February 28, 2023 E-News

February 28, 2023

In this edition of ENews:

St. Paul's Offers Ashes to Go
Vestry/Mission Committee Essentials - March 4 Workshop still open
Lenten Book Study Starts Tomorrow
Episcopal Community Services 2023-2024 Grant Cycle Begins

Around the Diocese

St. Paul's Sacramento Offers Ashes to Go

The Very Rev. Rick Rasmussen and folks from St. Pauls, Sacramento took ashes to the streets of Midtown Sacramento on Ash Wednesday. Turns out, many of the recipients were students on their way to take the Bar Exam!

Office of the Bishop

REGISTRATION CLOSES THURSDAY

Vestry/Mission Committee Essentials: Tools for

New and Seasoned Members

Saturday, March 4 | 10:00 am – 1:00 pm | On Zoom

Join Bishop Megan and key members of the Office of the Bishop staff to network with vestry members from around the diocese. Participants will learn crucial information about the basics and nuances of vestry service, including running effective meetings, personnel best practices, and more.

Participants will have the opportunity to meet in smaller breakout sessions which address specific topics. These will be recorded for viewing later.

Workshop 1: What Every Vestry/Mission Committee Member Should Know

Rules and Responsibilities that apply to all vestry/mission committee members
What are the canonical and fiduciary responsibilities of serving on the vestry/mission committee?

Workshop Leaders: Julie Wakelee | Canon to the Ordinary, Kati Braak | Director of Operations, John Nykamp | Diocesan Treasurer

Workshop 2: Pastoral and Spiritual Leadership

The care and keeping of church volunteers, lay staff, and clergy
Spiritual Growth for leaders

Workshop Leader: Bishop Megan Traquair

Workshop 3: HR basics, Legal and Financial Matters

What you should know about hiring, firing, policies, property taxes, insurance…
Essential updates in employment law

Workshop Leaders: Kati Braak | Director of Operations, John Nykamp | Diocesan Treasurer, Michelle Karimi | Executive Staff Support

Workshop 4: Effective meetings and Communications

Best practices for running effective meetings; recording and reporting
Communicating your work to the congregation

Workshop Leader: Julie Wakelee | Canon to the Ordinary

Questions? michelle@norcalepiscopal.org

Faith Formation for the Post-Pandemic Church

Thank you to everyone who participated in this past Saturday’s Congregation Leadership Conference on Faith Formation for the Post-Pandemic Church. In our session, we discussed the latest tools, trends and resources for faith formation, as well as resources for Vacation Bible Schools.

Those who registered for the conference will soon receive an email with a link to the recording of the session, as well as the PowerPoint slides. These resources will also be made available to the wider diocese at a later date.

Missioner for Church Life

Welcome to the Evangelism Zone

TryTank will be launching a new newsletter in March: Evangelism Zone!

It is a free resource for congregations looking to invite new people.

Why it matters: In net numbers, the Episcopal Church would stop declining and be a growing denomination if each congregation added one new member per month!

The newsletter will come out each week with one quick, actionable evangelism tip.
Past tips will also be kept on the Evangelism.Zone website.

TryTank Experimental Laboratory is a lab for church growth and innovation. It is a joint project between Virginia Theological Seminary and the General Theological Seminary. TryTank offers inventive approaches to the challenges facing the Episcopal Church.

2023 TENS Stewardship Information

Our diocese is a member of TENS, the Episcopal Network for Stewardship, and the 2023 campaign materials, Rooted in Abundance, will be available soon.

To access this resource, please email Mack@norcalepiscopal.org for the login information. Also, as part of the diocese, you can access TENS webinars.

Throughout the year, TENS provides training for vestries, stewardship committees, dioceses, and provinces to help prepare lay and clergy stewardship leaders for pledge campaigns and to talk about year-round stewardship. To learn more, go to: https://www.tens.org/webinars-events/tens-webinars/

Lenten Book Study Starts Tomorrow

It's not too late to register for the Lenten study of Amy-Jill Levine’s Entering the Passion of Jesus. Join Canon to the Ordinary Julie Wakelee and Missioner for Church Life Mack Olson for a diocesan-wide Lent 2023 book study. We’ll gather each of the Five Wednesdays in March from 7-8pm on Zoom.

Click HERE to register.

Summer Camp Opportunities

Updated Summer Camp information is available on the diocesan website here. You will find links to learn more about the Pathways Youth Pilgrimage, Camp Living Waters, as well as this summer’s camp opportunities at Camp Galilee, The Bishop’s Ranch, and St. Dorothy’s Rest.

The link to the 2023 Camper Scholarship request form can be found here as well. If you have any questions, contact the Rev. Mack Olson, Missioner for Church Life: Mack@norcalepiscopal.org

From the Wider Church

Holy Hands for Holy Work

A Seminar for Altar Guilds

Hosted by Province VIII of the Episcopal Church

Saturday March 4, 2023

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm PST

On Zoom

Theology of the Ministry of the Altar Guild and Floral Arrangements in the Sanctuary

Please email Sarah Chesebro if you would like to attend sarahchesebro@gmail.com

St. James Music Press will award a grant to a church starting or revitalizing a music program.

The purpose of this grant is to support new choir programs or established music ministries that are adding a new element by offering resources and professional support.

Elements awarded in the grant include -

Complimentary 1-Year Membership to St. James Music Press
$1000 - To support ministry needs
Quarterly program consultations with SJMP colleagues meant to help recipients maximize their SJMP membership, discuss program challenges, and celebrate/build upon program successes.

Applications must be submitted by June 30th, 2023.

For complete details, visit: www.sjmp.com/grants

Trinity Cathedral

A Healing Season

Thursdays at 6:30 pm | March 2 to April 6

Limited to 12 participants

A Healing Season is a five week devotional study that covers four healings and provides the basis for a more in-depth study of the ministry of healing and OSL. Each miracle is presented as it was recorded in the Bible, including a reference to the book, chapter and verse.

We come together online to discuss the readings, pray for one another and apply what we learn. Each week we find a new depth of understanding as we share our questions.

The study guide can be found here.

Questions? Call or email Elba White 916 684 4015 (land line) Elbawhite@yahoo.com

Episcopal Community Services

Episcopal Community Services of Northern California 2023-2024 Annual Grant Cycle Begins

ECS is pleased to announce that the 2023-2024 Annual Grant Cycle has begun!

Episcopal congregations throughout the Diocese of Northern California can apply for a number of grants, including:

The Ministry Development Fund (1 year)
The Warren Dunning Memorial Social Justice Grant (3 years)
The Barry L. Beisner Multi-Year Grant (up to 5 years)
The Bishop Jerry and Jane Lamb Grant (youth/young adults)
The Healing and Health Ministries Mini-Grants
The Rev. David & Catherine Cavanaugh Memorial Grant (1 year, with option for 2 renewals)

Information about each of these grant opportunities can be found on the ECS website, www.norcalecs.org.

Letters of interest for these grants are recommended, but are not mandatory. Information about Letters of Interest are also found on the ECS website. Letters of Interest are due to Betty Harrison-Smith, Grants Chair, by March 15, 2023 (bettyharrisonsmith@gmail.com).

The actual request for funding (Request for Proposals, or RFP) is due to the Grants Chair by May 1, 2023. The Request for Proposals document can also be found on the ECS website.

Stay tuned for Episcopal Community Foundation Grants announcement coming in May!

Commission on the Environment

Grace, Wheatland upgrade saves Energy… and money

– Martin Heatlie | Jr. Warden

At the 2022 Convention in Redding, Resolution R1-22, with the goal to reduce carbon consumption for all churches within the Diocese, was approved. This article will describe what Grace Episcopal Church in Wheatland has done to help achieve this goal.

In February 2023, after receiving a significantly higher utility bill, we added a timer to the thermostat circuit for the church's office and gathering areas.

Before we installed the timer, the first person arriving would slide the thermostat’s system switch from Off to Cool or Heat. With the thermostat already set to a comfortable temperature, this turned on either the gas heater or the electric AC. Fortunately, it does not take long for the temperature in these areas to reach the desired temperature.

When the use of the areas was over, the switch was supposed to be moved to the Off position. It rarely happened, but sometimes the switch remained in either the Cool or Heat position. When that happened, the areas were heated or cooled 24/7 for days at a time with nobody there, resulting in a much higher utility bill.

Timers are available for less than $20. A member of our congregation, Ryan Nelson, eagerly accepted the challenge of purchasing and installing the timer. It took him only about an hour to install. The timer worked perfectly the first time it was used. By eliminating the chance of failing to turn the thermostat off just one time will more than pay for the cost of the timer. In the photo, Ryan is pointing to his handywork. Ryan is willing to assist other churches within the Diocese that may want to install this energy saving device.

Commission for Intercultural Ministries

Afghan Family welcomed by Trinity Cathedral community resettlement team

Wesal and Muzhgan Noori and their 4 children, ages 18 months to 8, were all smiles late last Wednesday evening as they were met at Sacramento Airport by Shireen Miles and Michele Chouinard, Trinity Cathedral members. They arrived just after midnight, with 4 very, very tuckered kids after an international flight of more than 24 hours. Thanks to donations from church and community members, car seats were available in the pick up van and warm bedding and toys & games were waiting for the family at their temporary home. The team also received $300 in Target gift cards, so the family can pick up necessities.

Shireen leads a resettlement team made up of Trinity and community members who are coordinating their efforts with Wesal’s cousin, who lives in Sacramento, and Lao Family Community Development, the official state department resettlement agency assigned to resettle the family.

More volunteers and donors are needed to help the family start a brand new life here. For more information and to volunteer or donate contact Shireen - shireenmiles@comcast.net

More News

Job Opportunities Around The Diocese

Saint Luke’s | Auburn is seeking a part-time Parish Mission Coordinator to assist the Clergy, Vestry and parishioners in the mission and management of the church. Read the Position Description Here.

Grace Church | Fairfield is seeking a part-time bilingual Children's Outreach Worker to assist the Rector in planning and implementing outreach activities for children in the community. Read the position description here.

Diocesan Commissions | Committees | Ministries