 |
|
Making Disciples, Raising Up Saints & Transforming Communities for Christ
|
To View the Bishop's Easter Message, click
here.
A Video of the Presiding Bishop's Easter Message is
here.
|
|
|
|
'Unholy Trinity': Confronting Scourge of Urban Violence
Bishop Barry Beisner, the Rev. Drew Kadel,
St. James', Lincoln, and Deacon Marcia Tyriver,
St. Patrick's, Kenwood, will be traveling to Chicago in April to join others in learning to speak and act decisively against the unholy trinity of poverty, racism and violence.
The conference is sponsored by Bishops United Against Gun Violence, a group of more than 60 Episcopal bishops working to curtail the epidemic of gun violence in the United States.
"Our goal is to continue creating a network of Episcopalians inspired and equipped to work against gun violence and the social forces that drive it," said Bishop Mark Beckwith of Newark, a member of Bishops United.
A public liturgy will include a prayerful procession to areas affected by gun violence on Chicago's South Side and homilies by bishops and the Rev. Michael Pfleger of the Faith Community of St. Sabina.
Limited registration remains for "Unholy Trinity: the Intersection of Racism, Poverty and Gun Violence" on April 20-22, 2017, at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Registration and more information are available
here.
|
|
|
|
Office of the Bishop News & Events
|
|
Bishops Ask President to Protect American People, Environment
Bishops from across the Episcopal Church, including Bishop Barry Beisner, issued a statement in response to President Donald Trump's March 28 executive order on reversing environmental regulations that combat global warming.
|
|
|
Good Friday Offering: April 14
It's important for us to be mindful of the work and witness of Christians in the region of the Holy Land, and the Episcopal Church's annual Good Friday Offering "is an important way to do just that," said Bishop Barry Beisner. "Benefiting the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, which includes the Diocese of Jerusalem, this offering helps further Christ's work of reconciliation more broadly, in places and at a time when that work is urgently needed."
The history of the Good Friday Offering reaches back to 1922 when, in the aftermath of World War I, the Episcopal Church sought to create new relationships with and among the Christians of the Middle East. From these initial efforts, which focused on a combination of relief work and the improvement of ecumenical and Anglican relations, the Good Friday Offering was created.
Click here for the resources which explain the mission of the Episcopal Church in supporting the ministries of the four dioceses of the Province of Jerusalem and
the Middle East, and the importance of contributions to the Good Friday Offering in making this work possible. A full-color poster and bulletin inserts are available for download.
|
|
|
|
Register Now for Congregational Leadership Conference, Eureka
The Eureka Congregational Leadership Conference is Saturday, May 13. Join Bishop Barry and learn how to strengthen your service to your church and community.
Click here
for the full program.
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 9:30 a.m.; the program runs from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
|
|
|
|
Office of the Bishop Staff News
Name change: Jacqi McKinney, administrative assistant to Canon Andrea McMillin, was married on April 1 and is now Jacqi
Seppi. Her email remains [email protected].
|
|
|
|
No Diocesan e-News Easter Week, April 18
Interim Communications Director
Lori Korleski Richardson will be at the Episcopal Communicators annual conference during Easter week. The Aurora will be published next Tuesday, April 11. The e-News will resume on April 25.
|
|
|
Summer Camper Scholarships Available
Summer camper scholarships in the amount of $200 will be available to 60 children and youth who are active in Diocese of Northern California congregations. The scholarships are available on a first-come, first-served basis to be used for Camp Living Waters, Camp Galilee, Bishop's Ranch, St. Dorothy's Rest, the Episcopal Youth Event, and the Pathways Youth Pilgrimage.
Congregational leadership such as clergy, vestry members or youth ministers, please click here for the form to use to request a scholarship. Congregations will be responsible for verifying that each child is eligible and for distributing the scholarships.
The Bishop's Office is committed to expanding opportunities for our young people to experience life-changing summer programs. If you would like to join in this effort, your donation is welcome. Click here to donate online.
If you have questions about applying for a scholarship, please contact Tamoya Bell at
[email protected]
.
|
|
|
Holy Week & Lenten Resources
As the days approach the Holy Week, the Rev. Anne Clarke has prepared several resource links for individuals and congregations to observe a blessed Holy Week.
Toxic Charity Companion Guide for Youth and Intergenerational Groups:
"Faith in Action" is companion guide from
Confirm Not Conform
based on "Toxic Charity",
the Bishop's Spring and Lenten Book.
This guide, which can be found
here,
would be a huge help in planning a youth group series or intergene
rational event based on the ideas about community engagement presented in "Toxic Charity".
For more resources on books for Holy Week,
click here.
For Holy Week resources for children and youth, check out Building Faith's resources
here
.
|
|
|
|
SafeGuarding Our Youth: Training Dates at Faith, Cameron Park
All adults and youth (regardless of age) going on mission trips must attend three SafeGuarding trainings:
SafeGuarding God's Children, SafeGuarding God's People and Title IV (anti-sexual harassment) Training.
Faith, Cameron Park,
is offering trainings in late April and May.
Click here
for registration. For those who cannot attend the trainings, you may complete all of the above units through the diocesan
Safe Church page
.
For more information, contact Miranda-Lynn Gartin, Faith's Director of Youth & Children's Ministries at
[email protected]
or at 916-749-0307.
|
|
|
2017 Bible Challenge - Chu
rches Share Their Stories
By the Rev. Anne Clarke,
Lifelong Christian Formation Coordinator
In 2013, I remember holding up my Bible-app-equipped cell phone and joining the Bishop's Bible challenge, along with many others around our diocese hoping to spend the coming year traveling through every book and chapter of the Bible. Since then, we've continued this practice of reading the Bible together.
This year, we want to celebrate and learn from each other about the many ways that people in our diocese read the Bible together.
We are starting with
St. Andrew's, Antelope, and their midweek Bible study.
Click here to view a short story and photo essay about some of them. Let us know what you think, and participate by sharing your own practices around Bible study on social media using #norcalbible, or by emailing me at
[email protected].
|
|
|
|
News & Events in our Diocese
|
Requiem Eucharist for the Rev. Grant Carey - Trinity Cathedral - April 8
A Requiem Eucharist will be held on Saturday, April 8, at
From the Sacramento Bee obituary: "Canon Grant S. Carey was known for his vast knowledge Episcopal Church history and a love of drama that enabled him to impart the gospel to people of various ages and backgrounds during his four decades as a priest at Sacramento's Trinity Episcopal Cathedral."
|
|
|
|
Renaissance Choir at St. Paul's, Sacramento
St. Paul's, Sacramento, will host the Renai
ssance Choir Sacramento performing Orlando di Lasso's "Lamentations of Jeremiah" on Tuesday, April 11, at 7:30 p.m. Renaissance Choir Sacramento specializes in singing motets and masses of the 15th and 16th centuries.
|
|
|
The Rev. Matthew Fox - Trinity Cathedral - April 11
In honor of Earth Day, the Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox, an early and influential exponent of Creation Spirituality, and artist Ullrrich Javier Lemus will be speaking at Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento, on Saturday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m.
The topic is "Earth Day Every Day: A Conversation of Art and Spirituality." A
reception will follow the talk.
Fox will interview Lemus on his ecologically inspired art pieces, and the artwork will be hung in the Cathedral for all to enjoy. The cost is $15. Tickets are available through Eventbrite and will also be sold at the event doors.
The Rev. Matthew Fox will also be preaching at Trinity Cathedral on the following day, Sunday, April 23
at the 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services. Fox will have a book signing at the Cathedral Book Shop at 10:15 a.m. as well.
|
|
|
Episcopal Community Services New Grant Cycle - Grant Proposals Due May 1
Episcopal Community Services is now requesting grant proposals for those who have submitted Letters of Interest for the Ministry Development Fund Grants, the Bishop Jerry & Jane Lamb Grant, and the new three-year Warren Dunning Memorial Social Justice Grant.
If you did not submit a letter of interest, please contact ECS, so that a mentor may be assigned to assist you through the Request for Proposal (RFP) process.
For more information and RFPs, visit the ECS website. Email
Betty Harrison-Smith to submit
your RFP or for any questions at
[email protected].
|
|
|
|
Incarnation 100 Signups Begin
The Rev. Gail Cafferata, right, and the Rev. James Richardson, far right, bless some of the bikes before the start of the Incarnation 100 last year. The Incarnation 100 is a great event for avid and recreational cyclists alike. Register for the Saturday, June 10, event that starts at the Church of the Incarnation, Santa Rosa, here. More information at the Incarnation 100 website.
"Incarnation 100 brings together people in the parish with people in the community," said Richardson. "It raises money for three vital ministries founded by our parish: The Living Room, which is a day program for victims of domestic abuse; Sunday's Open Table, which serves breakfast every week to more than a hundred people living on the streets; and the St. Andrew's Food Pantry in Guerneville, which provides food to the rural poor in the Russian River Valley."
|
|
|
|
Haitian Art Stations of the Cross at St. Alban's, Arcata
During this Lenten season,
St. Alban's, Arcata, is excited to introduce its newly acquired set of original metal panels depicting the Stations of the Cross by Haitian artist Jean Sylvestre.
The church invites the community to walk the Stations of the Cross on Fridays at noon throughout the Lenten season, including Good Friday. For more information, please contact the church office at 707-822-4102 or
[email protected].
|
|
|
|
Music Director Position Available - Epiphany, Vacaville
Epiphany Church, Vacaville, is seeking a music director who will be working under the direction and supervision of the rector. For more information on the position,
click here.
To apply, please contact the Very Rev. Mack Olson at
[email protected]
or call the church office at 707-448-2275.
|
|
|
|
She Believed She Could Fly
By Sophie Smal, Communications Coordinator
"But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, 'Do not fear, only believe.'" - Mark 5:36
Each church has a story, but even more so, each person in a congregation has something to share.
Naomi "Penny" Howard is one such person. She's a 30-year-plus member of St. Francis, Fair Oaks, who at age 94 (she'll be 95 in May), did something most middle-aged adults shy away from doing.
During a Fair Oaks Honorary Mayoral fundraiser last year, Howard bid on a simulated skydive flight - but didn't win. However, the woman who did win the bid decided to give the prize to Howard. At that point, Howard joked, she had to take the dive.
To read the rest of Howard's story and to view her skydiving adventure, click here.
Do you know a church member with an unusual story? Please email [email protected]
|
|
|
|
News & Events B
eyond
our Diocese
|
Grants and Scholarship Opportunities From The Episcopal Church
Young Adults, Campus Ministries Grants - Deadline - April 10:
Grants are available here for the funding of an Episcopal ministry that is currently engaging or seeking a new relationship with young adults on and off college campuses. For more information, contact the Rev. Shannon Kelly at [email protected].
|
|
|
|
Human Rights, Development, and Dignity Course in El Salvador
Cristosal, a human rights organization, will host a Global School seminar July 1-8 in El Salvador, and the Rev. Amy Zuniga, Grace, St. Helena, is leading a trip there. The course has been designed to blend the understandings from "toxic charity" with a human rights framework and liberation theology: "A perfect follow-up to the Bishop's spring book," Zuniga said. "We will be engaging the course with Salvadorans who are wrestling with these questions in their own communities." Registration is
available here;
the deadline to register is April 15. For more information, 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 Lori Korleski Richardson, Interim 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.
|
|
|
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
|
|
|
|
|
