May 17, 2017
Call to Priesthood Led  Her  to the Episcopal Church 

This is the first in a series of bios on our latest ordinations and installations. 

By Sophie Smal, Communications Coordinator 
 
The Rev. Sonya J. Reichel was raised in the Roman Catholic church and started to feel called to the priesthood in her early 20s.

Although ordination was not an option in her faith, Reichel tried to respond to what she felt was a calling in ways available in the Roman Catholic church. 
Through this period of discernment, Reichel spent  many years doing the following: s he lived in a Dominican Convent in Nashville,  worked as a  marriage & family therapist and as a hospital chaplain. To add to the list, Reichel taught in a community college as a math professor, which she continues to do on a part-time basis at American River College in Sacramento.

Reichel entered the Episcopal Church in 2001 and became a member of Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento, hoping to discern her sense of calling to the priesthood. After jumping through several hoops, Reichel studied for a year at Church Divinity School of the Pacific and then completed her studies at Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Wisconsin in 2015. 

After interning at St. Michael's, Carmichael, for two years, and then at St. Francis, Fair Oaks, as a transitional deacon in 2016, Reichel said she's "grateful to remain there as a priest under the wise and generous mentoring of the Rev. Joe Duggan." 

Photograph by Deborah Haferburns, St. Francis, Fair Oaks.
OFFICE OF THE BISHOP NEWS & EVENTS
2018 Holy Land Pilgrimage

Bishop Beisner and his wife the Rev. Dr. Ann Hallisey are leading a Holy Land pilgrimage open to everyone in the Diocese from Jan. 24 - Feb. 3, 2018. The price (including airfare, room, board, and gratuities) is $4,295. 

The brochure is available on our website. 
Bishop's Visitation Schedule

Bishop Beisner will be visiting the following congregations in May and June: For the Bishop's full 2017-2018 visitation schedule,  click here .
FAITH FORMATION
Save the Date - 2017 PNEUMA Conference

The 2017 PNEUMA Conference will be held  Oct. 9-12 at the Bisho p's 
Ranch. Keep an eye out for registration to become available. This year's keynote s pe aker will be  Leanne Hadley, and the topic will be "Faithful Conversations in Heated Tim es." For more information,  click here .
NEWS & EVENTS IN OUR DIOCESE
St. Peter's, Red Bluff to Mark 125 Years with Church Tours




Guided tours of historic St. Peter's, Red Bluff , will be offered this Sat urday, May 20, from 2-5 p.m. as well as other festivities. More...

Holy Trinity, Ukiah, Welcomes New Priest-in-Charge, the Rev. John Day

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church turned out for the installation of the Rev. John Day by the Rt. Rev. Barry Beisner, Bishop of the Diocese of Northern California, at 7 p.m. on May 12, at Holy Trinity, 640 S. Orchard Ave., Ukiah. 

All-California Deputation Gets Preview of General Convention

Attendees from left in photograph: 
Myles Clarke, the Rev. Lewis Powell, the Rev. James Richardson, the Very Rev. Sara Potter, Jim Jordan, Charis Hill, John Miller, Canon Charles Mack, the Very Rev. Cliff Haggenjos and the Rev. Andrea McMillin, Canon to the Ordinary.

By Lori Korleski Richardson, 
Interim Communications Director

Northern California was well-represented on May 6 as delegates and alternates from all six dioceses in the state gathered at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, to hear the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, president of the House of Deputies, and Canon Michael Barlowe, General Convention executive officer and secretary of Executive Council, talk about what legislation, issues and resolutions may come before the house. 

The afternoon before, most of the deputation attended a conversation Charles Wynder Jr., missioner for social justice and advocacy engagement for The Episcopal Church, about forming an Episcopal Public Policy Network for work specifically in California. 

The  79th General Convention will be  July 5-13, 2018, in Austin, Texas. 
Prayers Requested for Cursillo #113 - June 1-4

There are 30 candidates registered to attend Cursillo #113, taking place at Camp Alta, June 1-4.  Please pray for the team, as well as the candidates, both before and during the weekend. 
Education for Ministry Mentor Training Dates - Aug. 9-11 

Congratulations to all the 2017 EfM graduates! Bishop Barry, who celebrated the graduation Mass, said in his monthly letter to the clergy that "EfM is a huge commitment for everyone involved; it is also a reminder that we are not doing nearly enough to educate and form disciples, and need to persist in finding new opportunities and utilizing new resources. We need to be a teaching and learning church."

EfM mentor training will be held at Auburn from  Aug. 9-11.

More information and a calendar of all national training dates can be found  here. For any questions, please contact Sally Rooney, at 530-662-1685 or at  [email protected].

*Mentors must attend a training at least every 18 months. If you cannot attend the one provided by the diocese, you may go outside the diocese to be trained.
Honduras Mission Trip Fundraiser - Faith, Cameron Park 

Faith, Cameron Park  is hosting a fundraising concert in support of those attending their Honduras mission trip June 4-12. The concert will include guitarist Darrell Effinger of  The New Christy Minstrels , as well as Rick Dougherty, of  The Kingston Trio .

The concert will be at 7 p.m. on  May 20. For more information and for tickets, please contact Barbara Gillespy at [email protected] .
ECS Sunday - May 28

Episcopal Community Services is pleased to announce that Bishop Beisner has designated the seventh Sunday of Easter, May 28, as
ECS Sunday. 

All congregations will receive information about the appeal and copy-ready bulletin inserts for May 28. 

All funds raised are for grants used to help congregations develop and support social justice and health ministries in their communities. Since the funds are available to all congregations in our diocese, ECS hopes that all congregations will support this work by participating in this appeal.

The bulletin inserts and news article will be available on the  ECS website . 
Signups Continue for Incarnation 100 - June 10

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 can be found at  the Incarnation 100 website.
NEWS & EVENTS BEYOND OUR DIOCESE
Presiding Bishop to Speak at CDSP Commencement Friday

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will give the address at Church Divinity School of the Pacific's 123rd Commencement on May 19 at 10:30 a.m. at the Chapel of the Great Commission at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. The event is open to the public and will be broadcast live here.

The Rev. Dr. Pamela Anderson, adult ministries director for  Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento, will be receiving her certificate of Anglican Studies.  More ...
Presiding Bishop to Attend EcoJustice Weekend in San Francisco

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will be participating in EcoJustice, a weekend event focused on racial reconciliation and justice and the environment, on  May 19-20.  For the full schedule, cost and registration, and more information, visit the Diocese of California's website  here . 
Sign Up to Pray with the Anglican Communion 

The Episcopal Church has joined the Worldwide Anglican Communion in  Thy Kingdom Come, a global prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray between Ascension Day and Pentecost,  May 25-June 4, for more people to come to know Jesus.
Thy Kingdom Come is a campaign initiated by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby calling for prayer by individuals, congregations and families.  #ThyKingdomCome 

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will lead the Thy Kingdom Come video messages on  May 25.

Also in conjuction with Thy Kingdom Come is  Pledge2Pray, which individuals or churches can sign up to participate  here. One resource available is a prayer journal to record thoughts, prayers and ideas throughout Thy Kingdom Come, which can be downloaded here. An accompanying bulletin insert can be found  here.
News from The Episcopal Church

Presiding  Bishop Michael Curry and House of Deputies President the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings and officers of the House of Bishops and House of Deputies are inviting Episcopalians to study and commit to using  Becoming Beloved Community: The Episcopal Church's Long-term Commitment to Racial Healing, Reconciliation and Justice.

The full document is available  here. More resources are available  here.

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The  Office of Government Relations is offering a fall internship in Washington, D.C. The position can be either full or part time, and will approximately begin late August and run until early December.  The deadline to apply is  May 26 . For more information on how to apply and for the position details, click here.
 
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Call to Extend TPS for Haitians:  Haiti is home to the largest and fastest growing diocese in the Episcopal Church. The Department of Homeland Security is considering whether to extend  Temporary Protected Status (TPS)  for Haitians in the United States.

In response to the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, the U.S. government pledged to provide protection through TPS for the 58,000 Haitians already in the U.S. The current TPS for Haiti is set to expire on July 22; Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly has until  May 23 to make a decision to extend it.

DHS Comment Line: (202) 282-8495 (please leave a message)
White House Comment Line: (202) 456-1111 (please leave a message)
Indianapolis' 11th Bishop Makes History

The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, a graduate of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, is the first African-American to lead an Episcopal diocese; she is also the first woman to replace another woman as bishop. 

To read a full story on Baskerville-Burrows,  click here. 



Photograph taken from Baskerville-Burrows' Facebook page, at her first congregational visitation after being ordained as a bishop.
Financial Aid Available for Seminary Students 

The  Diocese of California  is offering financial aid for students, including those in the Diocese of Northern California, who are pursuing theological education at an approved seminary or the School for Deacons. Eligibility requirements differ from fund to fund. For more information and an application form, contact Melissa Ridlon at  [email protected] . The application deadline is May 17.
Upcoming Events:
  • July 18-26: SUMMA is a summer debate camp in Tennessee, open to high school students of any faith who are interested in looking at and debating contemporary issues through a theological lens. The deadline to apply is  June 1. For more information, click here.


I f 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.