Welcome to The Rev. Canon Martha Korienek, the new Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real!
Canon Martha will support Bishop Lucinda Ashby in the areas of transition ministry and leadership development; her duties will include guiding clergy and parish transitions, arranging and coordinating clergy education and retreats, adapting diocesan structures for the future, and more. She will also preside and preach regularly at parishes throughout the diocese and work to connect congregations.
Originally from suburban Chicago, Canon Martha has spent most of her adult life in California, serving communities in Orange County and the Bay Area. She graduated from Yale Divinity School with her M.Div. in 2006, and later returned to school and graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2018, with an M.A. in Christian Formation. She is passionate about pastoral care, church vitality, and lifelong Christian formation.
“I am honored to serve as your Canon to the Ordinary, and excited for the opportunity to know the people of El Camino Real,” said Canon Martha, “and share in the building of the Beloved Community.” She can be reached by email at canonmartha@realepiscopal.org.
41st Convention: Call for nominations & resolutions
More details have been released for this year’s diocesan convention, to be held online on November 6, 2021.
The Call for Nominations for diocesan leadership positions is available here with descriptions of the available positions; it includes links to online nomination forms in English and Spanish. Nominations are due on September 30.
The Call for Resolutionsis available here with full details. Deadline is September 7.
Save the Dates:
Deanery meetings in advance of Convention will be held in September on the following dates (all times 6:30 to 8:30 pm, held via Zoom)
Tuesday, September 14: San Luis Obispo Wednesday, September 15: Monterey Thursday, September 16: Santa Clara Valley
For questions about diocesan convention, please contact Jeff Diehl, Secretary to Convention, at jdiehl@albionenvironmental.com.
The Bishop reminded the board that the business of diocesan convention will take place on November 6, 2021, using the same digital platform as 2020. An in-person event will be held on April 29 and 30, 2022, to include a dinner and guest speaker. The theme for both of these events with be “Faithful Ways and Fresh Vistas.”
The Board received a presentation on the draft 2022 budget and recommends the budget be adopted by Diocesan Convention.
Standing Committee meeting highlights
Below is a recap of the diocesan Standing Committee's July meeting. Following a time in prayer and reflection, the Standing Committee:
Executed its Episcopal Church responsibility of review and consent of the election of diocesan bishops. Consented to the election of the Rev. Dr. Ketlen A. Solak to be Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Spent focused time on the creation and preparation of the diocesan Five-Year Report for Convention, discussing how to share the message of Jesus and how we are seeing or representing His presence.
Served as counsel and advice for Bishop Lucinda, spending meaningful time with the bishop in support and counsel on a number of topics.
Join Episcopal Church Women's annual retreat Aug. 27-28
The Episcopal Church Women’s annual Mary Lou Thompson Retreat will be held August 27-28. This year’s theme is "Moving Forward: The Path of Love" at the beautiful St. Francis Retreat Center. This is a peaceful place to process our concerns in the light of our Christian Faith. We will gain insights into how we wish to proceed in the coming months as we transition into 2022. All are welcome to attend, family, friends, and fellow parishioners who are seeking a deeper experience of healing and renewal. Costs for this 24-hour retreat (includes overnight accommodations and three meals) will be $180 for a shared room, $220 for a single room, and $110 for commuters. Partial scholarships are available.
More details to follow. Space is limited so please let us know if you want to attend so we can save you a spot! Email Jane Pomeroy atjane.pomeroy@prodigy.net.
Province VIII Episcopal Church Women Annual Retreat
“Leading with Heart” is the theme for this year’s Annual Retreat and Business Meeting via Zoom. The Annual Retreat and Business Meeting for Episcopal Church Women and Women's Ministry groups throughout Province VIII, Leading with Heart: Step One, will take place online via Zoom on Saturday, August 14, from 10 AM until 2:30 PM. Registration and hospitality begins at 9:30 AM.
Registration is $20 and covers the cost of event materials and postage. Register by Sunday, August 1 to allow ample time for mailing. After the program, there will be a condensed version of our annual meeting. Reports from all affiliated organizations (CPC, DOK, GFS, UTO) will be posted online at https://ecwprovinceviii.org, along with updates about Triennial 2022 and the proposed budget for 2022.
"Season of Creation" starts September 5 and runs through St Francis Day. This is a great time for us to join in prayer and study prior to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November. Consider using the "Beginner's Guide to Creation Care and the Climate Crisis" program with your congregation. The five sessions include bible reflections, short videos, and discussion. Read full details and get the registration link here.
Do you wonder how you can add your voice to the issues that you care about as an Episcopalian? Sign up for the Office of Government Relations’ Action Alerts. The latest alerts can be found in the link below, covering such topics as:
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Submitting news to RealEpiscopal
Real Episcopal is published on the first, third and fifth Thursday of the month. News and event submissions must be received by 12 pm noon on the Friday before publication date. Please limit submissions to 150 words in text format (unless agreed to in advance) and include the "who-what-where-when-why" information in the first paragraph.
Photos are welcome. Please send jpeg files with a minimum size of 1100 pixels wide (for phone images, select "original size" when sending).
EVENTS: Announcements must be in text form, no more than 100 words,and must be accompanied by a link to a web page with full information (flyers may be included with submission). All submissions will be edited for clarity and space needs. Church-specific event submissions will appear in no more than three issues per event.
News and/or story ideas should be emailed to Elrond Lawrence, diocesan communications director, at elrond@realepiscopal.org.
