Be Aware of Scam Emails, Texts, Etc. | Church of the Incarnation

From time to time, members of our congregation have received emails or text messages supposedly from Pastor Stephen, Bishop Megan, or other church leaders, asking for some form of assistance. Often those who send these messages ask congregants to buy gift cards, saying they are for those in need. These are scam attempts and are unfortunately becoming more and more common. This week again we have heard from a number of parishioners who have been getting these text messages.

Please know that neither Stephen nor other church leaders will ever reach out to you to ask you to buy something or send money to someone directly. If you ever get a message that seems a little "off," it probably is.

When you get messages like this, you can simply delete them or use your program's "Block Spam" or "Report Spam" feature. Of course, you're always welcome to contact the office, [email protected], if you ever have a concern regarding the validity of an email claiming to be from the church or a staff member.

If you would like to learn more about how to spot these scams, also known as "phishing," please click HERE for the article How to Tell an Email is Fake: Seven Tips to Spot a Fake Email. All of us have to continue to be on guard as scammers are becoming more and more sophisticated in their deception.

Tags: News & Notes

People decide to visit a church for lots of different reasons, often because they're at some sort of transition point in their lives. Maybe you're a longtime Episcopalian; maybe you have experience in another faith tradition; or maybe you've never been to a faith community at all.

Whoever you are, and wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you enrich us with your presence, and there's a place for you here.

Learn more about visiting Incarnation.

Incarnation is located at 550 Mendocino Avenue in downtown Santa Rosa, just south of the corner with Cherry Street.

Our church parking lot is located around the corner at 636 Cherry Street. The lot often fills up for our Sunday morning services. Additional free church parking is available in the small gravel lot at the corner of Mendocino and Cherry, or in the city garage at 521 7th Street (free on Sundays), which is a two-minute walk from the church. Finally, street parking is also free on Sundays.

We're also located close to several bus lines, and we have a bike rack in the central courtyard.

Children aren't just the church's future—they're an essential part of our faith community right now. At Incarnation we strive to serve our kids' growing faith, and we know they have much to teach adults, too. Children are always welcome in worship: any age, any time.

Learn more about our children's ministries.

Episcopal worship follows an ancient pattern that dates to the earliest days of the Christian church. The first half of the Eucharist is the Liturgy of the Word the second half is the Liturgy of the Table, also called Holy Communion. If you've spent time in Episcopal, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, or Eastern Orthodox churches, much of our liturgy will seem familiar. If you're unfamiliar with liturgical Christian worship, don't worry. You're welcome to participate as fully as is right for you, or to just relax into the liturgy and let the rest of the congregation carry you in worship.

Click here for online worship, or to learn more about Episcopal worship.

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Often someone who's been visiting for a while will ask us how to become a member of Incarnation. Learn more about becoming a member.

To support our work sharing God's love here in Sonoma County, you can make a donation online.

Giving is one of the most powerful spiritual practices in existence. It's a statement of gratitude and trust in God.

At Incarnation we encourage all our members and friends to prayerfully choose a percentage of their income to give toward causes that serve God's mission. We ask that part of that intentional giving be a pledge of financial support to the parish, both so our leadership can plan ahead in making a budget, and as a tangible commitment to what God is doing here at Incarnation. For more on the practice of proportional giving, see this FAQ.

You can make a donation to Incarnation online, toward your pledge or as a special offering, by clicking below.