins Jones, John Morrow, Natalie Lloyd, Sabra Sones, Eleanor Elliott, Ellie McCarthy, Christine Ortiz.

Names of the living are printed by first name only unless otherwise requested. 
Living prayer request names will be kept on the prayer list for four weeks;
to keep someone on the list for longer, please notify the office.
To place a name on our prayer list, please contact the church office
 415-285-9540, ext. 3 or office@staidansf.org 






Website and Staff Email Addresses
Our website address is staidansf.org
The email address to reach Cameron, the Rector, is rector@staidansf.org
The email to reach Cary, the Parish Administrator, is office@staidansf.org
The  email to reach Barry, the Music Minister, is music@staidansf.org
The email to reach Dave, the Treasurer, is treasurer@staidansf.org
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101 Gold Mine Drive 
San Francisco, CA 94131

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St. Aidan's Episcopal Church · 101 Gold Mine Dr · San Francisco, CA 94131-2538 · USA

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