AUGUST 1, 2017 
Destined to Become a Deacon
 
By Sophie Smal, Communications Coordinator

Born into an Episcopal family, the Rev. Mary Heller Taggart grew up going to church - first in California and then in Connecticut, where she spent much of her adolescent and adult life.

Bishop Barry Beisner and the Rev. Mary at her June 10 ordination at Trinity Cathedral.
In 1976, St. Paul's, Healdsburg, became Taggart's new home parish when she and her husband moved to California.
 
During the following years, Taggart had thoughts about becoming a deacon; however, it seemed the timing was never right, as her life was busy with her three kids, her career as an elementary school librarian and her family's guitar supplier business, Allied Luthrie Inc.
 
Through this time, Taggart said she always kept praying, "God, where do you want me to be?"
 
Although she regularly attended church at St. Paul's, Taggart said she wasn't exposed to deacons there, so it wasn't until her retirement three years ago that Taggart
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE BISHOP
Certificate of Lay Delegates Form Is Due This Thursday


The Certificate of Lay Delegates form for 2017 Diocesan Convention is due this Thursday,  Aug. 3, 2017. The completed form must be returned to:

The Office of the Bishop
Attn: Elizabeth Vang
350 University Ave, Suite 280 
Sacramento, California 95825 
fax: 916-442-6927

The Certificate of Lay Delegates form and more information is available  here. The next deadline is for Resolutions, due by Sept. 1, 2017. The registration deadline for Diocesan Convention is Oct. 2, 2017.
Clergy Posting: Leadership Development and Networking

The Missioner for Leadership Development and Networking position is now open and accepting applications. To learn more about this and other openings within our diocese, visit our Open Clergy Positions Page . Interviews will begin immediately and the position will be open until filled.
Invest in Our Ministries This Fall

The Bishop's Partnership Appeal is coming this fall.  The Appeal 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.

View a letter from the Bishop and more information on the Appeal here.
Bishop's Visitation Schedule 
The Bishop's full 2017-2018 visitation schedule is available  here.
FAITH FORMATION
Advanced Godly Play Training -
Oct. 6-8 in Oakland 

Advanced Training  is for Godly Play administrators, teachers, and clergy who have already been certified at a Core Training and have spent a few years leading Godly Play. It is an amazing time to retreat, re-calibrate your practice, and reconnect with others in the Godly Play circle. Tickets are available here.

The event will be held at First Presbyterian of Oakland on Friday, Oct. 6 from 1 p.m. to Sunday, Oct. 8, ending at 5:30 p.m. Scholarships are available; please contact the Rev. Anne Clarke at [email protected] for more information.
NEWS & EVENTS IN OUR DIOCESE

New Priest-in-Charge for St. Clement's, Rancho Cordova

Following a period of discernment with the Vestry of St. Clement's, and a year of study, prayer, input and soul-searching by the congregation and some very dedicated volunteers, Bishop Beisner has appointed the Rev. Kenneth J. Katona as Priest-in-Charge, effective October 1, 2017.

Fr. Kenn will be moving from Casa Grande, Arizona, where he has been vicar of St. Peter's Episcopal Church. He is originally from Pittsburgh, and graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2014.  His wife, Theresa, also is excited to be moving to Sacramento for her job, which is a new venture with the McClatchy Company. 

His 2017 Easter sermon can be heard here. And his Good Friday sermon is here.  

As Senior Warden  Janelle Fallan, at left,  posted on St. Clement's website: "Bishop Beisner reminded us more than once that this was not a hiring process; it is a process to discern where the Holy Spirit is leading us. We have truly felt led by the Holy Spirit in this call."

The Rev. Kenn Katona invites the youth of St. Peter's, Casa Grande, Arizona, to the altar.
Photograph by Darrel Landrum, via Facebook.
Christ the King, Quincy, ready to help in Minerva blaze 

The Minerva Fire in Plumas County, as of Monday morning, was at approximately 1,000 acres with 1,800 firefighters working to douse
Firefighters scoop water from Bucks Lake to fight Minerva Fire on July 30.
the fire . No evacuations have been ordered as of Aug. 1.

The Rev. Matt Warren, vicar of Christ the King Mission, Quincy, sent out updates Monday
morning and evening, offering cooling areas for parishioners who normally would have their windows open for evening ventilation, and Bishop Barry said Sunday that he had offered diocesan financial help should it be necessary. Fr. Matt's updates also had important links to the county news site and official fire information. Donations to the mission have allowed the church to pick up the tab for firefighters' coffee and ice cream at local restaurants. Please join the good people of Christ the King in praying for the safety of all those involved in fighting the fire.

While residents are still cautioned to be prepared, Sheriff Greg Hagwood told a Plumas County news reporter that the fact that "we have not had to evacuate has been wonderful." Hagwood said he and his staff will continue to work with the Forest Service and all of the fire departments that are in town to help protect Quincy.
Member at St. Paul's, Benicia, Receives TEC Scholarship

Grace Flint of St. Paul's, Benicia, was awarded one of the 92 educational scholarships that The Episcopal Church gave out for the 2017-18 academic year. The 92 scholarships totaled $298,852.73. Grace will be attending Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley in the fall.
Said Margareth Crosnier de Bellaistre, Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society Director of Investment Management and Banking: "Funding for the program is derived from annual income of designated trust funds established by generous donors."
Save the date
This Fall and Looking Into 2018

The St. Augustine Chapter of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew will be hosting a one-day workshop at  St. Augustine's, Rocklin , designed to inspir e and enrich the different groups of men's affiliations of the Episcopal Church in the Sacramento area. 

The event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 16, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $15; for information on how to register and more is available from Robert Shonk at [email protected] or at 916-599-1218.

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Trinity Cathedral will be  hosting an art show with the theme "Light Out of Darkness" from Oct. 3-26. All artists may enter; the first prize is $2500 and the art showing will take place at Beatnik Studio in downtown Sacramento. The deadline to enter is Oct. 21. 

More information is available here. For any questions, please contact the Rev. Dr. Pamela Anderson at [email protected].

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Mark your calendars: next year's Pathways will be  June 24-30, 2018. Theme and location to be decided soon.
St. Barnabas' Does What It Can to Support Refugees

Members of St. Barnabas' with their collection boxes (from left): Sara Crayne, Joan Conlan, Diana Kerwin, Jade Coyote 
The members of St. Barnabas', Mount Shasta were excited to read about the response to the refugee crisis by other churches in the diocese. On Independence Day, the St. Barnabas' congregation heard a sermon inviting members to step forward as leaders in fundraising for Episcopal Migration Ministries. A member at St. Barnabas',  Vicki Yerkes, picked up the gauntlet and created collection boxes made from recycled tissue boxes with a prayer for refugees attached. Enthusiastic members are taking the boxes home and filling them with money in gratitude for God's many blessings.  

For those who are unfamiliar with its location,  St Barnabas' is located in Siskiyou county, far from borders or shipping ports. Unable to offer housing or hot meals, this small church is doing its part by collecting money to support Episcopal Migration Ministries in its work.   The refugee boxes will be collected at Thanksgiving and the money sent to EMM.

Want to follow in the footsteps of St. Barnabas'? Donate to EMM today.

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And at 1 p.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, Aug. 15, EMM and the Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations are hosting a one-hour free webinar, Welcome in Action: Education, Advocacy and Outreach. This webinar will provide the latest updates on the travel ban, refugee funding, and upcoming opportunities to engage in advocacy and outreach in support of refugee resettlement. Registration is required and is available here.
The webinar will be available on-demand following the event.
St. Mary's, Elk Grove, Is Turning 30:  Fiesta Planned Aug. 12
 
 St. Mary's, Elk Grove, will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Aug.  1 2 with a fiesta from 2-6 p.m. A worship service will follow. Former parishioners and neighbors are planning to attend, and all are welcome. 

And keep St. Mary's priest-in-charge, the Rev. Anne Smith, in you r prayers this week; she  is headed to the Festival Gathering of the Network of Biblical Storytellers in Washington, D.C., Aug. 1-6. 

"A central part of our call as Christians is to tell the story-the story of Jesus. Our story. I'm so excited to take part in this gathering and see what storytelling skills I can learn and develop," said Rev. Anne.
NEWS & EVENTS BEYOND OUR DIOCESE
Services Announced for Canon Stefani Schatz of DioCal

Stefani Schatz, Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of California and wife of the Rev. Dr. Joe Duggan, priest-in-charge at St. Francis, Fair Oaks, died in Santa Barbara on July 12. 

A service for her will be held  at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, on Aug. 12. More information from the Diocese of California is here. The sermon from her Santa Barbara service on July 30 is here. Please hold Joe, and Stefani's mother Iva, in your prayers.
Experience Online Theological Learning
 
Registration is now open for fall online courses through CALL (Center for Anglican Long-distance Learning) at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley. Offerings include Anglican Bible, Prayer as Protest, Liturgical Worship, Church Finance and Administration, Social Ministry Leadership, and Jesus: Person and Way. These courses run for seven weeks and are entirely online, and useful for those seeking deeper personal enrichment as well as those in leadership roles in their communities. 

Dates: Sept. 18-Nov. 7
Cost: $220;  Registration and course descriptions here. 
Questions: Email  [email protected]
Province VIII 2017 Deacons' Conference

Save the date for the Province Vlll 2017 Deacon's Conference, hosted by the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada. The conference will take place Nov. 10-12, in Reno, Nevada, and topics such as mass incarceration, school-to-prison pipeline and more, will be discussed. More information is available here, or you may contact [email protected].
News from The Episcopal Church

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry replied to President Donald Trump's tweets on removing transgender people from the military, saying "I am compelled to oppose these actions and to affirm the moral principle of equal rights for all persons, including the LGBTQ communities. I do so as a follower of Jesus Christ, as Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, and as a citizen who loves this country."

Read his entire statement here.

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The House of Deputies Committee on the State of the Church is asking church leaders to complete two online surveys: 

* One about the Church Pension Fund, here;
* The other about the Episcopal Church's social justice work, here.
 
The data that the committee collects from the surveys will be used to prepare its report on the state of the church for the 79th General Convention in 2018.

Other news:

Task force to study dual-career clergy couples releases video
North Carolina ordains, consecrates Sam Rodman bishop 


I f you have a news story or event of interest to others in the diocese, or if you would like assistance with your church or ministry communications, contact Lori Korleski Richardson, Interim Communications Director at [email protected] , 916-442-6918, ext. 226.