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We acknowledge that the land on which this diocese is built is the traditional territory of the Paiute, Kawaiisu, Tubatulabal, Yokuts, Chumash, Miwok, Chukchansi, Western Mono, and Me-Wuk people.
Let’s take a moment to honor these ancestral grounds that we are collectively gathered upon and support the resilience and strength that all Indigenous people have shown worldwide.
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Reconocemos que la tierra sobre la que está construida esta Diócesis es el territorio tradicional de los pueblos Piaute, Kawaiisu, Tubatulabal, Yokuts, Chumash, Miwok, Chukchansi, Western Mono y Me-Wuk.
Tomemos un momento para honrar estos terrenos ancestrales en los que estamos reunidos colectivamente y apoyar la resiliencia y la fuerza que todos los pueblos indígenas han demostrado en todo el mundo.
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Walking has always been a favorite past time of mine. Whether it is as a form of exercise, stress release, enjoying nature, or as a physical form of prayer, walking has long served as a meditative practice that I’ve relied upon since childhood to experience the holy in my mundane world. Walking with Christ requires us to surrender to God and to reject the ways of this fallen world. Throughout scripture, we are instructed that each of us were formed as holy and beloved reflections of God.
Scripture assures us that we each have divine purpose and talents to contribute to the greater orchestration and thriving of Creation. However, whether or not we strive to follow these calls , or paths, to a faith in Christ is a continuous choice to submit to a relationship with God on a journey that is promised to be filled with grace, healing, and wholeness. In our choice to follow God and Christ’s teachings, we choose to propel forward in grace and love rather than be restricted by the desires of our fallen world and the weight of our pasts.
One of the touchstone scriptures within my life is Jeremiah 10:23; a prayer that expresses the prophet’s request “Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.” Jeremiah teaches that, when we choose a life in communion with God, that our lives are not our own and that God directs our steps. In the entirety of the prophet’s book, Jeremiah discerns his prophetic call to live within the ethics and teachings of the Torah during a time of political and social upheaval. Jeremiah wrestled with the suffering caused by sin and desires of a fallen world abounding with division, oppression, scarcity, and materialism that cause one to stray from God’s path of love, inclusion, grace, and abundance. Jeremiah’s walk with God offers the opportunity to witness to the holiness of struggle, discernment, judgmental, and fear in our surrender to God and path towards righteousness and wholeness.
Through the years, I’ve used walking as a time for me to pray with God to guide my path and grapple with whatever issues, circumstances, and joys are present in my life and to reflect upon God’s presence in my journey. Walking has offered me the ability to seek Christ and holy opportunity within God’s will in all circumstances. As I pound that earth searching for God’s presence and opening my heart and mind to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, I’ve experienced the healing and wholeness promised through choosing to be a part of Christ’s Body. Time and again, it is Christ who has energized and led my steps forward on journeys that have been beyond my capacity of expectation and healed the brokenness caused by sin, isolation, and selfishness that prevented full participation in the greater orchestration for the thriving of God’s Creation.
In 2012, Jason and I lived in the Westchester neighborhood of Bakersfield, CA. I was in a season of poor health, misdiagnosis, and discernment for my life and career and were in a season of uncertainty and suffering.. We were preparing for an admittance to UCLA for medical testing and treatment. Although we were members of a non denominational church community, I was grieving the liturgical traditions and more progressive theology that formed my faith. These issues within my faith and worship had led to a distance from God that I was desperate to reconcile. During a late night walk in the downtown neighborhood, we came upon a historic church building with a beautiful cross erected for Easter in the courtyard. I found myself humbled in prayerful reverence seeking enlightenment, guidance, and comfort. The church belonged to St. Paul’s Anglican; I was unaware of the schism that divided this congregation from their Episcopal siblings. My prayer that evening was for God to guide my path and life to serve God’s will. I photographed the cross and after a half hour or so, we departed to continue our walk. I was oblivious that this church would become a transformative spiritual home to us in less than a year when my prayerful plea and commitment to God’s will would lead us to join the Grace Episcopal community that would move back into this very downtown property and become St. Paul’s Episcopal. This is where Jason and I would discern our calls to ministry through forming and leading the St. Paul’s CO-OP, the Episcopal Youth Fellowship, and the young adult ministry. St. Paul’s is also who graciously supported my discernment and postulancy.
Thirteen years later, it is interesting to reflect upon this path towards a life in Christ and God’s will for my journey. None of my life is anywhere or anything like I dreamed or fathomed. Parts of this path have be astoundingly beautiful while others have caused devastating heartbreak. As I have endured the progression of disability and disease, I have also learned to honor the holiness of a broken and failing body through the comfort of a Christ who knows the human experience of pain and suffering. In my journey towards Christ, my ability and movement have become more limited to the requirement of a wheelchair, canes, and crutches. I have had to process and grieve the loss of my beloved walks and learn to adapt to the barriers and detours that inhibit the paths and realities that I desire but are not of my destiny. In this grief and disappointment, the only certainties have been God’s abundant grace, presence, and mercy; and that has proven to be sufficient in my quest for healing and wholeness. However, every step I have made as a disciple in Christ, a deacon serving God’s Church, and as a wife to Jason have been made with a whole hearted attempt to be centered in God’s holy love and will for Creation to thrive. This is the resurrected hope and trust in Christ that propels me forward. As a diocese, we have navigated the brokenness of a relational and theological schism with our siblings in Christ and have flourished in our journey of resurrection as a Body of Christ. It has been a blessed honor to witness to Christ’s presence and healing in suffering in my life, EDSJ, and the world as we move forward with measured hope and wisdom from the past.
Friends, in this journey of life, I encourage you to anchor yourselves in a prayer of surrender as you navigate the path of God’s call for you. How are you called to guide your steps to bless others and the world with your faith, time, and talents? Where and how is God encouraging you with glimpses of hope and orchestration in the greater will within our lives that are not our own? With the Holy Trinity as your guide, may your steps be filled with a resurrected hope, abundant grace, and faithful surrender that defeats suffering, division, and death. Look for the glimpses of holiness, the random crosses along your path, and find peace in the assurance of holy wholeness and resurrection graciously offered within the Body of Christ.
Deacon Alison Fischer serves as St John's Stockton and is a member of the Anti-Racism Commission
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A Letter from the Episcopal Bishops in the State of California
Beloved in Christ,
Like all Californians, we are watching with great concern the events unfolding around immigration protests in Los Angeles. We are deeply concerned about the ICE raids and about the potential for violence arising from the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to the Los Angeles area. We are concerned that military deployments will escalate the confrontations unnecessarily, and worry that all of our regions in California may be subject to future deployments that heighten tensions rather than resolving them.
Bishop John Harvey Taylor, the Episcopal Bishop of Los Angeles, has posted on social media this past weekend about what is happening in Los Angeles and his interpretation of the ways in which local officials, law enforcement, federal agencies, and protesters are all interacting. He expressed deep pain and anger as fourteen people in one single Episcopal congregation in that diocese were detained by ICE on Friday. Certainly, we as Episcopalians are shocked and saddened when any of our own are removed from our beloved community.
In all six of our dioceses, people are concerned and fearful about the denial of due process for those detained and the potential for ICE raids targeting beloved community institutions and people working to support their families. People feel angry and threatened that the haven they sought in our communities is no longer safe. US citizens and legal residents feel deep grief at losing beloved friends and family members. Children whose parents are deported face uncertain futures. In our churches, we strive to protect our members who are at risk.
Our Baptismal Covenant asks us, “Will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being (BCP p. 417)?” This question is a direct and ongoing call to us as persons who follow Christ to live out our calling opposed to injustice, to violence of any kind, and to stand up where human beings are not treated as we would treat a child of God. This question needs to be foremost in our thoughts as we consider our response to the situation in Los Angeles.
In the Episcopal Church, we uphold a proud tradition of advocating for civil rights and supporting the vulnerable in our society. We stand for fierce love and for justice that leads to peace, as well as societal practices that preserve human dignity. With God’s help, we will speak and pray on behalf of all in this situation.
Bishop Taylor has asked for our prayers for Los Angeles, and we invite all our dioceses to pray for the unfolding situation there as well as for peace and justice in all our communities. We ask that you join us in praying:
“Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, and especially the hearts of the people of this land, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (BCP p. 823).”
In Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Lucinda Ashby
Episcopal Bishop of El Camino Real
The Rt. Rev. David Rice
Episcopal Bishop of San Joaquin
The Rt. Rev. Austin K. Rios
Episcopal Bishop of California
The Rt. Rev. Susan Brown Snook
Episcopal Bishop of San Diego
The Rt. Rev. John Harvey Taylor
Episcopal Bishop of Los Angeles
The Rt. Rev. Megan Traquair
Episcopal Bishop of Northern California
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And click on the link below for a word from our Presiding Bishop
Acting faithfully in troubling times: A letter from Presiding Bishop Rowe
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Congregational Management Reviews (Church Audits) are due
June 30th!
Questions? Contact Canon Anna (canonanna@diosanjoquin.org)
| | Sunday, June 1 was Sonora Pride. St. James', The Red Church participated with a booth. Eight members of the congregation attended, including the Rev. Karen Matthews, Deacon Amy Larsen, Deacon Carolyn Woodall, and Bishop's Warden, Mary Lynn Ashburn. There were 1000 participants from the community in attendance and St. James' message of love and welcome for all was well received. | | |
June 9-23
Bishop Out of Office/Visit to Dio Alaska
June 15
TRINITY SUNDAY
Canon Visitation @ Holy Trinity Madera
June 18
Immigration Month Panel, 6:30pm, ZOOM
(see above for more information)
June 19
Diocesan Council Meeting, 6:30pm, ZOOM
June 22
Canon Visitation @ St Francis, Turlock
June 24
Standing Committee, 6:30pm, ZOOM
June 29
Canon Visitation @ St John's Lodi
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EPPN in now offering weekly prayers that you can add to your personal and church prayer lists!
To subscribe go to: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/office-government-relations/eppn-sign-up/
For Episcopalians from Areas of Conflict
God of justice and consolation, we lift up Episcopalians who carry the grief of their homelands: Palestinians, Armenians, South Sudanese, Haitians, Venezuelans, and all who feel unheard, unseen, or unsupported. Kindle in us deeper solidarity, so that your church may be a true home for every member of the Body of Christ. Strengthen them in their sorrow, honor their witness, and remind us that no one is forgotten in your kingdom. May Jesus, who stood with the forgotten, console them and bind us together in your love. Amen.
For Oak Flat and the Apache People
God of sacred places, you met Moses in a burning bush, Elijah in a cave, and Jesus on a mountain. You are present where your people pray, and Oak Flat is holy ground to many. We grieve with the San Carols Apache as their sacred site faces destruction. Turn our hearts from valuing profit over sanctity and open our eyes to the holiness embedded in creation. Strengthen those who defend Chil’chil Biłdagoteel; uphold them with courage and hope. Remind us always that where you are encountered, the ground is holy. Through Christ our Lord, who reveals your glory in every place and people. Amen.
A Prayer of Thanksgiving for Witnesses to Love and Justice
Loving God, you created each of us in your image and wrap us all in your embrace. We give you thanks for those who stood and continue to stand for LGBTQ+ rights. Remind the world that the LGBTQ+ community and their allies bear witness to the wide expanse of Christ’s love. Protect everyone, especially the vulnerable, from hatred, exclusion, and violence. Through Christ our Lord, who loved without limit and calls us to do the same. Amen.
For Our Jewish Siblings
God of mercy and justice, Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. You know our grief, our fear, and our longing for healing. We grieve with the victims of violence, including those recently attacked in Boulder, Colorado. We lament the fear that these attacks and other attacks and threats strike into the hearts of our Jewish siblings. You are a God whose compassion runs deeper than we can imagine. Give your comfort in the face of pain and give your strength in the face of fear. Extend your care, O God, and remind us of your vision for the world, a vision of peace and righteousness built on your everlasting love. Amen.
For Victims of the Attack at Al-Ahli Hospital
O God, you see the blood and cries coming from the ground at Al-Ahli Hospital. We bring before you our grief too deep for words, and anger too heavy to bear. You see the father dying next to his injured son, you see the journalists who can no longer speak, the healers struck while tending to the broken, and all who were injured. Lord, hear the desolation of your people, comfort the mourning, shield the innocent. Through Jesus Christ, who died unjustly. Amen.
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Called to be…
Called to be… is the catchphrase that was created by a small group of folks from across the diocese soon after Bishop David arrived. He wanted to come up with a slogan that could be used by our parishes to let our broader secular communities, from Lodi to Bakersfield, know a little something about who we are in EDSJ. I was excited to be a part of that group that brainstormed and brought it into being. We liked the open ended-ness of it. The ellipses (those 3 little dots) after Called to be… illustrate the limitless ways we describe who we are, or at least who we aspire to be.
As Christians, especially as Episcopalians, we wear a lot of hats as we live into our Baptismal Covenant. Many of us take on multiple rolls in our parishes: altar guild, coffee hour, choir, readers and greeters. Post-Covid, we’ve become proficient sound engineers and camera operators too! Many are also called to serve on Vestry or Bishop’s Committee. You are the good people who make things happen at church. As Christians, we are all called to these ministries.
We are each on a journey and we are all at a different places on our journeys. For some of us, as time passes, we may hear another call. Perhaps it is a still, small voice in us – a restlessness even – a sense of being at a crossroads or transition point in our lives. Perhaps there is a desire to immerse oneself in scripture and prayer… a stirring, it might even feel like butterflies. That could be a higher calling we never considered: the diaconate or priesthood. Even if you are busy, don’t dismiss it! As a member of COM, I encourage you to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and make time and space this summer for stillness and reflection.
I’m proud of Called to be… I love it and not just because it adorns t-shirts and coffee mugs; it has been our directive from Bp. David all these years! Our bishop sincerely believes there are aspiring clergy currently sitting in all of our pews.
So, as we continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread and in the prayers…
As we persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever we fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord…
As we proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ…
As we seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves…
And finally, as we strive for justice and peace among all people, and the dignity of every human being… let us pray always for discernment of exactly who we are Called to be…
Candice Gale, Member of the Commission on Ministry, Lay Preacher & Eucharistic Minister, Enthusiastic Episcopalian from St. John’s, Lodi
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A prayer for the season of Pentecost
Holy and Great father, you. Created all things and love all that you created.
Your children are divided and have turned against one another. Many live their lives in fear. As you sent our spirit to teach and comfort the first disciples 0n that first Pentecost we ask today for your spirit. May your spirit touch our leaders filling them with knowledge and compassion. May your spirit touch those in fear filling them with comfort and strength and may it give strength courage to your church to be able to walk in solidarity with those in need. We ask all of this through your son our brother Jesus Christ. Amen.
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I happened to catch up with a long-time friend of mine recently. We broached the subject on the impact of the current political climate on our hearts and minds. We agreed that people now tolerate discomfort, anger, frustration and hopelessness with the widespread injustices and violations on humanity. We know that some people are in whole hearted agreement with what’s going on, how are they ok with this? Some of us are exposed (directly and indirectly) to the stories of those who are suffering at the hand of these dramatic political changes. In the health care and mental health field, the concept of vicarious trauma and secondary trauma is frequently addressed and debriefed among first responders, medical staff, care givers and service providers. There is a multitude of information and research on burn out, compassion fatigue and recommendations on caring for ourselves in this context.
In this reflection piece, I ask…. what did Jesus do, how did he manage such emotional burdens? What I have gathered, from a lay person’s point of view, is that he was honest with his feelings, he certainly let us see his vulnerability, he stayed focused and true to his mission, he meditated in solitude and trusted in his Father’s plan. He also prayed, rested and nourished himself. We are blessed with such a role model and leader. So here we have it…
As for myself, I was initially glued to the news and social media, as I wanted to be up to date. It rendered me angry, frustrated, aghast, outraged, fearful and anxious. I used to get into aggravating arguments with so-called friends, neighbors and coworkers. I held grudges and became distrustful of “those people”. My neighbors hoisted the American flag outside their houses (they are still up). They made statements like “at least you came here legally”. I can still hear coworkers whisper their agreement with all the “shake up”. And so, I agree with my friend about us carrying this emotional burden, seemingly with no end. I’ve looked to God in prayer for his guidance and wisdom. I endeavor to follow his example.
As of today, I have scaled back on and set some boundaries on what and where I get my news. I process my outrage and fears with select brothers and sisters in Christ. I also have a strong support network, connected with friends and family who have similar concerns and views. I don’t disclose the advocacy and work that I engage in, except with select friends and family. In my work I provide support and advocacy, seek out dwindling community resources and provide social work services.
Hold my ground I will…
Grace Dah is a member of SJRAISE and worships at St John's Stockton.
| KNOW YOUR RIGHTS RED CARDS! | |
Sanctuary People Resource List
Below are resources to support the immigrant community. This resource list will be updated as more resources are created and needs changes.
https://bit.ly/SanctuaryPeopleResources
Family Preparedness: helping immigrant and mixed status families make a plan in case of family separation due to ICE arrest
Rapid Response:
Know Your Rights for possible encounters with immigration authorities.
Sanctuary Resources:
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“Promote the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because your future depends on its welfare.” –Jeremiah 29:7 (Common English Bible).
“A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.”
–1 Corinthians 12:7 (CEB).
In May, the Anti-Racism Commission of EDSJ put on a discussion of the book The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee. I had the honor of co-leading the discussion alongside Canon Anna Carmichael.
The Anti-Racism Commission had studied the Sum of Us previously, so I had already read the book. But as I reread the book to help lead the conversation, I found it even more incisive in its argument that racism negatively affects everyone in the United States today. In the last forty to fifty years, there has been a concerted effort to use racial resentment to undermine the dominant culture’s confidence in the institutions of government and labor unions, which McGhee sees as two of the strongest tools for collective action (p.47).
For Christians, this must be deeply concerning. Human beings are not only individuals but are always and everywhere social creatures, born into families and other corporate groups. As Christians, we come to belong to the corporate body of the church through Holy Baptism, and we renew our participation in that body through Holy Communion.
The Holy Scriptures are clear that God created all people in God’s image, and the church has been given the mission to bring all people into unity with God and one another in Christ. Both racism and racial resentment stand condemned before God. Until God does usher in the fullness of God’s Reign, we are called to promote the good of the welfare of the societies we share with our neighbors. The mission of the church impels us as Christians to work for the common good. How the church and its members pursue the common good is going to vary by context, but this is not an optional part of our calling. We are still called to promote the welfare of the city.
Padre Toni is the Priest-in-Charge at St Francis Turlock, and a member of the Anti-Racism Commission
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4147 East Dakota Avenue
Fresno, California 93726
209-576-0104
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