News for the week of May 28, 2019
RSVP for the Consecration by Monday, June 3
Your prayers and presence are requested at the Consecration of The Rev. Canon Megan Traquair, Eighth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California. In addition, all are invited to attend a reception that will follow the consecration.

You may RSVP for up to four people. If your party is larger than four people, you will need to RSVP under a different name to gain access to an additional four person party.

When : Saturday, June 29 at 11 a.m.
Where : Mondavi Center, 523 Mrak Hall Drive, Davis, CA 95616
RSVP : Free tickets are available here .
Contact : Michelle Karimi, Executive Staff Support, at [email protected]
We need your help: volunteer for the Consecration
Volunteers are instrumental in making our consecration run smoothly. There are several time slots and positions available -- all help is appreciated! Learn more here.

Canon David Link invites all choir singers from around the Diocese to join the one-hundred voice choir for the consecration ! The choir is filling up fast, and we want to make sure that you are included! There will be three advance rehearsals at Trinity Cathedral in Sacramento during June and a "dress" rehearsal on the eve of the service on Friday, June 28. Please contact Canon Link at [email protected] for more details and information.
Gifts for the Bishop-Elect
When a bishop is consecrated, it is customary for them to receive gifts of different types that will be used in their ministry. These gifts often include the following:

  • A mitre (the pointy hat worn by a bishop)
  • A crozier (the staff that is a symbol of the bishop's office)
  • An episcopal ring
  • A pectoral cross
  • A Bible
  • Vestments

A Bible is presented to every person who is ordained as a symbol of their office and duty of their order. The Bible that will be presented to Bishop-Elect Megan at her consecration is a gift from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. In the liturgy for The Ordination of a Bishop, these are the words that will be spoken when the gift is given. “Receive the Holy Scriptures. Feed the flock of Christ committed to your charge, guard and defend them in his truth and be a faithful steward of his holy Word and Sacraments.” (BCP 521)

You are being offered an opportunity to donate toward diocesan gifts for Bishop-Elect Megan. Click this link and select the "Bishop-Elect Gifts" button on the donation page to give your gift toward our future bishop's ministry.
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE BISHOP
Bishop's visitation schedule 
  • June 2 - St. Mary's, Ferndale
  • June 9 - Emmanuel, Grass Valley

Bishop Barry's 2019 visitation schedule is  available here .
NEWS AND EVENTS IN AND BEYOND OUR DIOCESE
Register for last two events to celebrate Bishop Barry by Friday, May 31
We will be celebrating our bishop, Barry Beisner, on the dates below. The deadline to register for these free events is Friday, May 31. Please RSVP here if you plan to attend.

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

Saturday, June 15, 1:30 - 4 p.m.  
All Saints, Redding
2019 Clergy Conference
Our diocesan clergy, along with Bishop-Elect Megan, met at the Bishop's Ranch for this year's Clergy Conference, where they connected, played games and shared hopes for the future of the diocese. More photos of their time together are available on Facebook .

"Our time together at clergy conference was marked by warm fellowship in a beautiful location. We had a schedule and a program that was designed to foster thoughtful conversation among clergy who rarely have extended time together. The Rev. Anne Clarke and the Rev. Terri Hobart offered their teaching, insight and useful instructions about how to engage in a gratitude based reflection on our life together as the gathered people of the diocese. 

However, the Deanery Skits, invented on the fly, were the most hilarious part of the whole time. Who knew that Disaster Bingo, or the song "Drop Kick Me Jesus" would be such a great fit for our gathering!" Bishop-Elect Megan said.

Canon Andrea McMillin added, "This clergy conference was exceptional in that we welcomed Bishop Elect Megan to our clergy family. Anne and Terri started us off with an exercise where we took a minute of time to write down as many things as possible for which we are grateful. Many of us took our name tags out of their holders, and wrote our list there - where it stayed next to our hearts for the remainder of the conference. I loved the idea that we were all walking around with grateful hearts, having written our gratitude so tangibly. Standing next to Bishop Elect Megan for the first time and administering communion with her, as we will do together in the future, was a moment where I experienced a full heart: loving our clergy family, grateful for the opportunity to serve in this beautiful place with so many talented people, and excited for the future we hold together. Our diocese is richly blessed."
Ordinations: June 8 at the Cathedral
Pictured above, from left: Archdeacon Pam Gossard, the Rev. Bob Scott, Bishop-Elect Megan Traquair, Bishop Barry Beisner, the Rev. Cindy Woods, Archdeacon Gary Brown and the Rev. Betsey Monnot, who preached at the ordination.

On Saturday, May 25, Bob Scott and Cindy Woods were ordained into the Sacred Order of Deacons. It was a special ordination, as both Bishop Barry and Bishop-Elect Megan were present.

The next ordinations in our diocese will be Saturday, June 8 at 11 a.m. 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.
Three new CDSP graduates in our diocese
Pictured above, from left: Suzie Vice, Kati Braak, The Rev. Alex Leach, the Rev. Julie Vice, Karen Lawler, Canon Andrea McMillin, the Rev. Anne Smith (whose parish, St. Mary's, Elk Grove sponsored Julie Vice and Karen Lawler for ordination)

On May 25, the Rev. Alex Leach, the Rev. Julie Vice and Karen Lawler graduated from Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Congratulations!
Sharing Carr Fire stories
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].
Sustainable Development Goals Grants for 2019
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.
Community of St. Francis residential program: 10 free days
The Community of St. Francis in San Francisco Residential Immersion program is for women over 18. The program includes studying Franciscan spirituality and living out of that spirituality by sharing in community life, worship and ministry in the church and wider community. 

Dates: Summer July 19 - 29 and St. Francistide Sept. 27 - Oct. 7. For more information, visit communitystfrancis.org or contact Sr. Pamela Clare at [email protected].
Highland Education Project in West Virgina seeking volunteers
The Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia invites you to join the Highland Educational Project (HEP), which supports various programs, including home repairs; addiction recovery; and family, youth and children’s programs. Hundreds of families in McDowell County, West Virginia, are in need of support. Of the 18,000 residents, more than 30 percent live at or below the national poverty level. McDowell County may sound familiar to you, as it has made national headlines for drug-related deaths.

Work groups are needed to conduct home repairs — everything from roofing and simple home repairs to access ramps. Groups are invited to visit the Mountain State area for a weekend, a week, or longer to provide needed helping hands. Learn more here.
Thy Kingdom Come - a global effort to "light up the world in prayer" from May 30 - June 9
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

  • Deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ
  • Pray for God’s spirit to work in the lives of those they know
  • Come to realize that every aspect of their life is the stuff of prayer  

You can learn more, find resources and pledge to pray here.
From the wider church
[Episcopal News Service, May 24, 2019] San Joaquin Episcopalians’ 17-day, 220-mile “Pilgrimage of Hope” started in Fresno and ended May 20 in Sacramento, where they joined nearly a thousand other activists for California’s 23rd annual “Immigrant Day of Action.”

Chanting “Vivan los imigrantes,” the activists met with lawmakers, advocating for extending health coverage to adults who are in the country illegally, and against adding a citizenship question to the 2020 U.S. Census. About 1.8 million of California’s 3 million uninsured people are immigrants in the country illegally, according to legislative staffers. Of those, about 1.26 million have incomes low enough to qualify them for the state’s Medicaid program. Read more here .

More news from the Episcopal News Service are available here .