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Fallen Leaf Chapel Offers Summer Solace
By Lori Korleski Richardson,
Interim Communications Director
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The front of St. Francis of the Mountains, better know as Fallen Leaf Chapel. For a slideshow of chapel and Fallen Leaf Lake, click here.
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Summer officially starts this week, but for most people, Memorial Day marks the start of summer. It's also when one of our diocese's smallest churches, St. Francis of the Mountains, opens for the season.
Better known as
Fallen Leaf Chapel, it lies near the end of Fallen Leaf Lake Road, which is rather narrow and a long drive after you make the turnoff near Camp Richardson on the south shore of Lake Tahoe, Fallen Leaf's much larger sister to the northeast.
National Geographic calls our chapel, built in 1923, "the cutest little building in all of Lake Tahoe! Tucked away in a grove of aspen, it is one of the most serene settings you'll ever experience. The Chapel at Fallen Leaf Lake is only open during the summer for services, although you can stroll by or ride your bike by any time of the year. The surrounding area overflows with charm and nostalgia, and there is a lovely memorial garden with plaques dedicated to loved ones located next to the chapel." Former Bishop Jerry Lamb started a separate area for furry companions with a plaque to his corgi Fauvion.
The Rev. Kent McNair, whose father Edward was bishop suffragan under the Rt. Rev. Clarence Haden, schedules the clergy coverage for the chapel. Bishop McNair convinced the William Price family to deed it to the Diocese of Northern California in 1978; the small but comfortable cabin next to it was named the McNair Manse in honor of him. Behind the cabin is a one-room bunkhouse with four beds. The Church Trail located right behind the chapel leads straight up to Angora Lakes. It is a very steep trail, but the views of Fallen Leaf Lake and Desolation Wilderness are worth the hike.
The chapel has a steady summer attendance for the months it is open, mostly drawn from the community that spends its summers on Fallen Leaf Lake. The only weddings scheduled in the chapel are for people or relatives of people who live there.
To leave a comment with your own tales or remembrances of the chapel,
click here.
The chapel is at
280 Fallen Leaf Lake Road just before Glen Alpine Falls at 6559 feet elevation.
Services are Sundays at 8 and 10 a.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day. All are welcome.
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THE SEARCH FOR OUR NEXT BISHOP
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Applications and Nominations for Bishop Due by July 7
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Bishop Search Consultant Talks Up Our Diocese on East Coast
The search for our next bishop is ranging far and wide. Our consultant, Judy Stark, even distributed flyers promoting our search at the Province IV gathering of 20 dioceses at the Kanuga Conference Center in North Carolina. She shared this video with the Search Committee and it was posted on the EDNC Facebook page as well.
You can view it on
Facebook (even if you do not have an account).
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FROM THE OFFICE OF THE BISHOP
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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.
FYI, the phone number for the Sheraton Hotel in Redding has been fixed on the 2018 Diocesan Convention page. If you printed out your packet before noon on July 18, please make note of the correct number: (530) 364-2800.
Deanery Convocations will be Oct. 20. More information on the times and places will be coming soon.
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A Season of Change for the Office of the Bishop Staff
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.
Her email will remain
[email protected], and her new extension is 916-442-6918, ext. 229.
You may contact Elizabeth for any benefits or accounting related questions.
Anna Wiley,
a student at Vassar College, 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 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 myriad communications and program duties this summer.
Lori Korleski Richardson, Interim Communications Director, will be leaving the Office of the Bishop 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 Richardson, is Interim Dean for Trinity Cathedral beginning June 24, and Lori is looking forward to being an active clergy spouse at the Cathedral, where she has served as clerk and junior warden.
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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
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NEWS AND EVENTS IN AND BEYOND OUR DIOCESE
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Pathways 2018 Begins in Sonoma County Next Week
Pathways, an annual pilgrimage for the youth and young adults of our diocese, will be based at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park this year, June 23-30.
We are very honored to welcome the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, former Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and now assisting bishop in San Diego, to Pathways this summer. Bishop Katharine will join us for two days during Pathways, and she will worship and travel with us during part of our pilgrimage. Since she was a marine scientist before answering her call to ordained ministry, we can't wait to join with her in conversation about faith and science, and to talk more about ways to equip ourselves to be climate ministers, working for environmental justice and reconciliation with our earth.
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. Our visit there will invite us into conversations about immigration in our own families and communities.
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Have You Been Impacted by a Suicide?
All of us may share a sense of sadness and loss with those affected by suicide-victims, friends,
families and communities. The recent suicides in the news have reminded us that we all can play a role in supporting those experiencing a crisis that may lead to harming oneself or others.
Mental health challenges-such as depression, anxiety, psychosis and substance abuse-are
shockingly common in the United States. In fact, more than 1 in 4 American adults will have a mental health problem in any given year. Think about those in your own circles that
have been impacted with these challenges -
then say prayers for them.
To be more prepared to deal with these mental health crises, the Diocesan Partners in Ministries
of Health recommend to you taking a Mental Health First Aid Course. Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour course that teaches you to know how to help someone who is experiencing a mental health or substance-abuse challenge. The training helps identify, understand and
respond to signs of mental illness and addictions. In California, county Behavioral Health
Departments provide these trainings. You can also find a course here.
C
lick on "take a course."
Click here for a mental health tool kit for congregations to address these challenges.
For more information about how your congregation can address mental health and
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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, 2620 Capitol Ave., Sacramento, 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
Launched in 2016, Better Angels is a bipartisan citizen's movement to unify our divided nation. More information is
here.
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Sonoma Parishioner Pens Book of Reflections
"On the Way" is a collection of 100 devotional readings, reminiscent of the Benedictine Lectio Divina. It is intended to stir within the reader some forward movement in their own journey of faith. Its origins lie in the universal longing of humankind for something beyond ourselves, for something once present that has
diminished with the passing of time. This presence now is sensed only fleetingly, yet the longing persists.
The title of the book has a double meaning. "On the Way" refers to author James Rawls' journey of faith, but it also points to the one who leads us on this journey, the one who says: I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
Bishop Barry and his wife, the Rev. Ann Hallisey, wrote the following blurbs, which appeared on the back of the book, published May 2018 by WestBow Press:
"James J. Rawls draws on wisdom from across the ages. Here he shares his ongoing conversation with these many voices within the framework of a deep personal and practical faith. This book is a great gift and blessing!"
The Rt. Rev. Barry L. Beisner, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California
"James Rawls has a capacity for clarity of thought and graceful articulation that the reader will find fully present in these meditations. Savor, consume and digest them. Repeat again and again."
The Rev. L. Ann Hallisey, D.Min., Professional Coach and Organization Consultant, former Dean of Students, Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley.
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Walk with Faith - at Cameron Park Lake on Friday Mornings
Relaxing, nourishing and fun spirit walks with people of faith will continue Friday mornings in June, and in July, the walks will be Thursday evenings at 6:30.
Says the Rev. Sonya Reichel, "We will learn and experience a variety of meditative walks. These practices will help still your mind, calm your body, and refresh your spirit. Each walk will last no more than 45 minutes." Each week stands alone, so come when the spirit moves you! Sorry, no dogs are allowed.
For more information, contact
Rev. Sonya Reichel,
Assistant Rector of Faith Episcopal Church, via email at
[email protected] or via phone at
916-747-0403.
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August EfM Mentor Training in Auburn: Register Soon
The 2018 EfM Mentor Training Session will be at Mercy Center in Auburn, Aug. 1-3.
The diocese offe
rs
both F
ormation and Foundation classes.
If you are training elsewhere this year, ple
ase let
Sally Rooney,
diocesan EfM coordinator, know of any changes in email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers, etc. And 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 available here.
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Trinity Cathedral's Great Hall Packed for Dean Farewell
If you couldn't make it to the farewell party June 10 for the Rev. Andrea Baker and Dean Brian Baker, find a slideshow of the event
here.
More than 350 people attended the gala send-off.
Interim Dean Jim Richardson will start on Sunday, June 24, and will preach at all four services, 7:30, 9 and 11:15 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., on that day.
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From The Episcopal Church
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry recently
signed
an ecumenical and interfaith statement expressing concerns over a recent U.S. government policy "calling for more stringent enforcement of federal immigration laws"; a policy that will likely result in an increase in family separations, they say. He also appeared earlier this week with other faith leaders on MSNBC to protest the separations.
"I really appreciated that Bishop Curry signed the statement ... decrying the separation of families in faith-based terms," said longtime immigration advocate Sarah Lawton, who chairs the House of Deputies' General Convention Social Justice and International Policy Committee and is a lay deputy from the Diocese of California. "I appreciate that he recognized that we, as Christians, as Episcopalians, respect the family as one of the fundamental building blocks of society and recognize that in our own sacraments."
Other news:
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THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Making Disciples, Raising Up Saints & Transforming Communities for Christ
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