I pray that I may never become discouraged in serving the people God places in my life. I pray that I may always rely on the power of God to help me...

Administrative items:

• Bishop nominee/election information can be found at http://www.edecr.org/bishopsearch/ . All are invited to attend.
  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
• Important Reminders for Electing Convention: Please note that only clergy and delegates who are voting will be allowed on the electing convention floor at York School. Alternates and visitors are reminded that they will be in another area on site adjacent to the convention floor. Seating is limited. Also, and very important, parking is limited at York school, so we request that you carpool with others in your area. If you haven’t sent in your registration with your $20.00 fee, please do so ASAP. The $20.00 fee is required whether you choose to have lunch or not. Thanks for your help in following these request to assure that the process of the day flows well. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
• Along the King’s Highway – The June edition is in the mail. 
• 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.
• Attention all Parish web site administrators: Please check your link to the diocesan website. The correct address is www.edecr.org . The old address, www.ecrweb.org, will be deactivated soon. Please also let us know who the contact is for your website, by sending parish name, contact name and contact email address to Stephenie Cooper, ecrweb[atecr]earthlink.net .

Announcements:

• 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.
• St. James, Paso Robles would like to have a steel drum band play at our BBQ on Saturday, June 23rd from 5-8pm. If anyone knows of a group that might be interested, please contact St. James office at 805-238-0819 or st.james.pr[atecr]juno.com
• The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) are in need of a Recording Secretary. Duties are to attend approximately ten (10) meetings a year and record the minutes for them. The minutes can be distributed either electronically or by mail. There will be no extra committee meetings involved. Contact Bev Anderson at 831-899-3345 or bev.larry[atecr]comcast.net  OR Jane Pomeroy at 408-263-8485 or jane.pomeroy[atecr]prodigy.net 
• 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.
• Team St. Edward's rides in the Tour de Cure…On June 10th Fr. Ed McNeill will lead Team St. Edward's in the Tour de Cure, a fundraiser for Diabetes research. This is a bike ride from Palo Alto over the Santa Cruz mountains tot he coast and back. Fr. Ed likes to say that "the body of Christ has two arms of love, Soul Outreach and Social Outreach. Evangelism is Soul Outreach. Social outreach includes such things as food banks and medical research". Riding in the Tour de Cure is one way of the Church showing her commitment to Social Outreach. If you would like to support Team St. Edward's by riding with the team or by making a donation you can do so here http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=4406&px=3346887 
• JULY 2007 – GROWING GOD’S MISSION IN SMALL CONGREGATIONS - There will be opportunities to highlight the vitality of program and ministry in small congregations, share creative “thinking out of the box” solutions, explore alternative leadership models, examine national and diocesan trends, explore available resources, and network on common issues. (See attached flyer -- please post on church bulletin board.). WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Vestry/Bishop’s Committee members, Clergy and Lay leaders. MARK YOUR CALENDAR for a conference near your location: Sat. July 7 at St. James’, Palo Robles, from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.; Wed., July 11 at St. Philip’s, San Jose, from 4:00 – 9:00 p.m.; Sat., July 14 at Epiphany, Marina, from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. For more information, contact Co-Chair: Rev. Keith Johnson at Keithj0731[atecr]aol.com or Diane Lovelace at DiLovelace[atecr]aol.com .
• Mountain Holy Time Retreats - Dara na Bridget, Sierra City - July 6-9, 20-23, August 1-4. Dara na Bridget (The Oaks of St. Bridget) is a home retreat center at the foot of the Sierra Buttes near Sierra City offering access to the famous Alpine Lakes Region, Tahoe National Forest and the Yuba River. The retreats this summer will focus on the Christian Nature Wisdom Tradition. Come, learn and experience the nature wisdom of our Christian heritage. Be inspired by the Holy Spirit as you settle into a beautiful natural setting with fellow Christians seeking a deeper communion with God through Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray and learn to reflect and meditate outdoors. Be refreshed and recreated. For information or reservations contact Roger Wharton at: roger[atecr]ecospirit.org or 408-451-9310.

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)
  • 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.

Important Training / Dates to mark on your calendars:

• 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.
• St. Gregory's and the All Saints Company, in association with the Diocese of California, for a three-day workshop on teaching and learning songs by ear to support small-group worship. Designed for clergy and music directors, this conference teaches and practices techniques for introducing accessible and original music without accompaniment or printed materials. With a special focus on smaller liturgies, this is a great opportunity for those leading alternative services, or working in missions and smaller parishes. Programs will be facilitated by Ben Allaway, Marilyn Haskel, Eric Law, and Donald Schell. WHEN: June 12 through June 14, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day. WHERE: St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church, 500 De Haro St., San Francisco, CA 94107 COST: Registration is $100, including all materials and lunch each day. CONTACT: Emily Scott at emily[atecr]saintgregorys.org , or visit www.allsaintscompany.org  for further information
• Train the Auditor training will be offered this year on Saturday, August 11th. This training is open to anyone who has a desire to become certified as a parish/mission financial auditor/reviewer, and would be willing to share this important ministry with other congregations. You do not need to be an accountant or CPA to be a church auditor. We are looking for people who are willing to help congregations work on their best practices. If you are interested, please contact me at: brian[atecr]edecr.org .

Diocesan Office Meetings:

• This Week: Staff meeting was yesterday in Seaside; Risk Management Committee at 10:30am today in Seaside.
• Next Week: COM on Tuesday the 5th at 10am in Seaside; CIA Team on Tuesday the 5th at St. Stephens in the Fields in San Jose @7pm.

There is no limit to what we can accomplish in serving others. Keep that thought always. Never relinquish any service or give up the thought of any accomplishment because it seems beyond our power. God will help us in all good work. All things are possible through God who strengthens us…