Tulare Church to Remain Episcopalian

By Julie Fernandez

Tulare - St. John's Episcopal Church in Tulare will remain Episcopalian, a decision the small parish made in a “painful” vote that came nearly three months after the Diocese of San Joaquin voted to leave the U.S. church. The diocese will affiliate with the Anglican Church's Province of the Southern Cone of South America.

In mid-February, 54 adult parishioners “in good standing” cast ballots to remain with the Episcopal Church, while 20 others voted to follow Fresno Bishop John-David Schofield and align with the Argentina-based Southern Cone, said Rev. Rob Eaton, St. John's pastor. Fifteen eligible members did not vote.

St. John's is one of a handful of parishes in the San Joaquin Diocese that has decided not to follow the diocese in its historic move to leave the Episcopal Church, which is the U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion.

The vote was an agonizing experience for the parish, which was founded in 1887. Parishioners who had worshipped together for decades disagreed over what to do, even though for the most part they were in agreement the U.S. church was heading in the wrong direction with such actions as ordaining an openly gay bishop and permitting same-sex blessings, several members said.

“I have been deeply involved in the church and it breaks my heart to see this happen [on the national level],” said parishioner Margaret Cain, who during her more than 50 years at St. John's has been involved on both the parish and diocesan level.
Despite these feelings, Cain said she loves the church and wants to stay and pray from within for change.

'A Lot of Tears'

“We've been torn—all of us,” said Diane Friend, a parishioner who voted to align with the Anglican Church and is leaving St. John's as a result of the vote.

The Episcopal Church “has gotten away from the Gospel” and is interpreting scripture in a new way to support positions the Bible does not, Friend said.
“We've lost a lot of families in the last few years because of this issue,” Friend said. “More are leaving than coming.”

Within the congregation there was “a lot of agonizing, a lot of tears and a lot of flip-flopping as we got closer to the vote,” Eaton said. “When the vote came, I was just a mess, getting sick too. A lot of others were feeling a lot of anxiety.”
Eaton, who describes himself as “a conservative, Bible-believing disciple of Christ,” said he did not want to align with the Southern Cone because he felt God was calling him to remain an Episcopal priest.

In a letter he wrote to parishioners on the church's Web site in December, he spoke of “strident” voices in both the liberal and conservative camps of the U.S. church and said there is a need for a “clear and reasonable voice” from within the denomination.

“Perhaps this is part of why the Lord continues to call me to be a priest within the Episcopal Church...I know it's not because He thinks this is going to keep my blood pressure down,” he wrote.

While Eaton felt God was calling him to stay within the Episcopal Church, he said others in his parish felt just as strongly God was calling them to leave.

Before the vote, he encouraged parishioners to pray, study and attend the five Thursday night discussions the parish conducted on the matter, he said. He reported a group of people also went to Porterville to speak with Schofield directly about the issue when the bishop visited that Tulare County community.

From his conversations with parishioners, Eaton said he could identify at least nine different issues that played a role in people's thinking and he believes those who voted to stay did so for different reasons, as did those who voted to leave.

The future could bring another vote at St. John's, depending on whether parishioners feel they have fair and equitable representation within the national church, he also said.

'Biggest con'

“The biggest con we had with this vote was people were going to leave St. John's regardless of the outcome,” he said.

Not everyone who voted to align with the Southern Cone has left the parish, but he knows of about 20 adults and children (children 18 and under were not allowed to vote), who have, Eaton said.

“So far I've been able to identify most of the folks landing somewhere,” he said, reporting some have gone to other denominations. Friend said at least one family has joined the Corcoran church, which has followed the bishop to the Southern Cone.
Clara Williams said her decision to leave St. John's was painful because she and her late husband, Art, were both active and raised their children in the parish. She also has made friendships she would like to continue.

“There are some of us trying to maintain our friendship through our prayer group,” Williams said.

She said she harbors no ill-will toward those who voted to stay.

“Gosh, I've known these people for years; that wouldn't be Christian-like,” she said.
Eaton, St. John's pastor for 18 ½ years, said it is “really hard to see people who have very powerfully and profoundly ministered in people's lives leave.”

What next?

The presiding bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church will decide what happens next to St. John's and other parishes in the Diocese of San Joaquin that are not following Schofield, Eaton said.

“We would see ourselves as rebuilding the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin,” he said.

Ownership of the Tulare church's buildings are not an issue, because Schofield has said parishes that wanted to leave his jurisdiction could do so without litigation, he said.

He and Schofield have even discussed the possibility of allowing two groups—those who want to remain with the U.S. Church and those who decided to go with Schofield—to operate out of the same location with separate services.

Schofield said he was willing to license him to continue to minister to those who wanted to align with the Southern Cone, Eaton said.

Although he realizes it would be “uncomfortable” for awhile, Eaton said he believes such an arrangement could work. Others are not so sure and that option is not being actively pursued now, although Eaton said the offer is still on the table.

“We're just kind of letting things settle down here for awhile,” he said.

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Sensitive Noses Help Police Department

Tulare - Two new members of the Tulare police force were employed for an unusual reason—their highly sensitive noses.

The two—Carl, a 2-year-old yellow Labrador, and Cowboy, 22-month-old blue Queensland Heeler mix —are trained to sniff out drugs and they do their job well.

During his first two weeks on the job, Carl's nose was used during the service of two search warrants that led to the arrest of six suspects, Capt. Wes Hensley said. The dog found heroin in one case and marijuana in the other. Police confiscated money in both incidents.

These dogs are not police dogs in the traditional sense.

“They are not trained to bite or attack,” Hensley said. “They're employed for their nose.” And unlike their other canine colleague on the police force, they are given their orders in plain English and not a foreign language.

The dogs and their handlers—Carl's assigned to officer Jeremy Faiman and Cowboy to officer Misael Aguayo—spent five weeks in training in San Bernardino. During that time, the dogs were taught to sniff out opium, methamphetamines and cocaine, as well as heroin and marijuana.

“The dog is looking for an odor associated with a toy,” Aguayo said.
Each dog has a special toy that was used only in training and he gets it only after he finds narcotics, Faiman said. Carl's special toy is a tennis ball with a string.

Sit and Stare

Their handler knows when the dogs have found narcotics because they go into a “sit and stare” mode, locking their focus on the illegal drugs, Hensley said.
This is an improvement from years past when dogs were trained to become aggressive and dig and scratch when they detected a drug order. “This is less destructive,” he said.

Using the dogs in narcotics cases is more efficient because officers don't have to spend as much time searching for drugs. “It just makes it more efficient,” Hensley said.

The Police Department paid $7,500 for each of the dogs and the $15,000 total came from money Tulare police had seized in other drug cases. The department has an asset forfeiture fund, which got its largest infusion ever in 2007 when the federal government decided the city could keep $495,000 of the $700,000 it seized in a 2006 drug case. The city must spend the money in the fund on drug abuse prevention, suppression and intervention.

The training is on-going for Carl and Cowboy and their handlers who, in addition to their regular work week, are expected to spend a minimum of 16 hours a month polishing their skills.

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Comix 4 Kidz to Benefit Boys and Girls Club

By Rick Elkins

Tulare - Abelly full of laughs and food are promised on April 12 when the Tulare Sunrise Rotary Club hosts two well-known comics in a dinner show to benefit the Tulare Boys and Girls Club.

Comix 4 Kidz, which Rotarian Maria Pinto hopes will be an annual event, will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Edison AgTac building on South Laspina Avenue.
“We're trying to make it fun and festive and to raise money for a good cause,” said Pinto, event chairperson.

Besides a steak dinner, cocktails and live and silent auctions, the evening will feature two comedians – Mike Giusti and Dick Hardwick.

Hardwick, who makes his home in Hollywood, has taken his humor to such impressive venues as the Las Vegas Hilton, Silver Legacy and Caesars Palace. He has worked hundreds of dates for many national names such as AT&T Wireless, State Farm and McDonalds and has entertained TV audiences on several well-known shows. He walked away as a Comedy Champion on Ed McMahon's “Star Search.”

Wholesome Yet Funny

Hardwick, the featured act of the evening, began his career at Disneyland and because of that his act is labeled clean and funny. Pinto said she and Sunrise Rotary President Lonnie Tiesiera selected the two comedians because both their acts are wholesome, yet very funny.

Hardwick played as a musician on John Prine's Grammy winning album “The Missing Years.” He appeared as an actor in Jackie Gleason's final film “Nothing In Common,” co-starring Tom Hanks. He's done radio and television commercials and been featured with major performers such as Johnny Mathis, Gladys Knight and Ray Charles.

Giusti is a favorite on cruise lines, in comedy clubs, on television and countless corporate events. His “Stand-Up MagiComedy Show” is described as “a virtual roller coaster ride of comedy, audience interaction and participation, and mind-blowing magic that everyone will talk about for years to come.”

Pinto said Giusti will actually perform among the audience and much of what he does requires participation of those in attendance.

$50,000 Goal

Galen Quenzer, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Tulare County, said the goal of the event is to raise $50,000 for the club, which opened about a year ago at the Tulare Youth Center.

Tickets are $50 each. The club is seeking sponsorships and auction items for the event. The live auction will include just 12 items to allow about an hour for the featured act.

Quenzer said they have lined up some “incredible auction items,” including “some nice vacation packages, including trips to Hawaii, Palm Springs and Lake Tahoe.”
The Boys and Girls Club serves about 80 youths in Tulare from ages 6 to 18.

Quenzer said they have a staff of five counselors who work and supervise the daily activities, which include sports, fitness, art, recreation, health and life skills programs, gang prevention, character and leadership development and child abuse prevention programs.

“We can handle more kids, but it's going quite well,” Quenzer said.
Pinto said support of the Boys and Girls Club is critical to Tulare's quality of life. “It is important to provide a safe environment for the kids in our community,” she said.

The Rotary Club hopes to sell between 250 and 275 tickets and to make it an annual event. “This is our first, kind of a test drive. We're committed to make it an annual event,” she said.

For tickets or more on the event call Pinto at 730-6329, call 625-4422 or go to www.comix4kidz.org.

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Tulare Woman Wins National Competition

Tulare - Grace Berryhill, a 2005 Tulare Union High School graduate and one of the top FFA students ever to wear the blue and gold, continues to distinguish herself.
Speaking persuasively about the perception of the family farm, Berryhill won the national Collegiate Discussion Meet at the American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmer and Rancher Leadership Conference in Baltimore last month. Berryhill attends California State University, Chico.

She emerged the winner after four rounds of competition, earning a $2,500 scholarship presented by the CHS Foundation. In the final round, she competed against students from Alabama, Tennessee and Texas in discussing the public perception of the family farm and how that perception affects agricultural policies.

“We shared all the information with staff,” said an obviously proud Dave Caetano, one of Berryhill's FFA advisers at the Tulare Joint Union High School District Farm. “It wasn't much of a surprise to them. She's a remarkable woman. Small in stature, but huge on talent.”

She is one of only two Tulare students to ever serve as state FFA president and competed in numerous public speaking competitions in high school. Caetano said she was a state finalist in the Creed contest as a freshman and later in both the Prepared Speaking and Extemporaneous Speaking competitions.

“She's definitely one of the top two to four students we've had out here,” said Caetano, a longtime FFA teacher and adviser. “She still comes back and helps us now with our speakers.”

She qualified for the national competition by winning the Collegiate Discussion Meet at the California Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting in Sparks, Nev., last December. Her victory at the American Farm Bureau conference marks the third time in five years that a California college student has won the national competition.
Shannon Douglass, a 2005 Chico graduate in animal science, coached the collegiate team at the state competition and Berryhill for the national competition. Douglass said that students are judged on their knowledge of the agriculture industry, presentation skills and cooperative attitude.

“The state and national competitions provide such a great opportunity for students to learn about the important issues facing agriculture and to practice the kinds of communication skills that they will use in their careers,” said Douglass.

Berryhill has been preparing for the state and national competitions since August and even more heavily during the past two months since her state-level win. “It was Grace's first time competing and we are so proud to have her win the national title for Chico on her first try,” said Douglass.

The daughter of Bruce and Carol Berryhill of Tulare is pursuing a double major in animal science and agricultural education at Chico and plans to teach agriculture after completing her education. She remains actively involved in the National FFA Organization. She has also assisted at other schools. Caetano said she helped to coach a freshman to the state Creed title two years ago.

The California Farm Bureau Federation, the state's largest farm organization, works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of 92,000 members statewide. The Young Farmers and Ranchers program encourages members aged 18 to 35 to be active leaders in agriculture.

The California Farm Bureau Federation contributed to this story.

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General Plan to Get Two Airings Next Week

Tulare - The city of Tulare's General Plan, which addresses growth through the year 2030, is expected to go before both the Tulare Planning Commission and the City Council next week for approval.

The seven-member commission held a March 3 public hearing on the plan but delayed a formal vote until 7 p.m. Monday, when it will meet in the City Council Chambers at the Civic Affairs Building, 125 South M St. The City Council will meet at the same location at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

While commissioners did not formally vote to recommend City Council approval of the plan, they did indicate support for the proposed land use map, which consultant Rick Rust said reflects concentric growth and higher densities than what the city is use to.

The plan also introduces “the village concept,” which calls for master planned areas that include residential and commercial uses to reduce travel distances for residents, Rust said.

Tulare County planners have objected to several aspects of the plan, including the placement of residential or other sensitive land uses within a mile of a working dairy. City Planning Director Mark Kielty said his staff will address this and other concerns before Monday's meeting.

Tagus Concerns

The county says the plan will convert about 14,000 acres of land from agricultural to urban uses, reducing the amount of prime ag land and resulting in the transfer of water used for agricultural purposes to domestic consumption.

The county also objects to the eastern expansion of the city's urban development boundary to take in the East Tulare Villa, which its draft plan identifies as a county “hamlet,” and the inclusion within Tulare's urban area boundary of Tagus Ranch to the north.

The county notes Tagus already is within Visalia's urban area boundary, but Vice Mayor Phil Vandegrift and others have said Visalia now has no problem with turning the area over to Tulare. Tagus has been a point of bitter conflict between the two communities for years.

Dr. Sarjit Malli, who owns property in the Tagus area, wants the property under the city of Tulare's jurisdiction.

“I would urge the Planning Commission and City Council to go to battle to preserve this as the northwest entrance gate to the city of Tulare,” Malli told planning commissioners.

Tulare resident Don Manro said he has “a slew of criticism” about the plan, including the size of the planning area. County officials have told him they would not approve an urban development boundary for Tulare that contained more than 20 years worth of growth, he warned.

'Grave Concerns'

Dan Garcia, a county planner who lives in Tulare, also logged “grave concerns” about the plan's environmental impact report and how it addresses climate change. He stressed he was representing only himself and not the agency.

He was concerned the land use map did not show neighborhood commercial projects in West Tulare, where he lives.

These types of projects help reduce greenhouse gases and the absence of them encourages economic and institutional poverty in West Tulare, he said.

Kielty said several commercial areas, which would be next to residential housing, already are planned for West Tulare and people who see a need for other projects can come in and request consideration.

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