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From Bishop Barry
Dear Friends in Christ:
Grace and peace to you. I hope that the transition from Eastertide to the Season of Pentecost has been a joyful one for you, with the Holy Spirit much in evidence.
Part of the work of the Spirit is, of course, to increase our awareness of God's presence among us and to deepen our understanding of God's mission in the world. I am blessed to be bishop, together with a team of deeply committed fellow ministers, in a diocese where signs of the Spirit at work are to be seen all around. I rejoice in this constantly and find it a basis for hope for our church in such challenging and uncertain times. These signs are many and varied, and we do our best to share them all around.
Here I need your help. In recent months, I have had multiple encounters with leaders in our congregations -
both clergy and lay - who were clearly out of touch with what is happening in our diocese and in the Episcopal Church; unaware of key priorities, ignorant of available resources and deprived of the excitement of seeing their congregation and its ministries as a vital part of a larger, vibrant movement.
I have seen lots of blank expressions when I have asked about the Bible Challenge, or the Bishop's Book, or our commitment to fast on the 21st of each month, or my request for regular inclusion of the Diocese of Jerusalem in public intercessions, or regular use of the diocesan and Anglican cycles of prayer, or disaster preparedness, or Pathways, or Total Ministry, or the diaconate - and on and on.
Too many congregations have lovely websites that do not include a link to the diocesan website, with its ready links to TEC,
the Anglican Communion and numerous other entities. Too many of our members who are avid Facebook users have never connected with our
Diocesan Facebook page. None of this is a matter of antipathy or resistance - it is really just a matter of helping to broaden horizons and step over thresholds, in order to make new, useful and energizing connections. These connections strengthen the bonds of our communion and make us better partners in Christ's mission, which is what the Holy Spirit seeks to assist us to do.
Could such holy work really be concerned about something as mundane as effective networking within our diocese? Yes. I truly believe it does, or I wouldn't want anything to do with this ministry. It matters, it makes a difference, and it requires your help to make it so. Please help.
Yours in the power of the Spirit,
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FROM THE OFFICE OF THE BISHOP
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Bishop's Partnership Program
The Bishop's Partnership Program is coming this fall!
The Bishop's Partnership Program is an end of year opportunity to financially
support
the churches and programs of this diocese.
To learn more about how your congregation or ministry can reap the rewards from this program, please contact Jacqi Seppi, Administrative Assistant to the Canon to the Ordinary and Office Support for The Episcopal Foundation of Northern California by e-mail [email protected] or by calling 916-442-6918 ext. 228.
Jacqi will be out of the office from June 14-21 and will be back on Thursday, June 22 for any email inquiries.
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Transitional Diaconate
On Saturday, June 24, at 11 a.m., David Gilman Rickert will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons by Bishop Barry Beisner at Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento, at 2620 Capitol Avenue. Your prayers and presence are requested. Clergy: red stoles, please.
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Bishop's Visitation Schedule
Bishop Beisner will be visiting the following congregations in June & July:
For the Bishop's full 2017-2018 visitation schedule, click here.
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Save the Date - Clergy Quiet Day - Dec. 6
The 2017 Advent Clergy Quiet Day will be on
Dec. 6 at the Bishop's Ranch in Healdsburg. Please mark your calendars and plan accordingly.
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Summer Camper Scholarships - Final Deadline June 29
Summer camper scholarships in the amount of $200 are still available to children and youth on a first-come, first-served basis to be used for
Camp Living Waters, Camp Galilee, Bishop's Ranch and
St. Dorothy's Rest.
Congregational leadership members, 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.
For more information and any questions, please contact Tamoya Bell at
[email protected]
.
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Summer Camp Nurses Needed
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Photo from Camp Galilee's website.
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Camp Galilee, on the Nevada shore of Lake Tahoe, is looking for registered nurses to volunteer for one or two week-long camp sessions, ranging from mid-July to early August.
Benefits include room and board, as well as one full campe rship. For more information,
click here. For any questions, please contact Program Director
[email protected].
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NEWS & EVENTS IN OUR DIOCESE AND BEYOND
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The Belfry Awarded Grant from the Episcopal Church
Congratulations to
Pastor Jocelynn Hughes for receiving
$5,000 from the Episcopal Church for
The Belfry
at
UC Davis!
According to Hughes, the grant will help expand The Belfry's process of becoming a
"Reconciling in Christ" community and will promote safe spaces on campus for
members of the LGBTQIA and other marginalized communities.
Additionally, the grant will allow a young adult intern to work through The Belfry's
LEVN program and work with the LGBT Center, Cross Cultural Center, and the AB540 Center on campus to build relationships with students and share their "Reconciling in Christ" community.
The university is also moving toward implementing a "Spirituality Center" on campus.
To see the Episcopal Church's full media release, click here.
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Rector Sara Potter Announces Newest Family Member
The Very Rev. Sara L. Potter, together with her husband Aaron Hohl and children, Jonah and Miriam, are pleased to share the news of the adoption of their son Michael. Michael's adoption was finalized on Tuesday, May 23 at the Humboldt County Courthouse, in Eureka. His baptism took place at St. Alban's on Sunday, June 4 - the feast of Pentecost.
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All Saints' Rector Paul Blanch Moving to England
Rector Paul Blanch of All Saints', Redding, will be moving back to England in August. Blanch stated that his last day at
All Saints' will be Sunday, Aug. 27, where he will preside and preach at all liturgies.
The following day, he and his wife Maggie will be flying to the UK, where
Blanch will be serving
as Vicar of the United Benefice of Kirton in Holland, Algarkirk and Fosdyke in the Diocese of Lincoln.
We are grateful to the Rev. Richard Yale, who has accepted Bishop Barry's appointment to serve as the next dean of the Alta Deanery.
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Rector to Become Navy Reserve Captain
Congratulations to Rector Sean Cox of Faith, Cameron Park,
who will be receiving a new rank of Captain in the Navy Reserve!
The Rev. Sean Cox stated that he will receive his pin either August or September of 2018.
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St. James, Lincoln to Receive New Priest-in-Charge
The Rev. Sarah Quinney, assistant rector at St. John's, Roseville, has accepted a new call
as priest-in-charge at
St. James, Lincoln
.
Her first Sunday at St. James will be June 25.
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News from the Episcopal Church
Changes to the Church Pension Fund are coming on Jan. 1, 2018
. The changes were designed to "create more modern plans that address the realities of a changing Episcopal Church, while ensuring that each pension plan remains financially sustainable." For the Episcopal News Service's full story,
click here
.
***
Applications are now being accepted for the position of Missioner for Black Ministries as part of the Presiding Bishop's staff. For more information,
click here
or contact
a member of the Episcopal Church Human Resources Team at
[email protected]
. The deadline to apply is July 19.
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I
f you have a news story or event of interest to others in the diocese, please contact Sophie Smal, Communications Coordinator at [email protected].
Interim Communications Director Lori Korleski Richardson will be away until June 19.
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