Camp Stevens, an Episcopal camp and retreat center just outside of downtown Julian, has shifted gears this year—instead of summer camp for 100 kids every week, the facility now offers day use for hiking, swimming, meditating in the outdoor chapel, as well as small overnight retreats for individuals and families. Nestled on 256 acres of […]
Dear Friends in Christ, I am writing to you with regret to ask you once more to suspend in-person worship at our churches during the month of July. This decision does not come without significant prayer, discussion, and deep thought. As you may know, the governor of California today instituted broad restrictions on in-person […]
As people of faith, we believe that all people were created in the image of God and are beloved by God. Christian tradition, following Jewish tradition before it, tells us that God particularly cares for those who are oppressed. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus’ mother Mary sings about what God is doing in Jesus when she […]
I deeply appreciate the hard work congregations are doing to plan for restarting in-person worship. I have said previously that in-person worship may begin on June 21, but congregations may start later than June 21 if that is appropriate for their context. In making this determination, task forces should consider their physical context, the age […]
My eldest son is among the graduates of the Class of 2020. He had his last day of high school and didn’t even know it. He was born into the world of 9/11, and like many, he ended his high school career by marching–in solidarity—chanting, “This is what democracy looks like” rather than humming Pomp and […]
For our diocese, one of the hardest consequences of sheltering in place was the suspension of many services to our less fortunate neighbors. Church members bemoaned the fact that Showers of Blessings, food distribution, and other similar efforts needed to wait until the pandemic passes us by. That is because our diocese is deeply committed […]
On June 6, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. we will honor the High School Seniors in our diocese with a live streamed baccalaureate service. Bishop Susan Brown Snook is excited to lead us in a service filled with youth readers, musicians, and a virtual procession of the graduates. In a time where so many of the […]
We Need a New Liturgy for a New Medium The church has changed. We all knew it was coming. Not the devastation as COVID-19 sweeps through our communities; rather, we knew the digital era, online church, and a great change to how we worship and gather as a community was coming. Now it is […]
Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! When can we reopen our churches? It’s the question at the top of most of our minds. I don’t know the answer yet, but I will be watching guidance that comes out from governmental authorities to determine the best time to begin a phased reopening, […]
April 22, 2020 was the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a day instituted to aid in worldwide public advocacy for environmental consciousness and protection of the Earth. We Christians might call it environmental stewardship, because we recognize in the Book of Genesis not only that the universe is God’s creation, but also that God calls […]
