Mission Trips

The diocese provides two mission trips each summer. We fundraise in community for these trips, and offer scholarships as needed. Our hope is that every young person in our diocese has the opportunity to connect to these opportunities to become global citizens.

Youth entering grades 7-9: We try to keep this trip local and between 3-4 days making is accessible to as many youth as possible. By partnering with local churches for accommodations and service projects, we are able to keep costs low and host a large number of youth participants.

Entering grade 10-exiting grade 12: Operating in a three year cycle, youth have the opportunity to participate in The Episcopal Youth Event, a local mission trip (Mexico most often), and a trip that is further abroad. The abroad trip has included Guatemala and the diocese of Western Mexico in recent years. Both the abroad trip and EYE are application based trips, with a set delegation size.

Read about the 2018 youth trip to Guatemala

Convention

Diocesan youth are invited to convention for a full day program that reflects on our theme for the year. In addition to participating in parts of convention, and the programming that is provided for the day, this exceptionally fun day is also a time that we roll out details on the year’s retreat and mission opportunities.

Contact your youth leader or email Charlette Preslar (cpreslar@edsd.org) to be involved in the next convention.

Fun and Games

Is there anything better than laughing with friends? The youth of our diocese get together several times a year for exactly that purpose. If you like trampolines, quidditch, or broomball, these opportunities for connection are for you!

Email Charlette Preslar (cpreslar@edsd.org) for more information.

Camp Stevens Epiphany Retreat

An annual Epiphany retreat is held at Camp Stevens. This trip hosts grades 6-12. With an average attendance of between 40-50 youth, this retreat incorporates a broad swath of our diocese. There is time for fun with friends, personal challenge on the ropes course, spiritual connection at the labyrinth, and singing around the camp fire. The retreat always includes a service project at the camp as part of our time there. This opportunity allows youth to leave a little bit of their heart and elbow grease, in a place that they love. The theme changes annually with pasts retreats including: Lumos! (a Harry Potter themed retreat), Wild Adventure, Reality Check, and To The Ends of the Earth.

Click here to learn more about Camp Stevens.

Nightwatch

This annual event is hosted at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Nightwatch includes games, food, an overnight in the cathedral and so much more. Designed as a program to invite youth into closer relationship with God and each other, each year’s program focuses on a theme. Prior themes have included: Sanctuary (a reflection on refugees), Transform (developing a prayer practice) and Human (as Jesus was fully human and fully divine, how do we live into that message). Participants sleep on the floor of the cathedral, have a midnight Eucharist, and keep watch at the altar on the overnight. Nightwatch occurs annually at the beginning of March.

Click here to read about Nightwatch 2020

Youth Collaborative

Are you a youth ministry leader? Contact Charlette Preslar for information on how to be part of the EDSD Youth Collaborative. Youth Collaborative members have access to youth ministry tools including programming, forms, customized trainings, and other resources.

The collaboration has hosted events as far north as Temecula and as far east a Palm Desert. Constantly striving to include more parishes and youth in our programing is one of our main goals. Using common resources, we provide youth ministry opportunities to parishes with limited funds and small numbers of youth.

The EDSD Youth Collaborative meets regularly to brainstorm ministry challenges and growing edges, as well as to support each other in our shared ministry field. If you know a youth ministry leader in our diocese who would like to know more, please have them contact Charlette Preslar at cpreslar@edsd.org.