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1-23-2015
2-13-2015Paul Colbert writes about St Raphael's in Oakhurst With a small congregation operating out of rented space, it is easy to dismiss the idea of going out to do service in the community. It is also hard to reflect on the nature of service when the entire community is run by service clubs. Is the church just another service club to which people belong? I first met many members of St Raphael's while helping serve a community meal at the Methodist Church. This is a meal that includes senior citizens seeking a night out, the working poor, and the homeless who are part of the Oakhurst community. Some of those I met did not join St Raphael's for another couple of years. It was also another couple of years before we had enough members to be able to host the community meal in our own name, first as a quarterly event, and then on a monthly basis. St Raphael's has hosted iconography workshops twice a year, drawing in people primarily from the art community for these workshops that have been led by Joyce Tanner. We have often been able to gather periodically for one day session to assist each other in completing our paintings. I continue in my reflection of ministry and service, since I have long maintained that what we do from 9-5 in the workaday world is ministry. Nurtured by our faith, we carry it into the world in our daily activities. Thus, those who are working are helping to carry the reign of God into the world. Our individual ministries may or may not be recognized as part of the whole church's outreach, but it is there nonetheless. Thus, social work, paralegal work, search and rescue, emergency response, and all flavours of volunteer work take on different life and meaning. Some of it is known to the rest of the congregation and some not. One member volunteers with the Red Cross to assist in emergency relief. That may involve being available to assist with housing or other relief after a house fire, or setting up emergency shelter and response when wildfires come through, as they did this year. One member has helped establish centering prayer gatherings that involve several people and congregations during the week. More recently, she brought her qi gong teacher from the Bay Area and has helped start locals in that practice of centering exercises. One has been involved with starting basic winter weather shelter for the homeless - a project that has involved members of several churches, including the "other side" of our legal disputes. Another has volunteered gifts and talents as a bookkeeper in local charities. Others are involved in helping to run other local service organizations and non-profits. Some are involved with helping the Methodist church maintain its thrift store, which helps many of the working poor and homeless, and raises funds for other outreach at that church. All is ministry/service for the Reign of God in our midst. Some of it is known, some not. Some is recognized as coming from the Episcopal Church, some is not. But it is all done to the glory of God.
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"Travel Light, leaving baggage behind."
Luke 10:1-12
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A Story of the Bag
From Dana Karcher,
St. Paul's, Bakersfield
As I was coming home from running an errand yesterday, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a disheveled looking man sitting in front of Downtown School in Bakersfield. I had a my last yellow bag in my car. (Don't think I am a saint...I only had two to begin with. And I wish I had more!) I pulled over, backed up to where he was and took out the bag to give him. I observed that he was wearing a jacket with no shirt underneath, his blanket was pretty tattered, and he was wearing a hat with some sort of ripped up net underneath. He was not clean, but he didn't look tired. His eyes were bright and blue. (Sometimes I wonder why I notice the details. Maybe I will get a clue about where this person is from? How they got here and in the predicament they are currently experiencing?)
I put the bag down and handed him the "blanket" that we put with our bags. (I bought fleece by the yard on sale and gave it with the bags. In the fog of the valley, fleece can really cut that cold.) I told him that there was some food in the bag, some things to keep him clean and warm, including hand warmers. I introduced myself and he said his name was Sambuka. Then he floored me with what he said next. "Do you mind if I share these things? I have all that I need," he said with a huge smile on his face. He isn't wearing a shirt. He is dirty. His clothes are tattered. He is eating a loaf of white bread that clearly has come from some dumpster. He has all that he needs.
"Absolutely, Sambuka. God Bless You", I said, shaking his hand (that had ink drawings on his palm). I drove away. The message was loud and clear.
-Dana
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Congratulations Goes To...
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Tim Vivian, Priest-in-Charge at St. Paul's Bakersfield, has just published "Wake the Devil from His Dream: Thomas Dudley, Quincy Ewing, Religion, and the 'Race Problem' in the Jim Crow South" in Anglican and Episcopal History 83.4 ( December 2014):371-416 |
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Stewardship University...
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STEWARDSHIP UNIVERSITY
This exciting program is coming to San Joaquin on Saturday, March 28th, at Holy Family in Fresno. The Rev. Canon Timothy M. Dombeck will lead this workshop. The workshop begins at 10:30am and will continue to 3:30pm, lunch will be provided. Everyone is invited and it is important that at least one person from each of our congregations attends.
Why a "Stewardship University"?
Stewardship University is a one-day series of educational workshops for congregational leaders designed to assist churches in becoming more grateful, generous, sustainable, welcoming and hospitable communities of Christ-centered life transformation, outreach and worship.
How does Stewardship University work?
By the use of an engaging, workshop approach, Stew U (as it is affectionately called) educates and trains people in practical matters related to many aspects of hospitality, communication, story-telling, gratitude, and the concept of stewardship as it relates to people exercising their baptismal ministry through involvement in active ministry, including one's life as a steward and giving of one's time and abilities, as well as financial resources.
What topics get covered at a Stew U?
A typical Stewardship University event covers the broad topics of:
- Understanding Giving
- Practical Steps to Increase Giving
- Planned Giving: Giving from the Heart and Soul
- Year-round Stewardship That You Can Do, With or Without The Annual Pledge Drive
- Enhancing Generous Hospitality: What We Can Learn from Starbucks and Why
Other requested topics presented at other meetings include:
- Understanding Your Money in Your Life
- How To Talk About Money: In the Culture, In the Church
- Three Shifts in Stewardship
Additionally, you can request a particular topic that you would like addressed. Just have a talk with Timothy about what you want to achieve.
STEWARDSHIP UNIVERSITY™ is the creation of the Reverend Canon Timothy M. Dombek, Canon for Stewardship and Planned Giving in the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona. Prior to entering seminary in the late 1980's, Canon Dombek was a Certified Financial Planner based in South Bend, Indiana. Serving the needs of individuals and small business owners, Timothy worked with clients in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois.
(Psst! Stewardship University has no tuition. It's FREE!) Lunch will be provided. Click here for registration form.
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From Integrity San Joaquin...
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 Retreat 2014
In late January - for the third year running - Integrity members and supporters met together at ECCO for their Winter Retreat. It was a time of fellowship, renewal and fun. Integrity USA is the "unofficial" lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) ministry of The Episcopal Church. For four decades, Integrity USA has been working for the full equality of LGBT persons in every part of The Episcopal Church. Integrity works both to change the policies of the wider church, and to encourage and enable local congregations to intentionally open their doors to LGBT people and their allies. In the re-organized Diocese of San Joaquin, Integrity's vision and goals are now welcomed and embraced.
We gathered on Friday evening from throughout the diocese, renewing old friendships and starting new ones. We shared our stories and what had drawn us to this time together in the mountains. Attendees had the chance to meet this year's retreat leader, Canon Randy Kimmler, the Missioner for Vocations in the Diocese of Los Angeles, where he supports and oversees clergy development prior to and after ordination. About 8 years ago, he helped plant the Community of the Holy Spirit (CHS) in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles. Lay-organized and led, the group is an emergent progressive Christian community that is being studied by many Episcopal dioceses.
Randy's theme for our weekend was "Living into the Kingdom of God". We spent Saturday exploring what that meant to us individually and as a community. Our sessions started with readings from scripture that served as inspiration for exploring questions posed to us in small group discussions. In our morning session we were asked to identify the signs of the kingdom we have observed, the strategies we have for living in the tension of "the already" and the "not yet" of the kingdom, and how we articulated kingdom life to others. The afternoon discussions asked us to look at how our readings challenged our community life and informed our struggles and when and how we are stumbling blocks to kingdom life. We concluded each session by sharing our discussions and identifying key revelations. We ended the day by formulating and recording our goals for living into the kingdom in the year ahead and committed to sharing our progress at our next retreat.
On Saturday evening we joined together to watch the movie "PRIDE". Based on a true story, in the summer of 1984 in Margaret Thatcher's Britain, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) went on strike. A group of gay and lesbian activists felt a kinship in the oppression they witnessed and decided to raise money to support the struggling families of the striking miners. But there was a problem. The Union was embarrassed to receive their support. But the activists were not deterred. They decided to ignore the Union and go direct to the miners. They randomly choose a mining village in deepest Wales and set off in a mini bus to make their donation in person. And so began the extraordinary story of two seemingly alien communities who formed a surprising and ultimately triumphant partnership of mutual support and respect.
Eucharist was the focus of our final retreat day on Sunday. We continued our three year tradition of having our friends from St. Raphael's join us for a worship organized by Deacon Carolyn Woodall with Bishop David as celebrant. During his sermon, Bishop David reflected back on Randy's retreat theme and the movie "PRIDE", as he encouraged us to be truly welcoming and abandon preconceived ideas that cause us to wrongly judge others and limit the expression of God's kingdom in the Diocese of San Joaquin.
We invite you all to the 4th Winter Retreat of the San Joaquin Chapter of Integrity scheduled on January 22-24, 2016 at ECCO. "Save the Date" and join us next year!
Jan Dunlap & Cindy Smith
Conveners, San Joaquin Chapter of Integrity
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From Our Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schori...
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 ECF Fellows are lay and ordained scholars and ministry leaders who are making a significant impact on our Church. The application deadline is March 13 for the 2015 Fellowship. Read below for 4 things we ask all applicants to bear in mind & click here for the application. |
4 things we ask all applicants to bear in mind:
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- ECF is committed to strengthening the leadership of lay and ordained members of the Episcopal Church. All applicants to the academic and ministry tracks are asked to describe how they plan on developing the next generation of lay and ordained leaders for the Episcopal Church, whether this is in the context of academia, a local congregation, through a church-wide initiative, or in another setting.
- ECF is a lay-led organization of the Episcopal Church. ECF is especially looking for scholars and ministry leaders who incorporate lay leadership development into their work. All members of the Church, whether lay or ordained, are invited to apply.
- An ECF Fellowship provides both financial support and networking opportunities. ECF has typically awarded three to four Fellowships per year. New awards range up to $15,000 for the first year and are renewable for an additional two years. In addition to this financial support, new Fellows join a wide network of past Fellows and ECF partners with them so that they may share their knowledge, experience, and best practices with the wider Church.
- The application requires a significant commitment of time and effort and is due on March 13, 2015. The selection process for an ECF Fellowship is highly competitive and a strong application requires a significant investment of time and effort. We encourage all applicants to begin this process early. ECF will announce the 2015 Fellows in late May.
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From Our Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schori...
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My brothers and sisters in Christ:
The Episcopal Church has been in partnership with the Diocese of Jerusalem for a very long time. Since 1922, we have taken an offering in our churches on Good Friday to support the work of the gospel in the Land of the Holy One. That Land is still the place of deep division and conflict, more than 2000 years after the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. He and his earthly family suffered under threat of oppressive regimes, fled as refugees to another land, labored to supply their bodily needs in the face of dire economic realities, and he himself was executed as an enemy of the state. All of those realities are present today in the Anglican/Episcopal Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East.
The offering we collect on Good Friday carries on the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, through support for the many ministries of healing, feeding, and teaching among the dioceses of the Province. Refugees are cared for, the sick and injured are healed, the dead are buried, children educated, women empowered by these ministries - and all are welcomed with open arms, like Abraham and Sarah's guests. Jesus cared for all in need, without regard for nationality or creed, and these ministries do the same. It is the work of shalom and salaam, building peace in the hearts of suffering individuals and communities.
I urge you to learn more, to pray for the people of the Land of the Holy One, and to give generously this year. I would encourage us all to use the fast of Lent to focus on the hunger (both spiritual and physical) of these peoples, and contribute out of our abundance and our poverty.
May our offering this year strengthen the bonds among all God's people, and bless each one with concrete and eternal signs of more abundant life.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church
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From the Diocesan Office...
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From the Diocesan Office...
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For Clergy and Lay: Please contact the Diocesan Office if you are in need of more bags to fill and pass out to those in need. St. Paul's Preschool, Modesto has asked for bags on the next order for the children. Please think of this if you have a youth group or a preschool that can be part of our "missional" outreach.
For Clergy and Treasurers:
Clergy....Please be sure to get your directories, contact forms, and other forms in packet into the diocesan office quickly! Many thanks go to Holy Trinity, St. Raphael's and St. Matthews for having all documents turned in!
ALL MAIL...
for the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, Bishop, Canon, and Administrator is to be mailed to 1528 Oakdale Road, Modesto, CA 95355.
Thank you, Ellen Meyer, Administrator |
Northern Deanery Meeting
The next Northern Deanery Meeting is Saturday, June 20, 2015. 10 a.m. to 12 noon,
St. Francis, Turlock.
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Central Deanery Meeting
The next Central Deanery Meeting is Sunday, May 17, 2015, 2:00 p.m.,
St. Raphael's, Oakhurst.
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Southern Deanery Meeting
The next Southern Deanery meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 14, 2015,11:00 a.m., St. Michael's, Ridgecrest.
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What's Happening in the DIO
Diocesan Council and Standing Committee Retreat, Friday-Saturday, February 20-21, 2015, ECCO, Oakhurst
Northern Deanery Clericus, Tuesday March 10, 2015, 11:00a.m., St. Paul's, Modesto
Standing Committee Adobe Meeting, March 24, 2015, 7:00 p.m.
Diocesan Council Adobe Meeting, March 26, 2015, 7:00 p.m.
Stewardship University, March 28, 2015, 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Holy Family, Fresno
Chrism Mass, March 31, 2015, 11:00 a.m., Church of the Saviour, Hanford
Annual Convention, October 23-24, 2015, St. Paul's, Modesto
Click on the link below to see more upcoming events and meetings around the diocese.
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From our Parishes and Missions..
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St. Anne's Pub Nights
Tonight and Tomorrow!
February 13th & 14th
6:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Tickets will be available at the door both nights. Adults $35; children under 12 $15.
Tickets include a dinner entrée; non-alcoholic beverages; desserts; singing and games;
souvenir glass; and for the adults one alcoholic beverage.
Also, there will be a silent auction and raffle.
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Sunday, March 1
Grace Hall, 7pm
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
2216 17th Street, between "B" & "C"
Bakersfield, CA
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 ETTY: a one-woman play based on the life of Etty Hillesum
Etty is a touring one-woman play based on the diaries and letters of Etty Hillesum, adapted and performed by Susan Stein. Directed by Austin Pendleton.
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Esther "Etty" Hillesum (1914 - 1943) was a Dutch Jewish woman whose letters and diaries, kept between 1941 and 1943, describe life in during the Nazi occupation. She died in Auschwitz. Her writings were published in 1981 as Etty Hillesum: An Interrupted Life. The Diaries 1941-1943 and Letters from Westerbork.
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Using only Etty Hillesum's words, Susan Stein's adaptation allows Etty's words, insights,and beliefs to reach out from the Holocaust and allow us to see the power of hope and individual thought in the most
extreme circumstances.
ettyplay inc encompasses theatrical and educational experiences designed to challenge participants to reexamine assumptions about the Holocaust and explore issues of resistance, human rights, social justice, and individual responsibility.
The mission of ettyplay inc is to use the writings of Etty Hillesum to promote social justice, to challenge prejudice by examining the consequences of genocide, and to enable participants to explore their own personal stories alongside Etty's, as they consider their role in the struggle for human rights.
Suggested Donation: $5-$10
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Diocesan Website and Facebook...
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Have you checked it out?
Keep up to date on news and events with our
Facebook
Check out postings from Bishop David and Canon Kate at
Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin
The Episcopal Church Website
Episcopal News Service
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For the Bishop and Canon's Calendar...
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