History of convention

Adopted RESOLUTIONS Convention 2023

RESOLUTION 2023-01

Submitted by the Committee on Constitution and Canons

Name of Resolution: Amendments to Bylaw Article XI

Resolved that the Convention amends and restates Article XI of the bylaws of the diocese to read as follows:

ARTICLE XI Bylaws, Etc.

The Secretary of the Convention shall furnish to the Secretary of the Corporation Board of Directors a certificate of the election of Directors by the Convention, and a copy of these Bylaws, certified by the Secretary of Convention to be correct, and also a certified copy of the resolutions of the Convention providing for the incorporation of the Church, and whenever amendments, alterations or additions shall be made to these Bylaws, the Secretary of the Convention, in which such amendments, alterations or additions are made, shall furnish certified copies thereof to the Secretary of the Corporation. The Secretary of the Corporation shall preserve the same and enter in a book kept by the Secretary for that purpose the said resolutions of the Convection providing for such incorporation, these Bylaws and all amendments, alterations, and additions thereto, and the Articles of Incorporation as filed in the office of the Secretary of State and with the County Clerks of those counties any portion of which lie within the Diocese, respectively, and a certificate to be furnished annually by the Secretary of the Convention of the election of Directors for the ensuing year.

11.1.00 Amended by Majority Vote. The Bylaws may be altered or amended at a Diocesan Convention by an affirmative vote of the majority of those voting.

1.01 Amendments to be Filed 90 Days Previous. No proposed amendment or addition to the Bylaws shall be considered or affirmatively acted upon by any Convention, otherwise than by referring the same to a Committee to report thereon to the succeeding Annual Convention unless a copy of such proposed amendment or addition shall have been filed with the Secretary of the Convention, at least 90 days before the meeting of the Convention.

1.02 Secretary to Deliver Amendments to Committee. The Secretary of the Convention shall deliver copies of all proposed amendments or additions to the Bylaws, filed in accordance with Title V, Canon 1.01, to the Chair of the Committee on Canons, appointed under Title I, Canon 10.08 of these Canons and such Committee shall report thereon on the first day of the Convention.

EXPLANATION: This resolution lays out procedures for amending the bylaws.

RESOLUTION 2023-02

Name of Resolution: Internal Controls

Submitted by Finance Committee

RESOLVED that Article IX of the Bylaws of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego be amended to read:

The Treasurer shall receive and keep all funds and money of the Corporation delivered to the Treasurer by or under the direction of the Board of Directors and pay them out only on checks signed by two signers who have been authorized by the Board through a policy duly authorized by the Executive Council. The Treasurer shall give bonds in such sum and manner as the Board of Directors shall prescribe. The Treasurer shall keep accurate accounts and report quarterly to the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall not be an authorized signer on Corporate checking accounts.

EXPLANATION: Checks have long been a primary form of payment. Unfortunately, check fraud is becoming just as commonplace. The American Bankers Association found in 2019 that successful check fraud totaled $1.3 billion. The Association for Financial Professionals found this year that paper checks continue to be the payment method most vulnerable to fraud. Newer online payment methods result in significantly less fraud than paper checks. It is anticipated that payment structures will continue to strengthen and emerge over the coming years as technology continues to change.

Rather than prescribing check controls around fraud within the by-laws of the corporation, this amendment moves the internal controls for all payments (not just paper checks) into a policy approved by the Executive Council. The external auditor reviews the policy every year and reports any shortcomings or weaknesses to the Executive Council. Such a change allows the diocese to be more flexible in preventing fraud and adopting newer payment methods with more stringent controls. The policy of the diocese currently requires at least four people to review each transaction: one (or more, depending on the dollar amount) to approve the bill, one to process the bill and prepare it for payment, and two people to review proposed payment requests. Another step requires reconciliation of all bank transactions to ensure all disbursements are properly approved and accounted for. In short, the polict is much more detailed in attempts to provide control over disbursements than the bylaws, and this amendment recognizes that.

This amendment also allows the Treasurer to be a signatory on the bank. There are times when the diocese recommends that congregation treasurers do not have signature authority, but those cases are limited to environments where there is not adequate staff to properly segregate duties. The diocese has enough people involved in segregation of duties for receipts and disbursements that adding the Treasurer to the bank poses no more significant risk than the current signers. Making the treasurer a signatory also gives him or her the authorization to manage the banking relationship. The treasurer is responsible for managing that relationship, but under our current bylaws all directions from the treasurer require authorization from a signer on the account, complicating the ability of the diocese to do business day to day without any real reduction in risk.

RESOLUTION 2023-03

Name of Resolution: Youth Ministry Seat, Voice, and Vote

Submitted by: Rev. Dr. Brian Johnson

Resolved, that Canon I.4.12 be added to the Constitution and Canons, to read as follows:

The Youth Ministry of the Diocese shall be entitled to five Lay Delegates and two alternates representing separate regions of the Diocese and serving a one-year term. The Bishop shall appoint all Lay Delegates from the Youth Ministry of the Diocese after consultation with The Director of Formation, with full right of seat, voice, and vote.

The Youth Ministry of the Diocese shall mean those communicants in good standing of a Parish or Organized Mission of the Diocese who are at least 14 years of age and no older than 18 years of age.

All Lay Delegates from the Youth Ministry of the Diocese shall be confirmed communicants in good standing of a congregation of the Diocese, at least 14 years of age and no older than 18 years of age, and shall possess such other qualifications as may be required by Canon.

Explanation: Youth are not the church of the future, they are the church now. Full inclusion in the conversations and voting at convention affirms our commitment to provide equity in representation.

RESOLUTION 2023-04

Title of Resolution: Amendment to Bylaw Article XII

Submitted by the Committee on Constitution and Canons

Resolved that the Convention amends Article XII of the bylaws of the diocese to read as follows:

The principal office for the transaction of the business of the Corporation is located at 2728 Sixth Avenue 2083 Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in the City of San Diego, County of San Diego, State of California. The Board of Directors is hereby granted full power and authority to change said principal office from one location to another in the Diocese.

EXPLANATION: This resolution updates the address for the diocesan offices.

RESOLUTION 2023-05

Title of Resolution: Legal Status of Missions

Submitted by the Committee on Constitution and Canons

RESOLVED, that the 50th Convention of the Diocese of San Diego amends the Canons of the Diocese as follows:

Canon II – The Mission

2.05 Effecting of Mission Organization. The organization of a new Mission shall be effected by the appointment by the Bishop of a Senior Warden and a Junior Warden, who shall be communicants of the Church, a Clerk and a Treasurer, such officers to be known as the Bishop’s Committee. Thereafter the Senior Warden shall be appointed annually by the Bishop, and such additional number of persons as the Bishop shall authorize, shall be elected at the Annual Meeting of the Mission to be called on reasonable notice and held as soon after the first day of January as practical. At the discretion of the Bishop the Mission may elect its Bishop’s Committee, with the exception of the Senior Warden, on a rotational basis. The Junior Warden shall be elected in accordance with Title II, Canon 6.00, and the Clerk and Treasurer in accordance with Title II, Canon 6.05. Any qualified elector shall be eligible for election or appointment to such offices, except that the Wardens shall always be communicants. In special circumstances, the Mission may incorporate at the direction of the Bishop and Standing Committee as provided in Canon II.2.17.

2.06 Organizing of Parochial Mission. The organization of a Parochial Mission shall be effected in the same manner as provided in Title II, Canon 2.05, except that appointments of officers shall be made by the Rector of the sponsoring Parish. Rotation of the Bishop’s Committee may be established with the consent of the Rector of the sponsoring Parish. In special circumstances, the Mission may incorporate at the direction of the Bishop and Standing Committee as provided in Canon II.2.17.

2.11 Title to Property Vested in the Diocese. Except as otherwise provided by this canon, the terms of the trust specified in a will, decree of distribution, deed of gift or other instrument of donation which shall have been accepted by the donee with the consents of the Bishop and the Standing Committee, the title to real property purchased, given or otherwise acquired for Mission purposes, shall be vested in "The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego," a Corporation, sometimes referred to herein as the "Corporation of the Diocese"; provided, however, that nothing in this section shall be deemed to exclude the acquisition of any property the title to which is given and granted to or for the benefit of a specifically named or designated Mission; and title to all such property granted to the Corporation of the Diocese shall be held upon the trusts and with the powers as follows:

a) Such property shall be held for the use of the Mission for the benefit of which it was acquired, as long as such Mission shall continue to exist under the Canons of The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego provided, that upon organization of the Mission it shall make provision for, and pay, all taxes, insurance and other expenses pertaining to the care and preservation of all such property devoted to the use of said Mission.

b) The officers of a Mission shall not undertake construction or material modification of any structure on real property owned by the Corporation of the Diocese until plans and specifications for such work have first been approved by the Board of Directors of the Corporation or the Committee on Facilities and Architecture to whom the Directors of the Corporation have delegated approval authority.

c) Notwithstanding paragraph a, if a Mission is or is allowed to remain incorporated under Canon 2.17, real property may be held by the Mission corporation in special circumstances as directed by the Bishop and Standing Committee.

2.13 On Becoming Parish May Hold Property. Whenever the Mission shall have been organized as a parish and admitted into union with the Convention, and shall have been incorporated in accordance with the Constitution and Canons of this Diocese and the laws of the state in which it is located, and normal expenses of the congregation have been met, including any financial obligations prescribed by the Convention, for a period determined by the Bishop and Standing Committee not to exceed of two consecutive years, and all debts and obligations to the Corporation of the Diocese pertaining to its properties have been discharged, the Parish, with the consent of the Bishop and the Standing Committee, may make written request to the said Corporation, which shall convey such real properties to the Parish. Normal expenses include, among other expenses, and subject to the discretion of the Bishop with the advice and consent of the Standing Committee, fair and equitable salary, housing and insurance expenses for the Vicar, and pension fund contributions when applicable, and operating expenses including adequate insurance covering the properties of the Mission. Nothing in this canon shall restrict the Bishop and Standing Committee from directing an incorporated Mission to hold real property under Canon 2.11(c) or 2.17.

2.17 Incorporation of a Mission. In special circumstances determined by the Bishop and Standing Committee, and with the permission of the Bishop and the Standing Committee, a Mission may incorporate or keep its previous incorporation. Executive Council shall serve as the board of directors of an incorporated Mission congregation, delegating day to day operation of the Mission to the Bishop’s Committee in a manner decided by Executive Council. Upon direction by the Bishop and Standing Committee to incorporate, a Mission shall incorporate under the laws of the state in which it is located. The Rector of the Mission shall be the Bishop, who shall also be the ex officio Chief Executive Officer of the Mission Corporation’s Board of Directors, and the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws shall so provide. The Bylaws shall further state that the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church and the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, from time to time in effect, shall be incorporated in said Bylaws; and that in the case of any conflict between said Constitutions and Canons and said Bylaws, the former shall prevail over and in all respects supersede and to that extent effect the repeal of the said Bylaws. The Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws of any Mission, and any amendment to either of them, shall first be submitted to and approved by the Bishop, with the advice of a Chancellor and the advice and consent of the Standing Committee (referenced from Canon 3.07).

Further, an incorporated Mission shall be subject to the canons applicable to the incorporation of parishes in Canons 3.08, 3.09, 3.10, and 3.12.

3.11 Dissolution of a Parish in Order to Become a Mission. Any Parish, incorporated or unincorporated, may request of the Convention, through the Committee on Admission of Parishes and Missions, with the approval of the Bishop and the Standing Committee, permission to dissolve the Parish association or corporation, and reorganize as a Diocesan or Parochial Mission, following the same procedure as for the organization of a Mission. Title to the property of the Parish shall then be transferred to the Corporation of the Diocese or to the sponsoring Parish if incorporated.

2023

Elected to Diocesan POsitions

Secretary of Convention

elected to serve until 2025

Brian Johnson

Disciplinary Board

elected to serve until 2026

Chris Craig-Jones

Katherine Gordon

elected to serve until 2026

James Hansen

Executive Council

elected to serve until 2027

Richard Hogue

elect 2 lay to serve until 2027

Mae Chao

Jamie Glorieux

elect 1 lay to serve until 2026

Lori Thiel

elect 1 lay to serve until 2024

Judy Cater

Standing Committee

elected to serve until 2027

Michael Kilpatrick

elected to serve until 2027

Dennis Landaal

Bishop’s School Trustee

elected to serve until 2026

Mark Hargreaves

Cathedral Chapter Member

elected to serve until 2026

Neil Malmquist

Bishop Susan Brown Snook’s Annual Address to Convention 2023

Bishop Susan Brown Snook’s Sermon to Convention 2023

Diocesan Convention

Resolutions

2022

For Review

It is a requirement of Canon I.1.1.e of the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church that dioceses receive notice whenever any alteration of the Book of Common Prayer or of the Constitution is proposed. The 80th General Convention proposed three resolutions with changes to the Constitution.

RESOLUTION A031

RESOLUTION A059

RESOLUTION A157

2022

Passed EDSD Resolutions

RESOLUTION 22-01

Title: Amend Canons to exempt Named Institutions from consent Requirement (Title III.5.05)

Proposed By: Committee on Constitution and Canons

Name, Address, Phone Number of Delegate: Pauline Getz, Vice Chancellor and Committee Chair, 2083 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. San Diego 92017

Date: August 10, 2022

RESOLVED, that Title III.5.05 of the Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego be amended to read in full as follows:

5.05 Property May Not be Alienated Without Consent. With the exception of The Bishops School and Episcopal Community Services, no Institution shall not alienate or encumber real property belonging to it or acquire, except by gift, devise or bequest any real property subject to an existing encumbrance or assume an existing encumbrance in connection with any acquisition without first obtaining the written consents of the Bishop and the Standing Committee.

EXPLANATION: The purpose of this amendment is to exempt The Bishop’s School and Episcopal Community Services from the requirement of obtaining the prior consent of Bishop and Standing Committee. Each of those Institutions is a large corporate entity with an independent Board of Directors (other than the Bishop as Chair), capable of making these decisions for themselves and in light of their respective missions and visions.

RESOLUTION 22-02 Title II.3.13

Title: Amend APP Canon

Proposed By: Committee on Constitution and Canons

Name, Address, Phone Number of Delegate: Pauline Getz, Vice Chancellor and Committee Chair, 2083 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. San Diego, CA 92017

Date: July 29, 2022

RESOLVED, that Title II.3.13 of the Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego be amended to read in full as follows:

3.13 Action Plan Parish. This Canon is intended to address the exceptional case of a Parish whose continued viability as a self-sustaining entity appears to be in jeopardy, such that some degree of diocesan partnership, oversight or intervention is needed as a means of restoring the health of the congregation. Except under unusual circumstances (see Canon 3.13.03), such action is not intended to derogate from the traditional right and responsibility of Parishes in the Episcopal Church to govern themselves. Rather, in those cases herein, whether on the initiatives of the Parish, and in such cases, it shall be the duty and obligation of all parties, working together, to strive to accomplish the speedy end, or substantial amelioration, of the conditions that led to the declaration of Action Plan Parish, and to restore the congregation to spiritual and temporal health and viability as a self-sustaining entity. The designation of a congregation as an Action Plan Parish shall continue for a period of four years. A Parish (hereinafter a “congregation” or “Parish”) may be declared to be an Action Plan Parish as set forth herein when any one or more of the following conditions exists:

(a) The congregation refuses or neglects to assemble to elect a Vestry, as provided in these Canons, or fails to send representation and to participate in the Conventions of this Diocese; or

(b) The congregation fails to call and elect a Rector after a reasonable period of time, as determined by the Bishop; or

(c) The congregation willfully fails to comply with the provisions of Canon 1.7 of The Episcopal Church “Of Business Methods in Church Affairs” or has engaged in improper or unethical business practices; or

(d) The congregation qualifies for forfeiture of parochial privileges pursuant to Article XIV of the Constitution of the Diocese; or

(e) The congregation fails or refuses to make and pay its Mission Share Pledge for a period of two years or more; or

(f) The congregation fails or is unable to support a level of clergy staff and lay engagement to ensure that the congregation’s needs for Worship, Education, Pastoral Care and Outreach Ministries are adequately met. For the purposes of this section, it is considered that the inability to provide for the services of a clergy person for at least 1/2 time (to include any mandated pension and/or insurance benefits), equates to a failure of such support; or

(g) The congregation fails to pay in full the insurance premiums for general liability coverage, including coverage for sexual misconduct, in an amount set by the Corporation Executive Council of the Diocese, and with an insurance company approved by the Corporation Executive Council; or

(h) If financial reports reveal an invasion of the endowment funds or other practices that are evidence of existing or probable future financial instability sufficient, in the judgment of the Bishop and Standing Committee, to warrant action under this Canon. ; or

(i) [NEW] Failure to complete and file parochial reports per diocesan and Episcopal Church policy; or

(j) [NEW] Failure to complete and file audit reports per diocesan policy; or

(k) [NEW] Failure to cooperate with any inquiry, made in connection with this Canon, by the Ecclesiastical Authority or its designee, including the failure or refusal to provide full and accurate information on the state of the Parish and its affairs; or

(l) [NEW] The congregation takes action (whether by the Vestry or the Rector, or both) which is designed to affect a separation of the Parish from The Episcopal Church or the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, or otherwise acts in violation of the Canons of The Episcopal Church or these Canons; or

(M) [NEW] When the congregation is found to be in a state of continued conflict by the Bishop in consultation with the Standing Committee.

The specific condition(s) found to exist shall be delineated in writing by letter from the Bishop to the Clergy person in Charge, the Vestry and the congregation promptly after the designation declaration as an Action Plan Parish.

3.13.01 Action under this Canon may be initiated by any of the following:

(a) The Rector or upon the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the Vestry/Bishop’s Committee of any such congregation; or

(b) The Bishop; or

3.13.02 When action has been initiated hereunder, the Bishop shall appoint a committee of three (3) lay leaders, two of whom are not members of the congregation, and one chosen from the Vestry, to investigate, and work with the Vestry and Clergy person in Charge, to seek to ameliorate the conditions which led to the action, and to report quarterly to the Bishop. This Action Plan Parish Committee shall, working together with the Clergy person in Charge, and the Vestry, as soon as possible, identify immediate corrective steps that should be implemented, and no later than one year after the committee’s formation, submit to the Bishop a detailed written plan for restoration of Parish status, to include specific goals and objectives that the plan is designed to meet. The APP Committee shall serve for up to four (4) years period to aid in the restoration of the congregation to Parish status or, failing adequate progress in this regard, to confer with the Bishop about possible other actions as described below, including conversion to Mission status. The congregational shall, with assistance from the APP Committee, submit monthly operational reports to the Bishop. The Bishop shall have the further right to have the books and records of the congregation audited.

3.13.03 If the conditions specified in the Bishop’s letter, referred to above, persist beyond two years from the date of designation declaration, and the APP Committee, after consulting with the PIC and Vestry, reports that adequate progress is not being made to ameliorate these conditions, the Bishop, with the consent of the Standing Committee may impose additional requirements upon the congregation. Any one or more of the following may be required:

(a) That the Vestry be disbanded, and that the Bishop shall appoint six or more adult communicants, plus one member of the APP Committee, to serve as a Bishop’s Committee in place of the Vestry;

(b) Designation of the Rector as Priest in Charge, or in the absence of a Rector, to appoint a Priest in Charge;

(d) In the event that the congregation is incorporated, direct that the corporation be dissolved; or

(e) Such other actions as may be deemed necessary to restore health to the congregation.

In the event that the Bishop (with Standing Committee consent) does elect to take any or all of the actions described herein, the effective ecclesiastical status of the church may be deemed that of a Mission, in accordance with the Canons.

3.13.04 At any time after the first 24 months and prior to the expiration of the four-year period since being declared an Action Plan Parish, the congregation may be restored to full and regular Parish status. Such action may be taken by the Bishop, with the consent of the Standing Committee, either upon the Bishop’s own initiative, or on petition of the Vestry of Bishop’s Committee of the Action Plan Parish. The decision to restore to Parish status shall be based upon a finding that the congregation has successfully addressed or substantially ameliorated the conditions that led to the declaration of Action Plan Status. Alternatively, after two years, but within the four-year period, the Bishop may take action to either: a) designate that the congregation shall thenceforth be a Mission of the Diocese; or b) extend the congregations status as an Action Plan Parish for an additional period not to exceed three years. An action under a) above, shall be based on a finding by the Bishop in consultation with the Standing Committee and the Action Plan Parish Committee that the congregation has not made adequate progress toward ameliorating the conditions that led to its Action Plan Parish status; and, an action under b) above, shall be based upon a finding that some progress has been made, but additional steps are required to be accomplished before Parish status can be renewed. In this case, these ‘additional steps’ shall be set out in writing. In the case of action under either a) or b), consultation with the Clergy-person in charge and Vestry, and consent of the Standing Committee is required, and any congregation so affected, can, by majority vote of its members attending a properly noticed membership meeting, challenge said action by petitioning the next Diocesan Convention, such petition to be filed with the Secretary of Convention at least 30 days before the date of the Convention. If a congregation remains in APP status for more than 7 years, action shall may be taken by the Bishop (with consent of the Standing Committee), within 60 days, to either restore that congregation to Parish status, or have it converted to Mission status. In such events:

(i) If the congregation is restored to Parish status, and if the Bishop has previously appointed or designated a Priest in Charge, that Priest shall forthwith resign, and the Vestry shall call a Rector in accordance with the Parishes By-Laws and these Canons. The Priest in Charge is not barred from being called as Rector; and

(ii) If the congregation is converted to Mission status, and such action is not revoked by vote at Convention, the congregation and the Diocese should take the necessary steps to immediately organize itself as a Mission in accordance with these Canons.

3.13.05 It shall be the responsibility of all parties, including the lay and clergy leadership of the Action Plan Parish, the Office of the Bishop and the Action Plan Parish committee, to labor to restore the congregation to a greater degree of health, presenting all challenges and opportunities to be addressed in an open, honest manner, in a climate of respect and charity, and for the greater good of the Church’s witness to its Lord.

EXPLANATION: These changes correct some inconsistencies in names of leadership bodies, correct typographical errors, and expand the circumstances that may lead to a parish being declared an Action Plan Parish.

RESOLUTION 22-03 Title IV.2.04

Title: Raise Limit on Approval for Unbudgeted Items

Proposed By: Committee on Constitution and Canons

Name, Address, Phone Number of Delegate: Pauline Getz, Vice Chancellor and Committee Chair, 2083 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., San Diego, CA 92107

Date: July 29, 2022

RESOLVED, that Title IV.2.04 of the Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego be amended to read in full as follows:

2.04 Payments to be Authorized by Diocesan Executive Council. No payments in excess of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) which have not been specifically provided for by the Convention in the Annual Budget, shall be made without authorization of the Diocesan Executive Council.

EXPLANATION: This Canon has not been reviewed in a number of years. The increase is to make the number more practical.

Diocesan Convention

Bishop’s Report to Convention

Be known to us, Lord Jesus, in the breaking of the bread.

After two years of virtual conventions, I am so glad to be able to gather in person. This year, we will worship together and break bread together, sharing in the Body of Christ. We will renew old friendships and appreciate new ones. We will take counsel together for the ministry and mission of God’s church.

As we emerge from the pandemic, many of our congregations are still experiencing its effects. While most congregations are financially stable, some of our former members have not returned to in-person worship. Yet this is a time when new growth is happening as well. Many congregations connected with new members during online worship, and some of those online worshipers have now become full participating members and lay ministers. Others are looking at new mission opportunities in their neighborhoods, as all the changes wrought by the pandemic have inspired us to look at our mission afresh.

This year, 2022, is our Year of Evangelism. In my visitations to congregations this year, I have enjoyed sharing with you in a Revival format, in conjunction with our Year of Evangelism. Through intentional personal prayer, lay testimonies, and engagement with our own baptismal call to love and proclamation of the good news of Christ, we have prepared the ground for reaching out to others. Our Year of Evangelism will culminate this December 9-11, in our Good News Festival at the Town & Country Resort, San Diego, starring Presiding Bishop Michael Curry as our Revival preacher. Bishop Curry will be joined by Rev. William Barber, a giant of social justice in our country, and by a variety of musicians, including the Voices of our City Choir, composed of homeless and formerly homeless singers. Bring your friends! This event is our way of highlighting all the Episcopal Church has to offer to our greater Southern California and western Arizona community!

In 2020, our diocese launched our Courageous Love Strategic Plan. We are continuing to develop the strategies for growing the church, deepening our faith, and serving our neighbors that we committed to in that plan. Our diocese supports congregations in sharing the good news of Christ with their neighbors, through community engagement processes, evangelism training, reaching out to our Latino/a neighbors through La Misa en Ingles, military ministries, youth ministries, campus missions, and other church growth strategies. We are also contributing to the growth and redevelopment of two congregations: St. Matthew’s National City and Sts. Peter & Paul El Centro. Both congregations welcomed new priests-in-charge this year, and both have enthusiastic plans for reaching their neighborhoods. We are beginning to formulate plans for new church plants in Oceanside and at our Episcopal Church Center in Ocean Beach. We are excited about the new ways we are following Christ through the strategic plans we have made for our diocese. We are truly acting with Courageous Love!

We are also working to build up lay and ordained leadership. We have licensed many lay ministers (Evangelists, Catechists, Preachers, Eucharistic Visitors, and others), recognizing the vital importance of the ministry of all God’s baptized people. We are building new opportunities for training lay and ordained ministers in the School for Ministry through our emerging partnership with the Dioceses of El Camino Real and Northern California. Our three-way partnership will use resources from the Iona School at Seminary of the Southwest to create a strong cohort of learners and help them grow in faith and build relationships with each other. I appreciate the leadership of Bishop Jim Mathes, my predecessor in our diocese, in helping spearhead this initiative, which we are calling the West Coast Collaborative.

In service and advocacy ministries, we are continuing our work on the border and developing new initiatives in creation care. We hope to launch a reforestation program for urban areas in the coming year. We are also deeply concerned about the difficulty of finding affordable housing in our area, and are working with several congregations to develop projects to provide safe housing to our neighbors while ensuring a strong financial base for the congregations. We anticipate that the future years will bring deeper engagement in helping our churches address the affordable housing crisis for clergy and others in our diocese.

I look forward to 2023, which will be the fiftieth anniversary of the Diocese of San Diego! In 1973, our diocese separated from the Diocese of Los Angeles to form EDSD. Stay tuned for a number of events in 2023 to celebrate the anniversary, as well as a capital campaign to support our future growth and mission with Courageous Love!

It is a pleasure and an honor to serve you, my friends, and I am glad to be following Jesus alongside all of you.

In Christ,

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Susan Brown Snook

Diocesan Convention

Reports to Convention

Audit Committee

Leaf & Cole, LLP conducted the audit of EDSD’s 2021 financial statements. The firm issued an unqualified opinion (i.e. clean report) for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. LaTonya Knox, Audit Partner, was very complimentary of CFO Jeff Martinhauk and staff for the timely receipt of information requested and prompt followup on any questions the auditors had. Overall, the audit went very smoothly and, in comparison with the prior year, there were only a few very minor adjusting journal entries needed.

LaTonya Knox also reported that all management recommendations from the prior year audit had been implemented: 1) Adopt a Comprehensive Gift Acceptance Policy, 2) Review Payroll Prior to Processing, and 3) Review the Credit Card Policy and Ensure It is Followed. There were no new management recommendations and no issues noted.

I have requested a bid from Leaf & Cole, LLC for the 2022 EDSD audit to be conducted in 2023.

Respectfully submitted,

Betsey Monsell

Audit Committee Chairperson

Canon for Mission

As your Canon for Mission, I am responsible for caring for several ministries that fall within the aims of our strategic plan. Work on this strategic plan began in 2019. Even as we have wrestled with the challenges of a pandemic, the diocese has moved towards our vision. Throughout the course of my first year serving you, I have seen multiple signs that we are beginning to achieve what we have hoped to.

We have set a goal of supporting each one of our congregations in discipleship. During 2022, the Bishop licensed dozens of individuals for canonical lay ministries. EfM—a theological education small-group study for adults—had 4 groups across the diocese and 50 participants this last year. Two congregations are currently going through RenewalWorks, a process intended to help churches focus on spiritual growth. The digital formation resources of our diocese are now reaching hundreds of your households—from the Faith to Go podcast and corresponding study materials to Summer Snacks, our YouTube-based VBS series. We aspired to ensure that there were no less than two annual stewardship trainings and year-round resources provided to our congregations. In the last year, 20 congregations participated in stewardship and planned giving trainings offered by TENS—the Episcopal Network for Stewardship and ECF—the Episcopal Church Foundation.

One of the objectives of our strategic plan is to empower congregations to connect with their neighbors. To love our neighbors as Jesus instructed us to, we must know them. That is why we’re providing resources for our congregations to engage the communities around our places of worship. 35% of the congregations in our diocese are working on creation care initiatives in their communities. 40% of our congregations are engaged in advocacy and assistance for refugee and immigrant neighbors. More than 75% of our congregations are addressing the needs of our unhoused neighbors in one way or another; providing clothes, food, and showers. What we have learned is that no matter the political persuasion, the housing crisis is something everyone in the 4 counties we serve cares about and is daily aware of its challenges. Currently, one congregation in our diocese is developing affordable housing and 4 others are discerning how to use under-utilized real estate for missional purposes. Some will provide housing for seniors or refugees. Others may plant trees—improving our tree canopy. Others will plant gardens—feeding hungry bellies with nourishing food. As we walk along congregations determining how best to use their property, we are discovering opportunities for churches to not only serve their neighbors but also contribute to the congregation’s financial stability well into the future.

We recognize that the religious decline in this era was compounded by the impact of the pandemic. If our neighbors are coming towards the Church in fewer numbers, it is time that we go to our neighbors. We are already working on 2 congregation redevelopment projects that are surpassing expectations; 2 new church starts are in line to kick off mid-year in 2023. We have commissioned a new campus ministry leader at SDSU and increased the resources we offer to congregations for sharing God’s good news with their neighbors. 76 individuals, representing 26 congregations, participated in evangelism training this year. Six congregations held community prayer walks. Twelve congregations offered ashes to go on Ash Wednesday, with an average of 142 individuals served across our four counties. On Valentine’s Day, congregations in San Diego and Riverside counties encouraged healthcare workers at hospitals and medical centers.

These many signs of good news deserve celebrating and we plan to do that this December. On December 10, we will host the Good News Festival at the Town & Country Resort. The festival will have a holiday marketplace and workshops covering a variety of subjects. The day will culminate with a joyous revival service with the Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Rev. Dr. William Barber. During San Diego’s Pride festival, approximately 4,000 invitations were made to attendees. At last count, 769 individuals have committed to going to the Good News Festival. If each of you that has made this commitment brings one person with you, that’s 1,538 to attend so far. I think we can do even better than that. Don’t you? I encourage everyone to spread the word and join us for this free event!

Campus Ministry

Campus ministry at SDSU has started off strong this semester! Through the simple hospitality of free pizza and a shady space to rest from the sun, Agape San Diego is sharing God’s love and connecting with dozens of students who stop by each week. We are slowly building a regular community who’ve ventured off campus together for hikes, beach trips, and sailing, and smaller groups gathering weekly for shared spiritual practices—all by week 7 of the semester!

Many students we speak to seem more disconnected than ever: “I don’t really have friends,” and “this is the only place I can go where people want to have a conversation,” are recurring sentiments we hear frequently from students. Reinforced by this this reality, we continue to serve the campus with a core commitment to build a spiritual community of love, acceptance, justice, and growth.

Chaplains to the Retired Clergy and their partners

This ministry is conducted by chaplains appointed by the diocesan bishop in coordination with the Church Pension Group (CPG) to pastorally support the more than 200 retired clergy living within the diocese. The Office of Pastoral Care at CPG provides a detailed list of retired clergy and their spouses/partners /survivors enrolled with CPG to the appointed chaplains throughout The Episcopal Church, and administers educational programs and conferences for the constituency as well as training for the Chaplains. A large number of retired clergy live in this diocese but remain canonically members of other dioceses. Also, many retired clergy participate in part time ministry through supply work, interim service, and assistance at local parishes. The Chaplains for our diocese are the Rev. David Burgdorf, primarily serving in the Coachella Valley, Mrs. Stephanie Smith, who maintains mailings for birthdays, get well, and sympathy cards, and the Rev. Edward Busch and the Rev. Babs M. Meairs. Contact with our charges is made by phone, email, and, when possible, personal visits. Our team responds to referrals from the diocese and other retired clergy, including welcoming new retired clergy. A Province VIII conference for Chaplains to the Retired will be held in Spring 2023, as this year all of the Province chaplains met with leadership from CPG in St. Paul, Minnesota, in May, for updates, encouraging and informative sessions, and mutual support in carrying out our ministry. The 2021 changes in the healthcare coverage for our constituency have been a major focus of ongoing education. Reports of contacts with our constituency are submitted to CPG twice a year. In this diocese we continue monthly virtual meetings with interested clergy and spouses via ZOOM, exploring topics of interest and relevance. In June a luncheon was held at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Palm Desert attended by about 30 retired clergy and incumbents in the Coachella Valley. Looking ahead, we want to explore ways to expand contact and continue to make our ministry available to our constituency, to provide information and support when appropriate, and to work with parishes on identifying the activities and care involving our retired clergy and their families. It is hoped that an in person gathering with our Bishop may be planned in the first half of next year.

Submitted by The Rev. Babs M. Meairs

Clergy Enrichment Commitee

The Clergy Enrichment Committee has met regularly during 2022 to work with the Bishop on ways to support collegiality and connection among clergy. In February we had a lunch meeting hosted by Good Samaritan where many clergy gathered for fellowship and to hear from our Bishop and Canon Jason Evans about the plan for mini-revivals at every Bishop’s visit in 2022, leading up to The Good News Festival in December of 2022.

We experimented with hosting regional lunches for clergy in May. Four were held in different parts of the Diocese and there was an open invitation to all clergy for each. We initiated a clergy e-list for ease in communicating with all clergy. We continue to discern how to include new clergy better when they enter the Diocese.

In June clergy gathered with the Bishop for an education day with The Rev. Dr. Mark Jefferson, Assistant Professor of Homiletics and the Associate Director of the Deep Calls to Deep Preaching Program.

We planned the upcoming clergy retreat at Vina de Lestonnac, which will be led by The Rev. Elizabeth Rechter, Executive Director of Stillpoint, CA, on September 26-28. We continue to be open to new ways of connecting as we move into the fall of 2022.

We encourage all congregations to support and encourage their clergy to take advantage of any and all upcoming times of learning, fellowship, and worship with the Bishop and fellow clergy.

Respectfully submitted,

The Rev. Susan J. Latimer, chair

Commission on Ministry

I have been honored to serve as the Commission on Ministry’s chair since our last diocesan convention. We went through a couple of transitions. Changing the handbook was the biggest lift, and I thank the entirety of the Commission for their review of it, with special thanks to Terry Kelly, Mark Patzman, and most especially Paul Carmona for doing the bulk of rewriting and editing. Because of their work, Chris Tumilty was able to put together a literal step-by-step visual guide of the process, something I’m not aware any other diocese can claim at this time.

Getting a new psychologist was the other major transition. Dr. Marjorie Coburn’s retired, and we owe a great deal of gratitude to her for years of service, at a discounted rate, for reviewing all our ordination applicants. We’re now availing ourselves of the services of Dr. Lewis Bonney, who also does the psychological testing for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. We’ve discovered that the rates for these sorts of psychological examinations are more robust than we’re used to, and Bishop Susan has done what she can to supplement the necessary payments. It is required, of course, to complete these exams before advancing possible candidates for ordination for everyone’s safety.

A conversation we started and that I hope will continue after I roll off the COM is how to recruit and sustain a more diverse cohort of priests and deacons coming in through our diocesan ordination process. I had several frank conversations with individuals of color who had contemplated the process at one point or another but didn’t move forward after initial interest. Each had their own reasons for not doing so, but one disappointingly common thread was how nearly all of them did not see people who looked like them in clerical leadership within the diocese. Representation matters and choosing to embrace diversity in our ordained leaders will be a necessary step in advancing the full participation of all people. Of course, there are macroeconomic and historically racialized elements to all of this, but this is the next frontier, if you will, for the COM and the wider diocese to prayerfully reflect and act on if we wish to truly be the diverse reign of Christ we earnestly seek to be in this place.

Before I end this report, I want to thank Rev. Mary Lynn Coulson for being our clerk, Terry Kelly for his excellent work with Parish Discernment Committees (PDCs) across the diocese, and everyone who’s participated in PDCs.

Respectfully submitted,

Rev. Richard Hogue

Community Engagement

In the Spring of 2022, Deann Rios transitioned to the role of Missioner for Community Engagement, a new role for the Diocese focused on helping churches develop a vision, skills, and practices for loving and partnering with their neighbors in consistent and practical ways. Over the summer Deann and Jason Evans created “Being Neighbors”, a 9-week interactive and activity-based training which leads small teams from churches through a process of reflecting on their values, passions, and assets and then guides them through activities which help them learn about and interact with their neighbors – businesses, schools, non-profits and civic groups, community leaders and individuals. These activities give them tools and practice listening to what their neighbors care about; learning from them; and exploring ways to partner, support, and engage with them; they allow congregations to join God in blessing the neighborhoods in which their churches are planted. Churches are encouraged to sign up for the 9-week training with Deann and others as we endeavor to better love our neighbors in meaningful ways. The first “Being Neighbors” course kicked off in September, and the second course will run from January 11 to March 29. To learn more, please contact Deann Rios at drios@edsd.org.

Canon to the ordinary

I am honored to have served the diocese for another year as Canon to the Ordinary. My duties include clergy and congregational transitions, Diocesan liturgies, congregational development, Convention, Clergy Conference, and staff support for the Executive Council and its committees, implementation of the Strategic Plan, and support of the Commission on Ministry. 

Clergy and Congregational Transitions between November 6, 2021 and September 23, 2022

The following clergy transitions took place (in alphabetical order):

· The Rev. Susan Astarita is now serving as interim priest-in-charge at St. David’s, San Diego.

· The Rev. Bob Blessing is now serving as interim priest-in-charge at St. Andrew’s, La Mesa.

· The Rev. Cristina Borges is now lead chaplain at St. Paul’s Senior Homes and Services.

· The Rev. Laura Brecht retired from St. Barnabas, Borrego Springs.

· The Rev. Nancy Burnett was ordained priest and is serving at St. Bartholomew’s, Poway.

· The Rev. Cindy Campos was named Archdeacon of the diocese.

· The Rev. Phil Cooke retired from St. Mary’s-in-the-Valley, Ramona.

· The Rev. Willy Crespo announced his retirement from St. Timothy’s, San Diego, effective October 30, 2022.

· The Rev. Meg Decker retired from Trinity, Escondido.

· The Rev. Joe Dirbas resigned from All Souls’, San Diego.

· The Rev. Terry Dirbas resigned from All Souls’, San Diego.

· Pastor Mark Galbraith (ELCA) serves as interim rector at Trinity, Escondido.

· The Rev. Bill Garrison serves as the interim priest-in-charge at All Souls’, San Diego.

· The Rev. Katherine Gordon was ordained priest and has served at St. Alban’s and will be serving as long-term supply at St. Timothy’s San Diego.

· The Rev. Cole Gruberth was called as associate at St. Peter’s, Del Mar.

· The Rev. Carole Horton-Howe was called as priest-in-charge at St. Thomas, Temecula.

· The Rev. Jocelynn Hughes resigned from St. David’s, San Diego.

· The Rev. Phil Loveless renounced his orders.

· The Rev. Roberto Maldonado was called as vicar at St. Matthew’s, National City.

· The Rev. Lilia Mendoza was ordained priest and serves as priest-in-charge at Sts. Peter and Paul, El Centro.

· The Rev. Tom Morelli has retired as deacon at Christ Church, Coronado.

· The Rev. Brian Petersen was ordained priest and serves as priest-in-charge at Holy Cross, Carlsbad and as associate at St. Bartholomew’s, Poway.

· The Rev. Michael Plekon was received as a priest from the Orthodox Church in America.

· The Rev. Harold Reed resigned as rector of St. Andrew’s, La Mesa.

· The Rev. Bill Schwartz serves as long-term supply at Christ the King, Alpine.

· The Rev. Peter Sickels resigned as interim rector at All Souls’, San Diego.

· The Rev. Allisyn Thomas retired from St. Bartholomew’s, Poway and now assists at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Clergy Deaths

· The Rev. Bill Broughton

· The Very Rev. Jim Carroll

· The Rev. David Fenton

· The Rev. Jim Kellett

The following congregations are in transition:

· All Souls’, San Diego (search underway)

· St. Andrew’s, La Mesa

· St. Barnabas, Borrego Springs (search underway)

· St. Bartholomew’s, Poway (calling committee at work)

· St. Dunstan’s, San Diego (search underway)

· St. Mary’s-in-the-Valley, Ramona (search underway)

· St. Timothy’s, San Diego (calling committee formed)

· Trinity, Escondido (calling committee formed)

The following congregations are served by supply clergy and are not in a search process:

· Christ the King, Alpine

· St. Hugh of Lincoln, Idyllwild

· St. Andrew’s, Lake Elsinore

· St. Columba’s, Santee

Diocesan Liturgies

· Brian Petersen’s ordination to the Transitional Diaconate was on December 18, 2021.

· Clergy Renewal of Vows was held on Tuesday of Holy Week, April 12, 2022.

· The Rev. Nancy Burnett, the Rev. Katherine Gordon, the Rev. Lilia Mendoza and the Rev. Brian Petersen were ordained to the priesthood on June 18, 2022.

· Michael Kilpatrick and Pete Martin were ordained to the Vocational Diaconate on October 22, 2022.

Faithfully submitted,

The Rev. Canon Gwynn Lynch

Cursillo

Cursillo was founded in Spain in the 1940’s. It was started by lay people to help the laity become better followers of Jesus Christ. In other words, Cursillo is a Discipleship program.

Cursillo teaches discipleship by providing lessons in piety, study, and action during the Cursillo weekend.

The weekend is designed to deepen a person’s relationship with Jesus and enable them to live out their life as a witness to Jesus in the world. Each person is taught and inspired at a spiritual level (piety), at an intellectual level (study) and a ministry level (action). When we interact with God at all three of these levels, we become better followers of Jesus Christ.

For the year 2023 we anticipate having two Cursillo weekends. The Spring 2023 weekend will be April 27th through April 30th, and the Fall weekend is planned for October, dates to be determined. Both weekends will take place at the Pine Valley Bible Conference Center.

For more information about Cursillo, please talk to your Cursillo parish representative and visit the San Diego Cursillo website at www.sdcursillo.org

Looking back at what Cursillo has accomplished over this past year, we held a spring Cursillo weekend, a Back to the Mountain retreat, we will have celebrated eight Ultreyas in 2022 and, in June, we held a Cursillo Celebration to energize Cursillistas and provide training. Fifty-four people from all over the Diocese attended this event at Good Shepherd in Bonita. Videos were presented from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Bishop Susan Brown Snook. We also enjoyed lively guest speakers and discussion groups.

It's good to report that in the San Diego Diocese, Cursillo is fully operational. Unfortunately, weekends cost more than they have in the past. We encourage each congregation to have a Cursillo Scholarship Fund with a line item in your budget to help sponsor members of your church who wish to attend a Cursillo.

In closing, thank you to all the people in this Diocese that are supportive of Cursillo!

Your friend in Christ,

The Rev. George M. Calvert

Daughters of the King

The Order of the Daughters of the King is a spiritual sisterhood of women dedicated to a life of Prayer, Service, and Evangelism. The Mission of the Order is the extension of Christ’s Kingdom. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, our vision as Daughters of the King is to know Jesus Christ, to make Him known to others, and to become reflections of God’s love throughout the world. Membership in the Order is open to women at every stage of life between the ages of 7 and 107 who desire a closer walk with the Lord. It is an International Order of both lay and ordained women. The Diocese of San Diego currently has seventeen active Senior Women’s Chapters and two Junior Daughters Chapters.

There are three Diocesan-wide gatherings yearly: Spring Assembly, Fall Assembly, and Quiet Day. These are open to all women of the diocese. Quiet Day was held in March 2022. The Rev. Susan Astarita led us in a dialogue about the ways our five senses - sight, sound, smell, touch and taste can lead us into a closer relationship with God based on the book by Sam Portaro: Sense & Sensibility: A Lenten Exploration. Our Spring Assembly included a celebration of the Eucharist by The Rt. Rev Dr. Susan Brown Snook with guest speaker The Rev. Canon Allisyn Thomas, whose topic was “Breaking through Spiritual Barriers.” Our Fall Assembly was on Oct. 22, 2022. Our topic was “Justice for All.” It was held in person at St. Margaret’s in Palm Desert and on zoom. In June of 2022, several daughters traveled to Baltimore for the 2022 DOK Triennial. We are invited to participate in The Good News Festival to staff a prayer room and form teams for prayer at the Liturgy Service.

Going forward, we will continue to work on the six goals of our Strategic Plan. We will Reignite the Flame by Inspiring Spiritual Growth and Development, Strengthening Our Call to Service and Evangelism, Nurturing and Growing Our Members, Raising Up and Mentoring New Leaders, and Instilling a Community of Giving.

We will continue service projects and support our rectors as requested. Some projects include: book & Bible studies, cards to military, bread for newcomers, Taize services, flowers to shut-ins, and Vida Joven (a home for disadvantaged children in Mexico). On the Diocesan level, Daughters support outreach programs such as Showers of Blessings, Second Chances, and St. Luke’s Refugee Community. Prayer, as always, is an integral part of the services provided by each chapter.

For information concerning The Order of the Daughters of the King or to attend a gathering, please contact Fran Friesen at ffriesen44@gmail.com or 760-533-4410 or Meredith Riffel at meredithriffel15@gmail.com or 619-219-4993.

For His Sake, Fran Friesen and Meredith Riffel- Dok Diocesan Co-Presidents

Diocesan Service and Justice coalition

This group is a loose coalition of parish leaders in Outreach/Service & Justice. Since the pandemic began, we have been meeting on Zoom, at first every month and now every other month, usually on the 3rd Saturday. We share reports from the Racial Justice Task Force, ECS, RefugeeNet and especially what each parish is doing. We are always inspired by how much and how varied are the activities. We have devoted time to learning how many churches have formed Sacred Ground Circles, the response to the curriculum and have encouraged all parishes to form a Circle. Prior to the pandemic, we planned and supported Diocesan-wide collaborative events. Recently, some churches supported St. Mark’s Back2School Backpack event and gave support to some ECS programs. Debby Park convenes the bi-monthly Zoom meetings which are recorded, and Melinda Murdock provides copious written minutes. The Coalition has a webpage on the Diocesan website. We welcome new participants at any time. Just contact Debby Park at rayandeb@gmail.com to be added to the e-list, receive notices and get the Zoom link.

Disaster Preparedness & Church Safety/Security

With the recent COVID-19 disaster and the continuing threat of natural disasters, crime and violence, the need for all churches and diocesan organizations to have an up-to-date Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and to be prepared has never been greater.

Over the past year the diocese has been assisting interested churches to apply for the FEMA/State of California Non-Profit Security Grant Program (CSNSGP) to receive funding to enhance the physical security of their facilities. The recently announced 2023 grant offers up to $200,000 in assistance to each church/organization. No less than 5 churches are currently in the process of applying for the grant. For more information please follow this link: https://www.caloes.ca.gov/grant-announcement/2022-23-california-state-nonprofit-security-grant-program-csnsgp-rfp/

To qualify for this grant, churches and organizations must justify their need with a vulnerability assessment performed by a security professional. The diocese recommends contacting the San Diego Law Enforcement Coordination Center for a free professional assessment. Their phone number is: (858) 495-7200.

To further assist our churches and organizations, the diocese provides an extensive online (and on thumb drive) digital archive of professional disaster preparedness and church safety & security templates, videos and instruction manuals allowing each church to customize Emergency Operations Plans and procedures to their own unique environments.

The diocese also provides an Emergency Operations responsive website/ smartphone app that can be customized to each church’s unique environment. A sample can be viewed here: www.church911plan.com

In the next year we have plans to re-constitute our Diocesan Disaster Preparedness Committee and increase the effectiveness of networking with disaster preparedness coordinators at the various churches and organizations. If you have experience as a trained first responder, or in the field of safety/security, and are interested in becoming a member of the Diocesan Disaster Preparedness Committee, please contact Jeff Green at (619) 857-9577 or jgreen@edsd.org

Submitted by: Jeff Green, Director of Operations & Safety Officer

Episcopal Community Services

As our region continues to reckon with the impact of COVID-19, and creates our new normals in work, play, learning, and serving, Episcopal Community Services is listening, adapting, and growing in response.

As a proud affiliate of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, ECS is a partner in vision and purpose, providing our shared community an actionable way to demonstrate our faith, and be a force for change.

At ECS we serve more than 7,000 children, families, and adults across the South Bay, San Diego, and El Cajon through more than $30 million in programs devoted to early childhood development and behavioral health, substance use disorder, and homelessness. ECS is also making an economic impact, employing 450 team members who make their homes across our binational region, and contracting with dozens of vendors who support our operations.

For every child, for every client we serve, there is an immediate impact in their family. And from there the ripple effect is exponential.

Over the past year, the ECS Board and leadership team partnered to advance several significant internal initiatives to help position the organization for continued growth and sustainability. First, we updated the bylaws and transitioned the governance structure from a membership organization to a self-perpetuating board, allowing the organization to respond more nimbly to community needs. Second, we completed our new strategic plan to drive ECS’ growth in impact, awareness, and support over the next three years. And, we launched our refreshed brand positioning, beginning a new focus on building awareness of and support for ECS among donors, partners, and churches.

Externally, ECS is focused on meeting the needs of the community and creating and strengthening partnerships to deepen its impact.

Enrollment continues to climb at ECS’ 17 Head Start centers across South Bay, and we expect to return close to pre-pandemic class sizes by the end of the year. Our Head Start staff has nimbly adapted to new challenges as families continue to struggle with the long-term impacts of the pandemic. We look forward to opening a new Early Head Start center at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in National City.

Demand for services at our Central East Regional Recovery Center and our ACCORD DUI programs has increased with many new clients from North County, and ECS is expanding our capacity to meet the growing need. We are proud that among our new team members are graduates of these very programs. Our Uptown Safe Haven has seen the transitions of several clients to independent living, and new art programs provided by volunteers from St. James are uncovering talent and creating new possibilities for our residents.

As San Diego’s children continue to experience an unprecedented need for mental health services, ECS is expanding its Para Las Familias mental and behavioral health program for children up to 5 to now include access for children ages 6 to 12 and their families through a recent grant from the County of San Diego. The need for expanded therapy services was highlighted during an expert panel discussion at ECS’ Annual Meeting in June at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral.

Our commitment to creating change is fueled by our faith in the gospel message of justice, and we know that we can achieve more by working in community. ECS is proud to continue to invest in strengthening our relationships with parish communities in the EDSD so that they can be active participants in our mission to break barriers and transform communities.

I invite you to learn more and get involved at ecscalifornia.org.

With gratitude,

Elizabeth Fitzsimons

Chief Executive Officer

Ecumenical and Interreligious

I was honored to begin as the Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officer by appointment of Bishop Susan Brown Snook in November of 2021. The primary work of ecumenism in our Diocese occurs with our partners in “LARC” - the “Lutheran, Anglican, Roman Catholic” group that gathers monthly (either in person or online) in San Diego County. LARC meetings consist of discussions and topics that are relevant to our churches and occasionally crosses over into efforts of partnership in ministry and advocacy as well as joint programs. In 2022 the primary activity for LARC occurred on June 8, 2022 entitled “Reflections on Practical Ecumenism: Stories of Spiritual Care from the San Diego Convention Center’s Teen Migrant Shelter.” The panel of speakers included several faith leaders involved in this effort including the Rt. Rev. Susan Brown Snook, the Most Rev. Ramon Bejarano of the Roman Catholic Diocese, the Rev. Sarah Sumner-Eisenbraun and the Rev. Bill Raditz of the Lutheran Church, and myself. The evening included worship followed by the panel discussion and provided attendees a glimpse into the challenges and blessings we faced as we worked together as members of many different churches and denominations in order to provide for the spiritual care of the over 1500 migrant youth who were sheltered in San Diego in 2021.

I also participated in the annual “National Workshop on Christian Unity” that took place in Orange, California on May 3-6. This event brings together the Episcopal Officers from around the country as well as others from a wide variety of denominations. The keynote speaker was “His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros” of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. It was a unique honor to hear the Archbishop speak and he made a passionate and compelling call for a unified effort that he believes is desperately needed by churches throughout America in order to effectively act and respond to the issues of injustice and violence we currently face. The Archbishop described how important this united effort has been to the Church’s health and response throughout Europe and explained why it is relevant today as we consider the violence in Ukraine. Also during the conference was a moving presentation by the Rev. Dr. Elaine Heath, who spoke of the Church being on the forefront of a new reformation from the sinful structures that have held us for too long. This new reformation is challenging the Church to move into a more generous, hospitable, equitable form of Christianity that, she believes, has the “power to heal the wounds of the world.”

I also convene the “Faith Leaders of San Diego for Justice & Peace” which is open to all local faith leaders, meets monthly, and includes members from many different religious groups in San Diego. This group provides advocacy and witness on issues that impact people of faith locally. FLSDJP was involved this past year in multiple efforts including marching in the Poor People’s Campaign march in LA, providing a pastoral presence during the raids of the Midway District on our neighbors without homes, providing a presence during the trial of a fellow clergy member targeted for her work with migrants, providing witness at several racial justice events, gathering with our Jewish allies at Temple Beth Israel for prayers opposing antisemitism, and providing witness at Friendship Park on behalf of those impacted by violence and discrimination, particularly in the region of Barrio Logan. We have plans to witness to peace and nonviolence related to the upcoming midterm elections over the next several months.

Respectfully Submitted by the Rev. D. Rebecca Dinovo

Episcopal Church Women

We have roughly 10 to 15 members that attend our Meeetings and Events.

Our year began very slowly due to the fact that we did not have an elected President for the very first time. With guidance from our Provence 8 president we decided to co-chair this year. As a result, Sandy Bedard and Laura Meyers handled things through July and then Sandy completed the term through the rest of the year and also volunteered to chair the Bazaar as well. Our Bible study/book club finished up, and hopefully we will find something else to study which will feed our soul. We continue to support Gently Hugged with donations of baby items for newborns up to one year. Our prayers and Squares quilt ministry also continues to be productive.

Last year we added a Craft Ministry called Simply Devine, and we have 4 dates booked through December. All the money we raise from various projects goes directly to our Mission’s treasury.

Here are other things that happened during the year:

Bazaar Overview and lunch in March
Earth Day by Sustainable Ramona was held on the church’s property with our ECW helping
We marched in Ramona’s first Gay Pride Parade
A Women’s Retreat was held at our church on a Friday evening and Saturday
White Elephant salad Potluck with the gifts donated to the coming Fall Bazaar
A pick- up of leftover rummage sale items from the Julian Methodist Church was done
Attended Provence 8’s Annual ECW Meeting
Annual Fall Bazaar took place
Attended December Festival with Bishop Curry
ECW Christmas Party was held to close out the year with nominations for the 2023 year being accepted.
For more information or questions, you may call Sandy at 760-789-0656

Submitted by Sandra Bedard (Sandy)

ECW President

evangelism, Discipleship, and church growth

This committee oversees the work towards three strategic goals of our 2020 strategic plan.

Church growth: We fulfill Jesus’ great commission by increasing the number of Episcopalians in the diocese.

Discipleship: We equip congregations to enable all people to grow as followers of Jesus through intentional personal and communal practices.

Evangelism: We equip all Episcopalians to share the love of God and spread the good news of Christ with people who may not know him.

Here is some of the work undertaken across the diocese in 2022 toward reaching these goals:

60 individuals, representing 26 congregations, participated in evangelism and community engagement training this year.
6 congregations held community prayer walks.
The Bishop completed 30 revival visitations, where many church members shared personal testimonies.
12 congregations offered ashes to go on Ash Wednesday, with an average of 75 individuals served.
Congregations in San Diego and Riverside counties celebrated healthcare workers and offered to pray for them.

769 individuals have committed to going to the Good News Festival, and with the invited people they bring, expected attendance so far is around 1,540.

The Discipleship Committee is working on short videos and table-top materials to offer ideas for turning every meeting into a small group in which God's living Word is prayerfully shared through fellowship. This project will incorporate learnings from The Good News Festival and is expected to launch in early 2023.

faith Alive

Faith Alive is a small group-based ministry that renews or strengthens the spiritual life of a parish through the sharing of personal stories by Christians who are not members of the parish. Each of these stories illustrates a specific instance of the Holy Spirit working in their lives, which makes a Faith Alive Weekend possibly the ultimate reality show. This effort is impactful because it uses a non-threatening means to convey two major ideas 1) If God is working in that person’s life maybe he can work in mine too, and 2) if that person’s story helped me, maybe I can use my story to help someone else.

Because of the person-to-person on-site nature of this ministry, the COVID-19 Pandemic and the implementation nationwide of measures to restrict its spread continue to prevent the holding of any Faith Alive efforts for a second year. Currently, restrictions have eased considerably and in-house worship services in our diocese and most others are now the norm. Accordingly, it is my hope that the Faith Alive Ministry effort will re-start and once again be a contributing member of the “Jesus Movement”.

May God continue to bless us all,

Darryl Peralta

Faith Alive National Board Director

619 426-1387 (H) 619 890-1387 (C)

peraltadarryl82@gmail.com

Finance

The finance committee of the executive council is responsible for providing financial oversight support to the council. Its primary responsibility is to oversee financial matters and the financial condition of the diocese and to make recommendations to the council. Additionally, the property committee, investment committee, and budget committee report to the finance committee. The finance committee currently consists of seven members.

The committee continued its mission of ensuring that the diocese stayed within budget limits and maintained the highest standards of fiscal responsibility. This involved monthly review of revenue and expenditures relative to budget and extensive work with the budget committee on planning for future years. The finance committee also oversaw the restructuring of financial reports available to the diocese and the changing of audit guidelines for individual parishes. The firm of Leaf and Cole LLP finished the 2021 audit with glowing remarks about the quality of our financial information and financial systems. An incredible achievement by the Cannon for Finance and Administration/CEO Jeff Martinhauck and his staff!

The finance committee conducted many reviews before making recommendations to Executive Council. Policy reviews included the travel and conflict of interest policies. Additionally, reviews were conducted on new congregational leases, property sales agreements, school management proposals, financial aspects of a new accounting software, investing and cash management efficiency, and congregational loan/grant requests. The finance sub committee of financial consultants worked with several congregations facing difficult financial challenges resulting in a number of successes.

Please join me in extending thanks to the members of the finance committee and to those individuals who donated extensive amounts of time in managing the financial resources of the diocese: The. Rt. Rev. Susan Brown Snook, Ms. Pat Carson, Mr. Chris Christopher, Ms. Guin DeJarnett, Ms. Terry Farrelly, Mr. Andy Waters, Ms. Rachel Ambasing, the Rev. Canon Gwynn Lynch, the Rev Canon. Jeff Martinhauk. The committee would also like to recognize and thank the committee members who left this year: Mr. Frank Rojas and Mr. Jim McLennan.

Yours in Christ,

Respectfully submitted, Jan Romerdahl, Chair

Human relations committee

The Human Resources Committee was re-started in April 2022 after several years on hiatus. The HR Committee is responsible for:

Recommending HR policy to the Executive Council for approval.
Reviewing and recommending policy to Executive Council for diocesan staff and mission congregations.
Reviewing and recommending clergy compensation standards for the diocese, although it is non-binding for parishes except for at time-of-hire as may be required by the bishop’s office.
Reviewing and recommending minimum benefit standards for clergy and lay employees of the diocese. As approved by Executive Council, all diocesan staff, missions, and parishes must provide the minimum coverage approved, although parishes may choose to provide more coverage than the diocesan minimum.

In addition, the HR Committee may be called upon from time to time to assist an individual parish with specific HR needs (consulting). Clergy Letters of Agreement and the hiring process for congregational clergy are not part of the scope of the HR committee’s scope and are managed by the Canon to the Ordinary and the Commission on Ministry.

Major initiatives taken on this year by the committee included:

Establishing diocesan clergy pay grades (developing a clergy compensation strategy and utilize pay grades to manage employee growth within a role).
Making recommendations and decisions on clergy housing; using the clergy compensation strategy to recommend short and long term solutions for clergy housing in the diocese.
Establishing diocesan staff pay grades (develop compensation structure for diocesan lay staff).
Making recommendations and decisions on employee benefits. Determining an appropriate benefits package for diocesan clergy and laity that includes health insurance, paid time off, retirement, etc.
Establishing employee policies. Developing policies and procedures that help employees understand expectations for their time at work. The diocesan employee handbook, maintained by the committee and approved by Executive Council, covers diocesan staff and employees of missions, including preschools. It serves as a model for small parish employee handbooks.

Please join me in extending thanks to the members of the HR Committee who donated extensive amounts of time in managing the human resources of the diocese: The. Rt. Rev. Susan Brown Snook, the Rev. Canon Gwynn Lynch, the Rev. Jeff Martinhauk, Ms. Judy Burton, Ms. Betsy Vaughn. Ms. Equilla Luke, Ms. Teresa Beck, and Ms. Cynthia McCormick.

Yours, in Christ,

Respectfully submitted, Andy Waters, Chair

Investment committee

Due to the recession, we have lower returns than expected. We continue to have the Endowment funds with Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) and the bulk of our funds are withDowling and Yhanke (D&Y).

When we met in August 2022, our balances are in a stable place.

The committee discussed with ECF and D & Y about Social Responsible investing. Both organizations are very active in this area & excited to work with us in this arena. We currently have a meeting scheduled in October 2022 with ECF to review their ESG investing programs.

There are still concerns about the election, COVID-19 issues and vaccines, lost jobs, business closings, housing market downturn, commercial real estate, etc. There is still volatility in the market. Hopefully things will start to settle down by the beginning of 2022.

The committee is secure with our financial advisors and how they are managing our money.

Leadership and congregational development

The Leadership and Congregational Development Oversight Committee tracks and reports status on three Executive Council committees – Transformational Leadership, Congregational Consultants, and Human Resources, Compensation, and Benefits.

Transformational Leadership: A transformational leadership model for rectors, vicars, and priests-in-charge was finalized in 2021. In 2022, this model was incorporated into a new ordination discernment process and is currently being used to inform the clergy call process.

Congregational Consultants: The team of diocesan consultants have been active helping several congregations, especially with financial challenges. Their activities include aiding Action Plan Parishes (APP) and facilitating the development of strategic plans.

Human Resources, Compensation, and Benefits: The high cost of living in the greater San Diego and Riverside Counties have made it challenging to attract new clergy to the Diocese, especially when there is current shortage of qualified priests. The Canon to the Ordinary has been working with the clergy salary compensation models from the Diocese of California and the Diocese of El Camino Real. The former covers the Bay Area and the latter includes territory from San Jose south on the coast, so both offer reasonable comparisons to the financial realities of the Diocese of San Diego. These two models are being used to develop a clergy salary structure for EDSD based on Average Sunday Attendance (ASA) and years of experience. The newly formed Human Resources (HR) committee will be involved in finalizing it. The HR committee has also been looking into enhancing health benefits for clergy and lay church employees and their families.

Congregational “Early Warning” System: There have been cases in the past where congregations have ended up in problematic situations that could have been managed with much less effort and cost if issues had been identified at an earlier stage. The LCDOC has assembled a list of red flags that congregational leadership can use to identify potential problem areas and make use of the many resources that are available from the Office of the Bishop to help congregations remain healthy and vital so they can continue to serve their members and their community.

Military Ministry

Over the course of 2022, our top priority has been providing resources to parishes wishing to move into military ministry. I have met with a several parishes and their ministry teams who want to move forward with this ministry to determine what they need and what they can provide.

The Diocese has appointed two deacons to work with me, The Rev’ds Peter Martin and Michael Kirkpatrick in developing ministry to the military and veterans. Both are veterans and bring significant gifts and skills to this ministry. Together we will continue to meet with parish teams and become very specific and intentional about the how your parish can support this ministry.

Here are some simple steps you can take to get started:

Add a “Welcome Message” to your website to better welcome the military, their families, and veterans. You may write your own welcome, providing directions and times of services. If you need some help, I have provided four examples you can use under “Creating a Military and Veteran Friendly Church Website” on our Diocesan resource page https://edsd.org/ministry-to-armed-forces/.
Use the Military Cycle of Prayer modeled on our Diocesan and Anglican Cycles of Prayer. This can also be found at https://edsd.org/ministry-to-armed-forces/. It is small thing we can do to show our support for the military by praying for them.
Enroll your parish in the Military Chaplains Association, Veterans/Military Friendly Congregations (VMFC) website so military families can more easily find you. Complete the VMFC enrollment form at https://vmfc-usa.org/.

In the coming year, we intend to partner with interested parishes to offer marriage resiliency workshops. Congregations will be called upon to provide hospitality, facilities, food, and childcare for the Navy and Marine Corps families that participate. The Navy is happy to cooperate with us in allowing these workshops and assist in advertising them. If your congregation is interested in hosting a workshop, contact me a jevans@edsd.org

School for Ministry

The School for Ministry has now operated for nine years, graduating many individuals who serve our diocese as deacons and priests. In addition, many lay persons in our diocese have taken advantage of our offerings over the years for their own enrichment and to enhance their own ministry.

Like so much of church life, the School for Ministry had to make major adaptions during the Pandemic. Moving our classes online has been both a blessing and a challenge. The blessing has been that individuals who would not otherwise have been able to take classes were able to join classes online. We have discovered also that online education presents creative tools for teaching that would be more challenging to access in a traditional classroom. However, coincident with the Pandemic, we have experienced a decrease in enrollment. This may be partly due to the number of persons in the ordination process. The reality is that it has been harder to have sustainable classes

As we were discerning the way forward for the School for Ministry, Bishop Snook began conversations with the Bishops of El Camino Real and Northern California about a collaborative school for ministry. At the direction of the three bishops, the deans of the three schools of ministry began a process of discernment and planning in June of 2022. As the collaborative enterprise began to take shape, our diocesan school made the decision to offer a limited curriculum in the fall of 2022, primarily focused on the needs of those coming to the end of their certificate prior to ordination. Over the summer and fall of this year, a working group made up of representatives from each diocese has been hard at work on a shared school of ministry. Jim Mathes and Cindy Campos have represented our diocese.

What has emerged is the West Coast Collaborative, Episcopal School for Ministry. Our first phase of development will be to launch our diaconal track in the January of 2023 our diaconal track. In addition, we will be offering a lay preaching certificate track. Other tracks will be developed in the months ahead.

The school will be online school with possibly one in person event per semester. The pedagogical model is a “flipped classroom.” Students receive online content mostly through recorded lectures and then gather for discussion to deepen insights and learning. Most of the teaching content will be provided by the Iona School at the Seminary of the Southwest. Each diocese will manage their own Theological Field Education programs as well as diocese specific requirements for ordination.

These are exciting developments which should lead to a more vibrant, dynamic and sustainable teaching platform our diocese and our partner dioceses. The diversity and varied strengths of each diocese will be a blessing as we form people for ministry together.

As we make this transition, it is meet and right to give thanks to all those who have taught in the School for Ministry since our last Convention:

Paige Blair

Jim Mathes

Joe Mayer

David Moseley

Allisyn Thomas

Individuals who are interested in future offerings of the school for ministry should contact Jim Mathes at DeanSfM@edsd.org.

Respectfully submitted,
The Rt. Rev. James R. Mathes'

Dean of Studies

service and advocacy oversight committee

The good work of our Spirit-led ministries within the Service and Justice Coalition (DSJC) and the Advocacy Committee (AC) has resulted in the promotion of service and advocacy throughout the diocese as they follow and respond to the EDSD Strategic Plan. Leaders in this Area continue to seek ways to communicate their activities among the congregations and encourage collaborations in order to increase participation in their crucial work to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Service and Justice: This coalition of parish leaders in Outreach/Service & Justice meets virtually six times a year. Reports of related justice groups and the inspiring activities of the participating parishes are shared. Diocesan-wide collaborative events are planned and supported; for example, St. Mark’s Back2School Backpack event, and several Episcopal Community Service events. Continual efforts are made to involve more churches as well as elevate DSJC presence in the diocese through collaboration with diocesan communications staff.

Advocacy: While currently the most active task forces Racial Justice (RJTF) and Creation Care (CCTF), some congregations are interested in gun control, affordable housing, and Beyond a Land Initiatives as well as legislative advocacy through the Episcopal Policy Network of California and voting rights. Increased individual participation in these ministries has resulted through RJTF expansion of Sacred Ground programming and CCTF collaborations within and outside the diocese and through church outreach. These task forces have surpassed the Strategic Plan goal of four programs per year. The Advocacy Committee has expanded communication efforts through more regular Diocesan e-blast submissions. In fulfillment of another goal, through the work of the CCTF, the Bishop’s voice was amplified in her April, 2022 diocesan statement on the climate emergency with an accompanying list of concrete actions.

standing committee

The Diocesan Standing Committee is a unique feature of organizational life in the Episcopal Church and exercises significant authority, ranging from granting consent to candidates for ordination to offering general advice to the bishop. The Standing Committee is composed of eight members: four clergy and four laity.

Officers

The Rev. Brenda Sol, President (Nov – Jan)

Mr. Darryl Peralta, President (Jan – Nov)

The Ven. Penny Bridges, Clerk (Nov - Nov)

Members

The Rev. Brenda Sol, St. Andrew’s, Encinitas (2022)

Mr. Steve Turnbull, St. David’s, San Diego (2022)

The Rev. Colin Mathewson, St. Luke’s, San Diego (2023)

Mr. Darryl Peralta, Good Shephard, Bonita (2023)

The Ven. Penny Bridges, St. Paul’s Cathedral (2024)

Ms. Judy Brown, St. Alban’s, El Cajon (2024)

The Rev. Paul Carmona (2025)

Ms. Jen Jow, St. Paul’s Cathedral (2025)

It should be noted that the Standing Committee does not act in a void. Whether affirming the election of a new bishop in another diocese, making recommendations concerning the entry and exit of individuals in the ordination process, working with a parish to update its bylaws, or debating the soundness of a financial transaction (parish/diocese loans, leases, rentals, real estate); your Standing Committee has multiple available resources to draw upon. These resources include prayer, our corporate common sense, National and Diocesan Canons and Constitutions, Diocesan Executive Council actions, Diocesan Property and Finance Committee recommendations, and the guidance provided by our Bishop and her staff to include the Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer. The goal of our combined effort is comprehensive support for the preservation of good Governance, financial well-being, and inspired spiritual leadership in this diocese and in the National Church.

Lastly, for a plethora of reasons, doing Church in the 21st Century presents new and unique challenges to all in governance. The 2022 Standing Committee is aware of this and has made a conscious effort to walk that fine line that allows for the principles of justice, reason, and tradition to remain relevant yet not impede the church in walking the path Christ calls it to.

Thank you to Mr. Steve Turnbull and The Rev. Brenda Sol as they complete their service on the committee and may God continue to bless us all as our diocese begins a new fiscal year!

Darryl E. Peralta

President, Standing Committee

The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego

Treasurer’s Report

This year the diocese continued to do well financially as we turned from pandemic support for congregations to transitioning into the new normal. Our revenue for the first three quarters was about $1.7M, compared to a budget of $2.0M. An accounting change in how we report the use of restricted funds is the primary reason for the variance (not a real drop in revenue), and when we adjust for that the revenue so far this year is right on target.

There were several unusual revenue events in the diocese for the first three quarters. We sold the parcels of land in Brawley that used to be occupied by All Saints Brawley. That yielded about $256k towards the Courageous Love fund. We also used about $192k in funds we received from the COVID-era Employer Retention Tax Credit last year, which Convention set aside in the 2022 budget resolution to be used this year. St. Thomas also sold an empty parcel on their land, allowing them to refinance their loan from the diocese. The diocese received about $1.3M in cash on the refinancing.

On the expense side, we have spent $1.7M compared to the budget of $2.05M. We have done a good job of controlling spending across the board, and especially in travel, evangelism, and grants. We implemented a new accounting package this May, for a cost of $23k. Several large expenditures are still planned for the rest of this year, including the costs of diocesan convention and the Good News Festival. We expect those events to come in at or below budget after offsetting donations which have been generously given specifically to help with the Good News Festival.

As the labor market tightened this year and inflation took hold, the diocese relaunched the diocesan Human Resources Committee. The committee has spent time in these past months evaluating our compensation and benefits strategy to ensure that the diocese continues to be able to call clergy to our congregations as needed. A comprehensive update to our clergy compensation minimums is underway, and in the meantime the HR committee has recommended that all employees, clergy and lay, receive at least a 7% increase in 2023. The church’s contribution to health care costs is also being revised over a three year period to make spouse and family coverage more affordable to our families.

The proposed budget for 2023 pivots out of the pandemic recovery and launches us deep into the strategic plan. It provides for several church plants and congregation redevelopments, new program staff to support congregations, and other key strategic initiatives. Much of the funding for these initiatives is coming from the Courageous Love fund and will not have a big impact on the operating budget.

The 2021 diocesan audit was completed in September and the results are available on the governance tab of our website. The 2021 audit found no items of concern and provided only a few adjustments that the auditors have historically provided to us. The accounting staff was commended for the cleanliness of the financial statements.

vida joven

Vida Joven is a San Diego-based charity serving orphaned children in Baja California, Mexico. From 1996-2021, the Vida Joven orphanage in Tijuana was the sole focus of our support. Beginning in 2022, we expanded our reach and are now providing consistent monthly support to FOUR orphanages in Baja, Mexico! Thanks to your love and support as a diocese, 120 orphaned children were loved, protected, and educated in 2022.

Your kindness toward these kids is much needed and much appreciated. In 2023, we look forward to strengthening our relationships with these four orphanages and to exploring how we can have an even greater impact in the lives of orphaned children. Please contact Beth Beall at 619-719-1895 to visit one of the orphanages or to have Beth speak at your church.

Youth Collaborative

Recap: This year has continued to be about flexibility and support. Children, Youth, and Family Ministers across our diocese have stood back up programming, reimagined ways to be together, and pivoted on countless occasions. They have done all of this with tremendous love, copious grace, and deep, deep faith. One of the decisions this year was to engage in the training and support needed to engage with the children and youth in our programs. That birthed a Godly Play Core Training and a Youth Mental Health Training. We will continue this focus and support in 2023. If you would like more information on connecting with children and youth ministry programming or training, please contact youth missioner, Charlette Preslar, cpreslar@edsd.org We are better together!

2022 Youth Ministry Events

Epiphany Retreat - Grades 6-12 - 43 youth - 9 congregations participating

The Lent Event - Grades 6-12 - 34 youth - 5 congregations

Pentecost Day at the Bay - 47 youth - 7 congregations

Youth at Pride - 21 youth - 8 congregations

Summer Service Trip South Bay San Diego - 11 youth - 4 congregations

Youth Group Games - 52 youth - 7 congregations

2022 Upcoming Events

Youth at Convention

The Good News Festival

2022 Children and Youth Ministry Meetings and Trainings

3 Youth Collaborative meetings

Godly Play Core Training - 18 participants - 9 congregations

Youth Mental Health Training - 12 participants - 5 congregations

2022 Upcoming Meetings and Trainings

Children and Youth Ministry Leadership Retreat at Camp Stevens

The Good News Festival

Youth Leadership Council - This is the second year of this program. There are 8 young people from 5 congregations on the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego Youth Leadership Council. The YLC shapes and steers the course of youth ministry at the diocesan level. Their work includes planning the youth presence at the retreats, Nightwatch, convention and much more. The group is also taking on the important work of advertising events, sharing the Good News after the event, and reaching out to young people across our diocese to support connection and engagement. They will have key roles in the Good News Festival in December.

Faith to Go - Faith to Go is a diocesan podcast designed to foster conversations about the Gospel at home. The podcast is hosted by team members David Tremaine and Charlette Preslar. There are online resources available at www.myfaithtogo.org . For more information on Faith to Go please email faithtogo@edsd.org

Diocesan Convention

Bishop’s Report to Convention

“I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19

This year, the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego marks our second virtual diocesan convention due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, we were still grieving the loss of in-person gatherings and worship services. This year, our congregations are back to worshiping in person, and COVID-19 cases are dropping as vaccination rates rise. There is great hope as we continue to pray for the end of the pandemic, but we have still chosen to meet virtually for this convention for one more year. Next year, we pray that we can once more greet each other in person!

The pandemic has affected all of our congregations in a number of ways. Even as most worship reopens, some people have not yet chosen to return. Yet we have seen our church discover new ways to follow Jesus during this unexpected time of turmoil. Most of our congregations discovered how to worship online, and some added new online Bible study and communal prayer options. Many leaders also built closer relationships with fellow church members, as they made special efforts to reach out by phone and stay in touch. Some congregations grew as they welcomed new members online, who eventually joined worship in person. Several responded to vast needs in their neighborhoods, as feeding programs and other social services to our communities expanded.

Indeed, the work of the church continues. In my address to this convention, I will highlight significant steps we have taken on the Strategic Plan our diocese adopted in 2020. In our strategic priorities of Church Growth, Discipleship, Evangelism, Service, Advocacy, Leadership, and Stewardship, we have made progress, even if it’s not always evident. We have laid the groundwork for new ministries, congregations, and missional initiatives. We have found renewed passion for the work of racial justice, creation care, and border and immigration ministries. We have done intentional work on streamlining how we identify leaders and equip them for ministry. We have supported several congregations in becoming financially stable, and joined in the excitement as others reached new people, grew, and thrived. We have been inspired as congregations have devoted energy to serving those in need in their communities.

In all of these ministries and missions, we have exercised Courageous Love. Courage is not the same as fearlessness; courage is the ability to act even when we are afraid. The pandemic has brought us fear, stress, and anxiety, but we are still willing to act courageously, following Jesus and loving God and our neighbor. In our ministries and our continued work to proclaim the good news of Jesus and follow Christ into our world, we are continuing to work toward the vision of our diocese:

As a growing, diverse, worshipping community of Jesus Christ’s followers,

we will courageously share God’s transforming love in our neighborhoods and beyond.

We believe that we can make this vision a reality, because even in a pandemic, God is always doing a new thing. As the church changes, God’s mission continues. And as we join God in mission, we follow Jesus in exercising Courageous Love.

In Christ,

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Susan Brown Snook

Diocesan Convention

Reports to Convention

Advocacy Committee

In 2021, our Advocacy Committee and Diocesan Service and Justice Coalition (DSJC, formerly Diocesan Service Summit) focused on working on the objectives and actions related to our strategic goals in the Diocese’s 2020 Strategic Plan.

Advocacy Strategic Plan goal: We engage more people in advocacy to bring about peace, justice, and a right relationship with Jesus and all of creation.

Service Strategic Plan goal: We build relationships to know and love God and our neighbors and work to meet each other’s needs.

Progress on Advocacy Objectives and Actions

Our first Advocacy objective is to enculturate holy conversations about immigration, creation care, racial reconciliation, affordable housing, and gun violence to inspire prayer, action, and service by December 3, 2025.

Our second Advocacy objective is to collaborate with advocacy partners to promote at least four opportunities per year that engage Episcopalians in social justice work.

We hosted a Transformational Leadership Academy related to peace and justice. One result of that was to create a number of task forces related to this work: Creation Care, Affordable Housing, and Racial Justice. With the arrival of a new Missioner for Border Ministry, we expect to start an Immigration task force soon.
Last November, the diocese hosted a virtual Border Ministry Summit that was partially sponsored by Episcopal Migration Ministries and was attended by people all over the country, including the other dioceses that border Mexico.
We have encouraged churches to adopt the Sacred Ground curriculum, a racial reconciliation curriculum created by The Episcopal Church. As of Nov. 2021, we have hosted XX number of groups in XX number of churches and diocesan groups.
We have hosted an Imagine Theater racial reconciliation theatrical production to encourage holy conversations about racism.
We have authored diocesan resolutions related to social justice for the 2021 Diocesan Convention.
Our Youth Collaborative has hosted events to encourage holy conversations about social issues.
We are collecting learning resources for all ages.
The Bishop has written several letters to the diocese related to racial justice, creation care, and immigration, and we have elevated her voice in the community through organizations such as the San Diego Organizing Project.
Priests of the diocese participated in several public prayer services urging peace in our nation in January of 2021.
We are working with the Episcopal Public Policy Network of California and the San Diego Organizing Project to find ways to invite more Episcopalians in social justice work.

Progress on Service Objectives and Actions

Our first Service objective is to incorporate Christian spiritual practices into all service opportunities to share the Good News to all those serving and all who are served by December 31, 2023. Our second Service objective is to empower churches to connect with their neighbors and community programs by December 31, 2024.

During the COVID shutdown, some churches’ service to their surrounding communities were shut down, such as Showers of Blessings and food banks. However, some of them have reopened in 2021.

At least one church has restarted Showers of Blessing, a multi-denominational service opportunity in Encinitas. The diocese lent unused Showers trucks to Jewish Family Services.
Many of our churches do Blessings in a Bag to provide snack bags for people on the streets.
This summer many churches worked together with other churches and/or agencies to provide backpacks for school children: 250 backpacks for Community Christian Service Agency, 150 for St. Mark's Back2School Bash, 160 for Headstart at St. John's in Chula Vista, 100 for Fallbrook Food Pantry through St. John's, 100 for Military Outreach Ministries through St. James, 100 for North County Lifeline through Christ Church.
Some feeding programs have remained open with modifications through the pandemic but are not so easy to replicate during pandemic times. One example is St. Luke’s food pantry and their sponsorship of the Mama Africa catering service.
St. Timothy's community garden gave 48 lbs. of cabbage in March, 100 lbs. of tomatoes and 80 lbs. of cantaloupe in July for the Community Cares program in Rancho Peñasquitos to distribute.
The Diocesan Service and Justice Coalition shares the news of service opportunities at their meetings and is working to get more of these opportunities into the diocesan news so that other churches can replicate them.
The Youth Collaborative offers service opportunities for youth across the diocese, although some were curtailed due to COVID this past year.

In the coming year, the DSJC will work with clergy on incorporating more spiritual practices in service opportunities.

The Rev. Janine Schenone, Advocacy Committee Chair

Audit Committee

Bishop’s School

The Bishop’s School enrolled 144 new students from 90 different schools for the 2020-2021 school year (grades 6-12). The total number of students enrolled for the school year was 800. Forty-eight percent of Bishop’s students identified as students of color, and approximately 20% of the student body received financial assistance through our need-based Financial Aid Program.

We began the 2020-2021 school year with full distance learning and transitioned to a hybrid model in October 2020 with students coming to campus on a staggered schedule (two days of on-campus learning followed by four days of distance learning). We welcomed the entire student body back to campus on April 20th, 2021.

In a normal year, we have 72 sports teams, 40 performing arts shows (in dance, theater, choral and instrumental music) as well as visual arts shows (in photography, animation and more). Following pandemic safety guidelines, the school live-streamed all of the games and shows so families could watch their students perform. Both student-athletes and performers were masked most, if not all of the time, in accordance with those requirements (e.g. volleyball players remained masked even while playing, and all the shows featured masked performers at all times). Students and faculty were grateful for the opportunities to continue doing these activities that mean so much to them.

For Athletics, we worked with CIF to compress three seasons of sports into two, doing things like combining girls’ and boys’ tennis into one co-Ed team in one season. This means that students who are multi-sport athletes found themselves playing two or three sports in the same season. Water polo (both boys and girls) won championships, and Lucy Yuan ‘24 was the coastal league girls’ golfer of the year.

For Performing Arts, our theater tech team led by AJ Paulin designed and built outdoor stages and props so students could safely rehearse and perform. Singers and musicians really had to get creative. The band and orchestra members couldn’t play wind instruments, so students were learning how to play and perform with different instruments than they normally play. The choirs found outdoor spaces like the alumni courtyard that allowed them enough room for social distancing and offered great acoustics.

Upper school students completed more than 13,228 hours of service in local, state, and international communities, serving vulnerable populations (the elderly, the disabled, children, and teens), addressing homelessness and hunger, building houses, working in orphanages and hospitals, tutoring in schools and promoting environmental sustainability.

The Shaffer Family Foundation Science Lecture series welcomed Nicole Capretz, an environmental lawyer, and founder and executive director of the Climate Action Campaign, to speak with students about climate responsibility.

In the summer of 2021, Bishop’s launched its first Summer Knights program, a program designed for students in underserved schools to become better acquainted with independent school education and benefit from a preview of college prep programming.

In Chapel, we focused on the Prophet Micah’s directive to “do justice.” Head of School Ron Kim, in his opening chapel talk to students, spoke about Ellen Browning Scripps’ commitment to social justice causes of her day (including the women’s suffrage movement), and her belief in the power of education to advance the cause of social justice.

The Board of Trustees finalized our strategic plan, including a revised mission, vision, diversity, and core values statement. The new mission reads: “Bishop’s is an Episcopal school that nurtures students of intellect and character to think independently, learn collaboratively, grow their sense of self, and act with greater purpose.” The six core values include integrity, compassion, inclusion, intellect, excellence, and justice. In addition, a statement on Bishop’s Episcopal Identity, co-written by the Rev. Nicole Simopoulos-Pigato and The Right Rev. Susan Brown Snook, was adopted by the Board of Trustees and is now updated on the website.

Camp Stevens

The Camp Stevens mission is to inspire, challenge, and empower personal, social, and environmental transformation. Rooted in the Episcopal Church and our natural world, Camp Stevens’s core values are: Openness, Gratitude, Connection, and Wonder

OVERVIEW 2021

Camp Stevens continues to tackle the challenges of the global pandemic as an interdependent community. Our revenue loss increased to almost $700,000 while navigating a reduced business model and the impact of the temporary closure December - February to save resources and to prioritize safety during a time of high COVID-19 cases and deaths. While all employees collected unemployment, we were able to offer living space at camp and health insurance, knowing that supporting our people would help us come back stronger after the closure.

We successfully raised over $400,000 over the past year, through grants, donations, and government funding. In 2021 we are concentrating our fundraising efforts on operational grants and transitioning the focus from Emergency Operating to the Transformation Fund.

The Transformation Fund will support our recovery efforts include everything from essential facilities repairs, increased staffing through our intern program as retreat business increases, and opportunities to diversify our impact on and interaction with our geographical and greater community. Fundraising successes include $10,000 grant from the Small Business Association, $15,000 from the San Diego Foundation, and the generous grants and donation from the Dioceses of San Diego and Los Angles as well as the Episcopal Relief and Development.

Serving 267 campers over five weeks, Summer Camp was 100% COVID free. The modified camp schedule and model reduced campers by 50%, but staff by only 20%. This allowed us to maintain a high standard of care and compliance with protocols. As retreat programs increase this fall, a minimum number of staff and support are required even with limited capacity due to safety standards. Camp Stevens is beginning its healing journey. While we still struggle with the month-to-month cost of operations we remain hopeful and faithful as we look to the future.

Canon to the Ordinary Report

I am often asked, “just what IS the Canon to the Ordinary?” There’s a churchy word for everything! A canon is a member of the clergy or laity who is on the staff of the diocese and the “ordinary” is the Bishop. I perform tasks as assigned by the Bishop. We joke that I am her “right-hand woman.” In our diocese, my duties include clergy and congregational transitions, Diocesan liturgies, congregational development, Convention, Clergy Conference, and staff support for the Executive Council and its committees, implementation of the Strategic Plan, and support of the Commission on Ministry. 

Clergy and Congregational Transitions through November 6, 2021

The following clergy transitions took place (in alphabetical order): 

The Rev. Nancy Burnett is serving as transitional deacon at St. Mark’s, City Heights.
The Rev. Cindy Campos now serves at St. Dunstan’s, San Carlos.
The Rev. William Doggett is serving as interim rector at St. Bartholomew’s, Poway.

The Rev. Cathey Dowdle is now an assisting priest at St. Bartholomew’s, Poway.  
The Rev. Katherine Gordon is serving as transitional deacon at St. Alban’s, El Cajon.
The Rev. Richard Hogue was called as Associate for Congregational Life at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, San Diego, effective November 8, 2021. 
The Rev. Patricia Horkey now serves as Associate Rector for Pastoral Care at St. Margaret’s, Palm Desert.
The Rev. Daniel Kline serves as co-rector of St. Paul in the Desert, Palm Springs.

The Rev. Jeff Martinhauk is now the Chief Financial Officer of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego.
The Rt. Rev. James Mathes is the Dean of Students at the School for Ministry.
The Rev. Daniel McMillan is serving as deacon at St. Andrew’s, Pacific Beach.
The Rev. Regan Schutz is now the rector at Christ Church, Coronado.
The Rev. Kirby Smith was called as priest-in-charge at All Saints’, Vista.

The Rev. Jessica Thompson serves as co-rector of St. Paul in the Desert, Palm Springs.

The following congregations are in a transition period (or will enter in the next week): 

All Souls’, Point Loma: The Revs. Joe and Terry Dirbas will conclude their ministry at All Souls’ (Joe as rector, Terry as Associate rector) as of November 7. An interim will be called.
Christ the King: The Rev. Jason Samuels concluded his ministry at Christ the King. The congregation is currently being served by supply clergy.

Holy Cross, Oceanside: The Rev. Richard Hogue will conclude his ministry at Holy Cross as of November 7. An interim will be called.
St. Andrew’s Lake Elsinore: The Rev. Cristina Borges concluded her ministry at St. Andrew’s. The congregation is being served by supply clergy.
St. Bartholomew’s, Poway: The Rev. Mark McKone-Sweet concluded his ministry at St. Bartholomew’s. The Rev. William Doggett is serving as interim. 
St. Hugh’s, Idyllwild: The Rev. Dan Rondeau concluded his ministry at St. Hugh’s. The congregation is being served by supply clergy.
St. Thomas, Temecula: The Rev. Julie Bryant concluded her ministry at St. Thomas. The congregation is being served by the Rev. David Jackson and supply clergy. An interim will be called.

Holy Cross moved from its facility in Carlsbad in February, 2021. The space was deconsecrated. They are now worshiping in space rented from Oceanside Sanctuary.

St. Stephen’s, Menifee has been closed temporarily as of June 2021. A redevelopment is planned.

Diocesan Liturgies 

Gratefully, in-person worship was largely restored in 2021, albeit with restrictions.

The Diocesan staff offered a virtual Good Friday service.

An ordination service was held on September 18 at the Cathedral. Nancy Burnett and Katherine Gordon were ordained transitional deacons and Daniel McMillan was ordained vocational deacon.

The annual clergy Renewal of Vows was held at Clergy Conference at Vina de Lestonnac Retreat Center on September 29.

Faithfully submitted, 

The Rev. Canon Gwynn Lynch   

Commission on Ministry

In accordance with the canons of the Church and of this diocese, the Commission on Ministry (COM) is appointed to promote the ministry of all baptized persons in the Diocese and, specifically, to assist members of the Church in discerning the nature and scope of their call to ministry, recommending to the Bishop such persons for lay and ordained ministry as may be needed to carry out the work of the Church in this Diocese. Members of the commission are appointed by the Bishop for a three-year term and the commission meets monthly.

For those discerning a vocation to ordained ministry, the process overseen by the Commission moves through four stages: initial inquirer, aspirant/applicant, postulant, and candidate. The continuous thread through all of these stages is a weave of discernment, field education, formation and evaluation.

Commission Chair this year was Meredith Hardy, joined as Co-Chair in May by the Rev. Richard Hogue. A new role within the Commission was established, PDC & LH Coordinator (Parish Discernment Committees and Listening Heart Sessions). This COM member coordinates and oversees PDCs and LHs for each discerner.

The Commission continued the previous year’s discussion and consideration of the Discernment & Formation Handbook, collaborating with the Bishop and Canon of the Ordinary to further simplify discerner requirements. As each COM member is liaison for at least one individual on the formal discernment journey, the role of COM liaison was also further explored and clarified. An orientation for new COM members was developed, and the Class of 2023 participated in this orientation.

Lastly, the COM this year took on the task of developing written requirements for three Lay Licenses for the Diocese of San Diego, to be posted on the diocesan website. These are: Lay Evangelist, Lay Preacher and Lay Catechist. Specifics for each license were approved by the Bishop. The new Licenses were presented at the annual Diocesan Day of Information on October 9, 2021.

The following are currently in a formal process of discernment and formation, overseen by the Bishop and the COM:

Two inquirers
Three aspirants
Four postulants, discerning for Priesthood
One Candidate for Ordination, Transitional Deacon
One Vocational Deacon was ordained September 18, 2021
Two Transitional Deacons were ordained September 18, 2021

Members of the Commission on Ministry:

Class of 2021: Ms. Meredith Hardy, Mrs. Donna Morales, Mr. John Will
Class of 2022: Rev. Richard Hogue, Rev. Rebecca Di Novo, Mr. Mark Patzman
Class of 2023: Rev. Paul Carmona, Mr. Justin Lewis, Mr. Terry Kelly

Also, in regular attendance:

The Rt. Rev. Susan Brown Snook, Rev. Canon Gwynn Lynch (Canon of the Ordinary), Rev. Brenda Sol (liaison from the Standing Committee)

Respectfully submitted,
Meredith Hardy and Rev. Richard Hogue, Co-Chairs

The Clergy Enrichment Committee Report

Members: The Rev. D. Rebecca Dinovo- chair, the Rev. Canon Gwynn Lynch, the Rev. Brenda Sol, the Rev. Joseph Dirbas, the Rev. Janine Schenone, the Rev. Mary Lynn Coulson, the Rev. Edward Busch, the Rev. Susan Latimer, the Rev. Andrew Butler, the Rev. Daniel McMillen, the Rev. Regan Schutz.

The primary focus of the Clergy Enrichment Committee (CEC) this past year was supporting the clergy of the Diocese through the pandemic via distance/online meetings and interactions. We have started and continue to re-imagine what the CEC will offer and do differently in the Diocese under the guidance of Bishop Susan Brown Snook.

Just before the pandemic began, we offered an in-person “Clergy Day” on February 20th at St. Andrew’s in La Mesa. Morning Prayer was offered by Fr. Harold Reed followed by a presentation by the Bishop and Christian Gillette on the topic of “discipleship” along with table discussion and lunch.

Following the area-wide lock down and church/office closures during the pandemic, the clergy began meeting via zoom with the Bishop weekly and later bi-monthly. In addition to offering some support to these meetings, the primary task of the committee over the past year has been planning and overseeing the annual Clergy Conference.

The clergy met for an online Clergy Conference in 2020 and were encouraged to meet in “clergy pods” which consisted of small groups of 2-4 clergy meeting either online or distanced/outdoors for discussion and mutual support. The speaker, who joined us via zoom, was the Very Rev. Dr. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, the Dean and President of the Seminary of the Southwest. The topic was, “When the World Falls Apart: Apocalyptic Texts for our Times” with a focus on the apocalyptic texts in the lectionary for late Pentecost and Advent which spoke in many ways to the chaotic and tumultuous moment. Other offerings included brief “embodiment” practices lead by the Rev. Susan Latimer as well as online worship and games/ice breakers along with a closing conversation with the Bishop.

We have been meeting in recent months to plan the 2021 Clergy Conference which will take at the Vina de Lestonnac Retreat center in Temecula with the Rev. Scott Gunn at the end of September. The conference will be a hybrid gathering of online and in-person participants on the theme of “Being Made New.”

We will continue to discern our role in the upcoming year and we encourage all congregations to support and encourage their clergy to take advantage of any and all upcoming times of learning, fellowship, and worship with the Bishop and fellow clergy.

In Christ,

The Rev. D. Rebecca Dinovo

Chair

Communications Report

Christmas, December 2020

The EDSD Communications Department, in cooperation with churches throughout the diocese, produced a vibrant Virtual Lessons and Carols service for use at a local level in the 2020 Advent/Christmas season. With virtual worship

Border Ministry Summit, December 2020

In late 2020, the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego hosted the Border Ministries Summit for the Episcopal Church. This virtual event gathered people from all over the world to learn more about immigration, refugees, and resources. Enjoy a recap of this beautiful event at BorderMinistries.com

Virtual Called to the Wall 2021

The EDSD Communications Department was happy to continue the annual Called to the Wall event in coordination with the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and the Diocese of Western Mexico by coordinating and producing a virtual. Called to the Wall is an annual pilgrimage that brings attention to current immigration issues. This year, the virtual liturgy will bring light to immigrant children, family separation, asylum seekers, and more.

SAILS & Digital Worship for Migrant Children (Holy Week)

In late March of 2021, the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego was approached by South Bay Community Services to provide thousands of immigrant children with spiritual care while they stayed at the San Diego Convention Center. Read more here.

In the days following, the Communications Department provided coordination with numerous news outlets, developed a website to share up-to-date information, produced a Spanish Good Friday Service, produced a Spanish Rosery Video, and produced a Spanish Easter Sunday Service.

Diocesan Holy Week Offerings

Tenebrae: A Service of Shadows – With the traditional feel of a Tenebrae service, the Service of Shadows had a simpler format and opportunities for worshipers to sing along at home. With readings from Psalms and Lamentations from readers around the diocese and a diocesan band leading us in Taizé chants, viewers enjoyed a spiritually filled time of worship.

The Communication Department also produced a virtual Good Friday service and Easter Sunday service for virtual use at a local level.

EDSD.org redeveloped

Welcome to the new diocesan website for the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego. EDSD.org has undergone a dramatic makeover—it is faster, more user-friendly, and welcoming to a newcomer. The Communications Department hopes you take some time to poke around and let us know what you think. Over 16 months, the website team has evaluated, redesigned, and enhanced the EDSD.org website to be more user-friendly. “Developing a diocesan website is tricky; you need to allow the deep--insider--Episcopalians access to an amazing breadth of resources while maintaining a welcoming information layer for newcomers to learn about and feel encouraged by the organization. I know this new design will suit the needs of EDSD for years to come,” said Director of Communications Chris Tumilty.

“I want to thank our communications team, led by Communications Director Chris Tumilty, and also Elizabeth Kurtz, our website developer, for the wonderful job in providing a fresh, new look for our diocese,” said Bishop Susan Brown Snook.

Please take some time to look through the new design and let us know where we can improve.

Good News Festival

Throughout 2021 the Communications Department was integral in planning multiple aspects of the Good News Festival. We produced a website, print materials, sharable video content, and more in preparation for the festival. Despite it being rescheduled, we are looking forward, more than ever, to welcoming you, your neighbors, family, and friends to the Good News Festival on December 9-10, 2022.

Convention

The Communications Department is happy to provide the second virtual convention in the history of the Diocese. While we all hoped to meet together in person this year, a virtual convention offers a layer of safety that we all have come to understand. We hope you enjoy the stories, virtual environment, and refinement of the Virtual Diocesan Convention process this year.

Faithfully submitted by:

Chris Tumilty

Director of Communications

Cursillo

Cursillo was founded in Spain in the 1940’s by lay people to help the laity become better followers of Jesus Christ. In other words, Cursillo is a Discipleship program.

Cursillo teaches discipleship by providing lessons in piety, study, and action. Cursillo is a comprehensive, in-depth program that begins with the weekend.

The weekend is designed to deepen a person’s relationship with Jesus and enable them to live out their life as a witness to Jesus in the world. Each person is inspired at a spiritual level (piety), at an intellectual level (study) and a ministry level (action). When we interact with God at all three of these levels, we become better followers of Jesus Christ.

Cursillo, over the last year, has had to cancel its weekends due to COVID-19, but we were able to hold smaller spiritual renewal programs, Ultreyas, through online videos.

For the year 2022 we anticipate having two Cursillo weekends. The Spring 2021 weekend will be April 28th through May 1st, and the Fall weekend is planned for October, dates to be determined. Both weekends start on Thursday night and end on Sunday evening and will take place at the Pine Valley Bible Conference Center.

For more information about Cursillo, please talk to your Cursillo parish representative and visit the San Diego Cursillo website at www.sdcursillo.org

Your friend in Christ,
The Rev. George M. Calvert
Diocesan Cursillo Spiritual Advisor

Daughters of the King

There are three Diocesan wide gatherings yearly: Spring Assembly, Fall Assembly, and Quiet Day. These are open to all women of the diocese. Quiet Day was held in March. The Rev. Rebecca Dinovo’s presentation gave insight into “The Franciscan Call to Pray, Love, and Serve”. Our Spring Assembly included a presentation by The Rev. Meg Decker titled “Inspire Spiritual Growth and Development” and a study of the use of Canticles in our services led by Mary Gaines. We are in discussion for our Fall Assembly to be held in October.

The last year and a half has been a challenging one for DOK. We had to learn to Zoom, be flexible with masking, not masking, meeting in person, meeting on-line, and the list goes on. Our daughters have stepped up to meet the challenges before us. We have responded to the call to pray and serve our parishes and church communities.

2022 will hopefully see more in-person gatherings and worship services, diversity in our parishes and chapters, and the National Convention (Triennial) for DOK in Baltimore, MD, in June. We will continue to work on the six goals of our Strategic Plan. We will Reignite the Flame by: Inspiring Spiritual Growth and Development, Strengthening Our Call to Service and Evangelism, Nurturing and Growing Our Members, Raising Up and Mentoring New Leaders, and Instilling a Community of Giving.

For information concerning The Order of the Daughters of the King® or to attend a gathering, please contact Fran Friesen at ffriesen44@gmail.com or 760-533-4410.

For His Sake, Fran Friesen - DOK Diocesan President

Diocesan Executive Council

The Officers of the Diocesan Executive Council for 2021 were:

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Susan Brown-Snook, President
The Rev. Janine Schenone, First Vice President
Mr. Joseph Jok, Second Vice President
Mr. Ruben Rodriguez, Secretary
The Rev. Kirby M. Smith, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer (January through February 2021) and the Rev. Canon Jeff Martinhauk, Chief Financial Officer (beginning July 2021)

The Council met virtually throughout 2021 because of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. The first meeting was held on January 9 and included training for new members. Regular meetings were held monthly except for August. Special meetings were held in March and August. The Council did a study of the book of Acts, using a guide entitled “Acts: From Maintenance to Mission,” created by Bishop Susan and the Rev. Canon C. K. Robertson, Ph.D.

Council members were asked to choose the committees they would like to serve. The committees mirror the categories in the Strategic Plan:

· Evangelism, Discipleship, and Church Growth

· Leadership and Congregational Development

· Service and Advocacy

· Stewardship

Council approved Missional Congregational Grants in March 2021.

Throughout the year, Council approved financial aid to the following congregations:

· St. Thomas, Temecula

· St. Stephen’s Preschool, Menifee

· St. Matthew’s, National City

The Council made the following property agreements:

· Early lease termination between Holy Cross and Green Properties.

· Extension of sales agreement for excess property at St. Thomas, Temecula.

· Lease agreement between Holy Cross and Oceanside Sanctuary.

· St. Luke’s conversations with Trestle for Affordable Housing.

· Sale of church property in Brawley, California

· Ended earlier sales agreement for excess property at St. Thomas, Temecula and entered into a new sales agreement.

· Entered into a management contract for St. Thomas Preschool with Learning Care Group.

· In May 2021 Council voted to close St. Stephen’s, Menifee for a period of discernment on its future mission.

· Approved a lease for shared space at St. Stephen’s.

· Approved a lease for shared space at St. Andrew’s, Lake Elsinore.

Council also approved COVID policies for Diocesan Staff and events.

Submitted by the Rev. Canon Gwynn Lynch on behalf of the Rev. Janine Schenone, First Vice-President of Executive Council.

Disaster Preparedness & Church Safety/Security

At the 2015 diocesan convention it was resolved that all churches and organizations would provide the diocese with a copy of their updated disaster preparedness plan by 2017. Currently, four years past the due date, less than 30% of our churches and organizations have submitted a plan to the diocese. With the recent Covid 19 disaster and the continuing threat of natural disasters, crime and violence to our churches, the need to have a plan and to be prepared has never been greater.

To assist our churches and organizations in creating effective disaster preparedness plans and church safety & security systems the diocese has done several things:

We have created an extensive digital archive of disaster preparedness and church safety & security resources and we are happy to share this resource via a thumb drive or by e-mailing a link to the archive. For access to this archive please contact Jeff Green at (619) 857-9577.
We have also created an Emergency Operations Plan phone app that can be customized for each church/organization and shared with parishioners and clients. A sample of the phone app can be accessed here: www.church911plan.com . The phone app is meant as an enhancement to your disaster plan and not a substitute. If you would like a similarly customized Emergency Operations Plan phone app for your church/organization please contact Jeff Green at (619) 857-9577
The diocese has also been assisting interested churches in applying for the FEMA/State of California Non-Profit Security Grant to receive funding to enhance the physical security of their facilities. Over the past three years the ECC and several churches have received grants of $100,000 each. If you are interested in applying for the Non-Profit Security Grant please contact Jeff Green at (619) 857-9577.

In the next year, we have plans to re-constitute our Diocesan Disaster Preparedness Committee and increase the effectiveness of networking with disaster preparedness coordinators at the various churches and organizations. We will also be enhancing our network for diocese-wide communications in times of disaster. If you have experience as a trained first responder or experience in the field of safety/security and are interested in becoming a member of the Diocesan Disaster Preparedness Committee, please contact Jeff Green at (619) 857-9577.

Ecumenical and Interreligious Ministries Report

Having been appointed to serve the bishop in support of diocesan ecumenical and interfaith affairs just prior to onset of the coronavirus pandemic, there is not much activity to report. Many of the scheduled meetings and gatherings were canceled for safety reasons and plans for future events continue to be on hold as we discern the best path forward in light of current health protocols.

The Lutheran/Anglican/Roman Catholic Dialog of San Diego (LARC) continued to meet via zoom over the last year. Discussions included identifying opportunities for joint prayer services, providing prayer resources to the churches in our diocese, and suggesting ways for diocesan leadership to join in conversation in prayer. Several LARC events that were scheduled for 2020 were considered for 2021 but, alas, placed on hold yet again.

The 2021 national workshop on Christian unity and the annual meeting of the Episcopal Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers was held virtually in April 2021. The 2022 NWCU is scheduled to occur in person at Garden Grove, CA in May 2022.

Finally, the San Diego Regional Interfaith Collaborative (SDRIC) met virtually and offered resources to church and faith leaders in the San Diego community.

There continue to be multiple avenues for our diocese to engage in interreligious activities and to coordinate our efforts with members of other faith traditions. The opportunities are exciting and there is a commitment to interfaith work in this region. We are eager to move beyond this pandemic and return to offering in-person learning, fellowship, service, and prayer opportunities.

Lastly, I’d like to thank Bishop Susan Brown Snook for entrusting me with this opportunity. I was grateful for the call and was eager to participate. However, role as deputy interfaith and interreligious officer for the diocese of San Diego will come to an end this fall. I am certain the bishop will appoint a deputy dedicated to the work of building bridges between communities of faith in our local areas.

With gratitude to our bishops and those who lead us and guide us as we seek to live into the kingdom of God,

The Rev. Joseph Dirbas,

Ecumenical and Interreligious Officer, Episcopal Diocese of San Diego

Episcopal Church Women

Our ECW group initially was known as “The Women of St. Mary’s”. However, in keeping with the National and Diocesan groups, we changed our name to Episcopal Church Women. Although our membership fluctuates, our group has been consistently active since its inception almost 30 years ago. Thanks to the efforts of Sandy Bedard, we are regular contributors to the UTO campaign. An offshoot of ECW is our active Prayers and Squares quilting group which has given many handmade prayer quilts to grateful recipients in need of solace. Our bylaws, being really out of date, were reviewed and updated. We’ve had two successful sidewalk sales selling items donated by a congregant. We were blessed to be able to send some help to Navajoland. In August we had a wonderful Garden Tea in the lovely yard of Debbie Benson. We all wore hats and drank tea out of our lovely little teacups. It was lots of fun and good fellowship. We have a great book club called Pew Sisters who try to meet monthly. Our current read is “Ten Women of the Bible”, stories of “women in Scripture and the remarkable way God broke down cultural barriers to use them in the unfolding of His story”. Twenty-five years, that is how long St. Mary’s has continuously been putting on our annual Bazaar. Our chairs are working hard to sort, organize, and price the donations while keeping plans within Covid restrictions. There will be a Boutique for gently used and vintage items, a yard sale overseen as usual by the tireless Gail Voorhees. In the past, we’ve sold soups, homemade baked goods etc. but with Covid restrictions, we will be adding a Craft Show showcasing our handmade quilts, table runners, and other items made by the members. And as a special bonus this year we will be having music provided by our own Shirthouse Band. Come, buy, and enjoy the Bluegrass music. We are considering sending a representative to the Baltimore Triennial next year, funding permitting. Our President, Carol Weissenberger attended the recent Provence 8 ECW retreat via Zoom. The theme was “Love”. It was informative and interesting to meet delegates from the other Dioceses.

As an aside, we would like to let everyone know St. Mary’s has a small Labyrinth behind the Church. Walking a labyrinth is an ancient practice for spiritual centering, contemplation, and prayer.

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church Women would like to network with other ECW groups in the Diocese. We can be reached by leaving a message at the Church at 760-789-0890. Or contact our President, Carol Weissenberger, at cvr00m8n@outlook.com.

Episcopal Community Services

Thanks to the generous support of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego and its parishioners, ECS has been busy working to build a healthy community. Bringing together neighbors for that brighter tomorrow.

We believe in a world where all are supported to reach their full potential, and that there is hope for a brighter tomorrow. That belief is especially important – and sustaining – now and during the last year.

It has been a period of great loss in our country and community. Many lost loved ones, and others faced unthinkable challenges. During these trying times, ECS worked to exemplify its mission of serving God by serving your neighbors in need.

At ECS, being a neighbor is about inspiring children, empowering adults, and transforming communities by providing high-quality social services that promote healthy interdependence. From adults experiencing homelessness to educational equity and from battling substance abuse to supporting those with mental or behavioral health issues, your neighbors in need have received vital support services at ECS during these transitional times. The ECS team of 450 dedicated employees serves 7,000 people annually across 22 locations.

Your neighbors in need of behavioral health and substance use disorder services received these vital programs via telehealth. Counselors and staff worked diligently to ensure that each client received the resources they needed, despite the challenges of connecting virtually.

Your neighbors enrolled in early childhood education programs through Head Start were taught in a virtual format, and educational learning tablets were provided to over 900 children. And this fall, teachers and staff worked tirelessly to prepare classrooms for a safe return to in-person instruction.

Your neighbors living in Uptown Safe Haven, our transitional housing facility in Banker’s Hill, received so much outpouring of support and love from supporters across the area. These residents continue to support each other as they rebuild their futures for a brighter day. These challenges have not been easy, yet our team has proven yet again that there is no challenge too great to overcome.

ECS faced additional changes this year when Lesslie Keller retired after 13 years of dedicated service. Thanks to Lesslie, ECS is a trusted partner in the community with secure financial standing and a strong, high-performing team.

Looking ahead, our focus at ECS will be lifting our visibility in the region, telling our stories with impact, and creating powerful partnerships to drive equity, opportunity, and possibility for all. We envision ECS as being a top tier charitable organization known across the region for making lasting, meaningful change. We envision ECS an employer of choice, known as a great place to work and volunteer. We see ECS as being a voice for equity, an advocate for low-income families, and a driver of social change.

Our team is exploring opportunities to grow our services, and expand our footprint, and in doing so we will create more opportunities for our community of supporters to grow and expand. We are excited to partner with our parishes on the ministries they hold dear, and find ways to support and complement one another.

We see a bright future for ECS and our community, and we are so grateful to be in partnership with you.

Faith Alive

I have been privileged to have been involved in Ten (10) Faith Alive Weekend efforts, four (4) as a member of a parish team (Good Shepherd Bonita) and six (6) as a member of a visiting Faith Alive Team (St. Luke’s, Prescott, AZ; St. Martin’s, Houston, TX; Wellspring, Modesto, CA; St. Richard’s, Round Rock, TX; St. David’s, South Yarmouth, MA; Holy Trinity, Garland, TX). I have also participated in a Faith Alive National Reunion and currently serve on the Faith Alive National Board of Directors. It is my hope that I can draw on the experiences gained from these efforts to help me convey the how and whys of a Faith Alive Weekend to interested parties in this diocese.

I am pleased to report that the Church of the Good Shepherd Bonita held a three-day Faith Alive Weekend Retreat, which started on February 7, 2020. The Away Team was led by Bill and Denise Stewart from Cincinnati, Ohio and included eleven (11) other volunteers from Texas and this diocese (Romulo and Rosie Ituarte, Lynn and Linda Ten Eyck). Good Shepherd support for this effort was led by Fr. George Calvert and Ted Parsons. Faith Alive weekends are filled with joyful music, much food and fellowship, deep sharing of life experiences, much personal prayer, and unplanned surprises prompted by the Holy Spirit. The Good Shepherd Faith Alive Weekend was filled with all these things and more. Please contact Fr. George or Ted Parsons if you want to know more about this weekend and the fruit it bore.

Faith Alive is always in need of people to fill teams for scheduled weekends. If you have led small group discussions, been a youth or children’s program leader or aid, served on a prayer team, or performed as a musician in a worship service; you are equipped to be an effective team member. Please contact me if you are interested in a future opportunity to tell your story as you serve others.

Faith Alive has a proven record of success and I believe in its capabilities to make a difference in the lives of parishioners. A critical component of the “Jesus Movement” reaching out into the world is the equipping of saints; formation is the foundation for evangelism. This is one of the major objectives of Faith Alive. I view the coming year as a renewed opportunity to share more about this with parish leaders in this diocese.

May God continue to bless us all,

Darryl Peralta

Finance Committee

The committee continued its mission of ensuring that the diocese stayed within budget limits and maintained the highest standards of fiscal responsibility. This involved monthly review of revenue and expenditures relative to budget and extensive work with the budget committee on planning for future years. The finance committee also oversaw the restructuring of financial reports available to the diocese and the changing of audit guidelines for individual parishes. The committee welcomed a new CFO in 2021, the Rev. Jeff Martinhauk.

As in 2020, the most pressing challenge faced by the committee was the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diocese and on individual parishes. State and county mandates for health/safety protocols prevented parishes from conducting in-person worship services for much of the year, and many churches were unable to reopen on-campus schools or could only operate them at limited capacity. As a result, revenue streams to both churches and diocese continue to be significantly impacted. Through the finance committee and executive council, the diocese continues to work with individual churches to ensure their financial health though a variety of methods such as direct grants, Common Life Share waivers, and interest forgiveness/primary deferral on loans. The committee has also worked extensively to look at the effect of current budget shortfalls on future year revenue projections. Although many challenges are expected in the coming months as the pandemic continues, the diocese continues to maintain a solid financial position.

In 2021 the finance committee continued to work with individual parishes on a variety of property and financial issues in order to assist in the upkeep, maintenance, and improvement of church property and the safeguarding of church financial assets. Some initiatives before the committee this year were assisting parishes with the sale of cell tower leases, consulting on the sale of church property, reviewing/approving solar purchase and maintenance agreements, providing guidelines and assistance for financial audits/reviews, providing of grants/loans for emergent and long-term property maintenance, altering the loan terms for parishes in need of restructuring, reviewing building/construction contracts, and assisting MAP congregations with financial matters. The finance committee also maintained oversight on issues impacting at the diocesan level including funding of the Strategic Plan, hiring of new diocesan employees, updating medical plans available for employees, and maintaining appropriate levels of property/casualty insurance.

The Diocese and its constituent churches continued in 2021 to bring the Good News and healing to our communities and neighbors via a wide variety of outreach projects and missions. In its role as the financial oversight component of the diocese, the finance committee continued to support the Bishop and the executive council in allocating funds for meeting our mission/vision. Looking forward, the group will continue to assist with projects such as affordable housing, feeding the hungry, and providing mobile showers to those in need through direct grants or assistance to churches who are taking the lead in these projects.

Please join me in extending thanks to the members of the finance committee and to those individuals who donated extensive amounts of time in managing the financial resources of the diocese: The. Rt. Rev. Susan Brown Snook, Ms. Pat Carson, Mr. Chris Christopher, Ms. Guin DeJarnett, Ms. Terry Farrelly, Ms. Lesslie Keller, the Rev. Canon Gwynn Lynch, the Rev. Jeff Martinhauk, Mr. Frank Rojas, Ms. Jan Romerdahl, Ms. Erin Sacco Pineda, and Ms. Julie Young. The committee also recognizes and thanks the members who left committee this year: the Rev. Kirby Smith, Mr. Tom Sparrow, Mr. Allen Sweet, and Mr. David Tremaine.

Yours in Christ,

Respectfully submitted, Andy Waters, Chair

Historiographer

“I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.” -Psalm 77:11

According to the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, the Historiographer is charged in part with obtaining, preparing and preserving all special historical and biographical matter, printed or manuscript, pertaining to the diocese, its parishes, missions, institutions and undertakings.

In 2020, our accomplishments included the following

Conducted research for parishes celebrating milestones in their history.
Responded to inquiries from individual’s regarding family history.
Assisted the Office of the Bishop in locating records of Baptism, Confirmation and Marriage from records of closed parishes and missions.
Responded to and assisted researchers on educational projects.
Collaborated with diocesan representatives on proposed resolution to the diocesan convention to replace Canon 9.

In 2021, our goals include:

Securing fire resistant on-site storage for sacramental records in our custody. Continue the reorganization of our diocesan files and records to include the documentation of locations where certain records will be maintained. We will be working to maintain all records in an environment that keeps them safe and secure from theft, fire, moisture and anything else that would compromise them.
We will begin planning for our 50th Anniversary as a diocese.
Continuing to work with the various parishes/missions and institutions of the diocese to encourage and facilitate the preservation of historical records and archival materials on the parish/institutional level.
If Canon 9 is changed by convention, formally organize an Archive of the Diocese of San Diego. With great thanks to Larry Salvadori of St Bart’s, Poway, we have in place four individuals who have agreed to assist with archive work and audits as needed. They are: Karen Pearce of St Bart’s, Poway, Steve Cox of All Saints, San Diego, Cynde Durnford-Branecki of Grace, San Marcos and Rachel Ambasing of St Matthew’s, National City. Due to the Covid19 pandemic, we have begun training remotely by distributing the book Archives for Congregations to all members mentioned above.

I continue to encourage the donation of documents and materials considered to be significant in the life of a parish, mission or the diocese. If you have or know of anything that may add to the historical records of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, please let me know.

Additionally, if you have any questions regarding the history or archived materials of the diocese, I hope you will contact me at jjwillcv@gmail.com .

John J. Will,

Historiographer of the Diocese

Investment Committee

Military Missioner

This past year our military and veteran ministry has been primarily one of providing resources to parishes wishing to move into this ministry. One of the most significant things to happen has been the meetings and introduction of parish leadership to the Navy Chaplains here in San Diego. For example, Good Samaritan, La Jolla and Church of the Good Shepherd, Bonita have had one-on-one meetings with Navy Chaplains to begin the synergistic network that can happen when our parishes host and coordinate with Navy chaplains to offer marriage and resiliency workshops where we can provide hospitality, facilities, food and childcare for the Navy and Marine Corps.

I have also provided tours of bases to several churches in our Diocese and am available to do more if your parish is interested. I have conducted trainings to introduce parishes to this ministry with the presentation such as, “Ten Easy Steps to Begin a Ministry to Active Duty Military” and an introduction to “Military Ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego.”

I have created a Military Cycle of Prayer modeled on our Diocesan and Anglican Cycles of Prayer. I have also researched Veteran organizations in San Diego so that our parish leadership has knowledge of which organization provide the best resources for veterans in crisis. I am also networking with Veteran organizations in San Diego to raise our visibility to the Veteran community. For the first time ever, our diocese and many of our parishes, honored Vietnam Era Veterans with certificates and pins thanking them for their service.

Recently, one of my recent projects has been to look at each parish's website and see if there is a “Welcome Message” to the military, their families and veterans. I provide four examples churches can use, or they may their write their own, providing directions and times of services. “Creating a Military and Veteran Friendly Church Website” can be found under our Diocesan resource page https://edsd.org/ministry-to-armed-forces/. Based on my consultations from Military Missioners across the country, this is an important first-step towards creating a military ministry. We know that most people will visit our websites before attending our parishes.

The Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma and the Diocese of Arizona have as well recently begun ministry to the military and veterans and have brought aboard priests to serve as Military Missioners. I have been a consultant to these Missioners providing them resources and documents to assist them in starting this ministry.

In the coming year, it is my hope that we can finally meet and come together come to brainstorm on exactly how your parish can support our military and veterans. I plan to continue to provide more training and tools for local parishes to understand and respond to the needs of the military and their families. An important first step is to enroll your parish in the Military Chaplains Association, Veterans/Military Friendly Congregations (VMFC) website so military families can more easily find you. Complete the VMFC enrollment form at https://vmfc-usa.org/. The national organization, Military Missions Network’s (MMN) has continued to update resources for leaders so that we can redeploy the best practices and strategies in missional military ministry to you.

As we remain faithful to the mission of the Kingdom of God, EDSD is in an exceptional position because San Diego has the largest concentration of military in the world. We have 110,700 Active Duty personnel and 118,300 family members, which is 7.6 percent of our population. More than 240,500 veterans reside in San Diego accounting for 9.0 percent of the whole San Diego population, and it continues to grow.

Peace and Justice

There has been significant activity this year within the Diocese – both in efforts across the Diocese and at individual churches - related to peace and justice issues. A new Missioner was hired with the goal of increasing the Diocese’s focus and capacity related to justice work. Deann Rios began a part-time position as a Co-Missioner for Peace & Justice in January of 2021, and The Rev. Rebecca Dinovo assumed the same title as a volunteer Co-Missioner. Each worked an average of 8 hours per week this year to support and connect existing work and create new peace and justice opportunities within our churches, Diocese, and communities. As a means of better loving our neighbors, the goals of this work included engaging groups and individuals of all ages in spiritual, educational, and action-oriented efforts in the areas of racial justice, creation care, food justice, affordable housing, inter-faith work, gun safety, civil discourse, and border and refugee ministry. All of this work is being done under the leadership of Diocesan staff and the Advocacy Committee and in partnership with the Service & Justice Coalition, a group comprised of representatives from churches focused on outreach and justice. Read More

Property Committee

The Property Committee of the Diocese reports through the Financial Committee to the Executive Council. Its function is to provide help and guidance to member churches in all aspects of property management, facility maintenance and repair including help in contractor selection and contract support. In addition to these responsibilities we are providing detail programmatic support to those churches who are interested in the installation of Solar systems, to reduce utility costs, in their churches. This comprehensive activity embraces design, financing and installation of these systems in a cost effective manner. We provide limited financial assistance to our missions & churches in need of help in property repair and maintenance through our grant program. We work with congregations to develop deferred maintenance budgets. We welcome all member churches in need to contact us.

Submitted by Sandi Lanzarotta Chan, Committee Chair

Retired Clergy Spouses/Partners/Surviving Spouses Report

This ministry is conducted by chaplains appointed by the diocesan bishop in coordination with the Church Pension Group (CPG) to pastorally support the more than 200 retired clergy living within the diocese. The Office of Pastoral Care at CPG provides a detailed list of retired clergy and their spouses/partners /survivors enrolled with CPG to the appointed chaplains throughout The Episcopal Church, and administers educational programs and conferences for the constituency as well as training for the Chaplains. A large number of retired clergy live in this diocese but remain canonically members of other dioceses. Also, many retired clergy participate in part time ministry through supply work, interim service, and assistance at local parishes. The Chaplains for our diocese are the Rev. David Burgdorf, primarily serving in the Coachella Valley, Mrs. Stephanie Smith, who maintains mailings for birthdays, get well, and sympathy cards, and the Rev. Edward Busch and the Rev. Babs Meairs. Contact with our charges is made by phone, email, and, when possible, personal visits. The Province VIII Conference for Chaplains rescheduled for September 2021 was moved from an in person venue in Portland, Oregon, to virtual . This year CPG conducted several webinars on updating the new Medical Insurance Plan for Retired Clergy and their spouses. Also discussed were current issues considered relevant to keep Chaplains informed and to aid our ministry. Reports of contacts with our constituency are submitted to CPG twice a year. This Spring we initiated monthly virtual meetings with interested clergy and spouses via ZOOM, exploring topics of interest and relevance. Looking ahead, we want to explore ways to expand contact and continue to make our ministry available to our constituency, to provide information and support when appropriate, and to work with parishes on identifying the activities and care involving our retired clergy and their families.

School for Ministry

This has been a year of transition for the School for Ministry. The Rev. Brian Fidler, who was such a blessing as interim dean of studies, completed his service in May. Then later in June, the Ven. Pam Rieger made the prayerful decision to leave her ministry with the school. Both Brian and Pam deserve our heart-felt thanks! During Brian’s tenure, he began a curriculum review grounded in work done by our bishop and faculty with the Rev. Dr. Tom Ferguson, focusing on core learning goals and desire outcomes and informed by our bishop’s vision for the school. Since my arrival as dean of studies, we have been transforming that vision into a concrete offering of courses for our certificate of theological studies.

As a result of this hard work, a new curriculum will be rolled out in January of 2022 with registration opening as the diocese gathers for Convention. The focus of the School for Ministry will be formation of deacons and lay leaders. With this in mind, we continue to offer courses in Bible, liturgy, practical theology, ethics, and homiletics. Recognizing that the teaching of theology and church history are inherently related and interconnected, our new curriculum shifts to provide four integrated courses in theology and history under the classification, “Christian Witness.” Keenly aware that we are at an inflection point in our culture as well as Christian Mission, we will provide courses that explore issues of church and society, racial reconciliation, multiculturalism, and public ministry. With that in mind, a new array of courses will be offered over the next three semesters: Public Ministry, The Beloved Community, Discipleship for the Twenty-first Century, and Ecumenical and Interfaith Ministry. To round out our offerings, we anticipate having a variety of summer offerings including a retreat based course in Christian Spirituality, Hermeneutics which was piloted this summer, and Canon Law.

As with all of church life, the School of Ministry has been impacted by COVID-19. Having been online for three full semesters, we have learned new skills. It is also clear that people who would not otherwise have taken classes have participated. In the weeks ahead, we will be determining how we will proceed in the future. In all likelihood, our classes will be a hybrid model, allowing both remote and in-person learning. In addition, we anticipate continuing to have classes both on Saturdays and one weeknight (this semester we offered Hebrew Scriptures on Monday night).

While designed to meet the needs for diaconal formation, our courses are also structured to provide formation for all baptized Christians wishing to deepen their formation for ministry. Individuals are always welcome to register for credit or audit. Indeed, if a course is of interest, you are welcome to “come and see” by visiting a first session. Our January courses begin on Saturday, January 15, 2022.

In conclusion, I want to thank Bishop Snook for the opportunity to serve as dean of studies. As I retire from full time ministry and return to our diocese, it is a gift to be able to contribute to the community that I love. Finally, I want to thank the whole diocesan staff for their support of the School for Ministry, especially Alyson Terry, who provides administrative support for the school. We are blessed!

If you have questions about the School for Ministry, please do not hesitate to reach out to me, sfmdean@edsd.org.

Respectfully submitted,

The Rt. Rev. James R. Mathes

Dean of Studies, School for Ministry

Standing Committee

Standing Committee Members

The Very Rev. Penny Bridges (Clerk Jun-Nov) (2024)

Ms. Judy Brown (2024)

Mr. Louis “Butch” Glosson (2021)

The Rev. Colin Mathewson (2023)

The Rev. Mark McKone-Sweet (President Nov-June) (2021)

Mr. Darryl Peralta (2023)

The Rev. Brenda Sol (Clerk Nov-June then President) (2022)

Mr. Stephen Turnbull (2022)

Since September 2020 (the date of the last report), the Standing Committee met twelve times for regularly scheduled meetings and twice for special meetings. All meetings took place via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The following actions were taken:

Consents to Episcopal Consecrations or Elections

Consent of Election – Diocese of Oregon – The Rev. Diana Akiyama

Consent of Election – Diocese of Wyoming – The Rev. Canon Paul Gordon Chandler
Consent of Election –Diocese of Southern Virginia – the Rev Susan Haynes
Consent of Election – Diocese of Chicago – the Rev. Paula Clark
Consent of Election – Diocese of Pittsburgh – the Rev. Dr. Ketlen Solak

Diocesan Ordinations

The following people were interviewed and approved for stages in the Ordination process:

Candidacy
Brian Petersen

Candidacy and diaconate

Katherine Gordon
Daniel McMillan

Diaconate

Nancy Burnett

Financial Matters

Approved Purchase-Sale agreement of property at St. Stephen’s.

Approved revised lease between St. Luke’s and IRC.
Approved lease between St. Andrew’s, Pacific Beach and Pacific Life Church
Approved designation of Young Adult Mentorship Program (YAMP) as an “Other Community of Faith” per canon III.5.3.
Approved new process for approving solar installation projects
Approved lease termination agreement for Holy Cross

Approved property agreement for land given to St. John’s, Indio
Approved loan of $450,000 to St. Andrew’s Encinitas from the ECBF
Approved lease between All Saints, Vista, and Victory Church
Approved addendum to diocesan template for solar energy agreement for St. Philip’s, Lemon Grove
Approved the sale of property formerly in the care of All Saints, Brawley

Approved the lease of Carlsbad property (formerly Holy Cross) to Oceanside Sanctuary
Approved the lease of St. Dunstan’s cell phone tower to Vertical Bridge
Approved lease of All Souls’ cell tower and debt refinancing for All Souls’
Approved sale of property at St. Thomas’, Temecula

Miscellaneous

Approved request of St. John’s, Chula Vista, to be restored to parish status
Approved canonical changes permitting virtual Diocesan Convention and declaring “Extraordinary Circumstances” due to the pandemic.
Approved Bylaw revisions for:

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Good Samaritan, San Diego
Grace, San Marcos
St. Andrew’s, Encinitas
All Saints’, San Diego
All Saints’, Vista

St. Alban’s, El Cajon
Holy Cross, Carlsbad
St. Bartholomew’s, Poway
All Souls’, San Diego
St. Margaret’s, Palm Desert

St. Thomas, Temecula
St. John’s, Fallbrook
St. Paul’s, Palm Springs
St. Barnabas, Borrego Springs
St. Peter’s , Del Mar

St. Luke’s, North Park (conditional)

Approved Mission Model Bylaws
Approved the Closure of the mission of St. Stephen’s, Menifee
Approved the request of St. Luke’s for Parish status

Approved the change of St. John’s, Indio to Mission status
Approved changes to Parish Model Bylaws
Appointed committee member Judy Brown as Standing Committee liaison to the Affordable Housing Task Force
Accepted the Renunciation of Orders by the Rev. Pamela Rieger
Approved corporate name change of St. John’s, Chula Vista (to remove the term “Vestrymen”)

Affirmed the canonical amendment to Canon 2:04 regarding Emerging Communities

Respectfully submitted,

Penelope M. Bridges, Clerk

Treasurer’s Report

First, I want to thank Kirby Smith for his work in this role over the past few years and his willingness to answer my questions. A really big thanks to Canon Julie Young for training me as I took the reins on this position that she handled so well for so long. I’m so excited to be starting my ministry with you in this role and I hope any of you will call me if I can be of service.

This year has been an unusual year for the diocese as it has for all of us. For the first three quarters, the diocese has recorded about $1.7 million in revenue and we had budgeted $1.5 million. Most of the funds that we have received that were unbudgeted came from COVID related grants. We recognized a little over $140k from the government’s Employee Retention Tax Credit and $40,000 in a COVID grant from the Episcopal Church. Both of those grants were put away to be used in the 2022 budget. We are using $135k of PPP funds received last year for COVID in this year’s operating budget.

2021 Expenditures to date have been $1.80M, compared with our budget of $1.86M. We have had higher than budgeted repairs and maintenance expenses of $65k at the Episcopal Church Center in Ocean Beach for security upgrades, and those costs are being paid for by a grant from the Federal Government.

The diocese has continued to fund COVID and other grants in 2021. Total grants made to date have been over $290k. The COVID funding paid for with the For Such a Time as This fund and other grants helped congregations do things like keep a priest on staff, buy sound and av live streaming equipment, and provide food access for the Julian community through Camp Stevens. In one case the funds you donated through the For Such a Time as This fund even enabled one congregation to provide car repairs for a single mom with young kids so her car could keep working in the pandemic. Thank you for pulling together as a diocese to allow these things to happen.

Property grants this year included a renovation of the bathrooms at St Matthew’s and improved drainage at St. John’s Chula Vista to prevent future water damage, among others. Property grants have been increased for next year and if you have deferred maintenance needs, I hope you will apply for those funds. We will have applications on the website in the next few months, and we will also announce them in the Friday emails from the diocese when they are ready.

Congregational support is one important function of the diocese, and another is regional ministry. We had part-time regional missioners for Multicultural Ministry and for Military ministry going into this year, and this year we added part-time positions for Advocacy and for Border Ministry to strengthen the diocese’s ability to collaborate among and between congregations to serve the wider region of San Diego. The border ministry position is paid for entirely by a grant from the wider Episcopal Church.

The 2020 audit was completed in October. Audited financial statements are available here. 2020 showed $2.7m in total unrestricted revenue and $2.9m in unrestricted expenses, for an operating loss of $155k. After operating investments, the total change in net assets was $379k.

Finally, we have an investment committee that creates policy for our endowment and other investments. That committee has selected two different investment managers, State Street through the Episcopal Church Foundation, and Dowling and Yahnke with investments held at Charles Schwab. The committee meets quarterly to review performance and holdings and has its own report in the convention package and is chaired by Judy Brown. Holdings grew in the first three-quarters of 2021 to $7.8m from 7.1m at 12/31/20 (net of cash). Earnings from investments yielded about $830k in 2020 and $1.2m in 2019. In 2021, investments have earned $461k. The diocese only uses earnings in accordance with its investment policy, usually approved by the diocesan convention in the annual budget resolution. Investments are a significant portion of our income.

Respectfully submitted,

Jeff Martinhauk,

Chief Financial Officer

Youth Collaborative Report

Mission: The EDSD Youth Collaborative is a collective of San Diego parishes invested in youth ministry. We use our common resources to serve youth and families throughout the diocese. We meet quarterly to plan, collaborate, share events and resources, and provide support to those involved in youth ministry. Collaborative events include mission trips, conventions, youth retreats, service opportunities, and various other activities including Nightwatch and Pentecost Bonfire, Rockin Jump, and Broomball.

2021 Events:

Youth Collaborative - meetings began on Zoom and transitioned to in-person during the summer. This year we also began a gathering of Children’s Ministry professionals.

In-Person Programming - We returned to gathering in person with a day of play at Bahia Point in Mission Bay. There was sailing, volleyball, pizza and friends. Twenty young people from five congregations took part in the fun. Broomball will make a return in December this year.

Digital Ministry Offerings - Young people from around the diocese along with children and youth ministry leaders worked together to create a virtual Christmas pageant, Epiphany pageant, and Vacation Bible School program. The two pageants were written and produced by Greg Tuttle and funded by a grant from the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego. The Vacation Bible School program was Treasured by Group and was also produced by Greg Tuttle. All three of these offerings were livestreamed on both Facebook and YouTube, and were viewed not only in our diocese, or our country, but garnered views from around the world.

Dismantling Racism Group – Certified Trainer, Maya Little-Sana from St. Paul’s Cathedral, facilitated a second Dismantling Racism group during Epiphany. This program comes from the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing in Atlanta. Due to Covid-19, this program was completely online.

Youth Leadership Council - This year 8 young people from our diocese have been invited to be part of the inaugural Episcopal Diocese of San Diego Youth Leadership Council. The YLC will help steer the course of youth ministry at the diocesan level. Their work will include planning the youth presence at the retreats, Nightwatch, convention and much more. The group will also continue working in the three focus areas selected by the youth at convention last year. Those areas are antiracism, inclusion, and spiritual wellness. The YLC is actively participating in this year’s convention.

Children and Youth Ministry Leaders Retreat - October afforded the opportunity to gather at Camp Stevens for a two day retreat with both Children and Youth Ministry leaders. Workshops included Godly Play, youth ministry games, and Las Posadas. There was dedicated planning time for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. We worked together to address individual concerns in ministries. Freetime included hiking, feeding goats and chickens, and laughing with friends new and old.

Upcoming Dates - Please watch the diocesan news for details on the following offerings.

Broomball - December 10, 2021 - UTC Ice Rink

Epiphany Retreat - February 4-6, 2022 - Camp Stevens

Nightwatch - March 5, 2022 - St. Paul’s Cathedral

Pentecost Bonfire - June 5, 2022 - Bahia Point Mission Bay

Mission Trip - TBA December 2021

Youth Group Collaborations – Many churches in our diocese have chosen to work together to host online and in-person youth gatherings. These collaborations allow for creativity, connection, and shared workload. The youth are enjoying it because it allows them to see friends from other areas on a regular basis. Creating critical mass is key to vibrancy in youth ministry. Collaborations yield so many positive results.

Final Recap: This year continues to be about flexibility, collaboration and support. The children and youth ministry leaders in our diocese have done all of this with grace and good spirits. Now more than ever, we realize that we are blessed with the opportunity to partner in ministry. For more information on children and youth ministry offerings in our diocese, and how to connect with the group, please contact youth missioner Charlette Preslar, cpreslar@edsd.org. Also, please follow the group on Instagram: edsdyouth or on Facebook: Episcopal Diocese of San Diego Youth Ministry.

Registrar’s Report

Background
The Registrar of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego has a variety of responsibilities, which include keeping a record of confirmations, conducting background checks, issuing lay licenses under the direction of the bishop, tracking compliance of the Safeguarding God’s People training and the Policy on Sexual Abuse and Misconduct: Prevention and Response. Additionally, the Registrar oversees reporting from clergy on their ministerial activities.

Confirmation
As of September 19, 2021, Bishop Susan Brown Snook made thirty-four Sunday visitations and special services. A total of 6 of these services included confirmations. A summary of the number of adults and children (those individuals who were fifteen years old or younger at the time of their confirmation) who were confirmed or received for the last five years is as follows:

Lay Licensing
Each church is hereby asked to provide the diocesan Registrar with their updated lay licensing information for Eucharistic Visitors by August 1, 2022.

Clergy Information
There is a total of 174 canonically resident and non-canonically resident clergy in the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego. As of October 1, 2021, the Office of the Bishop has received the Annual Pastoral Care Declaration forms from 68 members of the clergy. As of October 1, 2021, there were 36 in the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego listed as non-resident and 21 of those listed as non-resident clergy held licenses to officiate.

Church Compliance for Safeguarding God’s People
Every church in the diocese is required to advertise quarterly in their Sunday bulletin a notice advising individuals to report misconduct directly to the Rev. Canon Gwynn Lynch, Canon to the Ordinary, by email glynch@edsd.org.

Alyson Terry, Registrar

Recap

Diocesan Convention 2021

Join us for a

Conversation with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

Bishop Susan Brown Snook

Bishop’s Address 2021

Canon Jason Evans

Mission Address

Convention 2021

Opening Eucharist

Testimony

Ministry to Migrant Children

Testimony

Youth Leadership Council

Workshop

Evangelism in a Post-Pandemic World

Workshop

Migration Ministries

Workshop

EDSD Justice Task Force

2020 REcap

Bishop Susan Brown Snook

AdDress to Diocesan Convention

“We are called to develop hearts that even in the face of fear and anxiety, are willing to act with courage. We are called to develop hearts, minds, and ministries of Courageous Love.”

— Bishop Susan Brown Snook

Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers

Keynote Presentation

Rev. Janine Schenone

Strategic Plan Presentation

Rev. Kirby Smith

Budget Report

Charlette Preslar

Youth Ministry Report

Joe Gamboa

Testimonial Video

Cynde Durnford-Branecki

Testimonial Video

Diocesan Convention

Resolutions

2021

Adopted Resolutions

A Special Note Regarding Resolution 21-01

The intention is to support the EDSD Strategic Plan and our discernment that the Holy Spirit is leading us to share the good news of Christ through growing new expressions of church and new worshiping communities.

The change, attached below, will delete the current Canon 2.04, “Missions Not In Union with Convention,” in recognition that any expression of faith in our diocese should be in union with convention. The replacement language establishes two new kinds of faith expressions:

An Episcopal Missional Community is a new expression that is created by a parish or mission congregation in our diocese. It operates under the authority of the congregation, but is intended to reach a new group of people in a creative way. Examples may be a weeknight Dinner Church, a particular gathering for military personnel, or other creative expressions. We hope to encourage all congregations to start at least one Missional Community to reach new people in their neighborhood.

An Emerging Episcopal Community is a new expression of faith that is established by the diocese. A new church plant would fall into this category when it is not yet large enough to be recognized as a mission. Other faith groups such as young adult gatherings outside of a particular congregation may also fall into this category. This new category allows us to fulfill our strategic plan by starting new congregations in underserved areas, while making responsible provisions for their governance and finances during the portion of their existence before they become official mission congregations of the diocese.

RESOLUTION 21-01

Title: Emerging Communities

Proposed By: The Bishop Diocesan

Name, Address, Phone Number of Delegate: The Rt. Rev. Dr. Susan Brown Snook, 2083 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., San Diego, CA 92107 – (619) 291-5947

Date: July 21, 2021

Proposed Canonical Amendment

2.04 Missions Not in Union with Convention. Whenever and wherever, in the judgment of the Bishop, regular services need to be provided without organizing a Mission in union with the Convention, the Bishop may establish, with the consent of the Standing Committee, a Mission not in union with the Convention, appointing such officers as circumstances require, and designating its name and the manner of its financial administration and manner of choice of its Delegate to the Convention.

2.04(a)Episcopal Missional Communities

An Episcopal Missional Community may be established beyond the walls and membership of a Congregation. An Episcopal Missional Community shall organize under the auspices of a Parish or Mission Congregation. The Bishop shall report to each annual Convention the number of Episcopal Missional Communities existing in the Diocese, their location, and the means provided for their oversight. Episcopal Missional Communities do not have voice and vote at Diocesan Convention unless members are elected to Convention as delegates from the sponsoring congregation. Members of an Episcopal Missional Community may exercise all rights of membership in the sponsoring congregation if they are qualified as members under the Canons of the Diocese.

2.04 (b) Emerging Episcopal Communities

In any place where there is not a Parish or organized Mission, and where the establishment of a Mission does not appear feasible, an Emerging Episcopal Community may be established by the Bishop, or in the absence of the Bishop, by the Standing Committee, upon such terms, conditions, and limitations and with such provision for its maintenance, governance, and finances as the Bishop or the Standing Committee, as applicable, shall prescribe. Any such Emerging Episcopal Community may, at the discretion of the Ecclesiastical Authority, be recognized as a discernment community of faith for purposes of any canons relating to the discernment and ordination process, including The Episcopal Church Canons III.3.2 and IIII.5.2(c). The Bishop shall report to each annual Diocesan Convention the number of Emerging Episcopal Communities existing, their location, the means provided for their maintenance, and the terms, conditions, and limitations of their existence. Upon recommendation of the Bishop and with approval of the Executive Council, each Emerging Episcopal Community shall be entitled to one Lay Delegate to any meeting of Diocesan Convention and may be seated with voice, but without vote.

RESOLUTION 21-02

Title: St. John’s, Indio conversion to Mission

Proposed by: The Rev. Dr. Brian Johnson

Name, Address, Phone Number of Delegate: The Rev. Dr. Brian Johnson, 45319 Deglet Noor St, Indio, CA 92201 – (760) 347-3265

Date: September 30, 2021

Resolved, that the 48th Convention of the Diocese of San Diego hereby grants permission to St. John’s, Indio to immediately reorganize as a Diocesan Mission-; and be it

Further resolved, that Convention understands that the dissolution of the corporation and transfer of property will not happen immediately and may take a number of years; and be it

Further resolved, that the Standing Committee and Executive Council will provide oversight of the property until such time as the transfer of property is completed as required by Canon II.3.11; and be it

Further resolved, that the Standing Committee will review the progress of this resolution annually.

Explanation: Per Canons II.3.11 and II.3.13.04(ii), St. John’s, Indio requests that Convention permit them to reorganize as a Diocesan Mission. They are currently in the process of renovating their kitchen, which includes several permits, necessitating that the dissolution of the corporation be delayed.

RESOLUTION 21-03

Title: St. Luke’s San Diego admitted as Parish.

Proposed by: The Rev. Colin Mathewson

Name, Address, Phone Number of Delegate: The Rev. Colin Mathewson, 3725 30th St., San Diego, CA 92104 - (619) 291-5947

Date: September 30, 2021

Resolved, that the 48th Convention of the Diocese of San Diego admits St. Luke’s, San Diego as a Parish.

Explanation: Per Article XIII, Section 1 of the Constitution of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, St. Luke’s has presented approval from the Standing Committee (Resolution 2021-09-02), and By-Laws certified by the Wardens, in which St. Luke’s has expressly acceded to the Constitution, Canons, doctrine, discipline and worship of The Episcopal Church and to the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego.

RESOLUTION 21-04

Title: Becoming a Beloved Community by combatting anti-Asian/Pacific Islander American violence, bias and racism

Proposed By: Ms. Mae Chao and the Rev. Janine Schenone

Name, Address, Phone Number of Delegate: The Rev. Janine Schenone and Ms. Mae Chao, 4321 Eastgate Mall, San Diego, CA. 858-692-5524.

Date: September 30, 2021

Resolved, that the 48th Convention of the Diocese of San Diego hereby agrees to stand with the Asian American/Pacific Islander members and communities and against anti-API racism to combat the significant and continuing upsurge of anti-API violence related to COVID-19; and be it further

Resolved, to embrace our baptismal promise to respect the dignity of every person by promoting racial justice, healing and reconciliation through preaching and liturgy; and be it further

Resolved, to increase understanding of API issues, anti-API bias and histories of oppression and resistance within the United States through formation and learning; and be it further

Resolved, to foster the above, the Diocese is urged to create relevant preaching, liturgical and educational resources; and be it further

Resolved, to engage local communities as partners and participants, fostering cooperation and collaboration. Encourage intergenerational, multi-cultural and multi-racial engagement. This includes demonstrating solidarity among API and other ethnic and racial minorities; and be it further

Resolved, to reach out to and listen to the stories, concerns, and visions of Asian and Pacific Islanders in our Diocese; and be it further

Resolved to support API businesses that have been disproportionately and negatively impacted by COVID-19 and discrimination; and be it further

Resolved, to report on implementation of this resolution to the Executive Council.

Explanation of Resolution: As followers of Jesus believe that all people are made in the image of God (Gen.1:27), we seek the well-being of very human being, paying particular attention to the marginalized, oppressed and suffering (Is. 1:17, Ps. 82.3, Mk 12:31, 1 Jn 4:21).

This resolution is put forward given the significant upsurge of anti-Asian/Pacific Island rhetoric and violence linked to COVID-19 and building on a long history of anti-Asian/ Pacific Island racism in the United States. This history includes the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882-1968); the Naturalization Act of 1970 prohibiting naturalized citizenship to those not white or of African descent; the mob attack of Filipino farmworkers seen dancing with white women in Watsonville, CA (1933); the Japanese Internment (1942-1945), the murder of Vincent Chin by Detroit auto-workers (1982), the Atlanta shooting massacre (2021), and the Model Minority myth. Stop AAPI Hate, a reporting database, reported 3,795 reports of anti-Asian discrimination between March 19, 2020 and February 28, 2021 with women reporting incidents at 2.3 times the rate of men.

It is also important to recognize that at times there have been tensions and lack of understanding between communities of color. The Asian/Pacific Islander American community and other communities of color have experienced and continue to experience racism daily. Therefore there is a need for solidarity and mutual actions among all communities of color.

May neighborhoods in the Diocese of San Diego have very high populations of people from Asian and Pacific Islander backgrounds, so we have a special responsibility to combat tendencies to dismiss the realities of racism and to stand with the Asian/Pacific Islander members of our congregations and communities.

RESOLUTION 21-05

Title: Becoming a more Beloved Community through listening and reconciliation

Proposed By: Ms. Mae Chao and the Rev. Janine Schenone

Name, Address, Phone Number of Delegate:The Rev. Janine Schenone and Ms. Mae Chao , 4321 Eastgate Mall, San Diego, CA. 858-692-5524.

Date: September 30, 2021

Resolved, That the 48th Convention of The Diocese of San Diego confesses that the sin of racism continues to plague our society and our Church at great cost to human life and human dignity; we formally acknowledge our historic and contemporary participation in this evil and repent of it; and be it further

Resolved, That we affirm as a top priority of The Episcopal Church in this century to engage in the challenging and difficult work of racial reconciliation through prayer, teaching, engagement, and action; and be it further

Resolved, That the Church understands and affirms that the call to pray and act for racial truth, justice and reconciliation is integral to our witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to our living into the demands of our Baptismal Covenant; and be it further

Resolved, that in response to The Episcopal Church’s call to listen to diverse neighbors and to develop reconciliation relationships, the Diocese of San Diego undertake truth and reconciliation practices to bring about justice. Such options might include listening campaigns in local communities, partnerships with churches and organizations comprised predominantly of a different race or culture (especially those targeted by oppression), neighborhood prayer walks, storytelling and speak-out events designed to facilitate truth-telling, healing and restorative action; and be it further

Resolved, to report on implementation of this resolution to the Executive Council.

Explanation of Resolution: At the General Convention of The Episcopal Church in 2015, delegates passed Resolution Number 2015-A182, which urges dioceses and congregations to create vehicles for listening to diverse neighbors and developing reconciling relationships. It is the mission of the Church to reconcile ourselves to God and one another through Jesus Christ. This can only happen when those who are oppressed are able to speak their truth, are heard deeply, and then all work for justice and reconciliation.

RESOLUTION 21-06

Title: Putting into Practice Locally the Episcopal Covenant for the Care of Creation

Proposed By: Episcopal Diocese of San Diego Creation Care Taskforce (CCTF) via Diane Lopez Hughes and Deann Rios

Name, Address, Phone Number of Delegate: Diane Lopez Hughes and Deann Rios 2083 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., San Diego, CA 92107 – (619) 291-5947

Date: September 30, 2021

Resolved, the 48th Convention of the Diocese of San Diego, joining in God’s love of creation and concerned about the global climate emergency, commits to take specific actions of engagement with the Covenant for the Care of Creation. Drawing from many approaches arising out of diverse contexts, we will act as individuals, congregations/ministries and the Diocese to commit to the Covenant and join the church-wide network to implement Loving Formation, Liberating Advocacy, and Life-Giving Conservation.

Loving Formation: Resolved, for God’s sake, we will enhance our love for the Earth and all of life through preaching, teaching, storytelling and prayer. Our actions may include sharing relevant preaching, liturgical and educational resources; organizing formation and learning opportunities and events; and promoting hands-on engagement with nature, e.g. gardens, farms, tree-planting.

Liberating Advocacy: Resolved, for God’s sake, standing alongside marginalized and vulnerable peoples and frontline communities, we will advocate and act to repair Creation and seek the liberation and flourishing of all people. Our actions may include learning about nearby climate crises and vulnerable communities; increasing understanding of environmental racism, eco-justice and environmental justice; learning and supporting church policies; and promoting partnerships with marginalized and vulnerable groups and communities.

Life-Giving Conservation: Resolved, for God’s sake, we will adopt practical ways of reducing our climate impact and living more humbly and gently on Earth as individuals, households, congregations, institutions and the Diocese. Our actions may include continuing to implement Resolution 20-03, “Advancing Creation Care through Clean Renewable Energy for EDSD Churches”; increasing understanding of how to make conscious choices about food, waste and land use; highlighting the local community gardens movement; and promoting resources to further foster Life-Giving Conservation actions.

Resolved, that progress on the implementation of the Episcopal Covenant for the Care of Creation within the San Diego Diocese will be reviewed and reported by the CCTF to the Executive Council.

Explanation of Resolution: As we daily witness the devastation of the created order around us, this resolution responds to the call of a global climate emergency by our church’s presiding bishop, the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry. Presiding Bishop Curry has placed creation care as one of his three top priorities. This resolution commits the EDSD to actively embrace the Episcopal Covenant for the Care of Creation.

There is strong Biblical support for the work of creation care. The scope of God’s love embraces not only humanity but also the rest of creation (Genesis 9:8-17), and we recognize that Jesus gave his life for the whole world so that all things could be reconciled (Colossians 1:15-20; Ephesians 1:10; 2 Corinthians 2:19).

The EDSD Creation Care Task Force, established by the EDSD at the recommendation of the Advocacy Committee, will facilitate and track implementation of this Resolution and support a commitment to put into action the Episcopal Covenant for the Care of Creation. The CCTF comprises representatives from congregations and ministries throughout the Diocese. Its mission is “to empower individuals and churches within the Diocese to love the Earth and all God’s creation, promote climate justice for all through advocacy and action, and reduce our footprint by living more humbly upon our common home.”

2020

Adopted Resolutions

A SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING RESOLUTION 20-01

We would like to point out specifically Resolution 20-01, the proposed change to the canons to accommodate issues surrounding the pandemic. It seeks to allow certain activities that are unique to the extraordinary circumstances in which we find ourselves. Examples include permission to hold a virtual convention, and calculation of number of delegates for convention 2021.

RESOLUTION 20-01

Title: That Diocesan Convention Adopt Certain Pandemic-Related Changes to Canons
Proposed By: The Executive Council, through Ms. Judith Brown

Name, Address, Phone Number of Delegate: Ms. Judith Brown, 2083 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., San Diego, CA 92107 – (619) 291-5947
Date: July 11, 2020

Resolved: That the Executive Council proposes that the Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego be amended to modify existing Canons I.4.03 and IV.2.03 and to adopt new Canon V.1.10 as reflected on the attached Exhibit A, and directs that the attached exhibit be submitted to the Secretary of Convention, as a proposed amendment of and addition to the Canons, prior to the deadline established in Canon V.1.01.

Explanation: The current pandemic and governmental restrictions imposed in response to it have made apparent that the existing Canons do not provide adequate flexibility to deal with changed circumstances. Proposed new Canon V.1.10 would allow for promulgation by the Bishop, with the consent of both Executive Council and Standing Committee, of a Declaration of Extraordinary Circumstances which would allow the Executive Council, with consent of the Bishop, to take actions in response to the extraordinary circumstances that would not otherwise be consistent with the Canons—e.g., suspension of Canon I.1.04’s requirement that the Diocesan Convention include a celebration of Holy Eucharist. This new Canon would also recognize that the 2020 coronavirus pandemic constitutes Extraordinary Circumstances, without any need for a Declaration or further action by Executive Council or Standing Committee. Two specific examples of response to Extraordinary Circumstances are in Canons I.1.04 and IV.2.03: the first would authorize use of prior year parochial report ASA in determining a congregation’s number of lay delegates to congregations; the second would allow Executive Council adjustment of a congregation’s Minimum Diocesan Contribution that would otherwise be set by the existing and unmodified portions of Canon IV.2.03. The resolution directs that the proposed amendments be submitted to the Secretary of Convention prior to the 90-day pre-Convention deadline.

Resolution 20-01 was amended as follows:

Resolved: That the Resolution 20-01 be amended to add the following language at the end of the proposed new Canon at Section 1.10.2: “and (ii) waiver, relaxation or other adjustment of the mandates of bylaws or other governing documents that would otherwise be applicable to a congregation.”

EXHIBIT A TO RESOLUTION 20-01

Proposed Canonical Changes

Note: Canons I.4.03 and IV.2.03 are existing canons, with proposed new language indicated in bold, underlined text. Proposed Canon V.1.10 does not now exist and is entirely new.

I.4.03 Election and Number of Lay Delegates. Lay Delegates to the Convention shall be elected according to the Bylaws of each congregation. The same number of Alternate Delegates shall be elected in like manner. Delegates and Alternates shall be confirmed communicants in good standing, entitled to vote in congregational meetings. In the Primary Convention, congregations in union with the Convention shall have the number of Delegates allowed under the Canons of the Diocese of Los Angeles, and congregations not in union with the Convention shall have a like number. In subsequent Conventions, all congregations shall be entitled to the following representation, based upon the average annual Sunday attendance as reported in the latest available annual parochial report, except that (i) in the case of a new mission where no annual parochial report has been filed by the time of Convention, such mission shall be entitled to the number of Delegates based on the average annual Sunday attendance as of the date of the establishment of such new mission, and (ii) following a Declaration of Extraordinary Circumstances (as defined in and established in accordance with Canon V.1.10), the Executive Council may, if appropriate, by resolution adopted with the written consent of the Bishop no later than fourteen (14) days before the Convention, restore the lay Delegate representation to the numbers based on the most recent parochial report before the Declaration of Extraordinary Circumstances:

1-75 attendants two delegates

76-175 attendants three delegates

176-275 attendants four delegates

276-375 attendants five delegates

376-500 attendants six delegates

501-625 attendants seven delegates

626 or more attendants eight delegates

*As used herein, the term "attendants" shall mean all attendants of Sunday services as reported on the Parochial Report.

All Delegates elected shall serve until their successors are elected. Delegates to the Diocesan Convention shall serve from the date of the Convention to which they were elected until the date of the next Annual Meeting of the Diocesan Convention, and shall serve at any Special Meetings of Convention occurring in the interim, including a Special Meeting of Convention for the Election of a Bishop, and until their successors are elected.

IV.2.03 Pledge and Payment of Diocesan Contribution. Each congregation is expected to pledge and contribute to The Diocesan Fund, as the minimum mandatory level of giving, ten and one half percent (10.5%) of its Net Disposable Income. Congregations are encouraged to contribute greater than ten and one half percent (10.5%) to the Diocesan Fund. Each congregation contributing greater than the minimum mandatory pledge can, in consultation with a subcommittee of executive council, designate a destination of their contribution above the mandatory minimum. Any congregation proposing to pledge less than the mandatory ten and one half percent (10.5%) of Net Disposable Income may, before submitting its pledge, seek a waiver from the Committee on Financial Review, as approved by the Bishop, of the minimum required pledge amount. Unless another payment schedule is arranged with the approval of the Bishop, the congregation shall pay its Diocesan contribution to the Treasurer of the Diocese in 12 equal installments, remittance to be made no later than the 15th of each month. For purposes of representation at Convention, a congregation will be deemed to have met its "Minimum Diocesan Contribution" only when the congregation has both (i) actually paid to the Diocesan Fund at least ten and one half percent (10.5%) of its Net Disposable Income for the second year immediately preceding the year in which the Convention is held, and (ii) pledged at least ten and one half percent (10.5%) of its Net Disposable Income as reported in its parochial report for the year immediately preceding the year in which the Convention is held; provided, however, that following a Declaration of Extraordinary Circumstances (as defined in and established in accordance with Canon V.1.10), the Executive Council may, by resolution adopted with the written consent of the Bishop, adjust the Minimum Diocesan Contribution for one or more congregations for the calendar year(s) during which the Declaration of Extraordinary Circumstances remains in effect. "Net Disposable Income," for purposes of this Canon, means a congregation's unrestricted income, as determined in accordance with guidelines from time to time by the Diocesan Executive Council.

[Proposed New Canon] V.1.10 Declaration of Extraordinary Circumstances.

This Canon recognizes that in Extraordinary Circumstances (as that term is defined below), it may not be advisable or even possible to observe or implement certain provisions of these Canons. By way of illustration only, if live in-person worship has been suspended for a number of months, average annual Sunday attendance as reported in an annual parochial report may not be a meaningful figure for determining lay Delegates to Convention using the table in Canon I.4.03, and it may be advisable to carry forward the same level of Delegate representation as in a prior year. Similarly, unemployment caused by the Extraordinary Circumstances coupled with the suspension of in-person worship may produce substantial adverse impacts on congregational income, making it advisable to lower a congregation’s Minimum Diocesan Contribution from the level that would be required under Canon IV.2.03. These two examples are not meant to be a complete list; there may be other consequences of either the Extraordinary Circumstances themselves, or of a governmental response thereto, that make waiver, relaxation or other adjustment of the mandates of one or more other Canons necessary or advisable, including (by way of example but without limitation) requirements for celebration of Holy Eucharist at each Convention, or for in-person meetings at specific locations.

1.10.1 From time to time, the Bishop, with the consent of the Standing Committee and Executive Council, may make a Declaration of Extraordinary Circumstances that specifies that Extraordinary Circumstances have been in existence since a date specified in the Declaration, and authorizing further action in accordance with this Canon. The Declaration shall be in force for an initial duration of one year from the date of Declaration of Extraordinary Circumstances and may be renewed or extended one or more times by the Bishop with the consent of the Standing Committee and Executive Council. Upon cessation or termination of the Extraordinary Circumstances that gave rise to the Declaration, the Bishop, after resolutions adopted by both the Standing Committee and the Executive Council, shall promulgate to the Diocese that for purposes of this Canon, the Extraordinary Circumstances are no longer in existence and (unless the Declaration has already expired without renewal) that the Declaration of Extraordinary Circumstances is therefore withdrawn. As used herein, the term “Extraordinary Circumstances” means a pandemic or epidemic, a natural disaster (including fire, earthquake or other severe act of weather or nature), an act or state of war or terrorism, or other comparable event, circumstance, or condition, or governmental action in response to any of the foregoing.

1.10.2 Following promulgation and for the duration of a Declaration of Extraordinary Circumstances, the Executive Council may, by resolutions adopted with the written consent of the Bishop, take such actions as are appropriate in response to the Extraordinary Circumstances, including but not limited to the relief already authorized under Canons I.4.03 and IV.2.03 and (ii) waiver, relaxation or other adjustment of the mandates of bylaws or other governing documents that would otherwise be applicable to a congregation.

1.10.3 By adoption of this Canon, and without the need for further action by Standing Committee, Executive Council or Bishop, a Declaration of Extraordinary Circumstances is deemed to have been promulgated with respect to the novel coronavirus pandemic of 2020, with Extraordinary Circumstances deemed to have been in existence since March 17, 2020, and with the Declaration to remain in force indefinitely until withdrawn as set forth above.

RESOLUTION 20-02

Title: Replace Canon 9 Regarding The Historiographer
Proposed By: The Nominating Committee, through Mr. Lawrence Salvadori
Name, Address, Phone Number of Delegate: Mr. Lawrence Salvadori, 2083 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., San Diego, CA 92107, 858-485-5434
Date: July 3, 2020

Resolved, That Canon 9 be replaced in its entirety with the following:

CANON 9. THE ARCHIVIST/HISTORIOGRAPHER (A/H)

9.00 Job Description. The Archivist/Historiographer (“A/H”) serves as the custodian of the diocesan and other institutional records vital to the Church’s mission and operation. The A/H supports the goals of the Diocese by managing and auditing the archiving of permanent records in compliance with legal requirements, historical use, and standard archiving professional practices. The A/H works with diocesan staff and appropriate committees to establish standard retention practices for the management of temporary and permanent records. The A/H assists Parishes in finding appropriate solutions for keeping their archives secure and carrying out effective records management. As diocesan Historiographer, the A/H shall preserve and archive those artifacts, gifts, and objects of historical significance to the Diocese, and write the official histories of groups, periods of time, and diocesan institutions, as requested.

9.01 Audit Responsibility (Limited). The A/H shall have auditing and reporting responsibility for diocesan and parish archiving of required records including sacramental, legal, financial, and historical. Audit responsibility for required financial records shall be limited to records retention and accessibility only.

9.02 Required records. The A/H shall maintain a listing of required records, and an approved retention schedule.

9.03 Appointment of an Assistant. The A/H shall, with the approval of the Bishop, have the authority to appoint a qualified Assistant A/H to assist in carrying out the objectives of the A/H job description embodied in 9.00. The authority may also include forming an A/H Records Audit Group of 2-6 members.

9.04 Report to Convention. The A/H shall present a report to each annual Convention of the Diocese including, but not limited to, newly donated or acquired historical materials and conformances to archival standards.

9.05 Term of Serving. The A/H shall be elected at annual convention to serve a 4-year term. The A/H can serve consecutive terms.

Resolved, That the effective date of this Resolution is immediate upon adoption of this Resolution by the voting members of this Convention.

RESOLUTION 20-03

Title: Advancing Creation Care through Clean Renewable Energy for EDSD Churches
Proposed By: The Property Committee via the Rev. Bob Nelson

Name, Address, Phone Number of Delegate: The Rev. Bob Nelson, 2083 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., San Diego, CA 92107, 619-291-5947

Date: October 1, 2020

Resolved: Resolved, that the 47th Convention of the Diocese of San Diego hereby agrees to elevate our aspirations toward Creation Care by moving the Diocese's properties toward “net zero energy ” by the end of 2022. We commit ourselves to the global, regional and local mission of passionate Creation Care through participation in this ”Future Bound Solar Initiative”.

Through the following steps, we demonstrate that our Climate Care concerns extend to all the physical properties under our stewardship, to ensure that each of these can move into the decades ahead making as positive an impact on our beloved Creation as possible. To begin down the path toward responsible energy use, we look forward to participating in the Diocesan-offered Future Bound Solar Initiative through the following steps:

Conducting energy assessments of church properties to identify opportunities to ensure maximum efficient use of purchased electricity;

Facilitating a three-step church-driven process to complete the necessary homework prerequisite to undertaking, procuring and financing solar- and energy efficiency actions, all of which reduce climate-damaging carbon emissions;

Offering an industry-leading financing package to enable EDSD churches to maximize financial savings while improving their emissions reductions efforts substantially;

[In 2021] Introducing a “carbon dashboard” to participating churches, to enable their tracking and continuous improvement in carbon reduction through future efforts toward “net zero energy” and continuous improvement in Creation Care; and Standing as an example to other Dioceses to move dramatically forward together in solidarity in the face of racial and climate injustice.

Resolved, that progress on this agreement’s implementation will be reported at regular intervals to the Diocese of San Diego. This agreement will also be reviewed yearly with an eye toward evaluating the potential of successor actions to catalyze deeper levels of Creation Care through congregational actions as well as property stewardship;

Resolved, that as part of this ”Future Bound Solar Initiative”, progress will be monitored through regular updates to the Diocesan Property and Executive Committees.

Explanation of Resolution: Explanation of Resolution: The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego stands strong in its concern for the health of the biosphere on which we depend. This concern deepens with each passing year of higher average temperatures throughout our region, wider wildfire damage and worsening water shortages. As the natural systems on which we depend reach their breaking points, and as growing populations draw on those same limited resources, we must turn our buildings and practices toward better, more efficient and less harmful technologies to meet our needs. Maximizing efficient use of electricity, replacing purchased electricity with solar electricity generated on our properties, these are the first steps along a path of responsibly improving our impact on the environment. By using cleaner, lower-impact forms of energy, tracking and mitigating those uses as technologies continue to improve, we work toward ensuring that Creation's incredible natural diversity in species and habitat can survive for generations to come.

In 2019 - 2020, the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego:
Conducted exploratory research, outreach and interviews with six providers of solar development services, refining in the process our criteria for project success with EDSD properties;

Selected Fellowship Energy Finance LLC (FEF) as the exclusive provider of solar development services to EDSD, under a Memorandum of Understanding. Under this agreement FEF provides 100% of its services without cost to EDSD;

Developed a three-stage initiative for all EDSD churches wishing to consider the potential of energy efficiency, advanced energy controls and solar electricity to offset their greenhouse gas emissions while also providing financial savings to the church;

Offered all EDSD churches the opportunity to apply for a state-funded incentive program to install electricity storage systems on their campuses. 25 churches stepped forward to apply for these grants; three grants were awarded;

Offered 25 EDSD churches free energy audits in 2020, including evaluation of advanced energy management systems for potential application in appropriate settings. 12 audits have been completed to date.
Developed a financing package for solar and energy efficiency measures that requires no capital contribution by the church or EDSD; ensures immediate savings on church electricity bills, the opportunity for system ownership after five years and generates significant reduction in carbon emissions over the project life;

Conducted competitive requests for proposals on behalf of nine EDSD churches, resulting in finalized contracts and 2020 construction for two projects to date.

2019 REcap

Bishop Susan Brown Snook

AdDress to Diocesan Convention

“But remember what courage is—courage is acting in the face of fear. [...] Courage comes from the same place that love comes from—love comes from our heart. ”