The Episcopal Church Office of Government Affairs has created a toolkit,  Vote Faithfully 2018 , for use in advance of the November 6 election. Resources include action steps for individuals and worship materials for congregations.  Learn more .
Prayer for Bishop Nominating Committee
Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a bishop for this diocese, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen. - For the Election of a Bishop, Book of Common Prayer

45th Annual Diocesan Convention
Friday - Saturday, November 9 - 10
Register today for the annual diocesan convention, which takes place at St. Dunstan's, 6556 Park Ridge Blvd., San Diego. Regular registration is $75 until October 15. Late registration is $85 until November 2.

Paperless Convention
New this year is a convention app that will contain nominee information, resolutions, worship resources, servant ministry awards, and your link to online voting. This will replace the hard copy convention book. We appreciate your help as we strive to be a lean, nimble church and good stewards of God's creation. Be on the lookout for instructions on downloading the app.

Lodging
Our diocese has not reserved a block of rooms for this convention, however, you may view a list of hotels we have compiled, including distance from St. Dunstan's, the location of convention, the regular room rate, and a link to their website.

Convention Kids
On both Friday and Saturday, nursery care will be available for infants through age 3. Engaging, educational programming is available for children ages 4 through 14.

Convention Teens
Youth in grades 6 - 12 are invited to Choose Joy! This one-day workshop will explore how to build, chase, grow and share joy. $10 per student. Scholarships available. Registration required.

Ministry Together Service Project
Please bring diapers, new socks, new underwear or peanut butter in plastic jars for one of our diocesan ministries. Together we can grow in faith through service. Collections of diapers will go to families served by RefugeeNet. New socks and new underwear will help clients of Episcopal Community Services (ECS). Low-sodium peanut butter will go to low-income seniors at St. Paul's Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Camp Stevens, Vida Joven and Episcopal Relief & Development will not take up collections at convention, but they will be present in some way at convention and are part of Ministry Together!

Diocesanwide Choir
If you would like to sing in our diocesanwide choir at convention, please contact St. Dunstan's Music Director Gregory Funk . Basses will be given priority.

Banners & Stands
Bring your congregation's banner and stand to St. Dunstan's. The banners will process in during the Eucharist, so please also designate a willing soul to process with it. RSVP to  Kent Branstetter .

Online Voting
All voting delegates be sure to bring your charged phone or tablet for online voting at convention. Remember to pack your charger and cord. A sample ballot is online for voting practice.

Enhanced Hearing with T-coil
If you plan to attend diocesan convention and you have hearing aids, consider switching to the T-coil. The St. Dunstan's sanctuary is equipped to provide you with a crisp and clear listening experience. 

¿Necesita Traducción? 
Sesiones de negocio y Eucaristía serán traducidos al español. Pasa la voz y por favor háganos saber si usted desea utilizar los servicios de traducción. (Spanish translation will be provided for the business sessions and the Eucharist. Please spread the word and let us know if you would like to use the translation services.) Contacto  Keren Mondaca , 619-481-5454.

Responding to Hurricane Florence
Episcopal Relief & Development (ERD) responds with emergency assistance following Hurricane Florence. Donations to the US Disaster Fund will help those affected by this most recent natural disaster. ERD focuses on working with congregations as they assess damange and respond to critical needs in communities for many months to come.
Family Harvest Weekend
Friday - Sunday, October 12 - 14
October is a beautiful time of year at Camp Stevens. The air is crisp, and the days are still long. Past Harvest Weekends have featured everything from pretzel baking in our wood-burning cob oven to scarecrow building. And we’ll always have some camp classics, like the climbing wall and evening campfires.  Bring family and friends to celebrate the bounty and beauty of this season’s gifts! Register at campstevens.org
Multicultural Fall Children's Festival
Saturday, October 13, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Good Samaritan, 4321 Eastgate Mall, San Diego

Bring your children, grandchildren and friends to Episcopal Asiamerica Ministry’s event, the Multicultural Fall Children’s Festival. Enjoy a lion dance, music by the St. Luke’s band and choir, the Matrida Umoja Band, Filipino Igorot dance, children’s programs and an international lunch. $10 adults; $5 children.

Safe Church Live Training
Saturday, October 20, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
St. Alban's, 490 Farragut Circle, El Cajon

This live training is open to all in church leadership positions. Questions? Contact the Rev. Dave Madsen.
St. Mark's, Music Night: COCO
Saturday, October 13, 7pm
St. Mark's, City Heights will host a community movie night complete with popcorn and lemonade.

St. Mary's, Ramona's 9th Annual Bluegrass Festival
Saturday, October 27, 12 - 7 p.m.

Come enjoy seven bands, music, food, workshops, camping, classic car show and more. St. Mary's, 1010 12th St., Ramona. $15 per adult. $10 Kids 7-16. FREE Kids 6 and under.

Matrida Umoja Band's Fall Concert
Saturday, October 27, 6:30 p.m.
Join us for Matrida's fall concert, featuring invited guests, Joshua Promise and the Gospel Band from Dallas, Texas. Enjoy an evening of uplifting spiritual music and dancing while you help support refugees living in San Diego and in the Nyarugusu Camp in Tanzania. St. Luke's, 3725 30th St., San Diego.

Art from Outside Exhibition
Friday, November 2, 4 - 7 p.m.

Episcopal Community Services (ECS) and St. James, La Jolla   invite you to attend an art reception. Pieces created by ECS Street Artz program participants will be available for purchase. Enjoy learning about this unique art therapy program for homeless, mentally ill adults. FREE event; refreshments provided.   


Save the Date: Cathedral Alternative Gifts Expo on Sunday, December 2
Join St. Paul's Cathedral on Sunday, December 2 from 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Discover holiday gifts from across the globe that bring a world of good. Enjoy a good time with family and friends purchasing holiday gifts that make a difference. Live music along with hot soup and bread will be available for a pleasant shopping experience.

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: February 11 - 21, 2019
The Rev. Mark McKone-Sweet, rector of St. Bartholomew's, Poway, will be our travel chaplain on this transformative trip to the Holy Land. The trip includes five nights in Jerusalem and three nights on the Sea of Galilee. $3,199 for the whole trip including airfare from San Diego. Brochures available.

Beyond Our Diocese
Harvest Season Reflections
For materials related to economic, racial and environmental justice that may spur your thinking as we wrap up this church year, view the Harvest Season Reflections. Provided by the Episcopal Networks Collaborative.
Stewardship Lessons from the Dominican Republic and Latin America
This article is also available in Spanish here . Este artículo está disponible en español aquí .

Stewardship is critical to the dignity and sustainability of the church in Latin America and the Dominican Republic. It is so important that the members of every mission and congregation should offer a tithe or pledge to support their local and diocesan mission. Likewise, every mission and congregation needs a stewardship committee to conduct an annual campaign and help its members understand stewardship.

Our diocese has a membership with  The Episcopal Network for Stewardship  (TENS). This membership allows congregations to use the stewardship resources provided by TENS. We hope you'll take advantage of these resources in your congregation by visiting the TENS website with username Mark and password 10:21.
Plan Ahead for Upcoming Conferences
2019 FORMA Conference: Formed to Proclaim
 
The  2019 Forma conference will take place January 23-25 in Indianapolis. The conference will explore the questions: How does liturgy form us, and how are we forming people for evangelism? Early bird rates expire October 15.

EpisComm19
Keynote Speaker:
Nadia Bolz-Weber

Episcopal web masters, writers, Instagrammers, bulletin creators, editors, photographers and other content creators are welcome to attend the annual communications conference April 29 - May 3 in Denver.

What's New, What's Now, What's Next: Boston

On February 20 - 23 the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes will host its annual conference in Boston. Dr. Cristena Cleveland, Mr. Ray Suarez, the Rev. Dr. Sam Wells are some of the speakers.