JUNE 26 , 2018
Pathways 2018 Begins with 60 Participants, Visits by Bishops
 
Pathways began at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park on Sunday and will continue through June 30 for more than 40 youth participants and two dozen adult leaders. Also joining the group will be Bishop Barry and the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori from the Diocese of San Diego.

Said the Rev. Anne Clarke, an organizer of the pilgrimage: " Our Pathways youth pilgrimage is one of the best things I get to do. A week of worship, community-building, and social justice learning with a group of young people that grows and somehow becomes more amazing each year ... it is a journey that is full of good and hopeful news."

Among the sites participants will visit are the Bodega Bay Marine Laboratory to learn about climate change research;  the Marin Headlands, to learn some of the history of native people who first lived in this land; t he Marine Mammal Center, which rehabilitates animals and teaches humans how to help keep them and their environment healthy; and  Angel Island,  a rich site of history about the struggles and triumphs of many immigrant families. The visit there will invite participants into conversations about immigration in their own families and communities. 

Keep up with this incredible journey on the Pathways Facebook page.
THE SEARCH FOR OUR NEXT BISHOP
Applications and Nominations for Bishop Due by July 7

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.

The Transition Committee has been named and will begin their work after Diocesan Convention.

More information on the Bishop Search is  available here .
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE BISHOP
Office Closed July 4; No Newsletters until July 17

The Office of the Bishop will be closed for Independence Day, July 4. The Diocesan e-News will not be published July 3, nor will there be an Aurora on July 10, as noted at the beginning of the year on  our website. The Diocesan e-News will resume publication on July 17 and the next Aurora will be published on Aug. 14.
Registration Open for Our Convention in Redding, Nov. 9-10


The annual Diocesan Convention will be held in Redding on Nov. 9-10, 2018. 
The Pre-Convention packet is available on our  website.

Online registration is now open! P lease purchase your tickets as soon as possible to avoid the late registration fee of $25.00 and to help the Office of the Bishop prepare most efficiently for convention. For those who volunteer (a minimum of four hours), registration is free. General registration will close Sept. 28.

And save the date for Deanery Convocations, which will be Oct. 20, 2018.
Limited Registration Open for 2018 Pre-Convention Gathering

This year's Pre-Convention Gathering topic is " Following God's Call: From Church Chores to Ministry."  How can our church communities cultivate and support ongoing vocational discernment for brand new and long-time leaders? How can we cultivate spiritual practices that sustain each person's baptismal ministry inside and outside the walls of our churches?

Join us for a morning of learning, discussion, and discernment about these questions.  The event is free, and lunch will be provided. Learn more here .

  Download a flyer  to post at your church hall or in your church newsletter.
Staff Transition and Our First Intern!

In case you missed the full announcement that went out last week, we are excited to share that Kati Braak has been offered and has accepted the promotion to Director of Operations for the diocese.  Kati began this work on Monday, June 18. Kati, Bishop Barry, and Canon Andrea met this past week and established the beginning of her work as a part of the executive leadership team of the diocese.  You may contact Kati via email at  kati@norcalepiscopal.org , or via phone at (916) 442-6918, ext. 228. 

Anna Wileya student at Vassar College, is our first Communications Intern Anna has been studying in Madrid but will be living in Carmichael this summer. She is a Pathways young adult leader, 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 communications and program duties this summer. You may contact her at youth@norcalepiscopal.org.
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 
  • Sept. 9 - St. Luke's, Calistoa 
  • Sept. 16 - Trinity, Folsom
The Bishop's full 2018 visitation schedule is available here
NEWS AND EVENTS IN AND BEYOND OUR DIOCESE
Four Views on Going to General Convention

Next week, more than a dozen Episcopalians from our diocese, clergy and lay, will be in Austin, Texas, for the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. In their own words, read what four attendees are saying about it by clicking on their name below.

Follow Our Diocese on Facebook and Instagram at GC

We have created a Facebook and Instagram page for 2018 General Convention attendees to share their photos and experiences, and for those of us back home in Northern California to take part in their adventure.
 
Like us on Facebook: 
facebook.com/NorCalEpiscopalGC

Follow us on Instagram: 
instagram.com/norcalepiscopalgc/

And for those attending, please use the hashtag #NorCalEpiscopalTakesGC when posting photos on both platforms.
St. Stephen's, Sebastopol, Aids Palestinians Two Ways  

By the Rev. Christy Laborda Harris, 
Rector of St. Stephen's, Sebastopol
 
St. Stephen's, Sebastopol has made a $3,000 donation to Ahli Hospital in Gaza. The hospital has been struggling to cope with the mounting toll of casualties from the protests in Gaza. It is in desperate need of medical supplies, surgical equipment, medicines and fuel for its generators.
 
What is particularly exciting about our gift is that we gave out of the income that our sales of Palestinian olive oil have generated. For three and a half years we have been selling olive oil at St. Stephen's through Canaan Fair Trade. These sales support and empower Palestinian farmers who are otherwise unable to bring their products to market. 

Each bottle we sell brings in a small profit which over the years has added up to more than $3,000. It is out of our support of Palestinian farmers that we were able to further support and care for the people of Palestine.
Learn to Talk With Friends, Family Who Disagree on Politics

There's a lot of stress these days among family members and friends who are divided politically, and the current polarized public conversation doesn't help.To learn skills for having respectful conversations that clarify differences, search for common ground, and affirm the importance of the relationship,  Better Angels will host a Red/Blue Workshop  at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral on  June 30. This will be similar to one that took place in March.

The Red/Blue Workshop brings together seven conservative-leaning participants and seven progressive-leaning participants for moderated activities and discussions that clarify disagreements, reduce stereotyped thinking, and begin building the relationships needed to find common ground. Space is limited so please email
  Steve Sphar or   Marisa Bogdanoff soon.

Launched in 2016, Better Angels is a bipartisan citizen's movement to unify our divided nation. More information is  here.
The Big Class - From Palace to Public Square: The Way of Love

Join Royal Wedding preacher Presiding Bishop Michael Curry for an online course to learn more about what Jesus meant by love and how God is using  to spread that love around the world.

This free class coincides with - and celebrates - the General Convention of The Episcopal Church. It is ideal for those looking to deepen their understanding of love and to ponder new ways of sharing and living into God's love. Resources for those that want to take the course as a group are available in the course description. Learn more here.
From The Episcopal Church 

Thousands of people, including at least 100 Episcopalians, from across the country representing social justice organizations, churches and faith-based initiatives, gathered on June 23 in Washington, D.C. for a Poor People's Campaign rally and march. For three-and-a-half hours on the National Mall, speakers, the majority of them living on the frontlines of poverty, shared their personal stories relating to systemic racism, environmental degradation and other poverty indicators.  Following the rally, attendees took to the street and marched to the Capitol Building, chanting slogans like, "This is What Democracy Looks Like" and "The People United Will Not be Divided."

The rally and march in Washington followed 40 days of state-level action organized around six themes: systemic racism, poverty and inequality, ecological devastation, the war economy and militarism and national morality. Read the full ENS story.

Other news: 

Interfaith voices demanding changes to immigration policy make a difference in D.C.


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THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Making Disciples, Raising Up Saints & Transforming Communities for Christ