We have been celebrating the realities of Christ rising and ascending, and what it means to be such a community. Now comes the season of Pentecost, Christ's promise fulfilled, and the further unfolding of God's agenda in our lives.

Gerard Manley Hopkins says of one of the fruits of the Spirit, Peace, "He comes with work to do...". The Holy Spirit comes to us in just such a way. That work is multi-dimensional.

With the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are invited deeper into the life of God. We are given what we need to do the work of inner transformation--"heart work"--that is essential to the Christian life. We are helped to become more like Jesus in His relationship with God.

The Holy Spirit also empowers us to do the work that it is our privilege to do, as partners with God in God's mission. By the Spirit, God gives us what we need for the work we are called to do, all things necessary to the task of transforming this world.

I pray that this season of Pentecost will be a time when we all are renewed in the power of the Spirit for transformation. May the life of the Spirit bear fruit in all dimensions of our lives, and of our life together. And may the Holy Spirit, who has begun a good work in you, direct and uphold you in the service of Christ and His kingdom.

Grace and peace,

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Almighty God, whose loving hand hath given us all that we possess: Grant us grace that we may honor thee with our substance, and, remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of thy bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.827)

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Pictured above: Introducing the newest member of our diocesan communications team, Miss Avery Jane Lopez, born February 23, 2013 (shown here with Keri Lopez, left, and Nicole Baxley, right).

Dear Friends in Christ:

At last Lent has ended. The events of Holy Week will reach their climax, and, “Alleluia” will return to the Church. Of course, it did not go far. We are an Easter people, and the joy and promise of this Season have a deep, abiding resonance for us. We can’t stifle shouts of praise for long, as the reality of Christ’s Resurrection is just too powerful. That reality also challenges us to do the work of making Easter known everywhere, appropriating and actualizing the power of the Resurrection in all of life. We must always hold in view how it is we get to Easter: it is only through Christ’s victory over sin and death that the resurrected life has become possible. His victory is our victory, and we have been set free from the very same powers that he has overcome, free to live victoriously and abundantly in Him. All of this begs the question: what then will we do to end the grip that sin and death have on the communities where we live, to loosen their hold on the lives of our neighbors, and their command of the rulers of this world? Easter is a time for rejoicing, and nothing will contain that for long. It is also a time for us to be actively engaged in the work of Christ’s mission, the on-going Easter He has won for us, confident in His victory, and in ours.

May you be filled with great joy in Christ this holy Season, and empowered to do the work He has given us to do.

Yours in the Risen Lord,

To find a congregation near you, please click here.

Please join us in prayer:

From the Book of Common Prayer, page 276:
Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Convention 2013

Diocesan Convention 2013 will be held at the beautiful and spacious Red Lion Hotel Woodlake and Conference Center in Sacramento November 7 – 9, 2013. Our guest speaker for the Friday night banquet will be Bishop Michael Curry from the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. Because of the added expense of a two-night convention, congregations who will need to travel more than two and a half hours* will be offered a $79 voucher per delegate valid at the Red Lion Woodlake and Conference Center** (limit one voucher per room). We are very excited about this new venue for Diocesan Convention.

Convention 2014

Diocesan Convention 2014 we will visit the lovely city of Santa Rosa where our host will be the Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel. We will return to the one-day business meeting format for this convention, which will be held November 14 and 15, 2014.

*Congregations include: St. Michael’s, Alturas; St. Michael’s, Anderson; St. Alban’s, Arcata; St. Paul’s, Crescent City; Christ Church, Eureka; St. Michael’s, Fort Bragg; St. Francis’, Fortuna; St. Mary’s, Ferndale; Shepherd by the Sea, Gualala; Holy Spirit, Lake Almanor; St. Barnabas’, Mt. Shasta; Christ the King, Quincy; All Saints’, Redding; Good Shepherd, Susanville; Holy Trinity, Ukiah; and St. Francis’, Willits.

**Details on the dissemination of these vouchers will be released at a later date closer to Diocesan Convention.

The Rt. Rev. Barry L. Beisner

This year’s theme Participating in the Reign of God through Acts of Mercy & Justice is encapsulated in Psalm 85:10, “Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.”

Keynote speakers and workshops will explore living out Christ’s mission through our baptismal vows by providing inspiration, practical tools and strategies to, “seek and serve Christ in all persons… strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” (Book of Common Prayer, pg.305) We will examine our call to serve the least, the last and the forgotten in our communities.

Keynote Speakers:

The Rev. Canon Charles F. McCarron, Executive Director of Episcopal Community Services in the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, will focus on The Baptismal Covenant: Working for Justice for All. He will also lead an inter-generational conversation on Walking the Jericho Road: A Reflection on the Good Samaritan.

Dean Roderick B. Dugliss, Ph.D., Dean of the School for Deacons, will speak on Re-Discovering the Kingdom: Living the Holy Reign of God. He will also lead a workshop that focuses on this inspiring topic.

Additional workshop leaders will cover a wide array of topics including, working for a just and sustainable food system, ministry to veterans, prison ministry, community organizing and much more.

A concurrent youth event for high school-aged students, Striving for Justice & Peace, is planned. For details, please visit the youth event page on the diocesan website.

To learn more about Bishop’s Conference, including the schedule of events, registration information, workshop descriptions, childcare, parking information, etc., please visit the Bishop’s Conference page on the diocesan website.

Click here to complete registration 

Click here to visit the Bishop's Conference page

All clergy of the diocese who are serving in parochial positions are expected to attend this conference. Other clergy, non-parochial, retired or engaged in some other ministry are of course invited to attend this conference.

Registration is open through May 5, 2013. Please register online at www.clergyconference2013.eventbright.com.

We are pleased to welcome Professor Margaret Miles as the keynote speaker of this year's conference. She will be speaking on:

"Theology and the Intelligent Body."

Theology is only as good as the anthropology it assumes. The traditional idea of human “persons” assumes hastily assembled, uneasily stuck together, and hierarchically arranged “components,” usually soul or mind and body. If instead we conceptualized ourselves as intelligent bodies, indivisible and not analyzable into “parts,” how might we feel differently, think differently, and even believe differently? What practices, rituals, images, and ideas of Christian tradition would pop into the eye, aspects of our tradition that have not been sufficiently noticed because we have thought of Christian commitment as an activity of rational minds? These lectures are an experiment in beginning to imagine a theology of the intelligent body.

Margaret R. Miles is Emerita Professor of Historical Theology, The Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley. She was Bussey Professor of Theology at the Harvard University Divinity School from 1978 -1996, and Dean of the Graduate Theological Union from 1996 until her retirement. Her recent books include Augustine and the Fundamentalist’s Daughter (Cascade Books, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2011); A Complex Delight: The Secularization of the Breast, 1350-1750 (University of California Press, 2008), and The Word Made Flesh: A History of Christian Thought (Blackwell 2005).

Scholarship funds are available for clergy who may need financial assistance in order to attend the conference. If you are seeking financial assistance, please send a request to the Bishop via e-mail to barry@norcalepiscopal.org by May 1, 2013.

Since 1922, Episcopalians have supported the ministries of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East through the Good Friday Offering. Through the work of the Episcopal dioceses in the Middle East, Christians maintain a peacemaking and stabilizing presence in the region, serving their neighbors regardless of faith background.

To make a donation to the Good Friday Offering, please write a check payable to the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, write "Good Friday Offering" in the memo line, and mail to:

DFMS – Protestant Episcopal Church
US P.O. Box 958983
St. Louis, MO 63195-8983

To continue reading and watch the video, please click here.

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Are you traveling in Northern California this weekend? Click here  to find a church near you.

Click here to read more about the history of Daylight Saving Time.

Please pray with us:

Lord,
as daylight fills the sky,
fill us with your holy light.
May our lives mirror our love for you
whose wisdom has brought us into being,
and whose care guides us on our way.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. AMEN.

Lord, Jesus Christ, fill me, I pray, with your light and life.
--Saint Ignatius of Loyola

125 Porterfield Creek Dr.
Cloverdale, CA 95425
February 5, 2013

The Rt. Rev. Barry L. Beisner
Episcopal Diocese of Northern California
350 University Avenue, Suite 280
Sacramento, CA 95825

Dear Bishop Beisner:

I just received the report of contributions to Episcopal Relief & Development for 2012. The total is $107,271.58. The amount for the 4th quarter of 2012 was $58,692.48, which is over half of our yearly total. This reflects the widespread support of the Gifts for Life during the holiday season, no doubt enhanced by the matching funds for donations in November and December. Thank you for letting me make the announcement of the matching funds at our diocesan convention; I distributed all of the Gifts for Life catalogs that I brought.
The outreach in our diocese, under your leadership is cause for rejoicing. This past year, not only did we raise funds for the Haiti rebuilding project, but sustained generosity for the work of Episcopal Relief & Development.

Interestingly enough, I received this report on the day that the reading in the Bible Challenge (which I am finding interesting and, indeed challenging) was Chapter 25; which includes the mandate for Episcopal Relief & Development in verses 35-40.

As our diocese prepares for Lent, and recognizes Episcopal Relief & Development on the first Sunday of Lent (or another designated Sunday) that the work done by the Episcopal Church in caring “for the least of these our brethren” will continue to be a priority among our congregations.

I look forward to continuing to work as your Diocesan Coordinator for Episcopal Relief & Development.

Yours in Christ,

Jane Snibbe

Dear Friends in Christ:

Once again, we enter the season of Lent hearing the Church’s invitation to us to make it an intentionally holy time. Basically, that means a consecrated time, time set apart, and dedicated to the work of deepening our relationship with God.

There are many ancient spiritual practices associated with this season, to assist us with that work. One of them is the practice of disciplined and prayerful reading of Scripture. With that in mind, I want to invite you to make the Bible Challenge the focus of your Lenten discipline. About one-third of all active adult members of the congregations of this diocese have embraced this Challenge to read the Bible through together in a year. We have been doing it for about a month now, and we have been blessed by this fresh encounter with important foundational stories of our faith, with profoundly moving and powerful Psalms and with the important witness of the Gospels. Everywhere I have been in this diocese in recent weeks someone has thanked me for making this Challenge. It has been hard work, and will get harder, but it has been deeply nourishing to the spiritual life of many of us.

My counsel to you about making good use of Lent is this: embrace the Bible Challenge. Use this time to start, if you haven’t yet; catch up, if you need to; go deeper with it through prayer and study and conversation with others, as you are able. Use the reflection questions. Extend the circle of your prayer and meditation. Look for connections in the news of the day, and the events in your life. And in all these things, make yourself available to God for the gift that God wants to give you.

This Lent, let us not try to do more. Instead, let us try to make better use of the things we already know to do by way of meaningful spiritual practice. I expect that your practice includes time with Scripture, and I hope that you will make use of the Bible Challenge.

In whatever you choose to make the focus of this season, I pray God’s blessing upon you that you will find this Lent to be a time of increasing spiritual strength; may it be a time when your experience of God’s love for you is greatly enriched.

Yours in the love of God,

The Office of the Bishop will be closed in observance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 21, 2013. Staff will return to the office on Tuesday, January 22, 2013.

From the Book of Common Prayer, page 837:
A Prayer for Social Justice

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.

by the Very Reverend Cliff Haggenjos, Chair, Congregational Vitalization Committee

Last October the Board of Directors of the diocese set aside $200,000 for the purpose of establishing a fund to promote ministry development within congregations of the diocese. The Congregational Vitalization Committee has been tasked with the responsibility of administering this grant. If you are interested in applying for funds, please consider the following questions:

† What ministry development initiatives would you like to do in 2013?

† Is there an initiative you are currently taking that will help you become a more inviting, loving community for Christ?

† Are there opportunities that, with some funding, would enable you to advance the love of Jesus Christ in your area?

† Would a piece of equipment, a course, a venture, funded by this grant open your doors to ministry in your town or city?

Reggie McNeal, in his book “Missional Communities: The Rise of the Post-Congregational Church,” describes the missional concept of church as “the people of God partnering with him in his redemptive mission in the world.” It is our hope that by making these funds available, the congregations of our diocese will creatively look toward ways in which we can better partner with God in this redemptive work.

Click here to view an application for the grant, and here to view a beginning list of resources that may be helpful in developing your proposal. We want to keep this process simple and to encourage creative thinking on your part. It is our hope that these funds will be a catalyst for either building up new ministries or expanding current ministry opportunities within the context of our already established mission to “make disciples, raise up saints and transform communities for Christ in Northern California.”

Here’s how it will work. Fill out the enclosed application form and submit it to:

The Congregational Vitalization Committee
c/o Office of the Bishop,
The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California
350 University Avenue, Suite 280
Sacramento, CA 95825
cv@norcalepiscopal.org

We are excited to work with you, and look forward to exploring the creative potential contained in the creation of this fund. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact any member of the Congregational Vitalization Committee for further information or assistance.

Download Grant Application Here
View Resource List Here

 Photos submitted by Trinity Cathedral.

by The Rev. Dr. Joe Duggan

January to July 2013 Schedule

All submissions must be either emailed to Nicole Baxley at nicole@norcalepiscopal.org or submitted using the "Submit an Event or News Story" tool on the diocesan website by 8:00 am two business days before the newsletter is published.

Diocesan e-News:

Aurora Clergy e-Newsletter:

Dear Friends in Christ:

Grace and peace to you. God help us all to find the peace promised to us, the peace that surpasses understanding, in this time of deep sorrow and mourning. The recent senseless murders of so many, including so many little ones, in Newtown, Connecticut leave us praying hard for such peace. Certainly we do not pray for ourselves alone; a society that has experienced several such mass murders in the space of just a few months can only be desperate for the peace Christ brings to the world. And this is to mention only the tragedies that have made recent headlines. There are so many more throughout this land and around our world, more than we can count, more than we know. Herod is still hard at work, everywhere around us, to willfully destroy the innocent. The Holy Family’s vulnerability to such evil is too personally familiar to far too many families today. Christmas today is no more exempt from senseless tragedy than Christmas was then, or ever has been. But God-with-us is still the greater truth, and our hope is not diminished. Darkness has not and will not overcome the Light that God has shined into this world and into our hearts in Jesus Christ.

I do not wish you a merry Christmas, for decent people will weep with those who weep in such a time. But I do pray that as you celebrate the gift of his Incarnation you will be filled with great joy and peace in Christ, who comes to deliver us from evil, and by whose power we shall overcome it.

Let us give glory to God in the highest, while we work for true peace on earth.

In Christ,

by the Rev. Canon Britt Olson, Canon to the Ordinary

At the request of Bishop Beisner, this year’s Diocesan Convention offering was designated for the Episcopal Church of Sudan. Those present at Convention responded with incredible generosity. The offering totaled $4,440 for assistance to the Diocese of Ezo, an area in the new nation of South Sudan recovering from nearly forty years of civil war and terrorization by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Subsequently, St. Nicholas’, Tahoe City has contributed the difference to reach the hoped for goal of $5,000.

During her recent sabbatical, Canon Britt Olson visited the remote Diocese of Ezo. In addition to the challenges presented by violence and their remote location, the church is struggling with very limited resources. The diocesan elementary school has 250 students, three trained teachers, two volunteers and no books or supplies. During the time the diocese was forced off their property because of brutal attacks from the Lord’s Resistance Army, the school rooms were damaged.

The monies will be transferred in January so the diocese may purchase books for the local school and the metal containers required to protect the books from voracious insects. The school is next to the only road (unpaved) in the area causing a safety risk for the children, increased in severity because of the children’s unfamiliarity with motorized vehicles. Due to the incredible generosity of the people of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, our offering contains sufficient funds to purchase the materials to build a fence between the school and the road to help keep the children safe.

Thank you all for you amazing generosity! Additional contributions by congregations or individuals may be made to the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California by putting South Sudan in the memo line.

If your congregation needs assistance on communications strategy development or implementation, website development or management, social media integration or maintenance, or any other communications-related items of interest or concern, please reach out to Keri now so she can work with you before taking this break. She is best reached via e-mail to keri@norcalepiscopal.org.

Thank you.

The Office of the Bishop will be closed for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. The office will close beginning at noon on Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24 and will re-open on Wednesday, January 2. The regularly scheduled Diocesan e-News will not be sent during this time, and will resume its bi-weekly schedule on Tuesday, January 15, 2013.

We wish you all a peaceful and joyful holiday season!

From the Book of Common Prayer, page 815
Prayer For the Human Family

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Black Friday. Cyber Monday. The relentless commercial countdown is well underway. The shopping. And the decorating. And the greeting cards. And the entertaining. And so on. It’s the “Holiday” season, after all, and these are the familiar tasks that come with this time of year, and make it so remarkably busy.

I pray that it will be a joyful time for us all as well as a busy one—even for those of us who, by reason of difficulty or loss, find this to be a painful time. I especially pray that we will all be helped to maintain our spiritual balance, and to keep our priorities straight amidst the many demands of these days. I pray that we will live this season in the light of the Seasons that the Church understands it to be.

Advent. Christmas. The Spirit’s relentless, surprising, challenging countdown to God’s intervention in our world and in our lives. May our busyness mainly be about making straight the way of His coming. May we be found ready. May we know that deep and abiding peace which the Prince of Peace comes to give, and minister that peace to all we meet. May we all together greet Him with joyful hearts.

Yours in the Name of Word made flesh,

While the shield shape and elements within remained the same, the words in Latin on the banner encircling the outside have been removed and the English words, “The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California,” have been added. This small but powerful update has been made to help provide a more accessible visual representation of the diocese, increasing levels of hospitality to everyone, whether they are familiar with the Episcopal Church or not. This alteration in wording helps the shield not just represent where the Church came from, but it captures the current state of where the Church is, and embraces the future of where the Church is headed.

This newly updated shield truly captures the essence of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, and we are pleased to share it with you!

Take a look below and see how our shield has evolved over the years:

Having arrived safely back at the office on November 6, I want to share with you the final third of my sabbatical. This time away has been an incredible gift from all of you in the Diocese, our staff and the bishop. Thank you for your support and prayers and for the amazing ministry you have continued to do while I was gone. I am blessed.

The focus of my time in the United Kingdom was a week-long retreat on the Scottish Island of Iona on the far Northwest coast. Along with 23 people from the U.K., U.S.A., Australia and New Zealand, including my husband Bryon and my dear friend Jackie, we explored our connection with the holy in a spiritually diverse way. For me, the process was held and supported by the daily morning and evening prayer times with the Iona Community in the ancient abbey. This ecumenical community continues the practices of prayer, worship and social action that have been the hallmarks of a Christian presence there since the arrival of St. Columba and his monks in the sixth century.

During one evening Eucharist I was moved to tears by the simple Eucharist in which the priest elevated the bread and wine according to the ancient pattern but in a way that was entirely new and powerfully present to each one gathered there. It was the deepest confirmation of my commitment as a part of the Body of Christ and confirmed in me the desire to live out my ministry to its fullest in communion with others in the Church.

Upon our return to the States, Bryon and I made visits to friends and family in the Pacific Northwest. It was a wonderful time of re-connection with many who are dear to both of us. After Bryon flew home, my best friend from High School drove me from her home in Seattle to the ferry terminal outside Vancouver B.C. for the final event of my sabbatical, a four-day “Art of Hosting” event sponsored by the Episcopal Church with the Rev. Tom Brackett as convener. This time together and the way we formed as community and learned new ways of organizing will profoundly shape my work in the years ahead. Megan Anderson, who is a final year seminarian from our Diocese was also present. If you find yourself in conversation with either of us, you will get an earful of what was so very exciting and transformative from that experience.

After thousands of miles and buckets of rainwater in South Sudan, England, Scotland, Oregon, Washington and Canada, I returned to Northern California for a final free weekend of glorious sunshine and the beauty of warm, autumnal days. It will be a joy to re-connect with many of you at Convention and with others as the months proceed. I have carried you on this journey and been carried by you while I was away. I am profoundly grateful.