All Saints Episcopal Church Parish Profile 2015 Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, Whatever you believe, And whatever your experience of organized religion has been, You are WELCOME in this place! ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 1
Introduction 3 Location 4 Worship 4 Pastoral Care 5 Community 6 Spiritual Growth and Education 8 Our Church Family 10 Community Outreach 10 Stewardship 12 History 12 Looking Forward 13 Our New Rector 14 Balance Sheet Analysis 16 Revenue & Expenses Analysis 17 ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 2
Introduction All Saints San Leandro is a kind, diverse, and loving congregation. We have attractive grounds, a spacious parish hall and other meeting rooms, and a richly beautiful sanctuary; and yet what makes our church so special is our people. You will find among our pews dear friends who love and accept one another. You will wait patiently during "the Peace" when nearly every row is abandoned as parishioners move up and down the aisles, blessing and warmly greeting new folks and faithful attendees. We are a Spiritual Home for anyone who wants to be part of our family. Within our membership, you will find a fervent commitment to our Episcopal Liturgy and an openness to continue to learn and grow. We are a people devoted to living the gospel inside and outside the walls of this church building. We are actively impacting the larger community through the many different outreaches we are involved in, while, ministering effectively to all the ages present in our weekly gatherings. From great-grand parents to our newest 10 week old baby boy; being a multi-generational gathering is very important to us. Truly loving all people is a core value for All Saints. We love music and art. We enjoy a good laugh. We are generous and faithful to sound financial stewardship. We like a challenging sermon and participating in all aspects of the worship service. We are comfortable with the baby three rows from the Altar, cooing and jabbering while the rest of us listen to the invocation! Our prayer is for a new Rector with a vision to lead and mobilize this talented and affectionate congregation. We want to grow as individuals, as Children of God, as families, and as musicians, artists, and as a community of servants who bring pleasure to our kind God. Will you help us? ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 3
Location Named for Saint Leander (a sixth-century bishop of Seville) and first settled in 1837, San Leandro is nestled between the waters of San Francisco Bay and the East Bay foothills. San Leandro is a friendly and diverse city with a colorful heritage and numerous cultural amenities including a 450-berth Marina, two golf courses and a large community library. In 2014 it had a population of about 86,869. The community is a mix of residential and industrial areas, including charming neighborhoods of 1920s stucco bungalows such as the area that surrounds the church. Within the city limits there are 13 public schools and 46 houses of worship with 13 different faith traditions. All Saints of San Leandro is a member of the Episcopal Diocese of California which serves a diverse community of faith encompassing the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Approximately 27,000 people form 80 congregations and the diocese is organized into six deaneries (a geographical group of parishes). The Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and Southern Alameda deaneries cover their respective counties; the Peninsula Deanery consists of all of San Mateo County and a small portion of Santa Clara County. All Saints is an active member of the Southern Alameda Deanery which includes Holy Cross of Castro Valley, St. Anne s of Fremont, St. Bartholomew s of Livermore, St. Clare s of Pleasanton and St. James of Fremont. Worship At the beginning of each service, our Rector has always said, Wherever you are on your spiritual journey; Whatever you believe; And whatever your experience of organized religion has been; You are WELCOME in this place! Thus begins our worship service at All Saints. This statement and our belief in this statement, have brought many to our church, and, upon finding that it is true, they remain to be guided on their own spiritual journey. Two services are held on Sundays: 8:00 a.m. Rite I and 10:15 a.m. Rite II. The second service includes piano music, a cantor, a variety of hymns. Special requests for prayers, special offerings, and sometimes healing prayers with laying on of hands occur at both services. Music is an important part of the Rite II service. ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 4
The second service always ends with a postlude to allow us to transition from the service to going in for coffee hour. The Rector is assisted in the services by lay ministry which includes our acolytes, lay eucharistic ministers, ushers, crucifer, musician, and the Altar Guild. On Wednesdays we have a noontime healing service with Eucharist. Our services are enriched with the singing of the Lord s Prayer, sung Psalms, meaningful fiber art and liturgical vestments, and wonderful music. We enjoy creativity in our services and are open to different ways of worshiping, including prayers from other sources, interactive experiences, and dramatizations. Lent is a thoughtful time for our community. We include a special Lenten series which many enjoy. Holy Week is everything it can be with all of the highs and lows of that week. It provides time for deep contemplation and celebration together. Advent also is very reflective and meaningful to our community culminating with our Christmas services, both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Children participate in our Eucharist, coming in at the appropriate time to partake. The children and teens also participate in various services, especially Maundy Thursday, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and at other times. Pastoral Care We strive to take excellent care of our church family. Pastoral care in our congregation goes well beyond what one individual Rector can do. We have a pastoral care team with 15 people currently serving. Lay Eucharist Ministers take communion to those who may not be well enough to attend church. This team visits hospitals, homes, often provides meal support, birthday cards, and regular phone calls as well. Meeting with our Rector for various conversations is deeply valued by our parishioners, and yet the entire load of caring for one another does not fall solely on one person s shoulders. ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 5
Community The community of All Saints is multi-generational. Children, even babies, are always welcome during our services. Generally though, the children are in their appropriate aged programs and very young children are in the nursery with professional supervision. Both services get together informally after their service. The earlier service goes out to a local restaurant for breakfast. The second service remains for coffee hour which is hosted by various members of the service. This is a time when both groups have a chance to talk with each other, get to know each other better and follow up on problems someone may have been having. Both the breakfast group and the coffee hour group will remain together for about an hour enjoying each other s company. Our congregation participates in numerous events, both for fellowship and for fund raising. Annual events have included our Crab Feed which is always sold out, a fall activity which is different each year, a celebration of Cinco de Mayo, Christmas events such as wreath making, participation in the Angel Tree which provides gifts to children who have an incarcerated parent, an Easter egg hunt following breakfast after the Easter service, Halloween at which time candy is given out by our Fireside Youth to the neighboring children and cups of cider are provided to the adults, and participation in the National Night Out to meet and greet those of our neighborhood, along with police and firemen. ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 6
Memorial Services are very personal and allow us to come together to celebrate the life of a member, or family member. Everyone pitches in to provide a generous feast following the service. Weddings of our members are filled with laughter and joy. We all come together to celebrate the new life which the partners are beginning together. Weddings are also held for those from the community who wish to use our beautiful church setting. Baptisms help to celebrate the entry of people into the life of Christ and to allow all of us to renew the vows we have taken. This warm service is very personal to those being baptized. Throughout the year we generally have other events, such as a barbecue during the late spring, luaus, and other reasons to get together. Although they may each raise some money for the church, our activities outside of our services gives both groups an opportunity to come together and get to know each other better. Together we provide support for those who are ill, dying, being born and any other need that may come to our attention. Our events are always multigenerational, and if appropriate, child care is provided. However, the children frequently come in and out of the event to see what is going on. Our community is warm and generous. We love to laugh together and cry together, share with each other, support each other, sincerely welcome newcomers, and enjoy the rich diversity of our congregation. ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 7
Spiritual Growth and Education We are challenged to grow spiritually, by our reading of scripture, our sermons, and the application of our faith in our daily lives. Support for this growth comes from Men s Groups, Women s Groups, Bible study programs, the Inquirer s Class, Confirmation classes for our youth, Godly Play for our youngsters, Sacred Circle Dancing both during services and in separate programs, our Lenten Series, prior programs of EFM and the practice by some of Qigong, led by one of our parishioners. Bible Study is held on Wednesdays before the Healing Service and Eucharist. Generally it has followed the reading of the scriptures for the following Sunday with discussion to gain further understanding of the lessons. This is then fortified by the following Sunday sermon. There are several other ways to approach Bible study and we are open to examining the options. Thoughtful sermons assist in guiding us throughout our daily lives. What were the lessons from the Old Testament? What has Jesus said about an issue? How can we practice being a loving, giving Christian in our world today? Men s groups have revolved around books of the Bible, or other appropriate subject matter. One of our members has led this group, as has our previous Rector. It has been meeting bi-monthly or monthly. Women s Groups have been spiritually supporting groups rather than Bible study programs. They give a chance to share one s concerns with others without judgement. Time to meditate and pray and consider what life is offering. This group meets monthly and provides a strong support for our women. The Inquirer s Class is set up to provide information about the Episcopal Church. It allows newcomers to learn more about the Episcopal Church, including the structure, operations, basic beliefs, and support in looking at spirituality in its totality. ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 8
Confirmation Class is given as our youth transition from youngsters to more mature teens, teaching the basic precepts of the Episcopal faith as outlined in the Prayer Book. Youth have been partnered with adults from the congregation for the year of their studies prior to confirmation. Our youngsters have participated in Godly Play for years and have found this to be an excellent venue for understanding the stories of our Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Other activities which support this structure are also used. This program has been led by trained parishioners. Fireside Youth is our weekly program for our middle and high school youth. This is led by a trained parishioner. Other people are brought in to the group to share their experiences. This successful group also includes other young people who do not belong to the church as a part of a family but come regularly with other members of the group. These young people have been growing up with each other throughout the years and have been developing a deeper sense of their faith. Sacred Circle Dances are led by a trained parishioner who provides this program which is open to the community on a weekly basis. This type of meditative dance is frequently used in various parts of our services, specifically during Easter Vigil. This allows the entire body to become a part of our deeper understanding of our spirituality. Qigong is led on a weekly basis by another highly trained leader. This program is open to the public and is supported by a number of our parishioners. Purposeful movement helps to clear the mind and tone the body. Other creative outlets are provided through writing, art, and music in order to further our spiritual growth. ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 9
Our Church Family As much as we welcome children and babies in our worship services, we also aim to provide a respite to our parents of young children by providing a fully staffed nursery every Sunday and for most other church functions. We employ a wonderful Nursery DiRector and currently one more additional support staff. Our school age children are a part of our lay-led Godly Play Program. Middle and High Schoolers make up our Fireside Youth Group, also led by committed parishioners. A particular joy, is when we, as a Christian Body, get to participate in intergenerational activities. This ranges from involving our children and youth in special Worship Services to the many additional events that make up our church life. In our recent past, we employed a short-term part-time Family Ministry Staff Member. She was helpful in creating some important infrastructure, that we as a congregation have been able to maintain. When we spoke with our full congregation about how they would like our church to function down the road, there were many requests for more opportunities to be all together from babies to great grandpa, we enjoy being all in the same space. Community Outreach At All Saints we feel our mission as a church is to minister as best we can to the needs of our congregation. We feel blessed to have such spacious facilities. As we open our doors, we have found that our lovely space has become a respite for many others in our community. We refer to it as the Neighborhood Center. Groups range from several varieties of 12 step programs to community dance and Qigong (Chinese movement classes), to Toastmasters and Early Start music programs. Our parish musician and other local piano teachers often use our ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 10
sanctuary for recitals. Weddings, birthday parties, and Anniversary Celebrations are held here for both members of our congregation and our community. One ministry in particular is the pride and joy of our church. We host a food pantry that has over 30-40 regular volunteers from our congregation, other churches, and many members from the community. Since 2008 we have hosted the food pantry 93 times, serving 9,574 people, and feeding a total of 30,275 household members. There have been 3,720 volunteers during that time as well. Practical ministry fills our souls just as much as it might nourish our bodies. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me - Matthew 25:35 Many folks from our 8 o clock service have become master sandwich makers and have supplied bag lunches for homeless people who come to the Boys and Girls Club for showers. Sacred Space, a ministry of outreach to the homeless, provides a liturgical service and Eucharist in local parks. A former parishioner, now a deacon, coordinates this service. There are many ministries that correlate with the time of year. For example our Angel Tree at Christmas, where parishioners purchase and distribute gifts to families in which a parent is incarcerated and back to school when we purchase school supplies and backpacks for Roosevelt Elementary right next door. Early summer we participate in Corazon, an organization that builds a home for a family in one weekend in Tijuana, Mexico. Practical ministries mean a great deal to us. We desire to be like Christ to as many as is within our ability; to serve others as we would our kind savior. ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 11
Stewardship Several years back, All Saints worked tirelessly on a Capital Campaign. They dealt with building code issues, put on a new roof, and created a beautiful wheelchair accessible front deck that has become an additional space for many of our favorite events. The conviction to be excellent stewards of what we have been entrusted with goes beyond our strength of being a truly loving congregation, but also to the nitty-gritty of building maintenance and fiscal responsibility. Our Vestry, Financial Committee, Rector s and People s Wardens, Treasurer, Fundraising, and Facilities coordinator are comprised of talented, devoted people who diligently carry out their given tasks and responsibilities. Financial transparency is important to us, and when we need to economize from time to time we adjust our sails to make sure we stay within our means. History All Saints was originally established as a mission church in the Elmhurst area of Oakland, our neighboring city. This small congregation eventually merged with a group in San Leandro and in 1936 the building was moved to the current location on Dowling Blvd. Over the next half a century, the building was enlarged, updated, renovated, and most recently a Columbarium installed in the Narthex. All Saints gained parish status in 1946, and the Rev. Henry Praed became the first Rector. With a growing congregation, the Sanctuary was enlarged, Sunday School rooms and the Fireside Room were added. Interest in stained glass windows was demonstrated after the arrival of our fourth Rector, the Rev. Ferdinand Saunders in 1972. The fourteen stained glass windows were crafted by Wippell-Mowry Church Foundation in Exeter, England and were completed in October 1975. ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 12
In 2002, Fr. Rob Droste joined us as a new Rector. He left in 2014 after receiving a call to the New Jersey Diocese to serve as a Canon. Under Fr. Rob we experienced growth which included new families with young children. In 2004 fiber art depicting the six days of creation were gifted to the sanctuary and continue to hang there. Additionally, over the years, liturgical vestment have also been added. In 2008, extensive renovation was begun, repairing flooring by removing dry rot and termite damage in the Sanctuary, repairs to the Nursery area, installation of a ramp from the parking lot, and a new deck and entry to the front of the church. New restrooms were completed to meet ADA requirements. In 2009, the Columbarium was installed in the Narthex. Looking Forward The All Saints Day of Discovery was an integral part of our search process, during which we defined together what is important to us, and where we would like to go. We spent some significant time that day dreaming together. Overwhelmingly, we found these common themes: we want to welcome more families into our family, all people are very welcome, and yet there seems to be a repeated and specific yearning to see more children and parents of children added to our ranks. Our church is in a family neighborhood next to an elementary school. We would like to minister more effectively to those families. Music is a passion of an integral portion of our body, and we want to see music programing increase including a choir. We want more money. We want to pay our Rector and staff well, and we want to be generous to the ministries we already invest in. We want to be a wellspring of light and life in our community and consistent financial resources allow that to be a reality. The last wish we saw repeatedly expressed was simply for more opportunities to be together. Our lovely congregation wants to mix more within the two services. We d love to worship in other settings, like family camps, and parish picnics. We d love to attend church wide retreats and any number of other events that allow us, though we are many, to be one. ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 13
Our New Rector We look for a new Rector who will provide leadership in the development of growth and financial stability within our parish. Our new Rector will have a sense of humor and enjoy working with a wide age range of parishioners and collaborating with us in the development of further programs. We look forward to working with our new Rector in creating an even more unified parish. We want someone human, someone who is grounded in scripture and tradition, and prefer someone who is tech savvy to help increase our presence in the community. Interest and dedication to outreach programs is also very important. Pastoral calls and hospital visits to parishioners are important, as is one on one spiritual counseling. We look forward to welcoming and working with our new Rector. ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 14
Almighty God, giver of all good things, we thank you for the beauty of our parish. We thank you for all its resources; for the men and women who have made it strong; for the light of the Gospel handed on to us; and for the faith we have inherited in all its rich variety. We thank you for the gift of your powerful presence here among us; for our many gifts, talents, and skills; and especially for the people who you have drawn to us and for those who are now on their way. Help us, O Lord, to finish the good work here begun, and hasten the day when all our people, with many voices in one united chorus, will glorify your holy name. Amen. ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 15
All Saints Episcopal Church Balance Sheet Analysis: Multi-Year Trend 12/31/2011 12/31/2012 12/31/2013 12/31/2014 ASSETS Current Assets BofA Operating Checking $ 27,959 $ 27,957 $ 22,365 $ 36,044 1stUSCU Money Market 22,166 22,234 25,916 26,019 1stUSCU CD - Endowment 15,000 - - - Total Current Assets $ 65,125 $ 50,191 $ 48,281 $ 62,063 Fixed Assets Land $ 111,000 $ 111,000 $ 111,000 $ 111,000 Buildings 531,147 531,147 531,147 531,147 Improvements 276,540 304,323 304,323 304,323 Total Fixed Assets $ 918,687 $ 946,470 $ 946,470 $ 946,470 Other Assets 4,281 4,746 4,805 450 TOTAL ASSETS $ 988,093 $ 1,001,407 $ 999,556 $ 1,008,983 LIABLITIES & FUNDS Current Liabilities Payables & Other Misc Liabilities $ 5,762 $ 13,997 $ 17,922 $ 18,740 Deferred Income - 1,000 7,079 10,500 Note Payable 33,250 28,750 28,750 27,500 Total Current Liabilities $ 39,012 $ 43,747 $ 53,751 $ 56,740 Fund Balances Operating Fund (net of misc.) $ 20,376 $ 16,918 $ (2,557) $ (309) Building Fund (15,653) (12,956) (7,471) (3,556) Social Ministries Fund 3,269 1,199 3,412 4,368 Endowment Fund 15,000 - - - Memorial Fund 7,402 6,029 5,951 5,270 Property Fund 918,687 946,470 946,470 946,470 Total Fund Balances $ 949,081 $ 957,660 $ 945,805 $ 952,243 TOTAL LIABILITIES & FUNDS $ 988,093 $ 1,001,407 $ 999,556 $ 1,008,983 ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 16
ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PARISH PROFILE 2015 17