In this edition of ENews:
- Remembering Canon Miles Snyder
- Victims of Shooting in Alabama remembered
- Congregations celebrate Pride Month
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Center at St. Matthew's: Forward with Families Campaign Continues
- Disaster Resilience: Helping Disaster Survivors — After a Disaster
- Commission for Intercultural Ministries: Refugee Resettlement Update
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Canon Miles Snyder
Chancellor Emeritus of the Diocese of Northern California
July 23, 1933-June 16, 2022
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Canon Miles Snyder with his late wife,
The Rev. Sharon Ancker
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Please pray for the repose of the soul of Canon Miles Snyder, for his family and his many friends. Miles was a gentle man, loving husband and father, and a dedicated servant to the community, the Church and our diocese.
Bishop John Thompson appointed Miles in 1978 as chancellor of the diocese — the senior legal adviser — a position he held with skill and distinction. His appointment was a “generational contrast with his predecessors,” recalled Charles Mack, who succeeded Miles as chancellor in 2006.
Retired Bishop Jerry Lamb remembered “how generous Miles was with the needs of the Diocese and the leaders of the Diocese. The scale of need did not matter. Miles stepped in to help. I never heard him say no.”
Bishop Lamb added that he “missed his wisdom” after he left the diocese. Bishop Lamb now lives in New Mexico.
Retired Bishop Barry Beisner described Miles as “very diligent, perpetually friendly, and pleasant to work with, with a good sense of humor. He had a relaxed and unpretentious manner, but he was clearly very serious about the work entrusted to him. I was grateful for him.”
Upon Miles’ retirement as chancellor, Bishop Lamb appointed him an honorary canon of the diocese.
Miles earned his law degree from Boalt Hall at the University of California, Berkeley. He and Charles Mack, another Boalt Hall alum, worked together bringing a legal aid society in Yolo County. They eventually joined forces on several legal projects for the diocese. When Mack became chancellor, he recalled, “Miles was very gracious in introducing me around the Chancellors Network.”
Miles was an active member of Trinity Cathedral for many decades, serving as an usher, on vestries, and as a deputy representing the diocese at General Convention. The North doors at Trinity Cathedral are dedicated to Miles’ first wife, Cathy, who died of cancer in 1986. Miles was remarried to the Rev. Sharon Ancker, who died earlier this year of cancer.
Miles had two step-children and two children by his first marriage. Services are pending at Trinity Cathedral.
– The Rev. James Richardson
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The three victims of the shooting at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama:
Jane Pounds, Sharon Yeager and Bart Rainey. [Episcopal News Service]
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Alabama church shooting victims’ act of hospitality became an act of sacrifice, rector says
By Egan Millard | episcopalnewsservice.org
The three victims of a shooting on June 16 at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, “modeled how to live in love,” offering food and companionship to the man accused of killing them, the church’s rector said.“This is what it means to be Christian, to love unconditionally at the ultimate cost,” the Rev. John Burruss told Episcopal News Service on June 21. Bart Rainey, 84, Sharon Yeager, 75, and Jane Pounds, 84, all longtime parishioners, were catching up at a monthly church potluck for people of the baby-boomer generation and older, Burruss said. According to police, they noticed 70-year-old Robert F. Smith sitting alone and invited him to their table, and then Smith pulled out a handgun and shot them.
“Three of the most faithful people kept inviting this member of our community to sit with them and be with them and they loved him,” Burruss said. “And it cost them their life. And there’s not a doubt in my mind that they would do it again.” Rainey had moved farther away from the church because of health issues but still attended either in-person or online every week, Burruss said. Yeager and Pounds were the leaders of the altar guild, and on the day they died, they set the altar for the coming Sunday – the 19th – when the congregation and clergy returned to the church for the usual Sunday Eucharist.
“There’s no other place in the world I’d have rather been,” Burruss told ENS. People came “pouring out of the woodworks” to attend the Sunday service, “just hungry to be together and be in that space.”
Messages of support have been pouring in from around the world ever since Burruss was awoken to the news of the shooting at 3:30 a.m. while in Athens, Greece, where he was leading a pilgrimage at the time. The response, he said, shows “that love and compassion break through the most horrible of circumstances.” Episcopalians from around the Diocese of Alabama and across The Episcopal Church and leaders from Christian, Jewish and Muslim
faith communities in the Birmingham area are among the many who have reached out to offer support, and locals have tied thousands of green ribbons on trees and mailboxes around town as a sign of remembrance and healing, Burruss said.
The parish’s youth group held a vigil in the church on the night of the 19th to pray, to sing and to process the events.” Grief counselors have been available at the church every day since the shooting, and each person who attended the potluck has been assigned an individual counselor, according to Burruss.
The funerals for the three victims will take place at St. Stephen’s on the 22ndand 23rd, and will be livestreamed.
Smith, who has been charged with capital murder, had attended the previous month’s potluck, Burruss told ENS. “He was a newer parishioner – he’d been worshiping with us for six months – and we knew him, we loved him and invited him to be a part of the community,” Burruss said. Parishioners who attended the June 16 potluck said Smith sat alone, drinking from what
appeared to be a small liquor bottle, while everyone else shared food and lighthearted conversation, the Associated Press reported. Susan Sallin, 73, said he had previously attended services and a few other events but seemed “disengaged.” Sallin told the Associated Press she was sitting at the same table as the three victims, and she and others invited Smith to their table, but he refused. “I personally invited him to come and sit at our table twice because I wanted him to feel a sense of inclusion, but he did not come,” she said.
Rainey’s wife, Linda, offered to get him a plate of food, which he also refused, Sallin said. Then he pulled out a handgun and started firing. According to Sallin, another attendee in his 70s grabbed the gun out of Smith’s hand and subdued him, and several other attendees held him down until police arrived.
“The person that subdued the suspect, in my opinion, was a hero,” Vestavia Hills Police Capt. Shane Ware told reporters during a press conference on the 16th, saying that act was “extremely critical in saving lives.” After Bart Rainey was shot, according to a statement provided by the Rainey family to the
Associated Press, Linda Rainey held him and “he died in her arms while she murmured words of comfort and love into his ears.”
Burruss told ENS that he sees a parallel between the church potluck and the last supper of Christ, an analogy he discussed in his sermon on the 19th.
“We are Christians because of an act 2,000 years ago … All of us are wrapped up in this story because someone modeled compassion and love so much that they invited the person that would ultimately betray them to a meal,” he told ENS. Smith had a federal firearms dealer license that expired Jan. 1, as reported by The Trace, a reporting partnership with USA Today that created an interactive database of interactions between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and gun dealers or manufacturers. In 2018, ATF issued Smith a warning letter for not being able to account for missing firearms listed in his inventory, the records show; an in-person inspection had found
Smith had 86 guns on hand, compared to 97 in his official dealer’s record. He was cited for a violation but no further action was taken beyond the warning letter, the records show.
For updates on the tragedy at St. Stephen’s, visit its website.
– Egan Millard is an assistant editor and reporter for Episcopal News Service. He can be reached at emillard@episcopalchurch.org.
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The Center at St. Matthew's |
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How To Donate to the Forward With Families Campaign
We invite you to join us in the Center at St. Matthew’s Forward with Families giving campaign in May and June 2022. Thanks to a generous matching gift from the Rev. Mary Claugus, your donations to the Center will be doubled up to the matching gift amount of $25,000.
To donate online, please visit the diocesan website’s online giving portal at:
norcalepiscopal.org/give/ Click on the red “Give” button and select “The Center at St. Matthew’s” from the drop-down menu. You may enter “in honor of” or “in memory of” your loved ones in the “optional memo” field.
To donate by check, please make your check payable to “Episcopal Diocese of Northern California” and write “Center at St. Matthew’s” in the memo line. You may enclose a note in honor or in memory of your loved ones. Please mail your check directly to the Center at:
The Center at St. Matthew’s | 2300 Edison Ave. | Sacramento, CA 95821-1714
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Congregations Celebrate Pride Month in Style! |
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We want to see how you're celebrating Pride month! If you have photos or video please send them to Maria Ramirez at maria@norcalepiscopal.org
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Top: Epiphany, Vacaville Represents at Pride in the Park '22 in Vacaville on June 12
Middle: Incarnation, Santa Rosa participates in Pride March on June 4
Bottom Left: St. John's Petaluma Deacon, the Rev. Laurie Warren rocks a Pride collar
Bottom Right: The Rev. Mack Olson, Rector of Epiphany, Vacaville sports a Rainbow stole
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Best Skills, Best Churches Announces
2022/2023 Program
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Click here for the schedule and additional information.
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Pride Eucharist at Easter Park
Come and join us for a Pride Eucharist at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, June 22 in Easter Park. We hope to strike a festival feel with a food truck and a great sense of community. This is our opportunity to celebrate the affirming culture of Trinity Cathedral towards the LGBTQ+ community. The service begins at 7:00 pm.
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Mission for Disaster Resilience |
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Helping Disaster Survivors - After a Disaster
By Mark G. Dibelka | Missioner for Disaster Resilience
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When a disaster is happening, I am often inundated with calls from individuals and congregations all asking the same question: “What can I do to help?”
Frequently, the office of the bishop provides immediate assistance in the form of gift cards for groceries, gas, and lodging. Last year, we provided over $50,000 in emergency assistance to victims of disasters throughout the diocese.
What happens after the disaster strikes is when the real work begins. When victims become survivors, the reality of the disaster is laid bare.
Since day one, the Episcopal Church has been supporting survivors of the 2018 Camp Fire, and we will help with more unmet needs of survivors later this week. We are nearing the one-year anniversaries of the Caldor Fire and Dixie Fire, and some survivors are only now able to begin cleaning their properties in hopes of returning home.
Long after the fires are out and first responders are gone, the real work of recovery and rebuilding begins. It is when the need is greatest, and the focus has shifted elsewhere to another need, another disaster. It is that time when we most need to ask “What can I do to help?”.
Project (Re)Start was created by the Office of the Bishop to care for our neighbors who find themselves in this exact position: trying to put their lives back together, without the basic needs to restock a home. In just one year, 11 parishes have stepped up to build 85 (Re)Start bins.
Last week, survivors of the Caldor fire requested 75 (Re)Start bins – 30 kitchen, 30 bedroom, and 15 bathroom. Unfortunately, we do not have enough of the correct bins to fulfill this request, and the bins that will be used must be replenished for the next disaster.
What Can You Do to Help?
- Encourage your congregation to build (Re)Start bins
- Ask other groups in your community (i.e., Rotary, Soroptomists, etc.) to partner with your congregation to build the bins
- Seek grant funding from community foundations or other ministries to help defray the cost to your congregation
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Give to the Bishop’s Disaster Relief Fund
- Continue to support survivors and responders through prayer
Contact Lis Padula, (Re)Start Coordinator, to learn how you can help those who continue to suffer after a disaster. eapadula@gmail.com | (916) 447-0828
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A Word About Non-Official Communications
to Deputies and Bishops
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Senior members of General Convention may recall the daily walk to the houses, where energetic supporters of particular candidates or points of view formed a daily phalanx for the distribution of leaflets, campaign buttons, and newsletters. Before arriving at convention, deputies and bishops would have received related information through the mail (and later, email), as all prepared to make decisions.
Technological, cultural, and privacy law changes began altering these practices some years ago, and the restrictions created in response to the pandemic bring further challenges to distribution of particular points of view.
Nonetheless, advocacy groups may still desire to share their points of view with deputies and bishops. Social media has become a popular way to achieve this, but still may not connect with decision-makers.
Because of the unique challenges of this General Convention, I have decided that the General Convention website will provide a digital space where advocacy groups can share URLs to find their information. A special page has been setup at www.generalconvention.org/advocacy-groups where information will be listed, so that deputies and bishops can be connected to materials you provide and contact you for more information. This special page will also be accessible through the General Convention app, which will be available for attendees later this month.
If you are interested in being listed, please use the form here. Furthermore, your group must agree to be solely responsible for the content. Any submission that is untruthful, which falls short of The Episcopal Church’s commitment to respect for all people, or which may harm the witness and mission of the church will not be allowed.
I regret that so many familiar, and helpful, aspects of past General Conventions have had to give way to the challenges of the pandemic. I know this communication decision will not compensate for the lack of personal interaction we will experience this year, and I hope that it will serve us under these extraordinary circumstances.
With my prayers and best wishes,
The Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe, D.D.
Secretary of the General Convention and Executive Officer
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General Convention Deputies for the
Diocese of Northern California
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CLERGY DEPUTIES
The Rev. Br. Simeon (Lewis) Powell | Clergy Deputy 1 | St. John's, Chico
The Rev. Matt Warren | Clergy Deputy 2 | Christ the King, Quincy
The Rev. Robin Denney | Clergy Deputy 3 | St. Mary's, Napa
The Rev. Canon Cookie Clark | Clergy Deputy 4 | Epiphany, Vacaville
LAY DEPUTIES
Ms. DonnaJo Woollen | Lay Deputy 1 | Emmanuel, Grass Valley
Ms. CeeCee Coleman | Lay Deputy 2 | St. Matthew's, Sacramento
Mr. Peter Juvé | Lay Deputy 3 | St. Mary's, Napa
Mr. Jay Elmquist | Lay Deputy 4 | Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento
ALTERNATES
The Rev. Jim Richardson | Clergy Alternate 1 | Trinity Cathedral
Canon Charles Mack | Lay Alternate 1 | St. Luke's, Woodland
Mr. John Miller | Lay Alternate 2 | All Saints, Sacramento
Ms. Anne Seed | Lay Alternate 3 | St. Paul's, Benicia
Mr. Jerry Paré | Lay Alternate 4 | Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento
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From the Episcopal Foundation |
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$100,000
Foundation Grant Fund –
Applications Due July 1
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The deadline to submit a Foundation Grant Application is July 1, 2022. Grants will be awarded in the month of August.
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June 26, 2022, Third Sunday after Pentecost: Luke 9:51-62
Luke 9:57. I will follow you wherever you go.
Jesus’ response to this enthusiastic declaration, like that he gave to other would-be followers who stated their prior commitments as reasons to hesitate, is that all who would follow him must count the cost of discipleship. Indeed, the whole of Chapter 9 is a call to followers of Jesus to count the cost. This is especially evident in 9:23: If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. And Luke’s addition of the word daily emphasizes that this counting of the cost is not just a momentary calculation, but as one writer has called it, a long obedience in the same direction.
In the early church such a reckoning with what it meant to follow Jesus was taken very seriously, since to be exposed as a follower of Jesus might mean ostracism from the community, suffering or even death. Thus a robust discipline around both baptism and Holy Communion were taken seriously. After Christianity became first licensed and then official after Constantine, summary conversions of whole populations, and the Church’s alignment with the state, people no longer had to calculate the cost of being a Christ follower. Such became the accepted norm. This remains true in many places in our culture today.
But increasingly, as the followers of Christ need to stand over against the prevailing culture, there is growing up a call to a radical Christian discipleship. Once again, as in the early church, we are being challenged to count the cost of being a true follower of Jesus. Perhaps a fresh reading of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship would be a good starting place.
– The Rev. Peter Rodgers
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Commission for Intercultural Ministries |
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Refugee Resettlement Update:
Welcome the Stranger, Love Your Neighbor,
Build the Beloved Community.
As followers of Jesus, we are all called to show up in the world and answer
his call. Standing up for Immigrants and Resettling Refugees is one way we
can do this.
The Diocese’s Refugee Resettlement Team is here to help you with this work. Contact Bob Wohlsen, bob.wohlsen@gmail.com to learn more.
Refugee Resettlement Team | Lynn Zender, Chair
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I Will With God's Help: Journey Toward Racial Healing and Justice Workshop
St. Luke's, Auburn | Saturday, July 23, 2022 | 9:30 am - 4:00 pm
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LGBTQ+ Welcome and Ministry Conversation
Saturday, June 25 | 9:00am - 10:30am
The diocesan Commission for Intercultural Ministries invites you to join us for a planning and dreaming conversation about how we can support churches in our diocese in being welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community, and to dream what ministry opportunities there may be.
For more information contact Miriam Casey, Co-Chair Commission for Intercultural Ministries at norcalcim@gmail.com.
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Job Opportunities Around The Diocese |
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The Office of the Bishop is seeking a Missioner for Church Life.
Full Job description and application information is here:
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St. Clement's | Rancho Cordova is seeking a 3/4 time Priest-in-Charge.
See the position description here.
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St. Paul's | Sacramento is seeking a Music Director.
Read the job announcement here.
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Trinity | Folsom is seeking a Director of Children’s and Youth Ministries (Lay Position).
Read the job announcement here.
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Trinity Cathedral | Sacramento is seeking a Temporary Business Manager.
Read the job announcement here.
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Diocesan Commissions | Committees | Ministries |
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The ENews is published weekly on Tuesdays.
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The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California
Making Disciples, Raising Up Saints & Transforming Communities for Christ
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