“Making disciples, raising up saints,
and transforming communities for Christ in Northern California”

March 11, 2009

Volume 11, Issue 10

The Rt. Rev. Barry Beisner has invited Ms. Bobbi Davis, Diocesan COO, to write:

Dear Friends:

The Bishop asked me to write the Aurora article this week to tell you the good news about our Diocesan budget-to-actual results for the year ending December 31, 2008. The budget for 2008 projected a loss of $117, 396. Our actual results were a net profit of $82,588. That is almost $200,000 to the good. While revenue was below the amount projected, our expenses were down by even more.

To be more specific the budget for apportionment income was overstated by almost $230,000, however, other income line items were quite understated resulting in actual income down by a net of $102,000.

The biggest savings in expenses were in the following areas:

a) costs for clergy group insurance were lower than projected by $48,000

b) costs paid on behalf of churches for workers’ comp and liability insurance was lower by $27,000

c) costs under the heading of Diocesan Office were lower by $101,000 (this amount includes discontinuance of The Missionary)

d) retiree insurance was under budget by $54,000

e) congregational development was under by $23,000

f) staffing vacancies caused Youth and Young Adults programs to be under budget by $103,000

A number of costs were higher resulting in a net reduction of costs of $302,000.

Because we prepared the 2009 budget using July, 2008 results we had limited actual data to work with and there will still be some rough edges. Now that we have a full year’s worth of data we will be able to write a more accurate budget for 2010. The Budget Committee, chaired by Dean Brian Baker, will meet next week to begin this process.

Uncertain economic times are challenging us all to take a good look at what we value and who we are. 2008 was a time of transition in many ways. We have a new Vision for the Diocese which was developed by all of us. We have many active committees taking a hard look at how we do business and program. This is a collective effort in which God is present and I have faith in the end result, whatever it may be.

- Bobbi

CLERGY CHANGES AND NEWS

The Rev. Zealand Hillsdon-Hutton has been hospitalized with breathing problems at Kaiser-Roseville. Cards and prayers are welcome.

Celebration of New Ministry – The Rev. Peter Rodgers will be installed as Priest in Charge of St. Andrews in the Highlands, 7850 Watt Ave., Antelope on Saturday, March 21 at 4:00 p.m. Reception following, all are welcome. Clergy, red stoles.

Retired Clergy/Spouse Gathering – Thursday, April 2, 2009 from 9:30 through lunch at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Edison Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95821. Bishop Beisner will celebrate the Eucharist and participate in an informal discussion afterwards. RSVP by March 30^th to the Rev. Harry Allagree at (707) 367-1115 or coggy@pacific.net.

Please continue to pray for Leonard Shaheen, Diana Turner, Zealand Hillsdon-Hutton, Andrew Allagree and Mike Adair.

YOUTH, YOUNG ADULT, AND CAMPUS MINISTRY

Go to “Ministries” on our website www.dncweb.org for a full listing.

Young Adult Spiritual Weekend – VOCARE – April 24 -26^th at Grace in St. Helena. Applications are available online on the diocesan website under ministries. Deadline for applications is March 31^st. For more information contact rector for the weekend – Laurel Shepard – 916-803-7430 or sheparla@sonoma.edu or Vocare Mentor – Amy Dierlam at the Bishop’s Office – 1-800-442-6918 ext. 28 or vocare@dncweb.org.

Youth Group Leader - Trinity Episcopal Church in Sonoma is looking for an energetic, enthusiastic Youth Group Leader. (4-6 hours a week, including Sunday mornings and one evening a month; $18-$20 per hour, depending on experience) See website at www.dncweb.org/positions for details. To apply, please send a resume with contact information to office@trinitysonoma.org .

Fall and Winter Retreats at Camp Noel Porter - The retreat center is available for groups of 10 to 54 people. Fall is a wonderful time to enjoy the beauty of the Lake Tahoe Basin and the snow will be falling before we know it. Don't miss out! Call Tammie at 530.583.3014 for more information and to reserve the time of your choice!

Information and Events

Go to “Upcoming Events” on our website www.dncweb.org for a full listing.

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Coming soon! Bishop’s Conference! See below for details.

Lenten Series at St. Andrew’s, Antelope – Weekly series on Thursdays, March 12 through March 26 at 5:00 p.m. Guest speakers. Free and open to the public. See Upcoming Events on the website www.dncweb.org for details.

Celtic Concert - Benefit for Twinomujuni Orphanage at St. John's, Roseville on March 13 from 8 – 10 PM - Molly’s Revenge performs outstanding Celtic music. Joined by Moira Smiley, a great Celtic vocalist, and the Rosemary Turco Irish Dancers, this is a really fun evening of entertainment. Also available that evening will be home baked Scottish Shortbread and other treats for sale. A portion of all proceeds will go to Shepherd’s Love, a non-profit organization devoted to funding the Twinomujuni Orphanage and Roseville Preparatory School in Kabale, Uganda. For more information on Shepherd’s Love, please visit www.shepherdslove.com.

St Patrick's Dinner - March 14, 6:00 pm at St. Patrick’s Church, 9000 Sonoma Highway in Kenwood. Come and enjoy corned beef and cabbage in honor of our patron saint. Tickets for adults: $15; for children: $6. St Patrick's is on the North side of Route 12 among the vineyards of Kenwood.

Evangelism Workshop - St. Mary's, Elk Grove is hosting an evangelism workshop on Saturday March 14th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The title to the workshop is "Episcopalians and Evangelism: A Transformed, Engaged and Passionate Faith," and it will be led by Canon Britt Olson. Lay and clergy from all congregations are welcome. Registration fee of $5 includes a St. Patrick’s Day lunch. Contact Fr. Ray Hess at St. Mary's at FatherRay@frontiernet.net or at 916-753-9939.

Innovative Liturgy Workshop - Save the date for an Innovative Liturgy workshop at Holy Trinity Ukiah on March 21 from 10 am to 3 pm. The workshop will be led by CDSP Liturgy Professor Lizette Larson-Miller. Registration fee of $12 includes lunch. To register: send your name, church name and city, and e-mail address together with a $12 check payable to the Diocese of Northern California to: Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, ATTN: Thea Mangels - Innovative Liturgy, 1318 27th St. Sacramento, CA 95816. Contact the Rev. Bill Osborne at stmike@mcn.org for more information.

Sixth Diocesan Acolyte Festival – at Trinity Cathedral, 2620 Capitol Ave., Sacramento on March 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Starts with a welcome from Bishop Beisner, followed by workshops, lunch, and a grand procession and Eucharist. Go to www.trinitycathedral.org for information and registration form.

School for Deacons Inquirer’s Day – Learn about the ministry and formation of the deacon on Saturday, March 28 at Church Divinity School of the Pacific, 2451 Ridge Road, Berkeley. Begins at 7:45 a.m. in the All Saints Chapel with Holy Eucharist. Lunch with students and faculty hosted by the school. Contact the school at 510-848-1723 or visit the website at www.sfd.edu.

Southwest Deanery Book Group - next meets at St. Mary’s, Napa on Tuesday, April 14^th at 11:00 a.m. to discuss Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope by Brian McLaren. McLaren, a leader in the emerging church, issues a salvo of arguments for radical hope in the face of profound dilemmas. What could change, he asks, if we applied the message of Jesus—the good news of the kingdom of God—to the world's greatest problems? McLaren argues for establishing a beloved community based on justice, peace, equality and compassion. The book can be purchased new from Amazon for $14.95. Please bring your own lunch. Coffee, tea and juice will be provided.

Bishop’s Conference “Enlarging Our Tent – an Intercultural Experience” - Friday and Saturday April 17-18, at St. Michael’s, 2140 Mission Ave., Carmichael. This year’s Bishop’s Conference will provide a rich combination of great keynote speakers and practical workshops about the opportunities and challenges of intercultural ministry. Keynote speakers – the Rev. Stephanie Spellers, author of Radical Welcome, and the Rev. Dr. Fred Vergara, Asian Missioner for the Episcopal Church. Conference starts with dinner at 6 p.m. Friday 4/17 and continues Saturday 4/18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The conference will also include the option of taking Anti-Racism Training* from national church staff on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost is $55 per person, including dinner Friday and lunch Saturday. Registration forms are available on the website under “Upcoming Events.” For immediate questions, contact Fr. Bayani Rico at 415-797-2240 (rector_ascension@hotmail.com) or Fr. Ray Hess at 916-753-9939 (FatherRay@frontiernet.net).

· Note that this workshop complies with the General Convention requirement that all leaders in the Episcopal Church participate in anti-racism training and qualifies for CEU credit.

General Convention Volunteers – The days set aside for Northern California Diocese Volunteers are Sunday, July 12th and Monday, July 13th with Tuesday, July 14th as an optional additional day. Go to http://www.gc2009.org/volunteers to register. More information regarding hotel space and group transportation will be forthcoming. Questions? Contact Anne Pierson at eurekamariahjane@suddenlink.net To help church members learn about the governance of the Episcopal Church, each triennium Episcopal Divinity School offers an introductory course on General Convention. Follow the link for more info.

Transfiguration Associates’ Spring Retreat – May 29-31, Mercy Center, Auburn - The Rev. Ann Hallisey will invite retreatants into reflection on the spiritual wisdom of some of our foremothers, our Ammas in the faith. These will include women from Scripture, desert Ammas, some of the great mystics of the medieval period and Ammas from more recent years. The retreat provides time for extended silence and prayer, rest, worship and a closing group discussion. COST: $175.00 (Including non-refundable deposit $25.00) Registration Deadline: April 25. For more information click here to go to Upcoming Events in Our Diocese.

Spring Cursillo - Candidate applications are being accepted and can be downloaded at http://www.cursilloncal.org/Cursillo_Candidate_Application.pdf. . Please prayerfully consider who you would like to sponsor for this event. Applications should be filled out completely and submitted to the address on the top of the form, along with the candidate fee of $125.00. Checks are made out to “The Cursillo Movement”. The deadline for candidate applications is Friday, April 24^th, 2009. If you have questions please contact Leslie Grier @ 530.642.2456, email lesliegrier@sbcglobal.net or Debby Gross @ 916.933.5519, email gfam5141@sbcglobal.net .

Benedictine Experience – At Bishop’s Ranch in Healdsburg, July 5 -12, 2009

This is a time spent in community designed for those who wish to nurture and strengthen their daily lives through prayer and spiritual companionship following the Rule of St. Benedict. Cost is $860 including meals and double occupancy lodging (deposit of $200 due by April 30.) For more information, contact Dorothy Jones at 415-381-3235 deacondort@aol.com or visit www.benedictfriend.org .

MDG Grants - The Millennium Development Goals Committee for the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California is pleased to announce the posting of the 2009 MDG grant application. (www.dncweb.org/grants ) . Deadline for application submission is Friday April 24, 2009 at noon. Please direct questions to The Reverend Deacon Cindy Long, MDG Chair clong@dncweb.org. Churches are also asked to contact Stephanie Schultz on the MDG Task Force at j.s.schultz@sbcglobal.net with information about what they have been doing to further the Millennium Development Goals.

Anti-racism Training in Utah – The Diocese of Utah will hold a training session on May 30-31 at the Episcopal Church Center of Utah, 75 South 200 East, Salt Lake City. Reservations are due by March 20. For information and registration, call 801-322-4131 or email events@episcopal-ut.org.

Canon Olson’s Calendar

Mar 14 Evangelism Workshop, St. Mary’s, Elk Grove

Mar 15 Cong. Dev. Staff, Orlando, FL

Mar 21 Innovative Liturgy Workshop, Holy Trinity, Ukiah

Mar 22 St. Alban’s, Arcata

Mar 25 Diocesan Council, Red Bluff

Mar 25-27 Province VIII Deployment Officers

Mar 28 St. Patrick’s, Kenwood

Mar 29 St. Paul’s, Healdsburg

Apr 5 St. Stephen’s, Colusa

Apr 12 Emmanuel, Grass Valley

Apr 17-18 Bishop’s Conference - St. Michael’s, Carmichael

Apr 26 All Saints’, Redding

Apr 30 Board of Directors, Lakeport

Bishop Beisner's Calendar

Mar 12-19 Spring House of Bishops Meeting, Kanuga

Mar 21 Celebration of New Ministry, St. Andrew’s, Antelope

Mar 22 Holy Trinity, Nevada City – a.m.

Trinity, Folsom – p.m.

Mar 25 Diocesan Council, Red Bluff

Mar 28 Acolyte Festival, Trinity Cathedral

Mar 29-Apr 1 CDO Board, New York

Apr 5 Palm Sunday, Trinity Cathedral

Apr 9 Maundy Thursday, Trinity Cathedral

Apr 10 Good Friday, Trinity Cathedral

Apr 12 Easter, St. Luke’s, Woodland

Apr 17-18 Bishop’s Conference - St. Michael’s, Carmichael

Apr 19 Faith, Cameron Park

Apr 26 St. Michael’s, Carmichael

Apr 28-29 Emergent Bishops Conference

Apr 30 Board of Directors, Lakeport

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