The Episcopal Diocese 

of Northern California

Beloved Community

Resource Newsletter

Published by

The Commission for

Intercultural Ministries

March 2024 

Episcopal Church Becoming Beloved Community

Newsletter Highlights:

• Bishop Megan and Canon Stephanie Spellers Invite You to the Fearless Faith Revival!
• I Will, With God's Help: Journey Toward Racial Healing and Justice - Registration Now Open
• Racial Justice Audit Update
• Shireen Miles Honored at Sac/ACT's Annual Fundraising Event for her Leadership in Providing Assistance to 36 Migrants
• Seeds of Justice Reading and Reflection Group - Church of St. Martin, Davis
• Commission on the Environment - Upcoming Events for Spring
• Ten More Churches in the Diocese Assessed for Energy Efficiency - Key Step to Achieve Carbon Neutrality by 20230
• Election Engagement Workshop Webinar - Tuesday, April 2, 7 pm

Reflecting on Women's History Month, it's pivotal to recognize and honor the indispensable role of women in the church and their enduring contribution to building the Beloved Community—a vision of society rooted in justice, peace, and love, as espoused by figures like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. This reflection not only celebrates women's contributions but also seeks to illuminate their historical presence and influence in the early church, underscoring the foundational role they have played since Christianity's inception.

From the outset, women have been central to the Christian tradition. The New Testament documents several instances where women were integral to Jesus' ministry. Mary Magdalene, often recognized as the "apostle to the apostles," was the first to witness and proclaim the resurrection of Jesus. Other notable figures include Lydia of Thyatira, a successful businesswoman who became the first European convert and hosted a church in her home; and Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae, who is commended by Paul in his letter to the Romans for her support and leadership within the early Christian community.

At the time when women were first ordained in the Episcopal Church, it was considered the most critical event in the denomination’s history since its founding by English King Henry VIII when he broke away from Catholicism.

Women’s equality in the church had been building for decades. In 1970, women were first seated as voting deputies at the General Convention, but when they raised the issue of women’s ordination, it was narrowly defeated. A male priest’s belittling comment that the women deputies were “bringing something the House needed desperately for a long time, some beauty,” wasn’t auspicious for overturning entrenched attitudes.

However, in 1973, when the issue was again voted down, it lost by a larger margin than in 1970. Carter Heyward, the unofficial leader of the group, recognized that after this stinging loss, something dramatic needed to be done “to crack this thing open.” Fed up with what was perceived as male bias (the church had already said there was nothing in the Bible that forbade female priests), 11 women who were deacons, in an act of civil disobedience, risking rejection by the church they loved, presented themselves as ready for ordination to the priesthood in violation of canonical law and tradition.

January 25 marked the 80th anniversary of the day that Florence Li Tim-Oi became the first woman ordained to the priesthood in the Anglican Communion. Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London both marked the date with special services. Further commemoration will follow in February and May.

“Li Tim-Oi’s call to the priesthood and life of ministry can teach us three things,” the Rev. Dr. Paula Nesbitt preached at Grace Cathedral. “First, a divine call is to serve God’s purpose, not our own. Second, a call is personal, but not solitary — Bishop Hall of Hong Kong first had to be called so that Tim-Oi could answer her own call. Third, a call often involves suffering.”

Sister Ellen Francis Poisson wrote this icon of the Rev. Dr. Florence Li Tim-Oi for St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London. | Andy Scott/Wikipedia

In our polarized and often poisonous politics, it can be challenging to even talk to someone who has different beliefs. Our relationships are strained, loving our neighbor feels impossible and we’ve lost a sense of empathy for each other. Together with Wesley Theological Seminary and the Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University, the Cathedral will explore how to repair the breaches in our civic life. You’re invited to join us in-person or online for this special forum.

Republican Gov. Spencer Cox (Utah) and Democratic Gov. Wes Moore (Maryland) will dig into Gov. Cox’s initiative to “Disagree Better,” followed by a conversation of leaders, including ABC’s Donna Brazile, attorney Rachel Brand, legal scholar Ruth Okediji, and activist Tim Shriver, who are trying to model a new kind of politics. Columnist Peter Wehner will join Joshua DuBois, Director of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships for the Obama Administration, to uncover how to aim higher and do better.

As the influence of Christian Nationalism has grown in recent years, so has awareness of the threat this toxic ideology poses to democratic and religious freedoms. In a country facing deep division, many wonder how we respond to Christian Nationalism through our unique Episcopal witness.

Join Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice and Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, Interim Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School in an online discussion of some historical, theological, and biblical underpinnings of White Christian Nationalism and practical, pastoral and prophetic responses to it.

Becoming Beloved Community Where YOU Are

Presenter: The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers

Saturday, April 27, 2024, 2:30-3:30 pm

St. John's, Roseville

In this practical and inspiring workshop, Canon Stephanie Spellers will help participants to grow urgency and confidence around dismantling racism in The Episcopal Church and in Northern California. She will highlight efforts like Sacred Ground, From Many, One dialogues across difference, and local Truth-telling and Reckoning initiatives that have stirred Episcopalians to discern and act on God’s call to transformation and healing.

MEET THE PRESENTER

The Reverend Canon Stephanie Spellers is one of the Episcopal Church's leading thinkers around 21st-century ministry and mission. She is a priest, author, speaker, and friend who currently serves as the Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism, Reconciliation, and Creation Care.

[Editor's Note: Canon Spellers is author of the book, The Church Cracked Open - Disruption, Decline, and New Hope for Beloved Community. "This book will make a profound difference for the church in this moment in history." - The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.]

Keeping Track of Sacred Ground

Are you forming a Sacred Ground Circle? Let the Commission for Intercultural Ministries know by registering it here: https://forms.gle/hriHCPKmLwjUHEyEA

Are you interested in joining a Sacred Ground Circle? Sign up here: https://forms.gle/G26EPxDzEFSpnsZW7

Racial Justice Audit Update

The Racial Justice Audit survey for churches in the diocese is in the final stage of review before distribution. The Mission Institute will send invitations to selected individuals throughout the diocese to take the survey.  Due to many churches preparing for Easter services, the survey will be distributed during the week after Easter. 

Findings and recommendations of the first year of the Racial Justice Audit of diocesan leadership were discussed at the webinar held on Thursday, February 1st, in addition to moving forward into Year 2. Consultants from the Mission Institute were present and responded to questions about the audit.

Please contact Lynn Zender, zenderlynn@gmail.com, or Jo Ann Williams, bjwilli@surewest.net, for questions.

Click on the link below to view the recording of the webinar.

The Episcopal Church champions and advocates for humane policy towards migrants because of our belief that every human being is a child of God and must be treated with dignity. The Church has advocated for comprehensive immigration reform as an essential part of our call to love our neighbor as ourselves. Episcopal Migration Ministries, a vital ministry of The Episcopal Church, has helped welcome and resettle more than 105,000 refugees and other migrants. Many dioceses, parishes, and Episcopal networks provide resources, support, and care for asylum seekers, undocumented immigrants, refugees, and other migrant communities.  

Despite the advocacy of religious communities and institutions, human rights organizations, the business community, and others, Congress has not enacted meaningful immigration reform since 1986. Attempts at compromise have failed again and again, including in February 2024, while the status quo has become increasingly untenable.  

While some of the proposed policy changes in the recent bipartisan border bill were not in line with the policy positions laid out by General Convention, the Office of Government Relations applauds the sincere effort to address one of the most challenging and politically fraught policy issues during a period of historic polarization in the U.S. Congress.

Shireen Miles, Trinity Cathedral member, was honored on Sunday “for her unwavering commitment to supporting our new neighbors since their arrival in June,” at the Sacramento Area Congregations Together (Sac/ACT) annual fundraising event. 

Gabby Trejo, Executive Director, Sac/ACT, cited Shireen for answering her call and leading the team from Trinity and the community to provide the 36 migrants, who were dropped off in Sacramento last summer, with vital services and resources including access to medical and dental care and legal assistance, transportation, including bicycles, transit passes and orientation, day jobs, and accompaniment during this very challenging time of transition. Shireen even had the joy of being asked to be a witness at a migrant couple’s wedding.

Shireen and her team are active members of the Refugee Resettlement team of the Commission for Intercultural Ministries. They are currently assisting three Afghan refugee families in the Sacramento area. 

Rabbi Mona and Congregation B’Nai Israel were also honored “for their outstanding leadership during this year's migrant arrival crisis” that included housing for the migrants. The sold-out event was held at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento.

Migrants wait to be processed after crossing the border with Mexico, near Jacumba Hot Springs, Calif., last month.Gregory Bull / AP

A majority of Latinos agree there is trouble on the U.S.-Mexico border, but Latinos overall are less likely than other Americans to see more deportations and more border wall as effective responses, a Pew Research Center survey has found.

Pew's analysis released Monday found that about three-quarters of Latinos surveyed view the increasing number of migrants seeking to cross the U.S.-Mexico border as a major problem or crisis. Roughly the same share believe the federal government is doing a bad job of handling it.

About two-thirds of Latinos said speeding up asylum decisions by increasing judges and staff would ease the problem, while 58% saw creating more ways to legally migrate as a tool for resolution.

But just a third of Hispanics backed increasing deportations of people in the country illegally and only around a quarter saw substantially expanding a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border as a way to handle it.

The Seeds of Justice learning community started in 2021 as a project of the Episcopal Church of St. Martin to study the backgrounds for establishing land-based ministry in Yolo County; that is, an approach to ministry that considers the land, including its history, uses, original inhabitants, ecosystem health, and environmental threats, to be a key component of the church’s mission. To learn about these subjects, we have in the past two years hosted lively conversations with Native Californian cultural practitioners, historians, and professors: Diana Almendariz, Melissa Moreno, Melinda Adams, Beth Rose Middleton Manning, John Liu, and Alan Taylor.

This year, we are partnering with YoloSol, a cultural arts and ecology collective, to reflect on the book Know We Are Here, edited by Terria Smith, a tribal member of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. M. Kat Anderson, author of Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California's Natural Resources, calls this book: “An essential resource to learn about the many trials and triumphs of the indigenous people of California who rise to revitalize their cultures, tell their true histories, and honor their ancestors through retelling stories that keep them remembered in these landscapes. Their love of the land, their culture and the pride in their history shine through.” 

We will meet once a month on Tuesdays from 6:30-8pm at St. Martin's Episcopal Church to reflect on how these stories shape our understanding of the Native Californian past, shed light on our current climate crisis, and might suggest pathways to a restorative future for the web of life here in the Yolo bioregion. (You can borrow or purchase a copy of the book from the Church of St. Martin, order from one of our local bookstores, or purchase it online, preferably directly from Heyday Books https://heydaybooks.com/catalog/know-we-are-here.) Discussions will focus on three sections of the book, which we would ask you to read before each in-person meeting:

March 26 - Histories of Resistance 

April 9 - Place, Nature, and Wellness 

May 7 - Solidarity 

Please RSVP St. Martin’s (info@churchofstmartin.org) if you are interested in participating.

Sponsored in part by the City of Davis Arts and Cultural Affairs Program and Episcopal Community Services. We look forward to sharing reflection about these readings!

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced Wednesday that the National Park Service is launching an initiative with Native American tribes to tell “a more complete story of American history” at the country’s 428 national park sites.

“I want to talk about how we tell our stories,” Haaland, who is the first Indigenous U.S. Cabinet secretary, said in remarks at the White House Tribal Nations Summit.

“There are parts of our history that are painful, but they do not define us,” she said. “We define ourselves by the world we collectively build for current and future generations. It is up to all of us to tell our stories. And not just the stories of the bad times — but of those that we celebrate. Those that show our resilience, our strength and our contributions.”

Pow Wows in California | California Powwow Calendar

The California Pow Wow Calendar has all the details you need to plan your next trip. Our Native American event calendar is provided to you by PowWows.com. Check back often for updated powwow information. We add and edit details of events every day. Please be sure to check with the committee for the event for specific details.

Upcoming Events for Spring

The Climate Center Lobby Day | March 20, Sacramento

This event gives us an opportunity to meet with our elected state assembly-persons and senators to advocate for state policies that will support the environment and eco justice. Click here for more information and to register.



Earth Day 2024 | April 22

The Episcopal Church website provides information about:

• Liturgical resources for honoring God in Creation,
• A toolkit from Creation Justice Ministries titled Plastic Jesus: Real Faith in a Synthetic World
• Faith Climate Action Week from Interfaith Power and Light, Living the Golden Rule: Just Transition to a Clean Energy Economy

Click here to visit The Episcopal Church Creation Care webpage.

Fearless Faith Revival | April 27 | St. John’s, Roseville

There will be an immersive exhibit provided by the Commission on the Environment and the Commission for Intercultural Ministries. The exhibit will feature stories from the Season of Courage: Here I Am, Lord, and an invitation to pray for courage, to build the Beloved Community, and to heal the environment. Click here for information about the Revival.

Episcopal Resources for Rogation Sunday | May 5

Liturgical Materials for Honoring God in Creation.These resources come from the 78th General Convention. They include propers, prayers, and other worship resources. Here is a link to the webpage.

Contact Miriam Casey (ednccoe@gmail.com) for more information.

1.St. Michael's, Carmichael; 2. Christ Church, Eureka; 3. Emmanuel, Grass Valley; 4. St. Luke's, Auburn; 5. St. Luke's, Galt; 6. St. Stephen's, Sebastopol; 7. St. Augustine, Rocklin; 8. St. George, Carmichael; 9. St. Paul's, Healdsburg

The Commission on the Environment (COE) is happy to announce that 10 additional churches were assessed for their energy efficiency by Colby May, Energy for Purpose energy efficiency expert, in February. These churches - St. Paul’s, Healdsburg, St Stephen’s, Sebastopol, St Luke’s, Galt, Emmanuel, Grass Valley, St Luke’s, Auburn, St Augustine, Rocklin, St Michael’s, Carmichael, St George’s, Carmichael, Epiphany, Vacaville, and Christ, Eureka - join 26 others that were assessed in 2023. The results of the assessment and recommendations to improve energy efficiency are detailed in the subsequent assessment report. This information enables church green teams to develop a master action plan to reduce their use of fossil fuels and achieve carbon neutrality on their campus. Areas addressed include lighting, HVAC equipment and controls, operating policies and procedures, the building envelope, hot water heaters, and kitchen equipment.

In 2003 he became the first openly gay bishop in all of Christendom, when the Episcopal Church consecrated Gene Robinson the 9th bishop of New Hampshire. Death threats followed, but so did a shift in the relationship between the LGBTQ community and the church. "Sunday Morning" senior contributor Ted Koppel talks with Bishop Robinson about his quest to live an authentic life; and with other gay bishops serving today whom Robinson calls his legacy.

There are many good books on racism but few notable works that have as their focus the turmoil in the Episcopal Church as it lumbered toward integration. Justified By Her Children: Deeds of Courage Confronting a Tradition of Racism recounts the brave deeds of little known men, women and young people coming into conflict with the evils of racial segregation in the church.

In easy to read, clear and concise terms, Justified takes the reader through the story of life in the community and church as it was, exposing the tradition of racism in Virginia from the colonial enslavers to the massive resistance of  Virginia segregationist of the 1950s.  Justified by Her Children is ultimately a story of grace and forgiveness, but not before it wends its way through the trial and execution of the African American “Martinsville Seven,” past the whispers about the sexual orientation of the young, single priest, and a congregation in conflict over letting its white children eat a box supper with black children at a church mission event to benefit hungry brown children.

The CIM Advocacy Team will present a webinar for clergy and lay leaders on April 2 at 7 pm to go over the Vote Faithfully Election Engagement 2024 Toolkit.

“It is a Christian obligation to vote, and more than that, it is the church’s responsibility to help get souls to the polls.” - Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

There is so much at stake in this year's elections, locally and nationally.  The Episcopal Church has long stood for voting rights and secure elections. The church’s Office of Government Relations (OGR), in partnership with other faith based organizations, has created an excellent tool to facilitate you and your church’s efforts to encourage and enable all eligible residents in your community to vote. 

The Vote Faithfully Election Engagement 2024 Toolkit  includes resources to:

●    Help Run Elections

●    Register voters

●    Mobilize - Help your community members access polling stations on Election Day

●    Communicate - Use common church platforms for quick and easy communication to encourage your community to get out the vote

●    Advocate for voting rights

●    Plus - Resources for Vote Faithfully Sunday, November 3, 2024 - Quotes for thought and communal reflection, Music, Prayers

I urge you to attend and learn how you can lead your church to be an active participant in this year's elections.

“Participating in our country’s political life isn’t just about casting our own vote – it requires working together so we can all vote and vote faithfully. There are many ways to get involved – from participating ourselves to supporting others in our congregations and communities. We can all play a role in getting “souls to the polls!” - OGR

Let’s get started, today!!

Bob Wohlsen - bob.wohlsen@gmail.com

Advocacy Team Chair

Commission for Intercultural Ministries

Episcopal Diocese of Northern California

Over the past few years, Haiti has faced substantial political, economic, and humanitarian crises, as well as crises within the Episcopal diocese. The past few days have brought this into sharp relief with violence, instability, and food insecurity escalating. 

What is happening with political leadership? 

Haiti has been in a governance crisis for several years, accelerated by the assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. The international community, including the United States, recognized Ariel Henry as prime minister following the assassination, though he had limited domestic support and legitimacy. Unable and unwilling to hold elections, he has remained in power for nearly three years, and on February 7, 2024, he failed to follow through on yet another commitment to leave office. At present, there is no functioning parliament.

Earlier this month, Henry was unable to return to Port-au-Prince following a trip to Kenya when gangs surrounded major airports and commercial flights were cancelled; he has remained outside of Haiti since then. This week during a Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) meeting, Henry announced that he will resign once a presidential transition council is established.

What is the current state of the Diocese of Haiti? 

Since the resignation of Bishop Duracin in 2017, the diocese has not been led by a bishop, and per Episcopal Church canons, ecclesiastical authority rests with the standing committee. However, over the past several years, internal dynamics have resulted in different standing committees each claiming legitimacy. Efforts through the Office of Pastoral Development continue toward a legitimate election of a bishop diocesan and resolution of the leadership struggles between the two competing standing committees. Over the past several years, there have been allegations of arms trafficking and corruption, including against some members of the diocese.

General Convention Legislative Committee Meetings have started. Here is the schedule and information on how to register and attend the meeting to testify or observe.

• Call for a Ceasefire Now
• Stop Illegal Deforestation Now

For more information, contact Bob Wohlsen, Advocacy Team Chair, bob.wohlsen@gmail.com.

The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California

The Commission for Intercultural Ministries

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