Braid
three or more intertwined threads woven together to make something strong and beautiful
In September 2014, The Reverends Christopher Chase and Rebecca Edwards founded Braid Mission, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of California reaching out to youth in foster care. Inspired by stories of the unique challenges facing foster youth and convicted by their faith, Rebecca and Chris set out to create a new spiritual community built around mission to the foster system.
The Braid Mission tapestry is composed of three main threads:
Foundation: Remain firmly rooted in love
Braid Mission believes that love is the energy that brings us together, heals the wounds of foster care, and restores a person’s sense of worth, value, and self.
Action: Support the foster youth of San Francisco
Braid Mission is a non-profit organization whose intergenerational mentoring program is designed to support Bay Area youth who have experienced life in the foster care system.
Invitation: Build deep relationships
Braid Mission is a spiritual movement where you can discover your potential to transform others’ lives and find your own life transformed.
Our City
San Francisco’s unique economic climate places additional pressures on the foster system. The city’s high cost of living makes it difficult for families to afford an extra bedroom in which to house foster youth. As a result, over 60% of San Francisco foster youth are placed outside the city. Shuffled from placement to placement far from the city they call home, foster youth of San Francisco seldom remain in the same school or with the same friends for long. The cycle of loss and transience that all foster youth experience is especially profound in San Francisco.
Our Team
Chris Chase and Rebecca Edwards
co-directors | Revs. Christopher Chase and Rebecca Edwards were inspired to begin Braid in 2014 when they envisioned a movement beyond the walls of the church that invites youth and adults from all backgrounds to see, know, and feel a Love that heals all wounds. Both Rebecca and Chris are ordained in the Episcopal Church, and they bring many combined years of experience in youth/young adult ministry, education, ministry development, and ecumenical ministry to Braid Mission.
Lisa Gonzalez
administrator | As a preacher’s grandkid, ministry work has come naturally to Lisa. She has served as a church administrator at a large church for over two decades. She feels grateful and energized to be part of the Braid Mission staff as a part-time administrator. In her off time she enjoys RVing and hanging out with her grown kids and grandkids. You can often hear her (ad nauseum) describe the joys of being a grandparent!
Barbara Ludlum
Cards of Hope coordinator |Barbara retired as a finance executive at KQED public broadcasting. When not writing cards and letters, she is a rabid knitter and has a passion for travel and trekking. Barbara has sent dozens of Cards of Hope over the last couple of years, and she is looking forward to helping you put *your* hope in the mail!
Davidson Bidwell-Waite
team facilitator | Davidson is a deacon in the Episcopal Church. His work career included jobs in city government, legal practice, and management. In his retirement, he spends his time working against gun and police violence and human trafficking, and in support of foster youth and Haiti. He loves ballet and traveling and walking around the City.
Wendy Cliff
team facilitator | Wendy Cliff is a fourth generation Bay Area resident, wife, and mother, with a background in marketing and education. She is ordained in the Episcopal Church, works for education equity, and loves interfaith dialogue.
Anne Cockle
team facilitator | Anne lives in Berkley with her husband, son, cat and dog. She does not work outside the home these days but keeps busy with her son, volunteering at school and managing the home. She likes to have meals with her friends/family, spending time with her animals and being outside in garden, walking or bike riding.
Susan DePriest 
team facilitator | Susan has a background in social work and is currently working on her masters in communication and leadership at Gonzaga. She is passionate about the values of empowerment, social justice, and the fight against human trafficking. She lives in Pacifica with her husband and three children. She enjoys hiking, spending time with friends and family and is a faithful Bay Area Sports fan – Giants, 49ers, and Warriors.
Sally Durgan 
team facilitator | Sally has managed programs in health care, education and other nonprofit organizations. She enjoys baking, yoga, singing and reading. She is interested in interfaith exploration (both spiritual and religious) and agrees with author Karen Armstrong that “compassion is a practically acquired knowledge, like dancing. You must do it and practice diligently day by day.” She lives in San Francisco with her tortoiseshell cat.
Regina Fletcher 
team facilitator | Regina is a teacher turned relationship coach who provides academic support to kids in foster care and social confidence building skills to grownups looking for friendship and romance. She loves to do circus arts, pet dogs and meet new people.
Marisa Jennings
team facilitator | Marisa recently retired as a senior finance executive in high tech. She is active in the Episcopal church, passionate about social justice, and is a patient care volunteer with Hospice By the Bay. She enjoys hiking in the nearby hills of Marin with her husband and dog.
Bob Kossler
team facilitator | Bob is an Associate Priest at St. Francis Episcopal Church in San Francisco. Bob is also an Engineering Director at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Bob brings over 15 years of pastoral care experience to Braid Mission.
Allegra Mautner
team facilitator | Allegra is an arborist who owns her own tree care business in San Francisco. She lives in the Mission with her partner and a grey cat. She loves to walk and bike around the city exploring new scenes and plants. Allegra enjoys playing board games and going to the botanical garden with her friends. She cares deeply for her family, both born and found, and believes deeply in fostering those sorts of connections in our society.
Jasmine Patel
team facilitator | Jasmine lives in the Sunset and works as an attorney in a courthouse. She enjoys yoga, exercise, cooking, and the beach.
David Stickley
team facilitator | David has lived in San Francisco for 20 years, most of that time in the Mission. He works for the chaplain’s department at San Francisco General Hospital and is a Deacon in the Episcopal Church. He enjoys music, camping, movies, hiking, and spending free time with his dog.
Mike Thomas
team facilitator | Mike lives in Marin and is retired after working for 40 years as a counselor, teacher, and coach at St. Ignatius School. He spends time volunteering at Guide Dogs for the Blind, in a first grade class at Vallecito School, and as a coach at Hamilton Meadow School. He loves to run, mountain bike, play tennis, and play basketball when he is not helping to care for his two grandchildren, Teddy and Sloane.
Mees Tielens
team facilitator | Mees grew up in the Netherlands and moved to the Bay Area in 2016. He lives on the Peninsula with his husband and daughter. Mees has a Ph.D. in American religion, is active in the Episcopal Church, and is a stay-at-home dad. He likes to read, ride his bike, and make food for other people.
Barie Wolf-Bowen
team facilitator | Barie moved to San Francisco in 2011 as an AmeriCorps member and decided to stay and make it her permanent home. She has held many roles in the nonprofit world and is currently an analyst at the UCSF Foundation. In her free time she likes to explore nature, go to art shows, see live music, and practice yoga.