Bishop Barry's 2019 visitation schedule is  available here .

On May 11 at St. John's, Petaluma, just about 100 people showed up to honor the ministry of Bishop Barry at the first of three celebration events. More photos are available for viewing on Facebook.

There will be two more events to celebrate our beloved bishop, listed below.

Friday, June 7, 5:30 - 8 p.m.

Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento

Saturday, June 15, 1:30 - 4 p.m.  

All Saints, Redding

The deadline to register for these free events is Friday, May 31. Please RSVP here if you plan to attend.

Dean of the Central Deanery , The Very Rev. Elizabeth (Liz) Armstrong has been appointed by Bishop Barry Beisner as Interim Rector of Faith, Cameron Park , beginning July 1, 2019.

Rev. Liz is currently the Rector of St. Augustine's, Rocklin , and will leave that position to begin her work in Cameron Park.

The Rev. Canon John Day served as Priest-in-Charge at Holy Trinity, Ukiah, for a year and a half, and wrapped up his time at the church a few weeks ago. Canon Day continues to be active within the diocese, including consulting work for St. John's, Roseville. We thank him for his faithful service to our church in Ukiah.

May 25: Bob Scott and Cindy Woods will be ordained into the Sacred Order of Deacons at Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento. Reception to follow. Clergy - red stoles.

June 8: Anny Genato, Karen Lawler, Tim McDonald and John Heidel into the Sacred Order of Deacons (Transitional Diaconate) at Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento. Reception to follow. Clergy - red stoles.

The recent bishop search process engaged us in vital discernment about our hopes and needs for our Diocese of Northern California and its future. But the successful election of our new bishop is no reason for these conversations to end. In fact, now we can move on to a more open-ended and creative kind of conversation. We in the Russian River Deanery have asked the Bishop-elect how we can support her in becoming the bishop for our place and time and, with her input and blessing, we now invite you to a World Café about the vision of the church that is emerging in our congregations, deanery, and diocese.

World Café is a powerful tool for engaging congregations and other groups in conversations that matter, in a natural process that welcomes the wisdom of everyone present. The clergy of the Deanery will be with her in person at the May Clergy Conference, but here is an opportunity for the rest of us to join the conversation.

When : Saturday, June 1 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where : Veterans Memorial Building, 205 West 1st St., Cloverdale, CA 95425

Registration : A $10 donation will be requested for the luncheon that will conclude the program. Register here .

Contact : Dean Daniel Green at [email protected] or 707-762-8872

When sharing the experiences of those impacted by the Camp Fire, we had another thought. Why stop there? We will also be sharing a few stories of those from the Carr Fire in Redding, which begun late July of last year and wasn't contained until over a month later, Aug. 30, 2018. As these "megafires" have a huge impact on the lives of those affected, we believe it is important that their stories are shared.

This week's story is available on the Episcopal Church Camp Fire Recovery Team Facebook page, as well as on the diocesan website.

If you were impacted by the Carr fire and would like to share your story, please email [email protected].

Daphne Vernon, Director of Spiritual Formation at Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa , wrote a reflection about her experience in youth ministry and as a leader of Pathways.

"What is the measure of success in youth ministry? Is it loud music and a large crowd of kids, so many you couldn’t possibly remember who they all are? Or is it about building relationships in Christ and really seeing and shepherding the youth you meet with on a regular basis? I measure success when I still have coffee with youth group members who are now in their 30’s. When kids come to ask how does my faith connect with my actions, how do I deal with my stress levels or peer pressure. I’m overwhelmed with the state of the world right now and where is God in all this? 

It is tempting to think something is more successful when more kids show up. Teenagers do like to get lost in a pack, but is that because it’s easier to hide and fly under the radar? We will spend our lifetime making peace with what it means to be truly loved and known by God; adolescence and social media don’t make that process any easier. 

Where in our Diocese do youth and young adults have the opportunity to serve Christ, practice self-love, and look at the hard edges of life?" Read more here.

At the 2016 Diocesan Convention we passed a resolution, following the lead of the United Nations and the Episcopal Church, that extends the commitment of using 0.7% of our budget for overseas development. The focus is on efforts to help people and or communities develop ways to become self sustaining. Among the 17 stated goals are those including comprehensive education, better farming techniques, relief of hunger and economic growth. 

Our funds are available for projects that support one or more of the above goals for the development of locally sustainable projects. We are inviting our congregations to consider applying for grants supporting projects or programs overseas that meet one or more of these goals. We are particularly interested in ways partnerships and projects are being developed in cooperation with and supporting local efforts.  

Here is the 2019 grant application; applications are due June 15.

Thy Kingdom Come is a global prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray for more people to come to know Jesus. What started in 2016 as an invitation from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to the Church of England has grown into an international and ecumenical call to prayer.

During the 11 days of Thy Kingdom Come, it is hoped that everyone who takes part will

You can learn more, find resources and pledge to pray here.

The Episcopal Youth Event (EYE) 2020 location and planning team were named, and our very own Giovanna Zampa from St. Paul's, Benicia, is on the team! Read more.

Other news from the Episcopal News Service are here.