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All Souls’ Saint Nicholas Home Tour

written by admin_user | November 12, 2015

The All Souls’ Saint Nicholas Home Tour, a Point Loma tradition drawing attendees from throughout San Diego county and beyond, gives the members of All Souls’ Episcopal Church an opportunity to serve the community and promote awareness of the mission and ministries of All Souls’—with each member drawing on his or her unique gifts.  The proceeds from ticket sales, the St. Nicholas Café, and the Christmas Marketplace go to support our local, national and international missions and ministries.

Why Do We Do The Home Tour?

The All Souls’ Saint Nicholas Home Tour, a Point Loma tradition drawing attendees from throughout San Diego county and beyond, gives the members of All Souls’ Episcopal Church an opportunity to serve the community and promote awareness of the mission and ministries of All Souls’—with each member drawing on his or her unique gifts.  From planning, to ticket sales, to hosting in a home, or baking cookies, there is something for everyone to do as we work together to put on the tour for our neighbors and community.  The proceeds from ticket sales, the St. Nicholas Café, and the Christmas Marketplace go to support our local, national and international missions and ministries including, but not limited to:

  • Supporting Loaves and Fishes, an Ocean Beach food bank
  • Providing monthly dinners for homeless and others in need at OB’s Episcopal Church Center
  • Contributing food, clothing and shelter to Episcopal Refugee Network for new San Diego arrivals
  • Financing medicines and supplies for orphans and families at a hospital in Maseno, Kenya
  • And many other additional worthy ministry projects within San Diego, the United States and the World

A Brief History of All Souls’ St. Nicholas Home Tour

The All Souls’ Episcopal Church Home Tour is the oldest home tour of its type west of the Mississippi.  It began in 1952 as an afternoon event with 5 lovely Point Loma area homes decorated for Christmas, a tea and a few arts and crafts for sale in the parish hall.  This year marks the 64th year of the Home Tour.  We now open the homes in the morning and afternoon, invite ticket holders to a gracious tea, and open the St. Nicholas Marketplace for our guests to shop for unique items.  Since the beginning of the Home Tour, Peter the Church Mouse has made an appearance as a tour sale item.  His identity is a closely held secret until tour day.  This past year All Souls’ hosted over 800 people to the Home Tour.  Most of these guests come from throughout San Diego County.

Each year the home tour draws attendees from throughout San Diego County and beyond.  In the recent past, our attendance ranges between 800 – 1000 attendees.  Many of the attendees are repeat customers and tell us our Home Tour is a kickoff event for their holiday season.  In addition to the tour of the homes, we offer a Marketplace with unique crafts; a Café, tours of the parish focusing on the artwork and an elegant tea.

Where the Money Goes

This list contains some of the organizations we support through monetary donations, time, talent and / or goods:

 PENINSULA SHEPHERD CENTER:  PSC provides many essential services to seniors on the Point including Senior Drivers Safety Classes; Senior Computer Skills Classes; shopping trips; transportation to doctors’ appointments; monthly social events (movies, knitting, drive-through, The Lunch Club with a speaker, game day); and legal aid services.  In addition, we provide volunteer drivers, and PSC is housed at All Souls’ Episcopal Church.

EPISCOPAL CHURCH CENTER: ECC is located in the former Holy Trinity Episcopal church building in Ocean Beach, this extension of our ministry includes a health clinic; donates clothing and shoes to the homeless and others in need; cooks and serves suppers on one Wednesday evening per month; and provides a number of other services for those who are homeless, are low income, or are in need.

OCEAN BEACH LOVES AND FISHES FOOD BANK: This is a long-term peninsula ministry supported by our parish’ Outreach Commission and Bread Ministry.  Other churches in the Point Loma area also support this food bank.    Our parish members have formed a bread baking ministry where they bake and sell bread within the parish.  The funds raised are given to Loaves and Fishes to purchase food for the pantry.  In an on-going program, All Souls’ also conducts regular specified food drives to help maintain a sustainable pantry.

EPISCOPAL CHURCH REFUGEE NETWORK: This program of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego and supported by All Souls, provides assistance to refugees from Sudan, Iraq, Myanmar and other countries by offering help in applying for government funding, acquiring household goods and furniture, filling in school enrollment forms, mastering English language skills, twice weekly tutoring sessions for school age children, obtaining a driver’s license, assisting with translation at doctors’ appointments.  In an on-going program, All Souls’ also provides special needs items, e.g. back to school backpacks and school supplies, shoes, and clothing.

PRISON MINISTRY (SOLACE) is an interfaith detention visitation project of volunteers who visit immigrants held at the Otay Detention Center of San Diego County.  Volunteers trained in visitation, meet with immigrants, including refugees and asylum seekers, one or two weekends a month.  This program offers friendly ears to people held in detention with the goal of ending isolation, affirming humanity and restoring hope.

MASENO HOSPITAL (Kenya) – Parishioners Drs. Gerry and Nancy Hardison began a mission trip to this underserved area of Africa in 2002.  Over the years they have worked with local people, professionals and visitors from San Diego and other areas of the country to improve the services and quality of care at Maseno Mission Hospital.  Programs continue for HIV/AIDS and orphans, in the Maseno area.

EPISCOPAL COMMUNITY SERVICES/FRIEND TO FRIEND CELEBRATIONS: Our parish provides lunch one time per year for their monthly celebrations. About 30 guests plus the ECS staff participate.

COLLEGIA ESPERANZA SCHOOL: CES is located in Mexico in one of the poorest colonials in Baja California.  The school was founded over 17 years ago.  Through education using the arts, preschool through high school children have access to both basic and enriched educational programs.  At All Souls’, our parishioners donate Christmas presents to individual students.

GOD’S EXTENDED HAND: GEH, formerly called Sister Winnie’s Mission, is a mission in downtown San Diego providing 1—2 meals per day for the homeless and poor. This mission has been in service to our community since 1924.

SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS: This mobile shower facility was funded locally through grants and donations to provide safe shower facilities for those with no other access to hygiene. Access to this basic need is important to health, wellness, and the ability to search for employment.  This project of the Diocese is intended for use around San Diego County.

BLESSINGS IN A BAG is a ministry of All Souls’ and other churches in the area.  After Sunday services, parishioners decorate and fill paper bags with snack items, toiletries, water, etc. to be carried in cars and given to any people that may be in need in the community.

SEAFARER’S MINISTRY:  This is a program of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego.  As a part of a worldwide network of chaplains, lay staff and volunteers support mariners of all races and creeds in over 300 ports throughout the world.  All Souls’ provides devotional and other books and magazines, as well as hand-knit caps and scarves.