Stuart Anderson
was appointed the first vicar of the Alum Rock Mission which soon chose as their patron “St. Philip.”   (Jane Zachman told me this morning that the name was chosen because the Reinheimer’s first son was named Philip – the persistence of the prophet!!!)  Unbeknown to them this was the second congregation named for St. Philip in San Jose.  The first had been established before the diocese had been formed in 1851 by the Rev. Peter William Cassey, an African American priest.  It was primarily a school for African American clergy who were prevented by law to attend public schools and survived for nearly thirty years on 14th Street.

The Anderson years saw worship begin on Easter Sunday 1956 at the Alum Rock Methodist Church.    Eventually, this property was purchased with an old farm house located where the Mandala offices and sweat lodge are now located.  The “Tank House,” as it was called, was renovated for worship with Sunday school farmed out to homes of the Lewis’ and Bigler’s on  El Campo or in the rickety upstairs…no earthquake codes were in place at that time.

Women’s Guilds, a Men’s Group, Sunday School and an Adult and Children’s Choir blossomed.    The Methodists were glad to see us go because we were serving wine at our spaghetti dinners and smokers were leaving their butts in the bushes.

The question of what to build first was one that the Bishop’s Committee – the Vestry of a mission congregation – wrestled with.   At the 25th anniversary of the parish, Stuart and his wife LaRaigne said that he felt they had always made a mistake.  They should have built a church first and not the parish hall…but the culture of church growth experts of that day was to construct multi-purpose buildings which continued down into the 1970’s.  The vicar’s office was where the sacristy was located.  The designer of the building was (?) Parske

Charles Carroll
became the second vicar in 1961.  The sixties exploded into the civil rights movement and eventually the many counter-cultural movement which ended in the anti-war campaigns of the late 60’s and 70’s.  Since the 1890’s the Episcopal Church had drifted towards becoming a private religion, separated from the concerns of the world.  It often was the chaplaincy of those of privilege who were in power.  San Francisco was different.  Bishop Edward Parsons in the 1920 had championed the side of the dock workers’ union which caused the support for finishing the building of Grace Cathedral to be halted until the 1970’s when Bishop Pike saw to its completion including donations of three million dollars from the Zellerbach and Levi-Straus families

Charles had a deep prophetic sense of justice which drove him to fly to Selma, Alabama to join the freedom march and then to Delano and Selma, California in support of the Farm Workers and Cesar Chavez, who incidentally was raised only three miles from here.   Needless-to-say, his actions brought great division in this new congregation and many of the original founders returned to Trinity or dropped out of the Church.

A young Deodar tree in the Carroll’s front yard blew over in a storm and so gardeners move it down to St. Philip’s…which is that tree out there.  Charles suffered from a serious back condition which caused him to go on leave and eventually resign.  Edgar Parrot was hired as an associate to pastor the parish during that period.

Wayne Welch
became the third vicar in 1965.  His task was to mend fences.   The emphasis on social action disappeared.  Fred Reinheimer, who had joined Charles in all these involvements with other members of the congregation, left St. Philip’s with his wife Barbara in the first year.  She had been the parish secretary and the new curacy was moving in a new direction.  Under the leadership of Griff Lewis, sometime Treasurer and sometime Sr. Warden, and Bill Bigler among others,  Wayne bolstered up the original organizations of the congregation and saw to the building of the education buildings which now house Mandala Children’s House and the Parish Offices.   He put a great deal of effort into his ministry of preaching and teaching.    During his tenure St. Philip’s became self-sufficient— only paying on the original loan we had gained in purchasing the property.

Jerry Drino
A young priest from St. Andrew’s, Saratoga, was elected the fourth vicar in 1971 and began his cure on May 1, the feast of St. Philip the Apostle.  Initially he had been chosen because of his work with you and young people.  Within a year a home-grown production of the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” assembled an ecumenical cast of sixty youth and adults.  The “Green Book” and then “Zebra Book” representing the efforts of liturgical renewal where introduced.   Women for the first time were allowed to administer the chalice at the Eucharist.  Liturgical innovation became the norm not the exception.

In 1973, through the initiative of Fred Reinheimer who had returned with Barbara to the parish, five married Roman Catholic priests who were counselors met with the vicar concerning the need for counseling for youth in trouble on the Eastside and their families.  The Alum Rock Counseling Center was born.  The Hewlett-Packard Foundation donated the funds for that building and Representative Zoe Lofgren was among those who dedicated it for the use of the Eastside.

In that same year St. Philip’s at the Villages was formed to create a dynamic chapel for the Episcopalians in that area.  It has remained a stalwart part of the parish offering wisdom, encouragement and significant leadership through all its transitions.

In 1975 Mandala Children’s House was founded by Marilyn Drino and Linda Hovis to be a unique preschool offering a Montessori education to a broad cross-section of the social economic population of the Eastside.  Among the earliest day-care providers was Tom Valentine, our present Senior Warden.   Their care of the buildings and grounds has made it one of the great assets to St. Philip’s over the years.

Adult Education emerged as a prominent part of the parish offering attracting many people from other denominations to its weekly offerings.    Among those who came during this time were Paige and George Cano (George is now a deacon in the Diocese of San Joaquin), Carol and Bob Gavette, and John and Sally LeSchofs. The first woman ordained a priest in what is now El Camino Real came from St. Philip’s:  Caryl Marsh.  In 1979  St. Philip’s became a parish.

Each decade carries a different emphasis.

The 1980’s saw the parish move into the opportunities for multi-cultural ministry development.  By the end of the decade it would become a flagship nationally for a movement that is called inter-cultural ministry development.   Laotian refugees found a home among us and by 1983 over 150 were members of St. Philips.  In 1986 a younger priest from Guatemala was studying at CDSP.  When the now rector went looking for a priest who was either African American, Asian,  Native American, or Latino he found all those qualifications in a certain Sylvestre Romero, now our bishop.  He brought his family with him, often piling them into an old station wagon before dawn and arriving with a sleeping bundle of bodies for the 8 am service.  Among them was the eldest son who would play and is playing a significant part in St. Philip’s today.

Fred Vergara was called to be the Asian Mission, founding the Filipino congregation and Hank and Sherry LeBeau began the Native American ministry as the decade closed.  It was a powerful combination of leaders that held for three years before the intervention of the second bishop of El Camino Real.  Like the curacy of Charles Carroll, the social changes of the 80’s were too much of a challenge for many people who dropped away.

In the early 80’s Bishop Shannon Mallory appointed the associate priest, Pat Pinkerton, to organize St. Terese in the Evergreen.  George Cano was sent as an educational missionary to help establish that mission.   In 1993 St. Terese would become the Mission of the Holy Child by action of Bishop Shimpfky.

The 1990’s saw persistence in the face of conflict.  St. Philip’s remained a provincial and national model for ministry development.  Alison Carpenter Lucas came as our deacon bringing her many rich gifts as an educator and her joy in working with youth.  Many seminarians came to be a part of St. Philip’s for a period of time:  Dorothy Currey, Pat Pinkerton, Ron Culmer, Tom Van Culin, Harry Coverston.   But there was one who wrestled the presenting challenge of women in this modern era:  how can you become a mom and still be a priest.   St. Philip’s gave Holly Hudson-Louis and Augie a chance to find out.  Jay is the living proof that it worked, because he is here today with his folks.  Holly was ordained at St. Philip’s on this very day in 1992. 

In 1993 the first Hawaiian service was held in commemoration of the over-throw of the Kingdom of Hawaii.   Vern and Betty Chang have carried forth this strong and rich tradition in encouraging both the Hawaiian Eucharists with Native Hawaiian clergy are available and the wonderful luaus each summer.  In 1993 year the Filipino congregation was formed as Holy Child and became a separate mission..  The following year Sylvestre Romero was consecrated bishop of Belize and the Rev. Jacob Ennolikara became a priest of the parish.  Andy Kille joined the staff to bring the richness of education and music to our common life.

In 1999 the fourth vicar and first rector resigned and a three year interim period followed.

Silvestre Romero
That young teenage boy who came with his family in the old station wagon in 1986 was elected the second rector in 2002.    During his tenure St. Philip’s has seen his great pastoral care extend to the members of the Villages congregation, strengthening their community life, as well as to the many members of the larger parish.   His care has been extend to the several groups that make up the TRIAD, the association of the various institutions who share this common property for a variety of missions such as Mandala, the Indian Health Services and now Holy Child.   His great love of people, his spontaneity in preaching continues to draw people into this place of mission called St. Philip’s.   Among the highlights of his curacy has been the ordination of Hank LeBeau, the reluctant Lakota, first to the deaconate and then the priesthood.   The continuation of the multicultural vision of St. Philip’s continues under their joint care with Ruth Casipet, the vicar of Holy Child.  Silito is now recognized nationally serving on the highest commission of the Episcopal Church as well as on the selection committee for the next bishop of El Camino Real.