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June 12, 2015
Holy Family in Fresno recently held the first of what is to be a series of symposia and educational gatherings throughout the diocese on the topic of human trafficking. The event was held at the Park Radisson hotel (the hotel donated the space). There were tables for various community organizations to display sings and brochures and educational material regarding human trafficking along with information about Holy Family. There were the people from Holy Family who worked as greeters and offered a welcoming presence as people entered. There were snacks and drinks and coffee so that people could sit at round tables before the event and showing of the film so that people could chat with one another.
After the welcome and introductions they showed the film, "A Trafficked Life", followed by a panel question and answer session. I believe over 125 people were at the event from all parts of the community. The Roman Catholic bishop of Fresno was there, along with police, not-for-profit agency personnel and many people from the community who were just interested in the topic.
I sat next to a young man and asked how he had learned of the event. He stated that co-worker of his, who happens to attend Holy Family, had invited him. He was interested in the topic and was impressed that a church would sponsor such an event.
I found myself wondering about the invitation to this young man. I wondered if the parishioner had ever invited anyone to church before or if this might have been the first time? I wondered if it were somehow easier to invite someone to a church event that was not actually held at church, perhaps less intimidating to a new-comer, and if it were easier to invite someone to a missional activity than to worship?
A while ago Reverend Michele wrote her story about the yellow bag for the Friday reflection and her encounter with some people in need. It was a great story and I noticed later that a parishioner from Holy Family had copied the story and posted it on Facebook with a comment. His comment, "I am so proud of my church."
I found myself wondering if was easier to invite people to a church activity or share something positive about your church when you were supporting or sharing about a missional activity?
Perhaps something we can all ponder and reflect on together as a diocese.
I pray God's blessings on us all,
Canon Kate
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"Travel Light, leaving baggage behind."
Luke 10:1-12
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Tour Against Trafficking...
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From St. Sherrian's, Kernville
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St. Sherrian's, Kernville Missional Work
Last week, St. Sherrian's was there for the unveiling of a new mural in one of the corridors of the Kern Valley Hospital, St.
Sherrian's and several other groups made donations, both to cover the materials costs and because this project was indeed a fund-raiser of the Kern Valley Hospital Foundation. With the funds raised, the Foundation was able to purchase two more portable/bedside vital sign machines which link wirelessly in the hospital. In return, we got some visibility, being listed as a donor on the dedication plaque next to the mural.
Fr. Bob Woods
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From St. James, Sonora...
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From St. James, Sonora
There is nothing more fun and rewarding then spending a weekend with your Bishop, spreading the word, and helping him experience two "important firsts," in his life. The people of St. James,
Sonora and our local area got to do this the weekend of June sixth and seventh.
I had heard in the last few years that the Bishop serves God, by serving the Diocese. I am glad to report that Bishop David does this with great good humor and enthusiasm!
St. James, Sonora has been participating in the Twain Harte Rotary's "Annual Royal Flush Crapper Derby," with the Holy Roller, a red church-shaped outhouse, complete with steeple, stained glass windows and lots of good will. This year, Bishop David had expressed an interest in participating. The Twain Harte Rotary was thrilled to welcome him to give the Invocation and bless the participants.
However, as a competitive runner, Bishop David was willing to participate as one of the "pushers" providing "human powered locomotion" to the Holy Roller. The other "pusher" was my grandson, Conner, 19, who came from Reno, for the weekend.
Unfortunately, this year we had focused only on painting the Holy Roller, a redder shade of red, rather than on its construction, wheels and design. We are not competitive, but our Bishop David certainly is. As he assured the congregation at St. James, Sunday morning, next year the Holy Roller will have better wheels and a better steering system, and "will be competitive!" I guess we have our mandate from the Bishop.
Saturday evening, Bishop David and his lovely wife Tracy, participated in the Red Dress Event at Sierra Hope. Sierra Hope is a Charity that provides assistance to those with HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis C, and other chronic diseases, in the Calaveras and Tuolumne County areas. Their principle fund-raiser is the annual "Red Dress Event," the first Saturday in June. It is a dance at which all participants wear red, the brave males wearing red dresses as well as the ladies. Bishop David, as he told us, got to "dance the night away with his lovely Tracy, with both of them wearing red dresses." That was Bishop David's second "First" of the weekend!
Also, my birthday is June 7th, so I had immediately picked up on the fact that Bishop David was consecrated Bishop in Waiapu, NZ, on JUNE 7th, 2008. Sunday, when Fr. Verne asked if anyone was celebrating a birthday, I went up with a small gift bag in hand. I said to the congregation, "People tend to note events that happen on their birthday, so I would like to offer this small gift to Bishop David on the seventh anniversary of his Consecration as a Bishop." Bishop David sat there stunned and blank-faced!
Then Bishop David said, "Oh my gosh! You're right! I'd forgotten that!" Then turning to the congregation he addressed his wife with, "Tracy, did you remember that?" Apparently, Tracy had not remembered either.
We had been hoping to surprise Bishop David with a cake saying, "St. James Congratulates Bishop David on the Seventh Anniversary of his Consecration." And we certainly did so! We had great fun with Bishop David at the reception and salad buffet following the Eucharist.
Then, after the Reception, Bishop David met with our Bishop's Committee, to tell us about the ''Tour Against Trafficking." We are looking forward to participating as a community of faith in supporting that event and becoming involved in the fight to end this tragic problem.
Everyone who met Bishop David was enchanted by his exuberance, good humor, and how comfortable they were with him. Several people have asked me if he'll return to Twain Harte, next June. What say you Bishop David?
Betty Cordoza
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Upcoming Events at Our Parishes and Missions..
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RENEW MY CHURCH, TRANSFORM MY LIFE A WEEKEND OF SPIRITUAL RENEWAL AND PARISH REVITALIZATION
Saturday, June 20, 2015 St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church 316 El Dorado St., Stockton, CA
Guest Speaker: The Rev. Canon Dr. Fred Vergara, Episcopal Church Missioner, Asiamerican Ministries
9:30 AM - ARRIVAL, REGISTRATION & NETWORKING
10:00 AM - MISSION, VISION AND PRAYER What is the mission of the church? What is your specific vision for your church? How do you integrate them into prayer?
11:00 AM - Break
11: 15 AM - A THREE-FOLD MINISTRY: WORSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, AND SERVICE Worship is ministry to the Lord; fellowship is ministry to the church; and service is ministry to the world. How do you develop and improve your church's three-fold ministry?
12: 15 PM - Lunch
1:15 PM - PRACTICUM 1: How to Lead Contemporary Worship
2:15 PM - PRACTICUM 2: How to Pray for Healing and Deliverance
3:15 PM - PRACTICUM 3: How to Share the Gospel/Evangelize
Please join us for Holy Eucharist on Sunday, June 21 at 10:30 AM
The Rev. Dr. Winfred Vergara, guest preacher.
To register for the Seminar please e-mail Karen at episcopalangel@outlook.com
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St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Bakersfield
Sunday July 5th 11:30 a.m.
Old Fashioned Picnic to celebrate 2 years since
Grace moved into and became St. Paul's.
Hamburgers, hotdogs and all the sides.......
Watermelon eating contest, 3 Legged sack races, Pie Bake off
and Blue Ribbon Winner, Photobooth, Music and more to come....
in the courtyard in front of St. Paul's.
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Northern Deanery Meeting:
The Northern Deanery Meeting was held Saturday, June 6th at St. Francis, Turlock
The Rev. Anne Smith held a very organized meeting with great presentations by:
Greg Masztal, St. Paul's, Modesto -A follow-up on the Stewardship University Event
Bill Latham, St. Paul's, Modesto- Deputies role at General Convention
The Rev. Lyn Morlan, St. Anne's, Stockton- Volunteers role at General Convention
Ellen Meyer, Administrator of the Diocese, discussed diocesan events and programs.
The elections for Deanery President, Vice President and Secretary were held. Congratulations go to those who were elected:
President- Don Dunlap, St. Paul's, Modesto, Vice President- The Rev. Nick Lorenzetti, St. Paul's, Modesto and Secretary- Corky Kuykendall, St. John the Baptist, Lodi
Many thanks go to those who served well last year: President: The Rev. Anne Smith,
Vice President: Greg Masztal and Secretary: Nedra Voorhees,
Thanks also go to the people of St. Francis for hosting the meeting. The next Deanery meeting is still to be determined.
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Central Deanery Meeting: Let's all go to the ball game!
The next central deanery event will be gathering at Chukchansi Park to watch the Grizzlies play on August 2, 2015. The game starts at 6:05 PM. The Rev. Suzie Ward is working on reserving a block of tickets. Each congregation in the Central Deanery needs to make an estimate of how many people will be coming and email her at sward1978@sbcglobal.net.
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Southern Deanery Meeting
The next Southern Deanery meeting is scheduled for Saturday, July 11, 2015, 11:00 a.m., St. Andrew's, Taft. There will also be a Warden and Treasurer Meeting from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
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From the Diocesan Office...
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For Clergy and Lay:
We have been receiving many requests for bags and we are planning another order however we DO need financial support for the missional bag program. The first two bag orders were possible due to gracious donations from St. Paul's, Visalia and Bishop David.
Each order is $465.00 for 500 qty. and any contribution from you towards this amount would be greatly appreciated.
Please send your donations to The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, 1528 Oakdale Road, Modesto, CA 95355. Please write Yellow Bags in the memo line. Thank you.
We need Stories of the Bag from all parishes and missions for Friday Reflections. Please submit to emeyer@diosanjoaquin.org!
For Clergy and Lay:
The 56th Annual Diocesan Convention is October 23-24, 2015 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Modesto, CA. The Convention Committee is asking everyone to save the date. We encourage everyone to attend and welcome all who would like to participate.
Please direct any questions to:
Stephanie Gilmer (sgilmer@diosanjoaquin.org)
Marilyn Metzgar (mmetzgar@diosanjoquin.org)
Articles for Friday Reflection
Parishes and Missions! We want to know what's happening!
Articles can be submitted to the Diocesan Office at emeyer@diosanjoaquin.org. All submissions are due no later than the Tuesday before the Friday Reflection. Pictures submitted are to be in jpeg format and forms to be attached to the Friday Reflection are best in PDF format.
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
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What's Happening in the DIO
Commission on Ministry Meeting, Saturday, June 13, 2015, 9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Holy Family, Fresno
Central Deanery Clericus, Tuesday, June 17, 2015, 11:00 a.m., Church of the Saviour, Hanford
78th General Convention, June 25-July 3, 2015, Salt Lake City, Utah
Trafficking Event, Wednesday, July 8, 2015, 6:30 p.m., Sam Pipes Room at the Merced Civic Center, 18th & N St., Merced (hosted by St. Nicholas, Atwater/Merced)
Southern Deanery Meeting, Saturday, July 11, 2015, 11:00 a.m., St. Andrew's, Taft
Warden and Treasurer Meeting, Saturday, July 11, 2015, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., St. Andrew's, Taft
Deacon Luncheon with Bishop David, Tuesday, July 14, 2015, 11:30 a.m., Pane Cafe, Fresno
Warden and Treasurer Meeting, Saturday July 18, 2015, 10:00-noon, St. Paul's, Modesto
Warden and Treasurer Meeting, Saturday July 18, 2015, 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Fresno,Holy Family
Central Deanery Clericus, July 28, 2015, 6:00 p.m., Home of Canon Kate Cullinane
Trafficking Event, Saturday, August 1, 2015, 10 a.m.-12 noon, Alumni House, College of the Pacific, 3601 Pacific Ave , Stockton (hosted by St. Anne's and St. John the Evangelist)
Central Deanery Meeting, August 2, 2015, 6:00 p.m., Chukchansi Park
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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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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