Alameda. Around bachlt area. Were hubs of hunger relief. We serve one in five county residents. 20 of Alameda County turns to us for help and very wide food banks are serving 780,000 people per month, distributing millions of pounds of food through different agencies. Pantrys just like sarahs. There is your cue. Sarah. In berkeley we serve about 700 plus families per month, which translates into about 23,500 people a month. We serve all of berkeley and serve people from every walk of life. Everyone you can imagine, at some point, turns to us for food. So what happens . You have a need and you show up there . Yeah. So if you live in berkeley or albany, you come to our pantry and we will give you certain amount of food depending on how large your sfam and it is meant to be enough food to last you for three days, so nine meals per person in your households. Over thanksgiving, christmas, increased need. We definitely provide extra food for the hole kaechls because holidays because people who are food insecure find themselves more anxious around the holidays. Particularly because so many of the people that serve our families become particularly anxious about being able to provide something for their families at a time that is so food and family oriented like thanksgiving and christmas. Good stuff. And you too. The pantry and the food bank or Alameda County, like i said, this is going on all over the bay area. Correct. Were part of a coalition called bay area food banks. Were serving down in santa claira. San jose. Food bank of contra costa so all of the main bay areas are served by the food banks that are part of the coalition. So the support during the holiday season, as people go bayhunger. Org will it will take you to your own food bank. It is good to give food and xeem donate food directly but it and people can donate food but it is a better deal to give a cash gift. We want people to donate most meaningful but theyre extremely efficient organizations. We typically distribute 66 of food for every dollar donated. Theyre a well run organization. All of the food banks or four star rated charities. Many for eight years like us, which rank us actually in the top 1 of the charities nationwide so we can do a lot more with a dollar. Okay. Sarah, why do you do this . What do you get back out of it . It is an essential thing to have food to feed your family. We have so many clients who come come in that have your children. Sometimes they come in and ask if we can save their place because they have to run off and pick their children up from school. It is heart wrenching but to know that we can make them feel a little bit at ease about the food and hunger and ability to pay their bills, that is a huge reward. That is the pay back. Michael, how about you. How did you get into this . What do you get back out of this . It is amazing on a day by day basis seeing the reon a familys face when they come in. 2 3 of the people we serve are children and seniors theyre vulnerable to hungierer. Were there hunger. Were there to help people. Maybe they wa or two longer than they should have to call us. When theyre directed to agencies like sarahs there is a sense of relief and comfort knowing that the community is looking out for them. The fact is being hungry is a difficult thing but it isnt anything that someone should be a shamed of. The quicker we can help them, the better off theyll be. Okay. Phone number is what . What is the phone number . 800635food. Very clever. Very good. Bless the two of you for what youre doing. Michael, it is a joy to have you on on. Give your reguards to the good bank and for working in the pantry, sarah. Thank you. Give something to the food banks this christmas. Stay with us. We want to thank sarah weber and michael aulfast from the Bank Food Pantry and food bank for coming on. Watch the announcements in the breaks and give something to the food banks this christmas, wont you . We welcome back to mosaic now the rev rant bruce o neal. He is rerandom bruce o neal. He is the director of Saint Clements church in berkeley. Great to have you. Great to be back. I assume youre here to talk about the christmas and advent season. Today is theth sunday of advent, we have a the 4th sunday of advent. We have a few more days until christmas. Advent is the season of preparation, getting ready for the coming of the baby jesus and the Second Coming of christ. Mixed messages in some ways but it is all the same in the end. Lets focus on the former. So, you have a season of advent and that is, if i remember correctly, four sundays leading up. It started the 2nd or 4th century. What have you been observing in the season . Why this season to run up and what do you do . What is the purpose itself. We have the advent wreath, that is how you observe it. The advent wreath with the four candles and middle candle for christmas which we light on Christmas Eve. We have been preparing for our pagent, preparing for services, it is a challenge at this time of year to keep a spiritual side when were bogged down with shopping and holiday parties and candy canes all over the place and santa claus to take time for our religious spiritual devotion. How do you do that . What do you suggest for people to observe that and what are the dangers of getting over on the shopping side. I was hoping for advice for you on the best way to observe a holy advent. There is reverend billing and the stop shopping choir has been in the news recently and they are preaching the shopocalypse, that people need to stop shopping and celebrate the real christmas. It is about being intentional in prayer and church has been helping me in worshipping and being devotional during advent p season. And the, so youre lighting candles, and this sunday coming up is the 4th sunday of advent, and so what are the holmes likely to be . What happens during worship . We will be singing holmes, anticipate tomorrowy holmes, getting ready for this weeks festivities. I havent checked on the music for later on today. But they will be familiar ones and then what happens Christmas Eve, say, in your parish. We have at 4 00 in the afternoon, we have a pagant which is standing room only it is a reenactment of the birth of christ and the worshipping of him. We have the youngest members in the con gre up through congregation. Up through high school. It is one of the finest times of the year i would say. This is the one that you would see in the Charlie Schultz peanuts where there are angels and shepherds and all of the good stuff. We never know exactly what will happen with the angels righthand shepherds, if theyll or shepherds, if theyll hit each other or not but it always works out. And then on Christmas Eve youll have observance. Later on, at 9 00, we have our great choir which well hear some of the members in just a little bit. On this very show. On this very show right here with us. Our great choir will lead us in holmes and carols, beginning at 9 00, and then we ease into our holy service continuing with holmes and carols. It will be a fine hymns and carols. It will be a fine sermon also. This is standard for most churches, you can help worship and sing similar carols monday will have something on Christmas Eve and to look for the Christmas Pagents for sure. If you go out, you can find a church down the street. They would be glad to see you. Well take a little break. And reverend o neal will stay with us. When we come back, well do a little more exploration of the season of christmas. Well be right back. Maybe something about the food bank coming up, too. Bruce o neal is our guest. He is the director of Saint Clements church in berkeley. What else do you want to share with us . What do we need to know about this week coming up . It will be a great week whether they come to Saint Clements or their own communities of faith. It is a blessed time of the year. I also would like to note that we had people from the berkeley food pantry and Alameda Community food bank with us this morning and Saint Clements has had fun collecting food for the organizations. Weve had a macaroni roll, collected boxes of macaroni and kids got involved and they setup a big line of macaroni boxes throughout our parish hall and we knocked them dominos. Great fun for all ages. We also bought oat meal boxes. Mindful for people to reach out to others. A lot of ways to get involved. Now, you have a spiritual message you wanted to share from the bishop. This is a brief pass garage the reverend catherine shory. Her christmas letter, message for 2014, ill just read a little bit. Dont worry. Advent leads nus darkness and decreasing light. Our bodies slow with shorter days and longer nights and the merriness and frantic activity are merely signs of eager hunger for light and healing and wholeness. The incarnation, the coming of god among us and human flesh happened in such a quiet and out of the way place that few noticed it first. Yet the impact on human existence has been like a bolt of lightning that continues to grow and generate new life and fire in all who share that hunger and i think that brief passage right there speaks to the beauty of this week. The obvious themes of light and dark stand out there. And this whole season, there are other celebrations going on. Hanukkah, were into the 88 days of hanukkah here the eight days hanukkah here and the buddhists celebrate the enlightenment of budah and the sihks have a celebration. It is like the end of the year time that came on. If i remember correctly, christmas was something of a dispute early on. That some people claimed it was january 6th, very earlier on, some people claimed it was in march but it got placed in 336 by constantine at december 25th and the orthodox continued to say it was january 6th and so as a result we have the 12 days of christmas. So there are a lot going on. Frosty the snow man, the star, the light, the darkness, the whole Christmas Pagent which is, you say thee logical work as much theological work as much as a historic one. What do you do to enjoy the season. When come and see is what i say and it is a Community Time and also time for personal reflection. And growing up, what was important to you at christmas as you look back . You say, oh, yeah, that was really part of the whole season that made my little heart sing and stuff like that. So you want to know all about my Family History . Exactly. I enjoyed the christmas tree, i enjoyed exchanging presents, the anticipation, it seemed like christmas would never come. It took forever to start from the beginning of advent into christmas. I also remember, fond memories of being in the christmas pagant. I can remember the burlap sack i was wearing as a shepherd and the one angel whol had a little bit af who had a little bit of a stomach flu. Why should people get get involved and go to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day . What value can you garner out of that, even if you only go once a year . I find value out of church year round. But i get paid to say that. Christmas time there, are people we dont often see and the hope is they come and have a good experience, get to know one another a little bit, say their prayers, pray with others and maybe feel like their lives have changed just a little bit. Maybe there is a little bit more warmth in the cold of winter. Great. You brought people who are going to come in the last segment and sing us out as it were. Some carollers. Do you want to introduce them now . Sure. That would be great. We have our long time director of music, linda gavenda and our other stars, eed yitd landon, and kelly wooder who will be playing the violin. They are they make up 1 10 of our Saint Clements choir, give or take a few and theyre very talented people. When we come back, then, well be singing christmas carols. Have a Merry Christmas or a blessed one, bruce. Thank you for being on mosaic. Thank you, hughes. [ instrumental music playing ] away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little lord jesus lay down his sweet head. The stars in the bright sky look down where he lay, the little lord jesus asleep on the hay. Be near me, lord jesus, i ask thee to stay, close by me forever and love me, i pray bless all the deer children in thy tender care, and take us to heaven, to live with thee there. At christmas time 1818, the organ broke down at Saint Nicholas so the assistant breesz brought the text brought the text silent night for the guitar and girls chorus. Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright. Round yon virgin p, mother, and child. Holy infant, so tender and mild sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night, holy night. Son of god, loves pure light. Raidant beams from thy holy face. With the dawn of redeeming grace. Jesus, lord at thy birth. Jesus, lord at thy birth. Oh little town of bethlehem was written by Phillips Brooks director holy trinity philadelphia while traying in the holy land of 18656789 the tune forest green is an english forest green. Oh little town of bethlehem, how still we see thee lie above your deep and dream less sleep, the silent stars go by. Yet in thy dark streets shine yetd, the ever lasting light shineeth, the ever lasting life. The hopes and fears of all the years, are met with in thee tonight. O for chiesz is born of mary and gathered all for christ is born of mary and gathered all above. While mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wondering love. Oh morning stars, together, pro claim thy holy birth. And praises sing to god, the king, and peace to men on earth. [ female announcer ] get your taste of the season, at raleys, bel air, and nob hill. Mallicoat. We begin with our pitch. I. Welcome to bay sunday, good morning, everybody, im roberta gonzalez, im filling in for frank who is vacationing. We begin our pitch, if you have a show idea we would love to to hear from you. Go to facebook. Com baysunday, and comment to the page and we would like it hear from all of you. We begin this sunday morning with shen union, they feature culture that almost was lost and dazzles us with flips, springs and elegance. Joining us to talk about the up coming run in the bray is alicia chou and she is with shen and
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