News for the week of June 4, 2019
St. Luke's, Woodland, adds labyrinth to church grounds
St. Luke's, Woodland, has added a beautiful labyrinth to their church! The construction took place May 24-28, with the help of many church members and volunteers. The labyrinth is the only one in the city of Woodland. St. Luke's shared an article entitled "12 reasons to have a church labyrinth," available to read here.

The labyrinth received local news coverage by the Daily Democrat; read the article here .
CONSECRATION NEWS
RSVP closed June 3; live-stream of Consecration will be available
We are no longer accepting RSVPs for the Consecration of the Rev. Canon Megan M. Traquair, June 29, 2019.

If you wish to update your RSVP, please contact Michelle Karimi at [email protected] or 916-283-8215.

We are pleased to share that we will be live-streaming the consecration. We will share the link on the Bishop Search website as soon as we have it.
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.

Two gifts that will be presented to the Bishop Elect are the gifts of water and oil. The gift of water is to symbolize our baptism. The water to be presented was lovingly collected from across our diocese under the supervision of our Deans. Each deanery identified significant water sources and water was collected, combined and purified for the gift.  

The oil presented as a gift is a symbol of healing. It was locally sourced in the diocese and will be presented by a representative of the Order of St. Luke and the Sacred Order of Deacons, both of which are sources of healing.

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
Office of the Bishop staff change; accounting and benefits position open
We are saddened to say that our Benefits Coordinator and Accounting Specialist, Elizabeth Vang, has accepted another job position. Elizabeth has been on our staff for over three years, and she will be missed. Her last day will be Friday, June 7.

Please send any accounting or benefits questions to [email protected].

Due to Elizabeth's departure, we are now hiring an Benefits Coordinator and Accounting Specialist. Learn more about the position and apply here.
Bishop's visitation schedule 
Bishop Barry's last official visitation is June 9 at Emmanuel, Grass Valley.
NEWS AND EVENTS IN AND BEYOND OUR DIOCESE
Bishop Barry Celebrations: June 7 and June 15
We will be celebrating Bishop Barry Beisner on the dates below. The deadline to register for these free events has passed. See you there!

Friday, June 7, 5:30 - 8 p.m.
Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento
Child care will be provided.

Saturday, June 15, 1:30 - 4 p.m.  
All Saints, Redding
Ordinations: June 8 at the Cathedral
On 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.
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.
From the wider church
The Rev. Lucinda Ashby, Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of Idaho since 2011, was elected June 1 to be the fourth bishop of the San Jose, California-based Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real. She was raised up and ordained in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California and has worked in our diocese as assistant rector at St. Martin’s in Davis and then rector at St. Matthew’s in Sacramento. Read more here .
The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan announced June 1 the election of the Rev. Bonnie A. Perry, rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Chicago, as its 11th bishop diocesan. Perry is the first woman and first openly gay priest to be elected bishop since the diocese was formed in 1836. This also marked the first time in the the diocese that the candidates were comprised entirely of women. Read more here.
In addition, Kathryn McCrossen Ryan, former canon to the ordinary for the Diocese of Texas, was consecrated bishop suffragan in Westover Hills Church of Christ in Austin on June 1. Ryan was elected at the 170th Diocesan Council at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott on Feb. 22. Read more here .

More news from the Episcopal News Service are available here .