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The Rev. Heather Mueller
St Andrew's Episcopal Church, Taft
_______________________Sorting through the words!
We are in the midst of a season of a multitude of words, phrases and speeches! Words are flying past us and into our ears from every direction! These many verbal presentations are coming to us in a variety of ways.... From the radio waves, the television, the mouths of friends, and family and especially from the people who want to be elected to serve as leaders in our governmental systems.
How are we, as Christians, called to respond, sort through and process the words and then vote with integrity when the time comes for us to mark the names on the ballot?
We, as Christians, are so blessed because we have the guiding principles of the Gospel. Jesus our teacher and savior has given us a whole system which we can use as a filter and a lens. He taught us how to live and make decisions, through statements, parables and most importantly through his life, death and resurrection. He showed us, with great power and deep passion, how we are called to live and use the resources over which we have control. This means that we have guidance from the Gospel message, in our choices about how to spend our time talent, treasure and our vote!
We have the Gospel through which we can view these many messages and discern therefore, how we are called to function. The gospel is a system of teachings given to us by Jesus and his followers...Saint Matthew, Saint Mark, Saint Luke, Saint John, Saint Paul and others. It is this powerful message, of the Gospel, which can be the compass for our souls, the plumb line for our lives and the way we are called to make our decision, in this season of such an abundance of words! Read more ...
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 Preparing for Canonball Express |
Current Total: $8,496.55
Thank you, Thank you, and again Thank you. The donations are rolling in. If you have not yet contributed to the Canonball Express please prayerfully consider doing so. The new Canon to the Ordinary needs some wheels!
Blessings,
+David
Please send your donations to The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, memo Canonball Express,1528 Oakdale Road, Modesto, CA 95355
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| Call to The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin
57th Diocesan Annual Convention
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Radical, Welcome, and Sending
Call to The Episcopal Diocese of
San Joaquin 57th Annual Convention
October 28-29, 2016
ECCO
Evergreen Conference Center, Oakhurst
 Guest Speaker
The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers
Canon to the Presiding Bishop
for Evangelism and Reconciliation
Registration is online only this year!
Click here to go to registration site on our Diocesan Website And
find all reports and information about our annual convention.
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Called to Be...Life Long Learners! - Have you ever heard a "Bible quote" in the media and wondered...Is that really in the Bible?
- Have you ever heard that the Episcopal Church was started by King Henry VIII because he wanted a divorce and wondered... Is that really what happened?
- Have you ever wanted to go deeper in your spiritual life and wondered...What type of spiritual practices might help me?
- Have you heard about the Anglicans and wondered...What makes someone an Anglican and why does it matter?
- Have you ever....
Well...Maybe you are called to be...a participant in The Adult Life-Long Learning Center where you can explore your faith in a safe environment with other adult learners. What is it? - Classes offered include Scripture, Church History, Spiritual Practices, and more.
- Sessions are facilitated by University professors and ordained clergy.
- Participants can attend one or more of the classes.
When is it? - Classes offered on a monthly basis (third weekends--on Friday evenings and Saturdays) from September 16-17th to June 16-17th.
- Some of the classes are offered for the academic year (10 sessions), some for a semester, (5 sessions), others vary week to week.
- The length of each class ranges from one-half hour to three hours depending upon the subject.
Where is it? - Conveniently located in the center of the diocese at Holy Family Episcopal Church in Fresno.
How much does it cost? - Are you ready for this? We simply ask for a donation as you are able to support the expenses of the school. The facilitators donate their time. You will be responsible for the purchase of your books and supplies from outside vendors.
Frequently asked questions - Do I have to write papers? No.
- Is there work outside of the class? Yes. Depending upon the class, you may read a few pages, to several chapters of Scripture, to a book. You may be asked to try spiritual practices or to reflect on a Christian ethic. Commitments vary according to the class.
- What is the class schedule for the first year? Click here.
- How long is the program? Two academic years.
- Do I need to take the whole program or can I pick and choose what interests me? You can take whatever inspires you. The program repeats every two years.
- What should I do if I want more information or want to sign up? Email The Rev. Michele Racusin here: rector@holyfamilyfresno.org
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The Episcopal Church of St. Anne, Stockton
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Community Event
What Can We Do to Address the Needs
of the Homeless
in North Stockton and Beyond?
A Conversation with Jon Mendelson
of Central Valley Low Income Housing
Sunday, August 21, 2016, 4:00 p.m.
Episcopal Church of St. Anne
1020 West Lincoln Avenue (@ Gettysburg)
(light refreshments provided)
Jon and his dad, Bill, manage Central Valley Low Income Housing, which also acted as the lead agency to prepare San Joaquin County's Continuum of Care plan to address homelessness in the County. Join us in a conversation about what we can do individually and together to respond to and address homelessness.
'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And he answered them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' Matthew 25:37-40
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The Episcopal Church of St. Anne, Stockton
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Fr. Luis Rodriguez is returning to the diocese in early August. While his time in New Hampshire has been exciting and eventful, the pull of friends and family in California has been significant.
Fr. Luis is available to cover Sundays for any parish or mission that is in need of a priest. Fr. Luis can be contacted at fr.luisr@gmail.com.
Welcome Fr. Luis!
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For Clergy and Lay Leaders
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California Interfaith Power& Light
T he mission of California Interfaith Power & Light is to be faithful stewards of Creation by responding to global warming through the promotion of energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. I encourage you to learn more about this group by going to their website at:
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Erskine Fire at Lake Isabella: Help Needed!
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Thank you for your calls and concern for parishioners whose property was damaged by the Erskine Fire at Lake Isabella. The good news is that 2 out of the 3 homes are repairable. One needs just cleaning, the other some electrical work and clearing outbuildings that burned. The third home burned to the waterline and there is no insurance.
Please contact Fr. Bob Woods at 760-376-2455 if you can donate or have connections to the following:
Motor home or trailer or
a tiny house or house kit
Wellhead and pump motor
Financial donations to purchase the above.
Donations are to be mailed to:
St. Sherrian's Episcopal Church P.O. Box 1837, Kernville, CA 93238. Memo: Erskine Fire Assistance.
Thank you,
Diocesan Staff
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A steward is not one who owns, but one who makes the best
use of everything he/she
have been given
If you have yet to start your Stewardship plan, start now!
Contact the Diocesan Office for the TENS password.
Stewardship is a year long program!
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The Five Marks of Mission
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The Five Marks of Mission
Click here for poster to post
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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.
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Safeguarding God's Children
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Safeguarding God's Children!
Please review your Safeguarding God's Children program in your parish. Are all volunteers working with children current with the training or have gone through the program?
Please contact Stephanie Gilmer, Diocesan Coordinator at mzgilmer@att.net.
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Southern Deanery Meeting
Saturday, September 17, 11am,St. Michael's, Ridgecrest
Northern Deanery Meeting
Saturday, October 1, 10am,
St. John the Evangelist, Stockton
Central Deanery Meeting
Sunday, October 9, 3pm
St. Paul's, Visalia
57th Diocesan Annual Convention
October 28-29, ECCO
Evergreen Conference Center, Oakhurst
Advent Clergy Retreat,
December 6-8,
St. Anthony, Three Rivers
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For Clergy, Wardens, Treasurers
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HAVE YOU SCHEDULED YOUR AUDIT?All audits should be have been done or scheduled by now and date communicated to the Diocesan Office! Audit is not optional.
Please turn in the form included in the Annual Congregation Management Review Binder and send to the Diocesan office with confirmation of intent of audit.
Fr. Paul Colbert is available to do the required peer audit. Contact him at: pcolbert@diosanjoaquin.org
Completed Audits:
St. Matthew's, San Andreas
St. Paul's, Visalia
St. John the Baptist, Lodi
St. Nicholas, Atwater
St. Raphael, Oakhurst
St. John the Evangelist, Stockton
Holy Trinity, Madera
St. Paul's, Modesto
Scheduled Audits:
St. Michael's, Ridgecrest
St. Anne's, Stockton
St. Andrew's, Taft
St. Sherrian's, Kernville
St. Francis, Turlock
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Announcements, Stories of the Bag, Missional Days, Five Marks of Missions articles, and special events articles can be submitted to the Diocesan Office at: emeyer@diosanjoaquin.org
All submissions are due Tuesday for the following Friday Reflection.
Submission requirements:
pictures -JPEG format
articles- word document
linked documents- PDF
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