 |
|
Making Disciples, Raising Up Saints & Transforming Communities for Christ
|
|
From Bishop Barry
Dear Friends in Christ,
Grace and peace to you.
We rejoice that mandatory evacuations were lifted Tuesday for the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the Oroville Dam emergency situation. We're also mindful that officials have cautioned residents in the affected areas to remain alert for the possibility that there may be another evacuation order.
I am grateful for our clergy and lay leaders who have been at the forefront of efforts to minister to those in need, as well as to support their own congregations facing disruption and displacement. I have spoken to and prayed with many of them over the past few days after the situation developed this weekend. It's my understanding that the strong ties that bind us all allowed congregations to notify and assist congregants in evacuating, as well as to turn to comforting others cast out from their homes.
Though with God's help, we are out of the shadow for now, please continue your prayers: for those seeking to manage upheaval and anxiety; for those working to assure our safety; and those eager to help.
May God bless, protect, and strengthen all who have been challenged by this crisis.
Yours in Christ,
+Barry
Click here to read about some of the ways church members attended to their neighbors in the early hours of the emergency.
|
|
|
|
January Celebrations of New Ministries
"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises." Psalm 98:4
The life of the church was enriched as the diocese formally welcomed a new rector and ordained two new priests.
The Rev. Amy Denney Zuniga, Rector,
On January 26, the Rev. Amy Denney Zuniga was formally installed by Bishop Barry as rector of Grace Church, Saint Helena. Zuniga was called as the church's rector in August 2015, and moved to the church's rectory with husband Vince and their three young children. Zuniga's family traces its roots in the Napa Valley back to the 1850s - her great grandmother was crowned St. Helena's Grape Queen in 1915, the St. Helena Star reported.
Zuniga, writing on her blog after the ceremony about widening grace in the church: "Finding ways to share more of what we do so well and doing it on a larger scale at times - the nexus of our contemplative walk with Jesus and the world's deep needs."
Ordinations of the Rev. Kacei Conyers and the Rev. Charles Knuth
On January 27, at Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento, Bishop Barry ordained the Rev. Kacei Conyers to the Sacred Order of Priests. Conyers is associate rector at St. Mary's, Anchorage, Alaska.
Bishop Scott Hayashi, of Utah, ordained the Rev. Charles Knuth to the Sacred Order of Priests on January 25. Knuth was ordained at Trinity, Folsom, where he serves as assistant rector.
|
|
|
Bishop's Book For Lent and Lenten Formation Resources
Bishop Barry has chosen "Toxic Charity," by Robert Lupton, as the Bishop's Book for Spring and Lent. The book discusses ways in which the growing trend of service projects and trips (what Lupton calls the growing "compassion industry") can be damaging and toxic to the people they are intended to help.
To help your congregation or other book with your reading and discussion of the Bishop's Book, the Rev. Anne Clarke has prepared a companion guide, which is available here.
Lenten Faith Formation Resources for 2017 are available to download and share with others.
Click here
for books, study guides, online resources and more to help you and your congregation observe a holy Lent.
|
|
|
|
2017 Congregational Leadership Conferences
Join us for time with Bishop Barry to help us strengthen our service to the church through learning, connecting and gaining best practices for our church life.
These leadership conferences, sponsored by the Bishop's Office, are designed for clergy, vestry members, treasurers and other program leaders in your church. Everyone is welcome to attend.
There is no cost to participate. Check in, coffee and conversation begins at 9 a.m.; the program runs from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Dates, locations and registration information:
|
|
|
|
Clergy Quiet Day - Lent - April 5
Bishop's Ranch - Healdsburg, CA
Wednesday, April 5, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Facilitator: Marilyn McEntyre
Cost: Free
Registration: Please e-mail Sandra Littman at
[email protected]. Registration is limited to 30 participants.
Marilyn McEntyre is a writer and professor of medical humanities at the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program. She cares about connecting spirituality, politics, food, healthcare, care for the earth and its creatures, care for language and public discourse, and finding new ways to live together on a planet that needs healing. More about McEntyre and her work is
available here.
If you're interested in McEntyre's writing, a large selection of her books are available at the
Cathedral Bookshop.
|
|
|
Save the Date - Retired Clergy Lunch - May 11
Our next Retired Clergy lunch with Bishop Barry will feature a special presentation by the Church Pension Fund called "Enriching Your Retirement."Although primarily directed to those who participate in the Medical Trust and who receive Church Pension Fund pensions, topics covered include financial and estate planning, the status of the pension fund, and being your own healthcare advocate. Spouses and partners, and surviving spouses, are especially encouraged to attend.
Time: Gathering, with coffee, tea and snacks will begin at 9 a.m. The program, including luncheon will start at 10 a.m. and end at 2:15 p.m.
To learn more, contact the Rev. Dr. Christine Leigh-Taylor, Chaplain to Retired Clergy at
[email protected] or 916-704-8698.
|
|
|
Save the Date - Clergy Conference - May 23-25
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Ellen Davis,
Amos Ragan Kearns Professor of Bible and Practical Theology,
Duke Divinity School
Location: Bishop's Ranch
5297 Westside Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
Click here for more information about Dr. Davis and this year's clergy conference. Registration and agenda will be available soon.
|
|
|
|
Open Clergy Positions
To learn more about these and other opportunities, click here.
|
|
|
|
Pathways 2017- Reconciling with the Earth & Each Other
Last Chance to Apply!
The Pathways 2017 pilgrimage, led by Bishop Barry and young people from the diocese, will explore the stories of oppression, struggle and healing from the Yosemite and Central Valley areas of our state. Scholarships are available, so cost shouldn't stand in the way.
Final deadline to apply is February 15.
Dates: June 18-23, 2017
Location - ECCO: Episcopal Conference Center, Oakhurst, California
Participants: Those finishing grades 7-12
Young adult leaders: Ages 18-30
Cost: $400
|
|
|
|
Youth Ministry Symposium - Church Divinity School of the Pacific - March 18
Parents, clergy and lay leaders are invited to the fifth annual CDSP Youth Ministry Symposium with keynote speaker
Leslie A. Choplin, D.Ed.Min.
, co-author of "These Are Our Bodies: Talking Faith and Sexuality at Church and at Home," a new curriculum from Church Publishing. In addition to the keynote address, the day will include opportunities for training and certification in safe church practices according to the national Safeguarding Church practices.
Scholarship and travel funding is available from the Diocese of California, the Diocese of Northern California and Province VIII.
|
|
|
|
Center for Bible Study - A Study of the Apostles Creed -
Begins March 28
This course is an exploration of the Apostle's Creed, engaging and discussing each statement so as to best understand Christian theology in its traditional and contemporary expression. Taught by Dr. Patrick Oden, professor of Systematic Theology and Church History at Fuller Theological Seminary, it will be held Tuesday evenings from 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. on the seminary's Sacramento campus, 2250 Del Paso Road, Suite B. It will also be available online.
Registration is $100 before March 15; $200 after March 15.
|
|
|
|
News & Events in our Diocese and Beyond
|
Episcopal Community Services New Grant Cycle - Letters of Interest Due March 15
Episcopal Community Services is pleased to announce that it will be accepting Letters of Interest for its regular grants for social justice ministries and for its new three-year Warren Dunning Memorial Social Justice Grant.
To help congregations make successful grant applications, ECS requests that those considering applying submit an informal letter of interest. That will allow ECS to plan its grant cycle and assist congregations in the application process.
Click here for more information about submitting a letter for ECS's regular grants for social justice ministries.
Click here for more information about submitting a letter for the Warren Dunning Memorial Social Justice Grant.
|
|
|
Community of St. Francis - Franciscan Spirituality - April 7-17
Join the Sisters of the Community of St. Francis for a 10-day residential immersion program to study Franciscan Spirituality and a living out of that spirituality through participation in the Sisters' life of prayer, work, ministry and community. The programs are open to any woman over 18 and there is a limit of two participants per immersion.
The program, including room and board, is free, but donations are always welcome. (St. Francis House is not wheelchair accessible.)
2017 Program Dates:
Holy Week/Easter - April 7-17
Summer - August 11-21
St. Francis Day - September 29-October 9
To register, email Sr. Pamela Clare, CSF at [email protected].
|
|
|
Conn electronic "classical" organ, ca. 1970 vacuum tube technology, 77" wide x 40" tall x 7" deep plus pedalboard and bench. Two keyboards, 61 notes each and 32 pedals. If interested, contact Dr. Lee Lovallo, St. Andrews, Antelope, 916-320-8423 or [email protected].
|
|
|
|
Prayers are asked for the repose of the soul of the Rev. Richard DeGiorgis, whose funeral is Thursday, February 16, at 11:00 a.m., at Trinity, Nevada City, 202 High Street. Bishop Barry Beisner will preside. Clergy are invited to vest: white stoles.
O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death, and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that your servant Richard, being raised with him, may know the strength of his presence, and rejoice in his eternal glory; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
To submit a clergy prayer request, please contact Sandra Littman, Administrative Assistant to the Bishop, at 916-442-6918 ext. 213 or email
[email protected].
|
|
|
Share the Good News!
If you have a news story or event of interest to others in the diocese, or if you want assistance with your church or ministry communications, call Paula Schaap, Communications Director, 916-442-6918, ext. 226.
Click here to sign up for our e-Newsletters.
|
|
|
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook
 
|
|
|
|
|
