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In this edition of ENews:
- Diocese Book Study Starts Today!
- Deanery Convocations are this Saturday on Zoom
- Deadline for Childcare at Convention is October 1
- House of Bishops adopts statement on accountability
- Update on Presiding Bishop Curry
- CDSP to host Panel Discussion on Open Communion
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NEW ZOOM LINK FOR BOOK STUDY | |
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Diocesan Book Study Starts Today!
Join Bishop Megan, Canon Julie, and Missioner Mack in a diocesan-wide discussion of Dr. Catherine Meeks’ The Night is Long, but Light Comes in the Morning: Meditations for Racial Healing
Order your copy now from your local bookshop or online (consider ordering from Underground Books in Sacramento, named one of the top-ten African-American bookstores in the United States).
Tuesdays at 6:00 pm
September 26 – November 14
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/6792703228
Meeting ID: 679 270 3228
For our first gathering, read through page 34.
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Deanery Convocations are this Saturday! | |
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Saturday, September 30 marks one of the most important events in the run-up to Diocesan Convention. The Deanery Convocations provide an opportunity to learn who the nominees for Standing Committee and Board of Trustees are, to learn about resolutions, and to understand the 2024 Diocesan Budget. It is the best way to learn about Convention, and get any questions answered.
The event is on Zoom Only. It runs from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. Clergy and registered delegates will receive the zoom link and convocation book in a separate email.
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Deadline for Childcare at Convention is October 1 | |
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Free Childcare during Convention Business sessions will be available to clergy and delegates who are pre-registered by October 1. If you have not registered and will need childcare, please register NOW.
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Bishop Megan joins other women bishops from Province VIII to participate in virtual House of Bishops Fall Gathering | |
Left to Right: Bishop Phillis Spiegel (Utah), Bishop Elizabeth Bonforte Gardner (Nevada), Bishop Lucinda Ashby (El Camino Real), Bishop Gretchen Rehberg (Spokane), Bishop Susan Snook (San Diego), Bishop Megan Traquair | |
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Some of the women bishops of Province 8 were able to gather in Spokane for the On-line Fall House of Bishops meeting. The meeting was heartfelt and dense - full of prayers for our Presiding Bishop and discussion. In the end we produced a Statement acknowledging the ongoing need to improve our application of ecclesiastical discipline, the current pain some have experienced in regard to this, and a reconfirmation of ourselves as Bishops to the healing and truth naming work of the church. Our Savior Jesus Christ is our chief Shepherd and in this and all things, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the love of God.
P.S. St John’s cathedral is simply beautiful!
– Bishop Megan
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House of Bishops adopts statement on accountability | |
During the concluding business session of its virtual fall meeting Sept. 19-22, the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church adopted the following statement:
STATEMENT ON THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF BISHOPS FROM THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH | SEPTEMBER 22, 2023
We, the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church, meeting online September 19-22, 2023, wish to express our heartfelt prayers, well-wishes, and love to the Most Reverend Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church, and his family. We fervently pray for his continued healing and restoration to health and wholeness.
Our time together in candid conversation and in fervent prayer has reminded us of how profoundly the love of God in Jesus knits the whole Church together as the Body of Christ, empowers us for service to God’s mission, and calls us to accountability one to another. We acknowledge the disappointment, pain, and grief felt across The Episcopal Church, and in any diocese, regarding the issue of moral, ecclesiastical, and pastoral accountability for bishops. The pain is absolutely real and urgent, both in the dioceses specifically affected by recent cases, and in cases where the recent complaints have recalled prior traumas elsewhere.
Jesus said how we relate to those who are most vulnerable is how we relate to him (Matt. 19:14, 25:40). As disciples of Jesus and servants of the people of God, we acknowledge the imperative to exercise our responsibility as bishops justly, faithfully, and after the example of our Savior. Each of us in this House has taken a vow to defend those who have no helper.
In the spirit of accountability and seeking to move closer to Beloved Community, we fully support the calling of the Reverend Barbara Kempf as the Title IV Intake Officer for Bishops. We also acknowledge and affirm the involvement of bishops, clergy, and laity in the disciplinary process for bishops. We are thankful that the Presiding Bishop has called on the Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution and Canons to review the Title IV disciplinary process, listen to the concerns and hopes of the church, identify what has worked and what needs improvement, and make recommendations to the next General Convention.
We understand that when any bishop breaks the trust placed in us by the church, the Body of Christ suffers. We are called to be wholesome examples to the flock and proclaimers of the Good News of Christ to all the world. Trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God, we commit to each other and to the whole Church that we will do our part in the work necessary to bring about the authentic changes our church needs “to walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.”
A COMMITMENT TO THE CHURCH
The way of love in community always calls us to establish holy boundaries and commit to mutual accountability. To this end, we, the bishops of The Episcopal Church, pledge to continue the long-term work of accountability. We understand this work involves canonical, cultural, and relational dimensions.
We pledge to work with each other, with the House of Deputies, and with leaders across the church to protect the vulnerable, respecting the dignity of every human being.
We pledge to hold each other accountable to standards of conduct set by our ordination vows and the Baptismal Covenant, striving, with God’s help, to exercise the responsibilities of servant leadership modeled by Jesus.
En Espanol
| Presiding Bishop Michael Curry moved from ICU | |
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Following a surgery last week to remove an adrenal gland and attached mass, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has been moved from the intensive care unit of the hospital to a standard hospital room. He will continue his recovery there, and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
Please continue to uplift Bishop Curry, his family, and his whole medical team in your prayers.
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St. Luke's Galt shares its rich history at Community Event | |
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Just wanted to share about a wonderful community event that St. Luke’s, Galt participated in this weekend. On Saturday the Galt Chamber of Commerce hosted the inaugural Old Galt Festival, a celebration of Galt’s history and heritage from the 1860s to the 1950s. As Galt’s oldest continually operating church, St. Luke’s jumped at this wonderful opportunity to share our past and to connect with our present community.
We hosted a booth that transported visitors back to 1884, the year of our founding, which showcased artifacts and photographs from our church. In addition, we provided a craft activity making quilted Christmas ornaments—a homage to our 110th Annual Christmas Bazaar coming this December. We were blessed to connect with hundreds of people throughout the day, some of whom came by to craft or to look at pictures, but all of whom left with a greater understanding of how we’ve sought to serve God and our neighbors in the community for well over a century.
Mark McMillen | Senior Warden | St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Galt
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Missioner for Disaster Resilience | |
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Diocese of Northern California Mission for Disaster Resilience is a World Leader
Our diocese was the first in the world to establish a full-time position to support the unique needs of our congregations and our people as they prepare for and recover from disaster. This could have been enough, but our efforts didn’t stop there.
The primary funding partner for our diocese, when it comes to disaster, is Episcopal Relief & Development. Each year, as funding is determined, all ministry partners are ranked by Episcopal Relief & Development in an evaluation matrix. The highest, possible, rating is 10 out of 10. Only two programs in the world received that top score. While the Northern California Mission for Disaster Resilience did not score a 10, we did score an 8. Our program runs the top disaster resilience program in the United States, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with larger, more mature disaster-related programming across the world.
This is something of which we can be proud.
However, the ministry cannot continue without support. This work can help to make communities, congregations, and households happier and calmer places to be, knowing we are prepared. Please make a donation to the bishop’s disaster fund now, or lead the effort for a special collection in your congregation to support this important ministry.
Peace,
Mark
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Deadline to Apply is Friday, October 6!
This exciting program is designed to meet the professional needs of leaders of nonprofit and public organizations. Upon successful completion of the program, participants will receive a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation.
This is a six-month program with classes held one weekend a month on Friday night (6:00pm – 9:00pm) and Saturday morning (9:00am – 12:00pm.). There are 6 courses that will consist of 2 classes per course (Fri & Sat).
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On October 9, 2023, CDSP will partner with the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California to host an event revisiting recent controversy about the role and relationship of sacraments in the Episcopal Church.
In the lead up to the the 80th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, the legislative committees of the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies considered a resolution put forward by the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California. Titled “All Are Welcome at the Table,” this resolution (C028) petitioned the General Convention to “repeal CANON I.17.7 of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church …, which states: ‘No unbaptized person shall be eligible to receive Holy Communion in this Church.’”
While the proposal never made it out of committee for the consideration of either of the convention’s houses, its appearance on the legislative docket created a firestorm of controversy in print and social media in the period leading up to the meeting. Proponents of the measure framed repeal of the canon as a matter of justice and hospitality. Opponents worried that repealing the canon would imperil the theological, liturgical, and formational connection between the rites of baptism and eucharist.
What too often seemed to be missing from the contest between these competing goods was a spirit of charity. Those on one side of the debate frequently failed to inquire into what was felt to be at stake by those on the other, and vice versa. Little attempt was made to identify areas of possible convergence, where sincerely held commitments could be maintained while taking action that addressed the concerns of others. In the rush to take sides, many seemed to forget that we are all actually on the same side, as loyal members of the Episcopal Church and disciples of Jesus Christ.
Read More
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Partners in Ministries of Health | |
Commission for Intercultural Ministries | |
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I Will With God's Help:
Journey Toward Racial Healing and Justice
This workshop is rooted in our baptismal identity and the promises we make in baptism. It focuses on how we can more fully live into our promise to be more loving toward our neighbors. During the workshop we follow the path of the Becoming Beloved Community labyrinth.
The workshops are open to anyone in the diocese. Workshops meet the requirement for licensing for Lay Eucharistic Ministers and Visitors Only. Other lay licensed ministries need to take Sacred Ground to meet Diocesan licensing requirements.
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Missioner for Church Life | |
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Monthly Evangelism gathering is tomorrow –Wednesday, September 27 at 5pm.
Each month, we gather on Zoom to discuss evangelism resources, share evangelism success stories, and address evangelism challenges. This month, we talk about how to “reclaim” the word evangelism, and hopefully make it a little less scary! The Zoom link to attend is here. Also, be sure to check out the Evangelism Resources on our diocesan website, where you’ll also be able to find recordings of past monthly gatherings. https://www.norcalepiscopal.org/site/evangelism-resources/
“If I have achieved anything in my life, it is because
I have not been embarrassed to talk about God.” Dorothy Day
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Resources for Hispanic Heritage Month Available Here. | |
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MONTHLY EVANGELISM GATHERING | Last Wednesday of Every Month at 5:00pm
Each month, we gather on Zoom to discuss evangelism resources, share evangelism success stories, and address evangelism challenges. This month, we talk about how to “reclaim” the word evangelism, and hopefully make it a little less scary! The Zoom link to attend is here.
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Clergy Openings in The Diocese | |
Job Opportunities in The Diocese | |
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral | Sacramento is seeking a new Director of Cathedral Choristers (Children’s choir). Read the Job Announcement Here. | |
The ENews is published weekly on Tuesdays.
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The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California
Making Disciples, Raising Up Saints & Transforming Communities for Christ
www.norcalepiscopal.org
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