August 6, 2024 E-News

August 6, 2024

In this edition of ENews:

Community Responses to Park Fire
Park Fire — Community Prayer at St. John's, Chico
Stewardship Conference Scheduled for August 24
Day of Discernment Registration Now Opened
Diocesan Governing Board Nominations Due August 9
Vote Faithfully Election Engagement

Missioner for Disaster Resilience

Park Fire Local Assistance Center — A Community Response

Tim Tribble with Bri and Don – after gifting with new shoes (not pictured).

The Park Fire started on July 24, 2024, as the result of a criminal act. Since that time, tens of thousands of people have been directly or indirectly impacted by this consuming blaze, due to evacuation, loss, support of the community, or reliving past traumas attached to prior experience. Your church has been walking with the survivors since the morning of July 25^th, 2024.

To date, we have shared over $15,000 in gift cards for food, fuel, sundries, and 75 Project (Re)Start bins. The generosity of our congregations involved in making bins is humbling, and the financial response to this disaster has been truly awesome!

In Chico, Butte County opened a Local Assistance Center to help Park Fire survivors to get their feet back under them. A Local Assistance Center (LAC) is a one stop shop where government agencies can replace documents, and other needed information, the insurance companies can explain how the claim process works from here, legal organizations share what support can be expected from lawyers and courts, and faith based groups provide immediate needs funding and other immediate material needs.

The diocesan table at the LAC has been staffed by volunteers from Chico, Red Bluff, Sacramento, Mt. Shasta, and Cameron Park, and the volunteers have discovered that working with survivors is rewarding beyond measure. Tim Tribble of the Mission at St. Matthew’s, Sacramento, observed a young lady without shoes, so he asked for her size and left the LAC to bring her a new pair of shoes. The young lady was overwhelmed by the gesture and broke down at the table, sharing that she had lost her house in Paradise and then moved to Cohasset with her boyfriend. This family did not lose their home, and they are the only house saved in a large area of destruction – the neighbors gather on their porch and mourn their neighborhood. While we provided almost no assistance to these folks, they took the time to sit with us in a place of safety and shared that we did more for them than the agencies who provided high value resources. Please keep Bri and Don in your prayers as they return home, restock their fridge, and enjoy the new shoes!

We are currently sharing over $2,000 per day at the LAC and we continue to ask for your assistance by way of donations to the bishop’s disaster fund, participation in Project (Re)Start, and volunteering at the LAC to share time with our neighbors.

Give to Disaster Resilience

Around the Diocese

Park Fire — Community Prayer at St. John's, Chico

Wednesday, August 7 | 7:00 pm

An outdoor service of prayer, readings, and songs led by local clergy and spiritual leaders.

(Bring blanket or lawn chairs)

Memorial for Rev. Canon Charlie Poole

The Memorial Eucharist for the Rev. Canon Charlie Poole will be at All Saints' in Redding on Saturday, August 10 at 10:00am. Bishop Megan will preside and the service will feature moderate incense.

The service will be broadcast online: https://www.facebook.com/allsaintsredding/videos/

A reception will follow in Memorial Hall. All are welcome to attend.

Clergy: white stoles

Office of the Bishop

Spaces still available for Stewardship Conference

on Saturday, August 24

Please join us for this year’s Stewardship Congregational Leadership Conference on Saturday, August 24 from 9:00 am–10:00 am. This year’s session will have a special focus on every member canvass resources for your annual stewardship campaigns. We’ll discuss the basics, share resources, and talk about why you should consider an every member canvass to achieve not only your stewardship goals, but how an every member canvass can support your pastoral care efforts as well as help in identifying future goals for your congregation.

To register, go to: https://form.jotform.com/240366571427155

Wondering how your church might reach out in new ways?

New Camino, an innovative in-person workshop led by The Rev. Cn. Anthony Guillen, will help you look at how to use what you have, to connect more successfully with people in your community of Latinx/Hispanic heritage.

No Spanish language skills required.

Please go to:

https://form.jotform.com/242136528921153 to indicate your interest in attending and to receive updates regarding lodging and expenses.

Day of Discernment Registration Now Opened

Saturday, September 7 | 9:00 am – 11:00 am | On Zoom Only

Interested in being a priest, deacon or a member of a religious order? Want to know more about what it’s really like, or family and time commitments?

This is the first step if you are interested in being in the Ordination process. A sponsoring clergy person or Senior Warden must join you. Spouses/partners are encouraged to attend with you.

Registration is free, but requested: https://form.jotform.com/241937308544158

Diocesan Convention

Diocesan Governing Board Nominations Due August 9

We will be electing members to open seats on our two governing boards at our November Diocesan Convention and nominations for these positions are due Friday, August 9.

The positions are:

Standing Committee, lay representative, one seat, four-year term (no clergy seats are open this year)

Board of Trustees, two seats at large, three-year terms, lay or clergy

In addition, three of our deaneries will be electing representatives to the Board of Trustees for three-year terms: Alta California, Central, and Semper Virens. The deans from these regions will convene a caucus of their respective deaneries the morning of convention on Nov. 9.

The Standing Committee has specific canonically-required responsibilities including the approval of ordinations; oversight of property transactions at both diocesan and congregational levels; and serves as the “ecclesiastical authority” in the absence of the bishop.

The Board of Trustees has oversight of the diocesan budget, ministries and programs, serving like a vestry to the bishop.

More information, including nomination forms, can be found here on the diocesan website:

https://www.norcalepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024Governance-Nomination-Instructions-1.pdf

Diocesan Convention Registration is Open

Links to the following documents may be found here:

Call of Convention
Convention Schedule at-a-Glance
House Rules
Governance Nomination Instructions
Resolution Instructions
Keynote Speaker Info
2024 Congregational Range Sheet
Important Convention Dates and Deadlines
Filing Alternate to Delegate Form
Filing Alternate Vacancies Form

Commission for Intercultural Ministry

Vote Faithfully Election Engagement

“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

It’s time to get actively involved in the 2024 Elections. The Campaigns are in high gear, and as you know, there is so much at stake in this year's elections, locally and nationally. What can you do to get involved? Here is the answer - The Episcopal Office of Government Relations has created a Vote Faithfully Election Engagement 2024 Toolkit. In it you will find information, tools, and resource links to enable you 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 - Prepare for Vote Faithfully Sunday, November 3, 2024, including Quotes for thought and communal reflection, Music, Prayer

Voting: A Matter of Faith

Preaching on the Importance of Voting

Thursday, August 8

12:00 pm — 1:00 pm

Webinar

With less than 100 days left until the General Election in November, there is greater focus on the importance of voting.

Interfaith Power and Light, our Carbon Neutral 2030 partner, is offering a webinar that provides helpful guidance and encouragement to faith leaders as they consider preaching on the importance of voting through the lens of faith. Nonpartisan resources will be shared.

For more information about the webinar and to register, go to this link:

https://interfaithpowerandlight.org/event/voting-a-matter-of-faith-preaching-on-the-importance-of-voting/

St. John’s, Roseville, to Begin a New Series of Sacred Ground Dialogue Circles

St. John’s, Roseville, will begin a new series of Sacred Ground Dialogue Circles via Zoom in August 2024. Regular circles and Deeper Dive circles will be offered again. The 11-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories. To learn more, please view this video by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry about the Sacred Ground program.

Last year, St. John’s offered “Deeper Dive” dialogue circles to participants who have already completed Sacred Ground. Two facilitators went through the Deeper Dive materials from the Sacred Ground website for each session and chose those that they believed would spark the best conversations. The sessions followed the same topics for the 11 sessions, but discussions went much deeper. We had two Deeper Dive circles and two regular circles via Zoom. Everyone began and ended together in the same room, and then we were divided into breakout rooms for the circle discussions. Deeper Dive participants were very positive about the experience.

This series will be held via Zoom so that all may participate, regardless of distance and circumstances. We have found it works best to space the sessions at least two weeks apart to allow time for participants to complete the work in between sessions.

The sessions are from 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm and are scheduled for:

August 14, 28
September 11, 25
October 9, 23
November 13
December 11
January 8, 22, 2025
February 1, 2025

Please contact Diane Williamson, dianewilliamson864@gmail.com,

or 916-300-6384 for more information or to sign up.

This workshop meets the requirement for licensing for Lay Eucharistic Ministers, Lay Eucharistic Visitors, and unlicensed lay leaders (such as vestry members and ministry leads) in the Diocese. Other lay licensed ministries need to take Sacred Ground to meet Diocesan licensing requirements.

All Classes are on Saturdays from 9:30am – 4:30 pm

Saturday, September 14 | Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento

Registration deadline: September 7

For questions, contact Diane Williamson, dianewilliamson864@gmail.com

Saturday, October 19 | St. Paul’s, Healdsburg

Registration deadline: October 12

For questions, contact Miriam Casey, edncbbc@gmail.com

Commission on the Environment

Save the Date - Carbon Neutral 2030 Action Plan Workshop

Saturday, September 7

10:00 am to 12:30 pm

On Zoom

The Fearless Faith Post Revival Committee and the Commission on the Environment will present a nuts and bolts Zoom webinar providing:

How-to guidance to prepare your church’s Action Plan to be Carbon Neutral by 2030
Stories from diocesan churches about creating their plan and implementing energy efficiency recommendations
Info on technical resources and funding for designing and financing energy efficiency projects

The Agenda and Zoom info for the webinar will be posted in August.

Hope to see you there!

For more information and questions, contact - bob.wohlsen@gmail.com

What is the Season of Creation?

The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment together. During the Season of Creation, we join our sisters and brothers in the ecumenical family in prayer and action for our common home. The season starts September 1 – the Day of Prayer for Creation, and ends October 4 – the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology beloved by many Christian denominations. Throughout the month-long celebration, the world’s 2.2 billion Christians come together to care for our common home.

How can I learn more about The Season of Creation?

Creation Justice Ministries in partnership with One Home, One Future, a coalition effort of US faith denominations (including The Episcopal Church) and organizations for visible and collective creation care and climate action by faith leaders, will be hosting a webinar (on August 1 at 6 pm Eastern) to introduce the Season of Creation and show efforts that churches and denominations are making to celebrate the season as a central part of the liturgical calendar. Also, the Faith and Climate resource, produced by the SALT Project, will be highlighted to use as a possible guide throughout the season.”

For more information about the Season of Creation and to register for the

webinar, go to this link.

Upcoming Events around the Diocese

Job Openings in The Diocese

The Office of the Bishop is seeking a Missioner for Communications

View Job Description here.

The Trinity Cathedral Choir of Sacramento is looking for a new Soprano Choral Scholar for the 2024-25 season. The choral scholar acts as a paid section leader and soloist under the supervision of the Canon Precentor & Director of Music.

More information can be found here: https://sierracanon.wordpress.com/2024/07/09/trinity-cathedral-choir-seeing-a-new-soprano-choral-scholar/

Clergy Openings in The Diocese