Braid
three or more intertwined threads woven together to make something strong and beautiful
In September 2014, The Reverends Christopher Chase and Rebecca Edwards launched Braid Mission, a new 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 Divine 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, Christian education, ministry development, and ecumenical ministry to Braid Mission.
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.
Jen Goldstein
team facilitator | Jen is a public educator with 10 years of experience as a teacher, teacher coach, and human capital director in New Orleans. She moved to the Bay Area in 2015 and now works for the Stanford d.school K12 lab, focusing on their principal fellowship program. She is passionate about ensuring all children have the opportunity to be their best selves and is excited to be a part of the work of Braid.
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. He retired last year and 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.
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.