May 28, 2024 E-News

May 28, 2024

In this edition of ENews:

Bishop Megan visits St. John's Roseville for Pentecost
Phishing Season is Open Again
St. Alban’s, Arcata, Celebrates Earth Day with an electric car show
Day of Discernment rescheduled to June 15
Phase II Racial Justice Audit Survey Closes Saturday, June 1

Office of the Bishop

Bishop Megan visits St. John's Roseville for Pentecost

St. John's was blessed with Bishop Megan's visit with us on Pentecost Sunday. we celebrated one baptism, six confirmations, one reception and two reaffirmation of vows. Three Jr. Daughters of the King were also inducted.

– The Rev. Cliff Haggenjoss, Rector

Phishing Season is Open

Once again, several folks in the diocese have received emails allegedly sent by Bishop Megan, asking for gift cards, or a meeting, etc. Make sure you look at the email address before clicking on any links or replying to the email.

Shown above is an example of a scam email that's been circulating recently. Note the sender's email address.

Day of Discernment

Saturday, June 15

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? New date to be announced soon.

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.

Registration is free, but requested:https://form.jotform.com/241085487611155

Around the Diocese

Creation Care Committee Member Bob Webb (left) and Chair Daniel Moyer (right) discuss the merits of a Tesla Model 3 Performance and Honda Clarity (both autos pictured)

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Arcata Celebrates Earth Day with an electric car show

The car show featured a Tesla, a Toyota Rav4 and other earth-friendly models of cars. For comparison and showing how much more inefficient an external combustion engine is, a 1999 Ford F150 was also on display.

St. Alban’s and its parishioners have a commitment to reducing greenhouse emissions. St. Alban’s and the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California have officially adopted a policy that the Episcopal churches in its jurisdiction be carbon neutral by 2030. St. Alban’s may achieve being carbon neutral by the end of the year.

Not only have many parishioners purchased EV and hybrid cars, some have also installed solar panels and heat pumps. The church itself has a long commitment to creation care. Solar panels were installed in 2019. Gradually carbon monoxide appliances were replaced with energy efficient electric kitchen appliances, gas water heaters replaced with electric and duct insulation installed. Its biggest project is replacing its gas furnaces with earth-friendly heat pumps. One heat pump has already been installed and four more are in the process of being installed.

For more information about St. Alban’s and its commitment to creation care, contact (707) 822-4102 or email officesec@stalbans.org.

Missioner for Disaster Resilience

Congregational Preparedness and Funding

When I talk to church leaders about disaster preparation and recovery, the most common response I get is: we don’t have the money for that.

In the case of preparedness, did you know that the State of California grants millions of dollars every year to the LISTOS program, specifically to help community groups (like churches) be prepared for disaster?

LISTOS funding can help your congregation:

Provide community education about disaster planning & response
Build emergency kits for evacuation or shelter in place
Supply quick reference cards for use in the church, at home, or on the road
All materials are multi-lingual
With creative thinking, the sky’s the limit!

Your Mission for Disaster Resilience is in partnership with the agencies that provide LISTOS funding and programming. Preparing for disaster may be just what your congregation needs to draw the community to your doors and get to know a little more about who we are and what we do to care for all God’s children.

Please consider doing disaster outreach ministry in partnership with LISTOS – contact me for details mark@norcalepiscopal.org

Peace,

Mark Dibelka | Missioner for Disaster Resilience

Trinity Cathedral

Rediscovering the Ministry of Blessing

By Russ Parker

This book is what we will be discussing at our June meeting. Worry, anxiety and guilt about what we can’t change does nobody good. What we can do is change what we do with the time we have. Russ Parker suggests we meet our community at its points of need with blessing prayers. He cites biblical examples as well as eight pages various blessing prayers. The author tells of depression, chronic illness and hopelessness 'where transformation has been observed through calling on God to bless someone.

It’s a short book – 130 pages plus 14 pages of appendix and citing sources. Set aside June 1 at 10:00 am on zoom to discuss this ministry and what it may hold for us. We would love to hear your ideas.

For more information and to get the zoom link, contact Elba White at

elbawhite@yahoo.com

Commission for Intercultural Ministries

Season of Courage: Here I am Lord Exhibit continues to inspire after Revival

Above, parishioners at St. Martin get a close-up look at some of the Exhibit posters. Below, St. Martin's Rector Pamela Dolan and parishioners with the rainbow crosswalk for Pride.

By The Rev. Dr. Pamela Dolan

It was an honor to be invited by Miriam Casey to contribute a story to the Season of Courage: Here I am Lord exhibit for the Fearless Faith Revival in April. I wrote about the land-based ministry that we have been creating at St. Martin’s, and I was eager to see what other stories would be included. When I walked into sheltering embrace of the exhibit at the Revival, I found myself wanting to spend more time with these stories and make sure that more of my parishioners saw them as well.

Then the idea hit me: we could bring the exhibit to St. Martin’s! And instead of setting it up outside, where it would only be available for a single day, we could put the posters up around the interior of the church. That way, it would be visible for a few weeks, a season even, and anyone in church would be able contemplate each story at their own pace, letting the impact of the stories sink in over time.

So it was that on Pentecost, the Season of Courage: Here I am Lord exhibit was introduced to worshippers at the Church of St. Martin in Davis.

Having stories that show real examples of courageous leadership around the Diocese of Northern California has been a gift to our whole parish. In a recent conversation, a parishioner told me that she thought the caregivers in our community were some of the most courageous people she knows. I wholeheartedly agree! Those are stories we should find some way to tell.

We also continue talking about what other, new courageous steps we might take in our efforts to become Beloved Community, such as the recent Pride solidarity event we held on Trinity Sunday, painting a rainbow crosswalk across the entrance to our parking lot.

As I’ve prepared my sermons these last few weeks, the courage of the disciples has been more apparent to me than ever. I’ve realized that it always takes courage to answer the call of the Spirit—and, that the Spirit will always give us that courage when we need it most!

A link to my Pentecost sermon, which referenced the Season of Courage exhibit is here. For more information about the Season of Courage: Here I am Lord exhibit, contact Miriam Casey (miriamlwcasey@gmail.com) or Bob Wohlsen (bob.wohlsen@gmail.com).

The Phase II Racial Justice Audit Survey Closes Saturday, June 1

We are extremely grateful to those who have completed the Phase II Racial Justice Audit survey. If you have completed it, thank you very much. If you have not, the deadline is Saturday, June 1st, at midnight Pacific Time. It takes 20-30 minutes to complete and submit. As Bishop Megan states in her cover letter to the survey, “The survey is not terribly lengthy, and your response will be instrumental in gaining a better understanding of our life together – both its strengths and its weaknesses.” Clergy of local churches, vestry and mission committee members, and selected parishioners of churches in the diocese were invited to take the survey by the Mission Institute.

At the end of this summer, the Mission Institute will provide a report by deanery of audit results.

Thank you for making time for this request in the midst of your busy lives. For specific questions about the survey, please reach out directly to the Mission Institute who provided contact information in the survey. For general questions about the survey process, please contact the Racial Justice Audit Co-Chairs, Lynn Zender, zenderlynn@gmail.com, or Jo Ann Williams, bjwilli@surewest.net.

May God bless and keep you, be gracious to you and give you and all of us peace.

The Mission Institute in collaboration with the Commission for Intercultural Ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California

I Will With God's Help: Journey Toward Racial Healing and Justice Workshop – Registration Now Open

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 9:30 am – 4:30 pm:

JUNE 8 | Zoom

JUNE 22 | St. Peter’s, Red Bluff

SEPTEMBER 14 | Trinity Cathedral

OCTOBER 19 | St. Paul’s, Healdsburg

Click here to register.

For more information, contact Jo Ann Williams (bjwilli@surewest.net)

Episcopal Foundation of Northern California

Now Accepting Applications!

Apply for grant funds today!

The Episcopal Foundation of Northern California has joyfully committed to continue their Foundation Grant Program available to churches and missions throughout our Diocese in 2024. Supporting the Diocesan mission of making disciples, raising up saints, and transforming communities for Christ, the Foundation will endeavor to enhance ministry and outreach in the Diocese in the following four categories: Creation Care, Evangelism, Racial Reconciliation, and Community Outreach.

Apply for a Grant today!

Upcoming Events around the Diocese

It's not too late to register for Summer Camp at St. Dorothy's Rest. No matter your age or stage in life, there's an offering for every individual. Visit www.stdorothysrest.org/camp to learn more about our sessions or click the button above. All sessions are OPEN and we are pleased to offer tiered pricing, payment plan options, and Camperships.

Questions? We're here to help! Contact us at camp@stdorothysrest.org.

We cannot wait to welcome you to St. Dorothy's Rest!

Camp Living Waters

Sunday, July 21 - Friday, July 26 | Cookson Ranch

Camp Living Waters is set for Sunday, July 21 through Friday, July 26 at Cookson Ranch in Redwood Valley. The Camp is open to youth ages 9- 15 and youth ages 16-17 serve as counselors. Join us this year for a week of Real Super Heroes, full of madcap cape adventures, identifying our God-given super powers and discovering the real superheroes all around us.