Transformation Academy: April 15 from 6-7:30 |
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Register Today for the second Transformation Academy class:
The Discipleship Academy! April 15 from 6-7:30pm
FEATURING KEYNOTE SPEAKER, THE REV. CANON DR. DAWN DAVIS: FORMED FOR RELATIONSHIP: DISCIPLESHIP IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
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Rev. Canon Dr. Dawn Davis is Assistant Professor of Contextual Theology and Director of Leadership for Ministry Programs at Huron University College, part of the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont. She's an experienced Anglican priest with professional human resources certification, specializing in training and development, and organizational behavior. She also holds a doctorate in ministry in spiritual formation.
Dawn has a passion for inspiring and growing faith and confidence among lay leaders. She authored the Revive program through RenewalWorks, a ministry of Forward Movement, to help parishes facilitate growth in spiritual vitality.
Rev. Canon Dr. Davis will be delivering the keynote address “Formed for Relationship: Discipleship in the Episcopal Church” as well as breakout session 1, in which she will lead us in a spiritual prayer practice.
Breakout Session 2 will be led by EDSD Youth Missioner, Charlette Preslar: Beyond "Youth Group: How to Create Connection Whether You Are Just Starting Out or Looking to Grow”
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An Easter Message from Bishop Susan Brown Snook |
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Easter begins in darkness: the darkness of a pre-dawn morning as women walk through sleeping city streets to the tomb of their beloved rabbi. Grief-stricken and shocked, they are unaware of the glorious sunrise that awaits them, when they discover the empty tomb and hear the news that Christ is Risen.
There’s a sense in which this long pandemic season has felt like the darkness of a pre-dawn morning. We wait for the sun to rise, hoping that our life will soon be restored to normal. We grieve the many changes we’ve seen in our world over the past year: the disease, deaths, conflicts, injustice, economic losses, racism, and deep political divisions we have been shocked to experience.
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Bishop Jim Mathes to Retire from Virginia Theological Seminary
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The Rt. Rev. James Mathes, the fourth bishop of San Diego, has announced his retirement from Virginia Theological Seminary effective September 1, 2021. With his spouse, Terri Mathes, he will be returning to San Diego to make it his retirement home. While at VTS, he has served as Associate Dean of Students, Director of Contextual Ministry, Director of Anglican Studies, and Associate Dean of Chapel. Bishop Mathes served as Diocesan Bishop here in the Diocese of San Diego from 2005 to 2017.
Bishop Susan Brown Snook is very happy to welcome the Matheses home to San Diego. With his return, she is delighted to announce that Bishop Mathes has accepted the position of Dean of Studies of the School for Ministry. He will oversee academic matters, student affairs, and the launch of a new curriculum this fall to form leaders for the church. He will work with Archdeacon Pam Rieger, who will continue as Rector of the School for Ministry. Bishop Mathes' seminary experience makes him the ideal candidate for the Dean of Studies position, and as the founder of the School for Ministry, he will be a leader who can help shepherd the school through a new visioning and curriculum process.
Bishop Mathes will work remotely part of the time through the end of 2021, as he will continue to teach a course at VTS until then. His permanent move to San Diego will occur by the end of 2021. We look forward to welcoming him home!
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Camp Stevens Given the Okay to Open |
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Camp Stevens has been given the go-ahead by the state to open resident camps so long as we stay out of the Purple Tier and camp planning is in full swing! If you're hoping to register for camp, now is the time. Sessions are filling up quickly, and several camp options (Phoenix Hill Sessions 1 and 3) are completely full and on a waitlist. The earlier you register or sign up for a waitlist, the easier it is for Camp Stevens to adjust plans, hire the appropriate number of staff, and make room for waitlisted campers. Register or learn more at www.campstevens.org/summer.
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Save the Date: Called to the Wall - May 15, 2021 |
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The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego continues to be called to the wall. Join us on May 15 from 4-6:30pm for Called to the Wall: Building Bridges of Healing and Reconciliation. This year's event will be held online--giving us the opportunity to learn and worship with even more people. Register Today
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Beauty out of brokenness: the Easter promise of renewal |
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By: the Rev. Laurel Mathewson |
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[Union Tribune] The promise of faith is simply that those who sincerely seek will and do meet this living and gracious Lord, in countless ways and on variable timelines
You’ll forgive me if I’m not in the mood for a peeps-and-pink-bunnies Easter, or even a brunch-with-bubbly-and-long-lost-buddies Easter.
In January, I met friends at the beach who were caring for an 11-year-old who had just lost her father to COVID-19 (her mother was busy making burial arrangements).
In February, I brought banana bread to a household rocked by the death of a young man whose mental health had unraveled and supports had crumbled under the pressures of the pandemic. Read More
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2 Easter Sermon Available for Download |
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2 Easter – The Diocesan Offices' recording of the Rev. Canon Gwynn Lynch's 2-Easter sermon is available for download here. Canon Gwynn will also be celebrating and preaching at St. Bartholomew’s on 2 Easter. The 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. services will be available for viewing through St. Bart's livestream.
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Simpler Living Faith Forum |
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Spring is here, and Simpler Living, St Paul’s Cathedral's ministry focused on creation care and environmental justice, will host four Faith Forums on Sundays, April 11 - May 2, from 9am to 10am via Zoom. You are invited to join these conversations! Recordings will also be available. The forums will speak to the theme, Rising to the Challenge.
April 11 - Good Neighbor Gardens: Mia Vaughnes, co-founder and developer of an innovative approach to community gardening aimed at improving access to good food for neighbors grown by neighbors, will describe how the Gardens program works and how we can get involved.
April 18 - Honing Spirituality for OneEarth Ways: Author and co-leader of JubileeEconomics Ministries, Lee Van Ham, will address three life choices that impact our challenge of living together at this critical time: where we bank, what we eat, and a theology that includes finding new relationships with all beings and with the meaning of the cross.
April 25 - Creation Care Sunday, Rising in Faithful Challenge: Simpler Living ministry members Erika Morgan, Joan Reese, and Diane Lopez Hughes will share their efforts related to three climate change solutions and invite discussion to increase our commitment.
May 5 - Joyfully Embracing our Vocation to Restore God's Gift of Creation: Climate Church, Climate World author, Jim Antal, will invite us to embrace our role at such a time as this (Esther 4:14), a time when our commitments and actions will affect countless generations.
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Congregational Audit Information |
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Each year all churches are required by The Episcopal Church to conduct a financial audit. Each diocese is allowed to determine the types of audits congregations are required to have. The Diocese of San Diego has in the past stipulated an array of audit types based on the total revenue of congregations.
Due to the transition occurring in the finance and accounting department of the diocese, we are simplifying the guidelines this year and will require either an external audit or a committee audit depending on congregational revenue. Revenue thresholds that require an external audit are listed below. All other congregations will conduct an internal (committee) audit.
External audits are required as follows (These requirements were revised February 2020):
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Churches with revenues greater than $2 million: Please contact Julie Young at [email protected] to see if an external audit is necessary.
- Churches with revenue between $500,000 and $2 million: External audit every third year with committee audits or diocesan reviews in intervening years.
- Churches with revenue less than $500,000: Committee audit and/or diocesan review performed every year with a diocesan field audit at least once every three years.
- All revenue from your church, school and thrift shop are to be included to determine the type of audit necessary.
Your submittal to the diocese will be reviewed. Additional information may be requested particularly for congregations in transition of rector, vicar or priest in charge or that prior audits indicated insufficient internal controls or financial statements.
Please email Julie Young at [email protected] by May 1 to inform her of what type of audit will be conducted. Upon receipt of that email, you will be sent the audit package electronically.
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New TENS Resources and Log-in for 2021 |
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The diocese is a member of TENS (The Episcopal Network for Stewardship), an association of church leaders, both lay and ordained, “who are committed to living generously and helping others live lives of generosity.”
All churches in the diocese can access member resources, which include creative materials for the annual pledge campaign. To access TENS membership materials please contact Director of Communications, Chris Tumilty for the new TENS password.
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RenewalWorks: Where is God Calling Us to Grow? |
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What is RenewalWorks and how can it help your church?
Through an anonymous online evaluation of each parishioner, and a series of guided workshop discussions with our staff, the RenewalWorks process helps churches (and the individuals in them) refocus on spiritual growth and identify ways that God is calling them to grow. The methodology has been tailored to the Episcopal tradition, adapting over 10 years of research that has uncovered key characteristics of flourishing congregations. It will inspire your congregation and leadership to rediscover who Jesus is, and what it means to follow him.
How does it work?
The RenewalWorks process begins with an anonymous, confidential, online survey (we call it the Episcopal Spiritual Life Inventory) taken by congregants, exploring that individual’s spiritual life. Individual responses are combined and viewed as a group, providing a snapshot of the spiritual vitality of the congregation based on research from more than 1,800 churches (of all denominations) and almost 500,000 congregants.
When can you participate?
Although you could launch RenewalWorks at any time, several congregations in EDSD are planning to participate in RenewalWorks during this upcoming season of Lent. This project is perfectly suited to the reflective spirit of this season and would provide an opportunity for us to seek God's direction together, even as we remain socially distanced.
Contact Canon Christian Gillette at [email protected] as soon as possible for more information on how your congregation can participate in this exciting discovery and discernment process.
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Beware of Phishing Attempts |
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If you receive a suspicious email from an address that seems to be Bishop Susan, but it is not from an @edsd.org email account, it is a phishing attempt. Bishop Susan will never email you asking for funds or financial support by way of gift cards. Nor will the bishop's emails be filled with grammatical errors. Every official email from the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego comes from an @edsd.org email address. |
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Phishing is a cyber attack that uses disguised email as a weapon. The goal is to trick the email recipient into believing that the message is something they want or need — a request from their bank, for instance, or a note from someone in their company — and to click a link or download an attachment.
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Faith to Go: Your weekly formation resources |
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A Weekly, On The Go Resource for Parents and Non-Parents Alike
Hosted by the Faith To Go team in the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, David Tremaine and Charlette Preslar. Joined each week by a special guest, the Faith To Go team highlights themes from the Sunday Gospel reading for you to take into your faith discussions and reflections throughout the week. More Here
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EDSD.org Under Construction |
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404 Error: Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.
EDSD.org is going through some changes. You may find that your bookmarked or saved links are now broken, or that information you're used to finding has been moved.
Please be patient as we work to update EDSD.org to better serve you into the future. If you have questions or come across a broken link, please email Director of Communications, Chris Tumilty. Thank you for your help while we work to better our digital presence.
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Resources for Emotional Support |
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The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is changing life for all of us. You may feel anxious, stressed, worried, sad, bored, depressed, lonely or frustrated in these circumstances.
You’re not alone!
Find resources to connect with real people that can help, here.
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Public Statement of our Commitment |
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Any church in our diocese is welcome to use this statement, for instance as a clergy-vestry joint statement, or as an ongoing statement in your bulletin. |
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As part of the Jesus Movement and the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, we pledge to love our neighbors and protect the most vulnerable among us, remembering our baptismal vows to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” We live these pledges out by actively engaging in dismantling racism. For many of us, this will mean learning more about our racial identity, listening to those who have experienced racial prejudice, speaking out against racism, and showing up alongside those in our community working to change unjust systems in our society. We also live out this pledge at worship during this pandemic, by wearing face-coverings, respecting distancing guidelines, foregoing the common cup and refraining from congregational singing. |
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Diocesan Staff: Working Remotely |
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