2/24/2022 0 Comments Observing a Holy LentCoffee Hour Lenten Bible Study
Sundays in Lent, March 6, 13, 20, 27, and April 3
Starting at approximately 11 a.m. Please join us as we study the appointed Sunday passages during coffee hour.
The Sunday Readings during Lent
Wednesdays during Lent - Bible Study: Scripture with the Saints
Please join the people of St. Michael's as we join St. Paul's Bakersfield for this Zoom Bible Study.
As Christians we are not the first to walk the path of faith, and we are blessed to have been preceded by many people who we now call Saints, Church Fathers or Mothers, or great Christian thinkers. These individuals lived exemplary lives of faith that gave them special insights into Scripture and our traditions. This Lent, Luke Martinez is leading a Bible Study as we walk with some of these saints and read Scripture alongside them. We will learn about their lives, read their study of Scripture, and reflect on what that means for us. In doing so, we can join with those blessed generations that came before us as one community that bridges time and space. The study will meet via Zoom for the five Wednesdays of Lent beginning March 9 at 6 pm each time for Evening Prayer followed by the Bible Study.
March 9 Irenaeus (The Gospels)
March 16 Julian of Norwich (St. Paul and the Psalms) March 23 Thomas Cranmer (Old Testament) March 30 Therese of Lisieux (Matthew and Isaiah) April 6 Simone Weil (Letter to the Romans) The Zoom link can be found here. Meeting ID: 86184998917 | Passcode: 573597
What is Lent?
The word Lent comes from an old English word meaning spring. Early Christians observed “a season of penitence and fasting” in preparation for Easter. This fast became attached to, or overlapped, another fast of forty days, in imitation of Christ's fasting in the wilderness. Lent was especially important for converts to the faith who were preparing for baptism, and for those guilty of notorious sins who were being restored to the Christian assembly. In the western church the forty days of Lent extend from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, omitting Sundays. All Christians are invited “to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word.”
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Across American academic and popular culture, Black intellectuals are reshaping conversations on race in America. Now seven of those preeminent voices share their insight on the reckoning with race in America in three parts: past, present, and future. During February, Black History Month, MasterClass is making this unprecedented three-part class is available for free. MasterClass has also teamed up with Amazon to make the class available to stream for free on IMDb TV and available for all U.S. Prime Members on Prime Video. The entire class can be viewed here .
2/9/2022 0 Comments A Note from Deacon Cathy
Bishop David Blesses the Solar PanelsThe Right Rev. David Rice blessed the solar panels installed at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in a ceremony on Sunday, October 17, 2021. Saint Michael’s Episcopal Church Installs Solar Panels to Care for CreationRIDGECREST, CA: The Right Rev. David Rice will bless the solar panels installed at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in a ceremony on Sunday, October 17, 2021. According to Bishop Rice, “Episcopalians believe that creation continues to occur, that it’s a gift to all of God’s people, whether they are part of a faith community or not, and that acknowledging creation care is to acknowledge that creation is a gift to all of us.” In 2019, 100% of the clergy, bishops, priests, and deacons, and a significant number of lay members, of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin made the Creation Care Pledge to the wider Episcopal Church. In witness to that pledge, the Diocese intends to generate at least 93% of its churches’ energy requirements from solar power by the end of Phase 2. The goal is consistent with that of the wider Episcopal Church’s goal to be good stewards of God’s creation – earth and its environment. The solar array was installed on the roof of the parish hall in September. The array consists of 30 solar panels, 22 on the west side and 8 on the east side. The solar array installed on the west and east side of the parish hall roof. Photos: Dave Waller During Phase I of the Diocesan Solar Project which occurred in 2020, solar installation was completed on six sites. After just six months, these solar installations are generating 55% of the energy needs of the diocese. Solar will be added to six sites in Phase II, which will be at 75% completion by December 2021. With completion of Phase II, more than 90% of the diocese’s energy needs will be renewable.
## 10/1/2021 0 Comments Unpacking White PrivilegeOn Thursday, October 7 at 5:30pm, we will have Constance & Dain Perry with us to lead a conversation in Unpacking White Privilege. Some of you will remember Constance & Dain from a previous clergy conference, as well as the work we did last summer on "Waking Up White". The Anti-Racism Commission is pleased to invite Constance & Dain to be with us again for this important conversation.
RSVP to [email protected] to get the ZOOM link. 10/1/2021 0 Comments United Thank Offering IngatheringThe United Thank Offering (UTO) is a ministry of The Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church. Through UTO, individuals are invited to embrace and deepen a personal daily spiritual discipline of gratitude. UTO encourages people to notice the good things that happen each day, give thanks to God for those blessings and make an offering for each blessing. UTO is entrusted to receive the offerings, and to distribute the 100% of what is collected to support innovative mission and ministry throughout The Episcopal Church and Provinces of the Anglican Communion. Thanks to UTO grants, the diocese has been able to support many projects around the diocese, including the food pantry at St. Michael's. Please give online to UTO at https://unitedthankoffering.com/give/#.
Note: Canon Anna asked that the following press release be shared. "There is a way to be engaged virtually if you are unable to attend in person. Even though there will be some specifics about Lodi and San Joaquin County in these conversations, the material is applicable to any of our contexts." The issue of homelessness evokes powerful reactions in our community, as we’ve seen in the recent conversations about a possible low barrier access center in Lodi. There also remain many misconceptions about the scale and the reasons why people become unsheltered, as well as what’s to be done to address the issue.
Hoping to contribute to a more informed, and ultimately more effective, public engagement on the issue, The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist in partnership with the Lodi Committee on Homelessness and the Lodi Improvement Committee will be hosting three public education events on the issue of homelessness. Each free session will be led by community members with extensive knowledge of the issue of homelessness. The sessions will be held on three successive Thursdays, October 28, November 4, and November 11, from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM at St. John’s, 1055 S. Lower Sacramento Road, in Lodi. Oct. 28 - Session I: Homelessness: Where are we? How did we get here? This evening’s presentations will outline the scale of the problem in our area and document how the problem is changing. Speakers will address the multiple reasons that people become homeless and challenge common stereotypes about the unsheltered. One of the speakers, who was formerly homeless, will share his own story to put a face to the issue. Nov. 4 - Session II: Homelessness: What’s being done? How can I help? This evening’s presentations will highlight the creative initiatives in Lodi and San Joaquin County to address the issue of homelessness, as well as explore what is (and isn’t) working and the barriers that are preventing more from being done. Further, Lodi service providers will be present to discuss their work and offer ways for community members to become part of the solution. Nov. 11 - Session III: Homelessness: Where do we go from here? The final session will focus on preferred futures. What are the creative initiatives that might be employed in Lodi that have proved effective in other areas? There is a lot of good news out there! Over the three sessions, the planners hope to:
All sessions are free of charge; however, we do ask that those attending bring a package of work socks or men’s underwear that will be collected at the door and distributed to local homeless service providers. Those attending must be masked inside the church. Questions? Call Deacon Tom Hampson @ 209-402-9908 or Kathryn Siddle @209-747-2982. 9/17/2021 0 Comments Every Perfect Gift: Treasure“Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above…” James 1:17, NRSV Every message about our pledge campaign begins with Gratitude, and I am pleased to continue the messages you have received from in the last two weeks as we focus on our annual pledge campaign. Our theme this year, Every Perfect Gift, highlights all the ways in which we have been blessed by God and how that inspires us to give back to our neighbors, our church, the world. This week, I want to focus on our gifts of Treasure, the financial gifts that we make to our community to support our mission. This year has been so different from other years in terms of what has been asked of us as individuals and as a community. I want you to know that I know some of us are struggling with finances, with isolation, with uncertainty. Over and over again, I learn that it is the God we encounter at our church and Jesus who we follow by recognizing him in each other, that keep us together, that provide the consistency in a shifting world. Every dollar that we raise has a face behind it, a story, a purpose, and a mission! We use our financial gifts to serve God, to care for each other, and to show our love for our neighbors. What greater gift can there be? I am grateful for how each of you supports our ministry in our community. If you are ever in doubt about the impact of your giving, look about you. Whether you have seen your church family through a screen this year or in pews as we have been allowed, every person you see is part of the story of your giving. As you consider making your gift or your intention to give this year, I ask that you also consider how you have been impacted, and how you will impact this church and our neighbors. What is the story of your gift, how will it unfold? How will your blessing be a blessing to others? This is the spirit behind our theme of Every Perfect Gift. This year I invite you to make your perfect gift, reflective of the gifts you have received from our Creator. Please fill out a pledge form. ![]()
9/8/2021 0 Comments Every Perfect Gift: Talent“Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above…” James 1:17, NRSV Every message about our pledge campaign begins with Gratitude, and I am so very grateful for all the ways that this community has met the challenges of this year and found common ways to share a community of love and joy with our neighbors. Thank you. Our pledge campaign theme this year is about Every Perfect Gift, and reminds us how everything that we receive and everything we give comes from God. Last week's newsletter focused our attention on the gift of Time in the trifecta of Time, Talent, and Treasure. This week, I want to highlight the gift of Talent. Talents, the blessings with which we are imbued by our Creator, are even more beautiful when they are freely given, as I have seen you do so often in our life together. Talents are a double gift – by Grace you have received them, by Grace and you generously share them. Each of you has something you do well, and I am grateful that you share those talents with our community and our neighbors. Please fill out a pledge form. Pledge forms will be available at the church. The pledge form is also available online. Once you have filled it out, please email it to [email protected]. ![]()
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St. Michael's Episcopal Church News ItemsNews for St. Michael's and the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin Archives
July 2024
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