Bishop Lucinda Ashby's official portrait, taken in Pacific Grove beside Monterey Bay, has been selected and 11x14" prints are beginning production. The portraits will be distributed later this month throughout the Diocese of El Camino Real and will be ready to frame.
Eighth "Pilgrimage with Race" video available
The eighth stage of the diocese's "Storied Pilgrimage with Race" series is available at the El Camino Real YouTube page. In the newest stage of our innovative video interview series, The Rev. Jani Wild interviews The Rev. Ruth Casipit Paguio, rector of Holy Family Episcopal Church in San Jose, about her life, family, culture, and experiences with race. All interviews are located at the Pilgrimage with Race page. Resources are included with each video for group conversation. Two more interviews will be posted in late August and early September.
Convention reminder: Nominations & resolutions due in September
This year’s diocesan convention will be held online on Saturday, November 6, to be followed by an in-person renewal event in the spring.
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.
In memoriam ...
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 21 at 1 pm for The Rev. Hope Garcia at St. George's, Salinas, where she served as deacon from 1992 until her retirement in 2011. Bishop Nedi Rivera Moore will be the Celebrant. Read the full announcement here.
E-news update
The second August issue of RealEpiscopal will not be published due to vacation schedule. Regular publication will resume with the issue on Thursday, September 2; please submit news items to the editor by Friday, August 27. Submission details are found at the bottom of this newsletter!
"Moving Forward" is theme of Episcopal women's annual retreat
The Episcopal Church Women’s annual Mary Lou Thompson Retreat will be Friday, August 27 through Saturday, Aug. 28 at the beautiful St. Francis Retreat Center in San Juan Bautista. This year’s theme is "Moving Forward: The Path of Love"; all who seek a deeper experience of healing and renewal are welcome. 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.
Best Skills, Best Churches program
The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California is partnering with Arizona State University, Lodestar Center to provide Best Skills – Best Churches, an innovative program designed to help you grow and strengthen your church. It’s designed to meet the professional needs of leaders of nonprofit and public organizations. The six-month program begins September 24 and ends March 12, 2022.
Tuition is $500 for attendees outside the Diocese of Northern California. For more information, click here.
Make "Lift Every Voice and Sing" our National Hymn
In June, Executive Council voted to support a resolution calling for making "Lift Every Voice and Sing" the national hymn. (Note: This does not replace or change our national anthem.) Please join us in urging your members of Congress to support H.R. 301 to commemorate the song’s lasting ode to Black Americans and freedom! Add your voice here.
"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.
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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.
