Bishop Lucinda gives outdoor Communion during her recent Sunday visitation at St. Dunstan's, Carmel Valley. The bishop's visitation schedule is located at her page on RealEpiscopal.org (photo by Bob McEvilly).
Starr joins diocese team as interim parish resource
The Rev. David Starr has joined the diocesan staff in the role of Interim Parish Resource, part of an upgrade of the Diocese of El Camino Real’s finance system. During this interim period he will assist parishes with:
Financial inquiries
Accounts receivable and payable
Payroll, benefits, and insurance
Contact him at david@realepiscopal.org or 831-920-6549. Diocesan bookkeeping duties are being handled by an outside contractor.
Join "Tuesdays in Lent" noonday prayers and reflections
Bishop Lucinda and the diocesan staff are leading a weekly series of brief noonday prayers for Lent, streamed live every Tuesday at 12 pm. Each prayer include a reflection from Bishop Lucinda and staff members; the most recent prayers can be viewed below:
Presiding Bishop shares photo of his COVID-19 vaccination
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry revealed March 18 that he is among the millions of Americans who are being vaccinated against COVID-19. Curry posted a photo of himself getting the shot to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. He received the first dose of the vaccine, manufactured by Pfizer, earlier this month in North Carolina.
“I thank God for all of the people who have made the COVID vaccines possible and available,” Curry said. “I’m thankful to have received my first shot – one more to go!” He also directed followers to a COVID-19 vaccine “toolkit” complied by the Episcopal Public Policy Network. Read the full story.
Final Vestry & Treasurer Training on March 27
Vestry members, treasurers, and church leaders are invited to attend a free online workshop explaining the ins and outs of the diocese, guidance for dealing with financial, personnel and legal issues, plus an overview of diocesan resources and who to call for support. Diocesan leaders will present on their areas of expertise, pose questions for breakout room discussions, and allow time for participants to ask their own burning questions. Registerhere.
This is the last of three deanery workshops and will be held via Zoom from 9:00 am to 12 noon on Saturday, March 27. Whileit's geared for the Monterey Deanery, other parish leaders may attend. Slides have been posted at the diocesan website on the Finance, Administrative & Legal Resources page. Questions? Contact Kirstin Nielsen atkirstin@realepiscopal.orgor 831-394-4465.
Filming underway for Great Vigil of Easter
Join with others throughout the Diocese of El Camino Real in a joyful celebration of Easter! An online Easter Vigil will be presented the evening of April 3 – a multi-lingual service of fire and light, story and music, remembrance and hope. Bishop Lucinda will preach and we will renew our baptismal covenant in community. The service will be available beginning at 6 pm on Saturday, April 3, at the diocesan YouTube page. Subscribe to the page to get an alert when it is posted.
Camp St. Andrew's postponed to 2022
"It is with a heavy heart that we must inform our faithful supporters that once again we will not be able to run camp this year," wrote the organizers and staff of Camp Saint Andrew's, the annual summer camp for the Diocese of El Camino Real. "The safety of campers and staff is our priority. The current guidelines, which are necessary to ensure the safety of all against the spread of COVID-19, pose a difficult challenge to making camp the best week of the year."
Camp Oski, the camp's host facility, has tailored its guidelines to conform with the latest recommendations, limiting capacity to 50 percent of normal, and age group programs are not recommended, plus other restrictions. "After careful consideration of all these challenges, we determined it was in the best interest of camp to postpone until 2022," the announcement says. "There is light at the end of the tunnel ... a new normal is on the horizon, and Camp Saint Andrew’s is all in for 2022." Read the full announcement.
Seminarian financial aid available
The Diocese of California offers financial aid for postulants pursuing theological education at an approved seminary or the School for Deacons. Financial aid is available for students from DioCal and also, from designated funds, the Diocese of El Camino Real, the Diocese of Northern California, and the Diocese of San Joaquin. Specific eligibility requirements differ from fund to fund. Apply during April 1 – April 30 via this form. For questions, contact Whitney Wilson, Vocations Officer, at vocations@diocal.org.
Fifth stage coming to "Pilgrimage with Race"
The fifth stage of “A Storied Pilgrimage with Race” will be available to view Friday, March 26. A unique curriculum and approach to exploring issues of race in our diocese, the Pilgrimage uses personal video interviews supported by education materials, action items, and reflections to engage conversation. The new curriculum will ultimately feature twelve stages. View a brief video introduction here. Completion of this pilgrimage will fulfill the requirement for anti-racism training in the Diocese of El Camino Real. Visit the Pilgrimage with Race page.
The Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations sends out alerts at timely points in the legislative process which we communicate here. They also provide a wealth of additional information focused on five key areas:
OGR hosts a 30-minute Zoom conversation about policies and legislation in these areas and more. Register here. Other advocacy efforts include:
Ask Congress to Support Immigration Reform: The US Citizenship Act would provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, strengthens humanitarian protections for vulnerable populations, and improves the legal immigration system. Now is a critical time to speak out on overdue reform.
Support the Safe from the Start Act! A bipartisan group of legislators in the House recently introduced a bill to address the issue of gender-based violence.
Women Peacemakers Webinar, April 7: A virtual event with Churches for Middle East Peace featuring women peacemakers from Israel/Palestine. Registration required.
Healing Hearts grief support group
"Healing Hearts" is a virtual grief support group led by clergy and lay people from Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church, Saratoga, and meets the second Wednesday of each month from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. We provide a safe and compassionate place for you to feel supported, listened to and understood as you talk about your experience with stress, grief and loss. Our time together is designed to meet you where you are, whether you are dealing with a recent challenge or loss or from years ago. Please join us for one session or multiple sessions. For any questions, contact jwild@st-andrews.org or Pbryan@st-andrews.org.
Application deadline April 16
The Episcopal Church’s Task Force on Creation Care and Environmental Racism is now accepting applications for its 2021 Grant Cycle. Read more (In English and Spanish)
Episcopal Church scholarship applications for 2021-22 academic year
Available in English and Spanish
Applications are now being accepted for educational scholarships from The Episcopal Church for the 2021-2022 academic year. Deadline is April 11. Read more (In English and Spanish)
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
The Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real seeks a Canon to the Ordinary to work in the areas of Transition Ministry, Leadership Development, and Administration. The Canon must be a solid team player, creative and willing to adapt to many circumstances in a multi-cultural environment, with large and small church communities, urban and rural. The Canon must be able to travel, communicate well, and desire to be connected with people of the diocese. This is a full-time position; ordained and bilingual (Spanish/English) preferred. Read the detailed job description in English and in Espanol.
Good Samaritan Episcopal Church in San Jose is receiving applications for a part-time Priest-in-Charge. You may view their OTM Portfolio here and their Parish Profile here. For questions or to submit your resume and application for consideration, email kirstin@realepiscopal.org or call the office at 831-394-4465.
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Submitting news to RealEpiscopal
Real Episcopal is published on the first and third 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.
