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From Bishop Barry
Dear friends in Christ,
Grace and peace to you. I hope that Pentecost has begun well for you. It was a great joy for me to cross into this Season, and into this last year of my episcopate, together with you at Clergy Conference.
Our final Conference together was one of our best. Bishop Mary was exactly the leader and teacher we needed in this moment. I am deeply grateful to Canon Andrea for helping to plan and oversee the conference; also to Jacqi Seppi, Kati Braak and all the Office of the Bishop staff, and to the Liturgy and Worship Commission, led by Randy Knutson and Sarah Quinney, for contributing to its success. (And thank you all for your generous offering of $584 for our hospital in Gaza!)
General Convention is fast approaching. Please begin now to pray for the success of this enormous endeavor: for clarity of purpose, efficiency of effort, good stewardship of resources, and Christ-centered faithful witness-and the stamina to run the race!
God bless us all in this final year together. God bless the Standing Committee, Search Committee, and Transition Committee as they continue their good, hard work on our behalf. God bless and guide you in your discernment - and our nominees in theirs.
Yours in the power of the Spirit,
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THE SEARCH FOR OUR NEXT BISHOP
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Bishop Search Transition Committee Named
View the full list of committee members
here.
The Bishop Search Committee published the profile of our diocese on Friday, May 25. They will be accepting applications and nominations for the eighth bishop of Northern California until July 7, 2018.
More information on the Bishop Search is
available here
.
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FROM THE OFFICE OF THE BISHOP
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2018 Clergy Conference Mixes Fun, Learning, Networking
The guest speaker at the conference was t
he Rt. Rev. Mary Gray-Reeves, bishop of the Diocese of El Camino Real. Her diocese has begun the process of electing its next bishop as well, with a projected ordination and consecration of the next bishop of El Camino Real to be on Jan. 11, 2020.
Clergy also got the chance to speak to members of the Diocese of Northern California Bishop Search Committee during the conference.
The 2018 Clergy Conference, hosted at the Bishop's Ranch in Healdsburg, was May 22-24 and 108 clergy attended.
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Office Closed July 4; No Aurora Newsletter Next Month
The Office of the Bishop will be closed on Wednesday, July 4.
Due to the 2018 General Convention of the Episcopal Church, we will not be publishing an Aurora next month. For those of you attending GC, we'll see you there!
The next Aurora will be Aug.14.
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Office of the Bishop Staff Changes
Elizabeth Vang, previously the Receptionist and Administrative Assistant for the Office of the Bishop since November 2015, has transitioned into the role of Benefits Coordinator and Accounting Specialist.
You may contact Elizabeth for any benefits or accounting related questions at
[email protected]. Her
new extension is 916-442-6918, ext. 229.
Anna Wiley
, a student at Vassar College and graduate of Country Day, is the first Communications Intern at the Office of the Bishop. Anna has been studying in Madrid, but will be living in Carmichael this summer. She was Pathways young adult leader last summer, has worked as a tutor for Spanish-and English-speaking students, and has been a research assistant in the Vassar Religion Department as well as an intern at the California State Library. She will be helping with myriad communications and program duties this summer.
Lori Korleski Richardson
, Interim Communications Director, will be leaving the Office of the Bish
op to focus on freelance writing and copy editing for the
Episcopal News Service and for our diocese as needed. She expects to depart by Aug. 1.
Lori's husband, the Rev. James "Jim" Richardson will be Interim Dean for Trinity Cathedral beginning June 24, and Lori is looking forward to being an active clergy spouse at the Cathedral, where she previously served as clerk of the vestry and junior warden.
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Open Clergy Positions
- Grace Church, Fairfield: Receiving names for priest-in-charge
- Trinity, Sutter Creek: Receiving names for part-time priest-in-charge
- Grace, St. Helena: Receiving names for full-time assistant rector
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Bishop's Visitation Schedule
- July 22 - Holy Trinity, Willows
- July 29 - Holy Spirit, Lake Almanor
- Aug. 26 - Sts. Martha & Mary, Trinidad
- Sept. 2 - St. Nicholas', Tahoe City
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NEWS & EVENTS IN AND BEYOND OUR DIOCESE
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The Rev. Olga Barrera Recovering; Will Be at Faith VBS in June
The Rev. Olga Barrera, who began cancer treatments earlier this year, wrote recently to Bishop Barry to update the diocese on her recovery:
"Dear brothers and Sisters in Christ, peace be with you all, I want to let you know, that I am better and better every day, with God's help, your love and prayers. I am not working with the school yet, but I felt that it was time to start with the church on Sundays only, since May 12.
"I have been invited to participate in a Vacation Bible School in Cameron Park on June 22-July 2, with five students and a teacher (from Honduras). I will be preaching at Faith Church, God willing.
"I feel great that I am alive and I can do this ... God is helping me to do it.
Thank you again and keep me always in your prayers."
To help the five children get the materials they need for the week, donate here.
For more information on the Faith VBS, click here.
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The Rev. Megan Anderson Departing Trinity Cathedral July 1
The Rev. Megan Anderson, who has served as Director of Congregational Development and Missioner for Fresh Expressions since coming to Trinity Cathedral in May 2013, announced that her last Sunday there will be July 1.
In a letter to the congregation she said, "I have been working with my family for months to establish a support network for my grandparents' care as they are in need of more assistance. After much prayer and discernment, I have decided to answer the call to come alongside of them on this journey and relocate to Incline Village, Nevada."
"The growth, challenge, and stories that I have experienced here have profoundly shaped me into the priest that I am today. ... Know that you and each of your ministries will remain in my prayers. I am grateful for your prayers as well."
Said the Rev. Brian Baker, outgoing dean of Trinity Cathedral, "Megan is a remarkable priest. She has wisdom and a perspective that is different from mine and I have learned a lot from her. She has had a significant impact on Trinity and I know she will be missed a great deal by the clergy, lay leadership and members of the congregation. Please hold her in your prayers as she makes this significant transition in her life."
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New Executive Director for The Belfry Campus Ministry
Emily Hyberg is the new Executive Director for The Belfry, the Episcopal-Lutheran Campus Ministry at UC Davis.
From her staff bio on The Belfry website: "I'm originally from the Washington, D.C., area. My wife and I relocated to Sacramento in January 2018. I have a BS in Political Science from Shepherd University, and have spent the last five years filling a variety of nonprofit roles both as a professional and as a volunteer. Before that I spent nearly nine years working in local government including work in property maintenance inspections and landlord-tenant affairs. After a long faith journey, I am happy and proud to call myself an Episcopalian. I love gardening, baking, roller derby, reading, cats, and cheese."
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Education for Ministry Mentor Trainings in August
EfM Mentor Training Session will be at Mercy Center in Auburn, Aug. 1-3.
The diocese offe
rs
both F
ormation and Foundation classes.
Ple
ase let
Sally Rooney,
diocesan EfM coordinator, know of any changes in email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers, etc. Please share any of this information with people who might be interested in mentoring.
Education for Ministry is a four-year extension program that meets during the academic year in groups o
f six to 12 students led by one or two mentors trained in small-group facilitat
ion and theological refection. The course also requires about five hours a week of outside reading. More information on the program is here.
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10 Tips for Preaching Like Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
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Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle May 19, 2018. Owen Humphreys/Pool via REUTERS
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Want to deliver a sermon like the one you saw Presiding Bishop Michael Curry give at the Royal Wedding? Marcia Dixon, staff writer for The Voice, a British weekly, says to follow these 10 tips:
1. Preaching on the topic of love is always a winner - no matter the spiritual state an individual is in or whether or not they believe in God or not.
2. Don't be fazed by one's audience. It is possible to preach truth to power boldly, eloquently and truthfully
3. Preachers should always use real life examples to illustrate their sermons. Those examples can come from an individual's own personal experiences, or, as in the case of Curry, draw on history as in his reference to slaves, or science, as in his comments about fire. And don't be afraid to use painful and shameful historical experiences, either.
4. Always draw on biblical scriptures when preaching.
5. In order to hold a congregation's attention, preach with passion, emotion and verve, as well as courage.
6. When an individual preaches a great message they'll always be people who will find some fault or personal failing in order to question or invalidate the truth shared.
7. It's not the length of time you preach that has the impact. It's what you preach within that time that makes the difference.
8. If you do preach over your allocated time do so cautiously and make sure what you say is of quality and worth hearing.
9. Live what you preach.
10. End your sermon on a high note. Leave people feeling good, reflective and desirous to please God by being their best self.
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THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Making Disciples, Raising Up Saints & Transforming Communities for Christ
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