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Making Disciples, Raising Up Saints & Transforming Communities for Christ
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Bishop Barry Beisner delivers his homily at leadership conference at St. Luke's, Woodland.
Church Members Heed Call at Conferences to Lead and Serve
By Paula Schaap, Communications Director
"
And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles
." Acts 1:26.
On a sunny, brisk February morning, more than 90 church members, both lay and ordained, gathered at
St. Luke's, Woodland
, to discover ways to be better leaders for their congregations and communities.
Bishop Barry Beisner opened the Congregational Leadership Conference Saturday with a meditation on St. Matthias, whose feast day was observed the day before.
"Being an apostle is no guarantee of success," Bishop Barry said at the opening church service as the stained glass windows glowed in the early morning sun. "The fact that we're chosen doesn't mean we don't have to do some work on our end," he added.
To read further,
click here.
There's still time to register for the next conference on Saturday, March 4, at All Saints', Redding.
Click here for the agenda and to register.
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Office of the Bishop News & Events
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Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday
From Jane Snibbe, Diocesan Coordinator for Episcopal Relief & Development
Several years ago, our diocese passed a resolution declaring the first Sunday in Lent Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday, (or another Sunday as the schedule of individual congregations permit.) That was in keeping with the action of the 2009 General Convention, when Lent was officially designated as a time to encourage dioceses, congregations and individuals to remember and support the work of the organization in over 40 countries, as well as its response to disasters in the U.S.
Prayers for those living in need are welcome and a special offering would be appropriate.
Click here for more ways your congregation can commemorate Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday. Church bulletin inserts are
available here.
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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 group with your reading and discussion of the Bishop's Book, the Rev. Anne Clarke has prepared a companion guide, which is
available here. You can read her essay about her approach to studying the Bishop's Book by
clicking 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.
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Welcome Our New Communications Coordinator
Sophie Smal joins the Office of the Bishop as Communications Coordinator. Sophie is a student at California State University, Sacramento, majoring in journalism.
Sophie can be reached at
[email protected] or 916-442-6918, ext. 219.
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Ordinations to the Sacred Order of Priests
The Rev. Sonya Joan Reichel - March 3
On Friday, March 3, at 6 p.m., the Rev. Sonya Joan Reichel will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests by Bishop Barry Beisner at
St. Francis, Fair Oaks,
11430 Fair Oaks Boulevard. Your prayers and presence are requested. Clergy: red stoles.
The Rev. Anne Elizabeth Sutherland Clarke - March 25
On Saturday, March 25, at 11:00 a.m., the Rev. Anne Elizabeth Sutherland Clarke will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests by Bishop Barry Beisner at St. Luke's, Woodland, 515 Second Street. Your prayers and presence are requested. Clergy: red stoles.
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2017 Congregational Leadership Conferences
Registration is Now Open
Join us this Saturday at All Saints', Redding, for the next Congregational Leadership Conference. There's still time to register to join Bishop Barry and learn how to strengthen your service to your church and community.
Click here for the full program this Saturday in Redding.
These leadership conferences, sponsored by the Office of the Bishop, 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 - registration is required. Check in, coffee and conversation begins at 9 a.m.; the program runs from 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
This year there are a variety of offerings at our different regional sites, so look below to choose the program that fits you best (and you are welcome to attend more than one!)
Dates, Locations and Registration Information:
May 13 - Christ Church, Eureka - Registration information coming soon.
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College for Congregational Development
Registration is Now Open
A two-year training program designed to build leadership skills and help clergy and laity assess their congregation's needs, focus on priorities and develop strategies for their church's growth and vitality.
2017 Training Dates and Locations
Weekend Sessions
April 28 - 30 - The Bishop's Ranch
October 27 - 29 - The Bishop's Ranch
*Check-in for the weekend training sessions begins on Friday at 9:00 a.m.
and the program begins at 10:00 a.m. The weekend sessions end on Sunday at 4:00 p.m.
Week-Long Intensive
June 11 - 16 - The Bishop's Ranch
*Participants register for both Weekend Sessions or the Week-Long Intensive
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News & Events in our Diocese
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Anita Weaver Grant
Deadline Extension - March 1
The deadline for grant applications for the Anita Weaver Funds, which were designated to help homeless indigent seniors, has been extended to
March 1.
This is a grant for one year of $15,000. If successfully completed and reported, the grantee is eligible to apply for a second-year grant of $7,500. This grant provides an opportunity to develop a longer-term program in collaboration with other congregations and/or city or county resources.
Currently, Arcata Housing Project, through St. Alban's, is in its second-year grant cycle. LEVN (Lutheran Episcopal Volunteer Network ) received its first-year grant this year for an intern to work in partnership with Next Move of Sacramento, a grassroots organization working to address the problems of homelessness in Sacramento and the adjoining region.
Grant awards will be announced April 1.
Click here to download the Request for Proposal, which contains instructions about submitting your grant application.
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Trinity Cathedral - Speakers Series - March 3
The Rev. Dr. Shauna Hannan, professor of homiletics
at the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, will be the next presenter in Trinity Cathedral's Speakers Series on Friday, March 3, at 7:00 p.m.
Dr. Hannan will be speaking on the subject of "Hospitality: An Old Practice for a New Era." Considering the times we live in, this will be an important conversation for us to engage in during the season of Lent.
There will be a Q&A period from 8:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., followed by a reception in the Great Hall. Trinity Cathedral is located at 2620 Capitol Avenue, Sacramento.
Cost is $10 (scholarships are available).
Click here for tickets.
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Introduction to Centering Prayer - Trinity Cathedral - March 11
Join Pastor Jeff Mitchell of Good Samaritan Church, Valley Springs, for a centering prayer of gentle and silent consent to God's presence and healing action within us. The program will take place, Saturday, March 11, 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. at
Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento,
2620 Capitol Avenue.
Please bring a sack lunch. Coffee, tea and refreshments will be provided. A s
uggested donation of
$20 is welcome; however, everyone is invited to attend, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
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Anti-Racism Training - St. Patrick's, Kenwood - March 11
St. Patrick's, Kenwood, is offering a day of anti-racism training led by the Rev. Lewis Sitting Panther Powell, on Saturday, March 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Register by
March 1 by calling the church office: 707-833-4228.
From the Rev. Marcia Tyriver: "This will be a time of small group discussions, videos, Bible study, prayer and sharing to help us better understand key concepts and wrestle with issues of power and privilege, culture, structural and institutional racism, and where God call us to be brothers and sisters in this multicultural church and culture."
For more information, see
St. Patrick's website.
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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.
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Stop Hunger Now Event - St. Augustine, Rocklin - March 24 & 25
Community volunteers are needed to help pack meals for Stop Hunger Now, an international relief organization, on Friday, March 24 at 6 p.m., and Saturday, March 25 at 3 p.m., at St. Augustine, Rocklin, 1800 Wildcat Boulevard. Everyone ages four and up is invited to take part in this fun, inter-generational family activity.
This is an action-packed and highly colorful event. Volunteers wear shower caps and plastic gloves as they scurry around filling the meal packs. Runners, mostly children, pick up the sealed meals and rush them to those loading the meals in large cardboard boxes. The boxes are then taken out to the awaiting Stop Hunger Now truck.
Donations are very helpful. "Even a donation of $25 would provide approximately 86 meals," said Jim Quinney, chair of the event.
To get information on how to make a donation or how to register, use the church website or call the church office at 916-435-9552.
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Summer Youth Camping Opportunities
The diocese is near and home to several Episcopal summer camps where young people can explore their relationship to God through all the astonishing natural beauty Northern California has to offer. Swimming, hiking, boating, rock climbing, worship services, camping, and the chance to make friends for life, are just some of the activities offered by summer church camps.
Please watch for an announcement in upcoming editions of Diocesan e-News of "camperships" to help offset the tuition costs for the following camps or summer programs.
Registration is Now Open
Camp Living Waters - Arcata
A week-long Episcopal summer camp in the heart of Redwood Valley, Camp Living Waters is based at St. Alban's parish in Arcata and draws staff members from the faith communities of the North Coast.
Visit Camp Living Waters' website for more information on their programs and to register.
Camp Galilee - Lake Tahoe
Last year's partnership between Camp Noel Porter and Camp Galilee led to many fun memories and new friendships. Camp Galilee's summer camping program helps youth develop deep relationships with their peers, caring counselors, the natural world, and God. For more information and to register for Camp Galilee,
visit their website here.
St. Dorothy's Rest - Camp Meeker
Beautifully located in the heart of a redwood forest and just miles from the Pacific Ocean and the Russian River, St. Dorothy's offers a summer camp experience that celebrates the natural world.
Visit St. Dorothy's website for more information on summer camp programs and to register.
Bishop's Ranch - Healdsburg
BREAD Camp is set among the forest, farms and vineyards of Sonoma County, where campers can discovery community and spirituality, and participate in summer camping activities. More information and registrations details can be found on the
Bishop's Ranch website.
Other Summer Programs
Keep an eye out for our other summer youth discipleship programs. Click here to learn about our Pathways 2017 youth pilgrimage, and click here to learn about the triennial Episcopal Youth Event in Oklahoma. Talk to your area congregations about opportunities for Vacation Bible School and other local discipleship programs for younger children.
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Center for Bible Study - A Study of the Apostles Creed -
Begins March 28 - Online Option Available
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.
Click here
for more information.
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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.
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News & Events B
eyond
our Diocese
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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].
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Free Electronic Organ
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 at
[email protected]
.
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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.
If you received this e-News from another and would like your own subscription,
click here to sign up and keep abreast of news from our diocese and beyond.
Artwork: Christ Healing the Blind, El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos), ca. 1540, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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