Exercise daily. Walk with God!
Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace, and
…your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace.

Administrative items:

• Attention Laity of ECR – Be sure to attend the Lay Conference on May 19 at St. Paul’s, Salinas (10AM – 3PM). Rob Voyle will be our Leader. This day is sponsored by the Conference Education Resource Team. It is important that you RSVP to susan[atecr]edecr.org  no later than May 15th. The purpose of this conference is to talk about and prepare for the election of and the transition with a new Bishop. A flyer <archived> and bulletin insert <archived> are attached for your use.
• 77 members of the Clergy of El Camino Real met with Bishop Romero and The Rev. Rebecca McClain at St. Francis Retreat in San Juan Bautista on April 23-25. Discussions were held around preparing to receive and support our next Bishop and prepare ourselves for a successful transition. Thanks to all who participated in a successful retreat/conference!
• Bishop nominee/election information can be found at http://www.edecr.org/bishopsearch/ .
  The nominee presentations will be June 6-10th at:
  • Wednesday, June 6 - St. Barnabas, Arroyo Grande 6 PM – 10 PM
  • Thursday, June 7 - York School, Monterey -6 PM – 10 PM
  • Friday, June 8 - St. Stephen’s School 6 PM – 10 PM
  • Saturday, June 9 - St. Paul’s Salinas 1 PM – 5 PM
    Spanish interpretation provided
  • Sunday, June 10 - St. Andrew’s, Saratoga 1 PM – 5 PM
• Along the King’s Highway – The May issue will be a web only edition. The June edition will be hardcopy. To check out the May highlights of Episcopal Life on-line, please click on the following link: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/episcopal_life.htm
• Deployment/Position Postings – Detailed postings for jobs can be seen by clicking on the following link: http://www.edecr.org/jobs.htm . Check out posting for: Youth Director, St. Paul’s, Salinas.
• FYI, I just returned from the Church Deployment Office in New York where I completed training as ECR’s Interim Deployment Officer. I either refreshed my skills or learned new skills in creating a personal CDO profile and how to coach others in the completion of theirs; how to do create a successful job posting and database search for a new position; and many other items that I will be able to assist clergy and search committees of the diocese with deployment issues. If you have questions or needs around deployment, please do not hesitate to contact me.
• Susan Altig returned safely from her BEST meeting (Bishop’s Executive Secretaries) on Monday, and had a successful conference.
• Jo Ann McClain will be on vacation from May 16 through the 23rd.
• I will be attending a Medical Trust Conference on Health Insurance issues on May 21-24.
• At our 2nd Quarter Diocesan Corporation meeting on Monday, Mike Briley and Rob Lee from Hayashi and Wayland presented the 2006 Financial Audit Report. The Corporation accepted the draft report, and after the final copy is received, it will be posted to the website. The bottom line is that that we had a clean audit with positive results.
• From Richard Ohlsen, the Director of Domestic Disaster Preparedness and Response at ER-D. For those of you who may be interested, there is an Episcopal Emergency Network Group at yahoogroups.com: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Episcopalemergencynetwork

Announcements:

• You are invited to the installation for The Rev. Terry Burley as Rector of St. Stephen’s in Gilroy on Friday May 18th at 7pm. A reception will follow.
• Elizabeth Zitrin, a noted speaker on capital punishment will talk about the death penalty at All Saints Episcopal Church at Waverley and Hamilton in Palo Alto. When: on May 8th at 7:30 PM
• Congratulations to Keith and Ginny Johnson: Keith and his wife Ginny have been nominated by the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter (ARCBA) for an International Service Award, in recognition of outstanding service to the mission of the American Red Cross. The awards ceremony is June 8th in San Francisco.
• Poetry in Song: Featuring famous Nils Peterson, a program set to music (Broadway, etc.) is scheduled for Sunday, May 13 (2PM) at St. Mark’s, 1957 Pruneridge Ave., Santa Clara. Bring your mom to a Mother’s Day concert! Donation $10. For more information call 408-243-1504 or email office[atecr]st-marks.org
• Resource Center News: OPEN HOUSE – Thursday, May 17 at St. Thomas’, 231 S. Sunset Ave., Sunnyvale 94086. Featured will be resources for Vacation Bible School/Sunday School and confirmation curricula, with a special evening (6:30) presentation by the Rev. Scott Denman, creator of the “Confirm not Conform” program. Time: 2-4PM and 6-8PM.
• Annual Golf Classic: Sponsored by St. Andrew’s, Ben Lomond, this fundraiser will be held Saturday, June 2 from 9AM to noon at Valley Garden Golf Course, Scotts Valley. Cost: $55/golfer (includes Green Fees and BBQ at St. Andrew’s, Ben Lomond). Cost for BBQ only: $10/adult and $3.50/child. For more information call 831-336-5994.
• Sierra Backpacking: The Second Winders, a program sponsored by the Diocese, is taking sign-ups this month for the three trips during July 28-August 4. The cost, including food, group equipment, and permits is $130; there is no cost for clergy. See www.secondwinders.org , or call Lewis Pollard, 408-269-6657.

Ministry items:

• Youth Ministry –
  • Sierra Service Project: Scheduled for the week of July 15th at an urban site in South Los Angeles. Call or e-mail with any questions leannbrooks[atecr]hotmail.com 805-466-1060 (h) 805-550-9832 (c)
  • Rock-n-Water has been cancelled due to lack of sign ups.
  • Camp Saint Andrew’s: This is a week-long nondenominational summer camp (now a Diocesan summer camp!) from July 29 through August 4 for children ages 8 – 15. For information or to enroll go to www.campsaintandrews.com
  • Spirit West Coast – will be held in Monterey (Laguna Seca) on August 2-4. We will be organizing a group from ECR. If you are in interested in attending, or desire more information, please contact Desi Brown. Also, you can view details at the following link: http://www.spiritwestcoast.org/home.php
  • Contact info for Desi Brown – Diocesan Youth Coordinator: Email – desi[atecr]edecr.org Phone - 408-710-4795.
• Our ECR Spring Cursillo is in process at Camp St. Francis in La Selva Beach. This weekend began yesterday and will conclude on Sunday afternoon. Please keep the team and candidates in your prayers.

Important Training / Dates to mark on your calendars:

• Conflict Management: From Division to Unity is an introductory workshop which will be offered at St. Mark’s, Santa Clara on Saturday, May 12, from 9am-3pm. The purpose of the day is to provide tools that build safe, respectful, honest, creative and constructive ways to manage and resolve conflict in all aspects of our lives. The day will include:
  • Description of the dynamics of conflict
  • Identification of four options for handling conflict
  • Introduction to peacemaking model and
  • Practice in applying the Reconciling Interests Process
  • The Rev. Canon Linda Taylor and the Rev. Kate Wilson will facilitate this workshop, which is based on training they have experienced at the Center for Peacemaking & Conflict Studies at Fresno Pacific University. Class size is limited. Please call St. Mark’s office at 408-296-8383 or email office[atecr]st-marks.org  by Wednesday, May 9 to register. Cost for the workshop, including materials, snacks and lunch, is $10 per person. Scholarships are available.
• There will be a workshop on Clergy Boundaries, May 17 at the Community Church of the Monterey Peninsula. This will be presented by Kibbie Ruth of Kyros Ministries. A flyer <archived> is attached if you are interested in attending.
• All Clergy Invited to a Seminar on Marriage Counseling: On Saturday, May 19th at St. Jude's in Cupertino, 9:00am to 12:30pm, The Rev. Dr. Chuck Rassieur will be teaching the clergy a step by step process for clergy to address troubled marriages/relationships of parishioners. He will use his book, "I have a Plan: A Pastor's Guide to counseling Troubled Marriages", by Charles Rassieur, Westminster John Knox, 2005. Please order this book and bring to the seminar as Chuck will guide us through "the plan." Please RSVP to Karen Siegfriedt at: rector[atecr]saintjudes.org  so she can plan accordingly. A few books will be available for purchase.
• An annual workshop for lay and ordained people preparing for mission to Latinos living in the United States will be held June 1-5 in Houston, Texas. Presented annually by the Diocese of Texas' Office for Multicultural Ministries, the program will cover the Latino/Hispanic in the US, popular religious traditions, church year celebrations, pastoral care liturgies, Christian education, and patterns of stewardship, community formation and evangelism. The program will be held at San Mateo Episcopal Church, 6635 Alder St., in Houston. The course does not require Spanish proficiency and there is no language component or instruction in Spanish, said the Rev. Canon Jaime Case, director of the diocese's multicultural ministries. Cost is $700 - including room at a nearby hotel and meals but not travel. Contact information for Canon Case - 512.477.2644 - jcase[atecr]epicenter.org  - PO Box 2247, Austin Texas 78768.
• You are invited to apply for the new Women Touched by Grace Program at the Benedict Inn in Beech Grove Indiana. This is a three year spiritual renewal program for women pastors serving congregations. Participants must commit to the entire program (five 10-day sessions at the retreat center in Beech Grove). This program is financed from a grant by Eli Lilly Foundation. A fee of $350/session is paid by the clergy person/congregation. Go to benedictinn.org  and look under programs for more information. Application deadline is June 1, 2007. Call Rev. Karen Siegfriedt at 408-252-4166 for additional information as this program changed her life. Or email rector[atecr]saintjudes.org
• Episcopal Asiamerica Ministry: The EAM Consultation this year will be held on June 28-July 2, 2007 at the Westin Hotel-LAX Airport in Los Angeles, CA. Every parish/mission is entitled to send at least 1 clergy, 1 lay leader and 1 young adult. This year’s theme is Working Towards Being “Competent Leaders in a Diverse, Changing World”, Part II. EAM Consultation materials, including registration, can be viewed at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/asian_84186_ENG_HTM.htm?menupage=55768.

Diocesan Office Meetings:

• This Week: Corporation and Convention Planning Team met on Monday in Seaside; COM met on Tuesday in Seaside; Diocesan Budget Advisory Committee met on Wednesday in Los Gatos.
• Next Week: Standing Committee meets on Thursday the 10th in Seaside.

As I return from NYC today, I am reminded of 9/11 and the prayer of the deceased Father (NYFD Chaplain) Michal Judge with a little addition in ( )…

Dear God,
Take me (ECR) where you want me (us) to go,
Help me (ECR) meet who you want me (us) to meet,
Tell me (us) what you want me (us) to say,
And keep me (us) out of your way. Amen