ComFest Wrapup

Over 40 people gathered for ComFest, a one-day mini-conference all about communications on Saturday, August 19 at the Episcopal Church Center in Ocean Beach. Five members of The Episcopal Church staff traveled to San Diego to present about communications topics for the people of our diocese. Following a few words about the importance of communication from our assisting bishop, the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, and a humorous introduction by Mrs. Pat Carson, member of St. Peter’s and co-chair of the diocesan communications committee, Ms. Neva Rae Fox led the opening plenary and discussed communications as evangelism. Then participants broke into two different workshop offerings: crisis communications with Fox again and a workshop on social media and digital evangelism with Jeremy Tackett, digital evangelist, and Chris Sikkema, digital evangelist coordinator. Two other workshops occurred: video streaming and recording led by Mike Collins, multimedia services manager and website development led by Barry Merer, web services manager.

Hospitality included gluten-free, vegan brownies made by Ms. Charlette Preslar, member of Christ Church, Coronado and a member of the diocesan communications committee. The recipe is here. Preslar also led a lunchtime conversation on digital evangelism that helped the group loosen up and get to know one another through sharing of communications bloopers. The day concluded with a Q&A session with all presenters, which helped tie up any loose ends for participants. Preslar led the closing prayer:

Dear God, Thank you for this day. Thank you for the people gathered here in this room to teach, to share, and to learn. Thank you for those vested with the great joy and responsibility of sharing your message with the world. Give us a heart for service and a willingness to work in community. Help us to look to each other for guidance and support. Remind us that there is joy in a typo, that each day affords us the gift of new beginnings, and that Your grace provides us the strength to breathe into this ministry to which we are called. Help us to remember that we belong to each other, just as we belong to You. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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Attendee Survey