Past Events

From SCVD

Report on World Mission Day, May 16th, 2009 in Salinas

by Joanna Shreve

At the World Mission Day in May, we heard from Bishop Mary about her two mission trips to our companion dioceses. (Go to edecr.org to see some of her pictures and accompanying report.) These mission trips have established a true partnership with the leadership and people in both of these dioceses. The bishops of Western Tanganyika and Gloucester will be visiting our diocese in the fall (September 18-24). We look forward to welcoming them joyfully and with the hope of further strengthening these relationships.

In the afternoon of World Mission Day, the attendees divided up into five small groups to discuss possible mission projects in our companion dioceses. The projects under way so far include: 1) Solar Ovens, 2) Education of children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic, 3) Small business start-ups for women, 4) Seminary support for the first woman to be ordained in Western Tanganyika, 5) Pilgrimage to Gloucester and Canterbury in 2010. Group #4 also talked about raising money for the hospitality of our visiting bishops and their delegations in September.

You will find the basic outline of each project, along with the contact information about the person heading up the project by following the above links; the report will also soon be on the world mission network blog.

Invitation to our SCV Deanery Convener's Installation! All clergy and lay leaders in the Diocese of El Camino Real are invited to the Installation of The Rev. Thomas F. Sramek, Jr. as Priest-in-Charge of St. Edward's Episcopal Church in San Jose. Time: 4pm Date: Sunday, April 18, 2010 Place: St. Edward's, 15040 Union Ave., San Jose. Presiding: Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves Reception in the parish hall following the service. Clergy: red stoles. RSVP to reception@stedwards.org.

Farewell, Pr. Karen Siegfriedt The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt (Rector of St. Jude's Cupertino) has accepted a call to be Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church Sutter Creek California. All who are interested are invited to attend a "Toast Karen" party on Saturday October 16 from 3-6 pm at St. Thomas' Church Sunnyvale; hosted by The Rev. Mary Blessing and The Rev. Wendy Smith. Please invite your congregation to help us give thanks to Pastor Karen for her remarkable ministry with us in the Diocese of El Camino Real. this event is open to all clergy; families; and lay leaders of the diocese who want to come...Please feel welcome to forward this on to others who may be interested.

Please bring either a finger food plate to share OR $5.00 donation.

Please RSVP Mary Blessing at pastor.stphilips.sv@gmail.com or call 831-438-4360.

THANK YOU! Mary Blessing+ Vicar St. Philip's Scotts Valley

Pr. Karen's last Sunday at St. Jude's is 10/24 and a Farewell Celebration will be between the 2 services from 9-10:15 am.

Diocesan Workday at St. Edward's, San Jose - Saturday, May 22 - 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Come join other members of the diocese as we give the congregation of St. Edward's a hand. We'll be hauling things to a dumpster, clearing out rooms, doing some painting, and doing various gardening tasks (mulching, pruning, weeding, etc...). You are welcome to bring hand tools, but work gloves should suffice for most tasks. For more information or to RSVP, contact St. Edward's at 498-377-0158, at reception@stedwards.org, or visit our Facebook page via our blog at http://confessionsofsteds.blogspot.com/. Please RSVP via phone, email, or Facebook by Wednesday, May 19 if possible, so we know how many people to prepare for. We're located at 15040 Union Ave, at Union and Hwy 85. Thank you in advance!

Eucharistic Minister/Visitor Training - Saturday, May 22 - 9:30-12 p.m. (9 a.m. Gathering) - All Saints, Palo Alto. Just a reminder – to be a Eucharistic Visitor one needs to have served as a Eucharistic Minister for 1 year. Please email Ann Wright at annwright6@comcast.net if you still need to register.

Diaconal Ordinations - Stephenie Cooper (our diocesan web sacristan) will be ordained a Deacon and Judi Sato (our former Deanery Secretary) will be ordained a Transitional Deacon on Saturday, June 5, 2010, 10:00 a.m., at Trinity Cathedral. Everyone is invited. Please visit the calendar, http://www.edecr.org/event_detail.php?i=180&month=6&year=2010 , which includes downloadable invitations and a link to driving directions.

Safeguarding God’s People – Saturday, June 12th at St. Andrew’, Saratoga – 9:00am to 1:00pm. As Episcopalians, we have been called to protect everyone in our church community especially those who are the most vulnerable. As we work together to ensure a safe environment for everyone, those in leadership positions in the Santa Clara Valley Deanery at the church level should attend this required training. Not to be confused with Safeguarding God’s Children, this important four hour training includes four modules: Prevention of sexual exploitation – 1) for congregations (to help parishioners recognize the signs of potential sexual exploitation in church leaders) 2) for ministries (to make church leaders aware of the signs so they can help prevent it in their congregations; Prevention of sexual harassment 3) for church workers, employees and volunteers, to assist each one to understand the federal laws and their rights, and 4) for managers and supervisors to assist each one to understand their responsibilities to prevent and respond appropriately to allegations of sexual harassment. The Rev. Deacon Kathleen Crowe and Mr. Harry Van Wickle, our Diocesan facilitators, are certified to provide this training for our Diocese. You may contact Deacon Kathey by email, kathleencrowe@sbcglobal.net, or call her on 408-506-3554 to confirm your attendance, so that they can be prepared with enough handouts and literature.

Day of Discovery 2010 – Saturday, June 12, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (coffee and registration at 9:30 a.m.) This one day program explores how the four orders of ministry in the Episcopal Church (laity, deaconate, priesthood, and bishop) complement and support each other. Day of Discovery is followed by a 12 week Context for Ministry program for those who wish to delve more deeply into the work of the four orders of ministry. The programs are open to all interested lay persons. Individuals considering holy orders must participate in both programs. $10.00 includes lunch. See http://www.edecr.org/event_detail.php?i=192&month=6&year=2010 to register and for more details or contact Joanna Shreve at jrshreve@aol.com by June 7th.

Ordination - Peggy Lynn Bryan (our Deanery Co-convener) will be ordained to the priesthood on Friday, June 25, 2010 (7pm) at St. Andrew’s, Saratoga. Your presence and prayers for her ministry are requested. Clergy – red stoles.

Healing Service and Farewell for the Rev. Canon Jim Thomas at St. Andrew's, Saturday, July 10th at 5:30 pm. This will be the farewell service for the Rev. Canon Jim Thomas, who is moving with his wife to Sonoma. Come thank him for his many years of service in our diocese.

Safeguarding God's Children- Upcoming Training Dates

This program is offered to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse in everyday life and ministry. The training takes approximately three hours that includes time for discussion between both DVD modules plus a short break. All members of the congregations especially parents are encouraged to attend; however, vestries, ministry leaders, and those who work with youth and children are required to attend based on our Diocesan Safe Church Policies and Practices. Gathering time for all sessions is 1/2 hour before start time. Please register with the Rev. Kathleen Crowe at kathleencrowe@sbcglobal.net or call her at 408-506-3554 for more information.

Sunday, June 27th St. Dunstan's, Carmel Valley 2 pm - 5 pm

Saturday, July 10th St. Luke's, Hollister 1 pm - 4 pm

Thursday, August 5th Santa Maria Urban Mission, SJ 6 pm - 9 pm

Saturday, August 7th St. Jude's, Cupertino 9 am - 12 Noon

For those that have previously had the 3-hour training, certification needs to be renewed every three years. The recertification can be done on-line, but someone needs to administrate this process in your home church. Contact Rev Kathleen Crowe above for more information.

St. Jude’s Hosts: Step-Up Silicon Valley Poverty Simulation Sign-up Early for Limited Seating - 80 Participants

On Saturday, August 21, in the Parish Hall between 10:30AM and 2PM, St. Jude’s, Cupertno will host a community action Poverty learning session as part of Step Up Silicon Valley’s campaign to cut poverty in our communities. Saint Jude's is easy to reach off of Highway 85 in Cupertino: click here for directions.

The exercise isn’t an end in itself. If it is effective as hoped, it will be a step in expanding the greater community’s understanding of poverty. The objective is to equip ourselves to foster meaningful public policy that helps alleviate poverty in Santa Clara County.

Participants from high school age and up can signup online by going to: http://povertysimulationcupertino.eventbrite.com

Registration is free and open to the community at large. A simple lunch is included and a $5 donation is appreciated.

Step Up Silicon Valley is an interfaith group whose Community Action Poverty Simulation educates about the day-to-day realities of life with a shortage of money and an abundance of stress.

During the simulation, participants role-play the lives of low-income families, from single parents trying to care for their children, to senior citizens trying to maintain their self-sufficiency on Social Security. The task of each family is to provide food, shelter, and the basic necessities during the simulation while interacting with various challenges and community resources which are staffed by volunteers living in poverty.

Although the activity uses “play” money and other props, fictional scenarios, and time limits, the Poverty Simulation is NOT a game. It’s a tool that enables participants to view the real world of poverty leading to maximum understanding and future positive action.

By the end of the exercise, a person can change their ideas of what a family in poverty experiences. Richard Trevisan, a former St. Jude’s parishioner, strongly recommends this experience saying, “even with the years that I have worked on understanding poverty, I learned things that were not apparent to me.”