A view from the Hill
Beyond the Hill
Information, Invitations, and more from Beyond the Hill
Week of October 27, 2019
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A Great Cloud of Witnesses
Who do you turn to in the "great cloud of witnesses" for encouragement, prayer, strength, wisdom?

Spanning the centuries and including saints known mostly to us (All Souls) this week is rich with examples to inspire and encourage us along the Way. John Wyclif is considered by some to be " a forerunner of the Protestant Reformation." Maryam of Qidun is " one of the most popular Syriac Christian saints." Take time to read the story of these holy women and holy men. Remember the faithful departed known mostly to you, saints whom you love but see no longer.

Keep learning ~Fr. Dan

Note: Major Feasts of the Episcopal Church are often highlighted in BOLD print in church calendars.
Here is the Calendar for OCTOBER 27 – NOVEMBER 2
Sources: 

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Salt & Light
Salt and Light is a weekly email from the bishop's office
Sustaining Healthy Churches
by Mr. Steve Turnbull, Chairperson, Healthy Church Work Group
Posted on 27 October 2019
"So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." ~ Acts 2:41-42

Imagine if every one of our churches in the Diocese of San Diego could be perfectly healthy, vibrant, and thriving. What if all our churches are engaged by faith like the early church?

Our diocesan executive council created the Healthy Church Work Group (HCWG) in June 2018. The HCWG aims to:
  • develop criteria for strategic resource use
  • review 2017 and 2018 parochial report data
  • activate resource sharing groups
  • support small churches, and
  • focus on developing community relationships with other dioceses and denominations.
A Strategic Plan for the Diocese
Building a New Strategic Plan and Gathering Data for a New Strategic Plan were written by the Co-chairs of the Pre-planning Work Group. I encourage you to read about their work and their hopes and then, add your prayers to mine as we work with our God to bring the Good News to life in our little part of the world. ~Fr. Dan
The data accumulated at the end of September in the various Listening Sessions is now being collated and evaluated. A Pre-planning Work Group " has begun to gather research materials at the national, regional, diocesan, and congregational levels to understand our current cultural contexts as well as the challenges and opportunities they present." Here are links to the work being imagined and being accomplished as we work together toward a new strategic plan:
Diocesan Convention
Friday-Saturday, November 8-9
St. Margaret's Church in Palm Desert
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The Episcopal Church
Boston cathedral’s call to be a ‘house of prayer’ extends to Muslims’ Friday prayers
Between 300 and 350 Muslims gather weekly in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul’s sanctuary for Friday prayers. The cathedral has offered the Muslim community a convenient downtown location to pray since August 2000.
Photo: Lynette Wilson/Episcopal News Service
[Episcopal News Service – Boston] Ayman Bassyouni arrives early at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul around noon each Friday to lay 15 rows of silk prayer rugs end to end on the sanctuary’s floor.

An Egyptian, Bassyouni regularly attends jumah, or Friday prayers, at the Episcopal cathedral. He is one of a few hundred men and a handful of women – mostly immigrants from North Africa, South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the Balkans – who pray there together.

In Islam, Friday is considered the sacred day of worship; ordinarily, Muslims pray five times a day, but on Friday, males are obliged to pray in congregation at midday.

The cathedral’s longstanding welcome of the Muslim community is one way it lives into its mission to be “a house of prayer for all people.” In the United States, where religious literacy is in decline but religion plays an increasing role in the cultural narrative, interfaith relationships build tolerance.

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World Wide
Anglican Communion
Archbishop’s call to prayer impacts churches around the world
Posted to ACNS on: October 24, 2019 3:48 PM

[ACNS, by Rachel Farmer] A bishop from Bangladesh claims the Archbishop of Canterbury’s global ecumenical call to prayer has helped bring new life to the church with more people attending services and Christians praying together more frequently.

The Bishop of Barisal, Shourabh Pholia, part of the Anglican Church of Bangladesh, reported back on the impact of Thy Kingdom Come, which was run for the fourth time between Ascension and Pentecost this year.

He said: “In many places, they were so encouraged that they are continuing their prayer twice in a week or once in a week. Some of our priests said that the church has got a new life and now more are attending services. Children, youth and women were encouraged to pray, and they received blessings.”

This year more than two million Christians in 172 countries (almost 90% of the world’s countries) and across 65 different denominations and traditions took part in the 11 day wave of prayer in May and June.

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US DISASTER PROGRAM
2016 Sand Fire
As fires burn in our state, one way we can come to the aid of our neighbors is through the US Disaster Program of Episcopal Relief and Development. ~Fr. Dan
Episcopal Relief and Development
Episcopal Relief & Development’s US Disaster Program works in areas across the United States that have been affected by disasters. By offering resources and training to help communities prepare for disasters and providing emergency support, we help vulnerable groups of people to make a full and sustained recovery.
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Neighboring Churches
Saturday, November 2
  • Holiday Bazaar
  • ECW Bake Sale
  • Good Shepherd in Hemet
Sunday, November 3, at 3:45 PM
  • Frederick Swan
  • Organ Recital
  • St. Margaret's in Palm Desert
Sunday, November 3 at 4:00 PM
  • Evensong for All Saints Day
  • St. Margaret's in Palm Desert
Wednesday, November 6 at 7:00 PM
  • Taizé Service
  • Good Shepherd in Hemet
Saturday, December 7 from 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Sunday, December 8 at 7:00 PM
The Rev. Susan Latimer
Rector, Church of the Good Shepherd, Hemet
The Rev. Susan J. Latimer, a third-generation Southern Californian returning home after 35 years on the east coast, began July 1 as the new rector of The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Hemet. During her 27 years of ordained ministry, she has served as a priest in the Dioceses of Atlanta, Maine, West Virginia, and Southwest Florida. Read the rest of her story.
Beyond the Hill seeks to inform you about events and programs:
  1. sponsored by parishes in our diocese,
  2. sponsored by our diocese,
  3. occurring within Province 8 of the Episcopal Church,
  4. sponsored by The Episcopal Church,
  5. occurring within the Worldwide Anglican Communion.

Similarly, when our Bishop Susan or other bishops (including the Presiding Bishop) write letters for distribution I will link to them in our Beyond the Hill Newsletter.

Beyond the Hill also seeks to keep you connected to the many ways we Episcopalians/Anglicans are “doing the work God has given us to do … as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord.” (BCP 366, adapted)
~Fr. Dan
Be well.
Do good.
Pay attention.
Keep learning.
Father Dan
Vicar