CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
TO MINIMIZE THE SPREAD OF INFECTION, WE HAVE BEEN ORDERED BY THE BISHOP TO SHUTTER OUR CHURCH UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
This means that we have become a virtual church: St. Aidan's in the Cloud. Our regular weekday activities: 12 Steps, Yoga, Dream Group will not meet, nor will we host Soup Saturday. Check back here to see when these will return.
Our Sunday service is going online. At our regular hour of 10 am, we will meet over Zoom. To join us, click the "Contact" tab and send an email or email staidansbolinas@gmail.com to receive contact information.
The same holds true for our monthly Zen sitting. We sit the first Saturday of every month between 10 and 11:30. We begin with a 35 minute sit, followed by a Dharma talk and discussion. Email staidansbolinas@gmail.com for a link to join.
Two tutorial videos, may be found by clicking the "Seasons" tab above.
St. Aidan's Episcopal Church a Christian community with an interfaith vibe; we live at the edge of a continent. We are sea people, holders of diverse views and interesting observations, leavened by love and brightened by welcome.
you are the light of the world
The Rev.
Carol Luther
Voluntary Priest
real people
There's a lot of abstract language hanging from the rafters of the church: words like "sin," "justification," "redemption," "good," "evil," "love," "glory," and so many more. Such words are helpful to a point, but only to a point.
We are not abstractions. We are flesh and blood with surfboards and back aches, troublesome relatives and prize winning hydrangeas. Our stomachs rumble at inappropriate moments. We make others laugh. We wipe the tears from a child's eyes. We know what these things mean,
Abstractions, on the other hand, tend to mean what we want them to mean. "Good" becomes synonymous with what I like, "evil" with my aversions. Reality is what we live, not what we postulate. One of the most surprising, wonderful and challenging aspects of spiritual practice is lifting the veil off self image and finding the divine within.
Jesus didn't use a lot of abstractions. Enlightened beings don't need abstractions. They're more likely to tell stories. In a world which crushed human lives, he helped people stand on their two feet, to become full participants rather than the projections of others. His entire being was an antidote to authoritarianism and fake news.
As we move toward summer, we at St. Aidan's are exploring what it means to walk in love. Or as a wise Buddhist put it, "Love is the knowledge of our shared being. Love is who we really are." The world can hurt and break us. All things break. Through love, community, trust and honesty we are made whole.
Join the conversation!
Thanks to Jean Capron for her photos
St. Aidan's Episcopal Church
30 Brighton Ave.
Bolinas, CA 94924
(415) 868-5504
WE LISTEN. AT A TIME WHEN THE WORLD FEELS UNSTEADY, WE SEARCH OLD TRADITIONS FOR NEW INSIGHTS.
GOD IS AN ECOSYSTEM OF GRACE AND RECIPROCITY, OF WHICH WE ARE A FULL PART. BREATHING IN WE RECEIVE GOD, BREATHING OUT, WE EXTEND COMPASSION TO ALL LIVING BEINGS.