The renovated Riverside Convention Center will again be the site of Diocesan Convention, to be held this year Nov. 15 – 16. Photo: Riverside Convention Center
MANY ASPECTS OF DIOCESAN CONVENTION will be the same as always this year; lay and clergy delegates representing congregations of the diocese will hear reports of recent work, cast ballots for diocesan officers (including deputies to the 2021 General Convention), consider resolutions and canonical tweaks, and worship together.
What’s different is the time and place.
The convention date has been moved to Nov. 15 and 16, the first time since the 1970s that it has not been the first weekend in December. It also will return to the Riverside Convention Center, which was thoroughly renovated in recent years. Parking is available at several lots in the area, as well as at the Marriott and the new Hyatt hotel next to the convention center (fees may apply).
Secretary of Convention for a second year-long term is Canon Steven Nishibayashi, a member of St. Mary’s Church (Mariposa), Los Angeles.
Reflecting the 2019 convention theme of “Lifelong Spiritual Learning,” workshops will once again be offered in two sessions on Friday morning. An additional session will be held on Friday afternoon between the end of convention business for the day and the beginning of the evening reception and dinner.
Dolores Huerta
Of special interest will be the biannual Margaret Parker Memorial Lecture, to be delivered this year by Presidential Medal of Freedom laureate Dolores Huerta. A longtime activist for farm workers, women, immigrants and the poor, Huerta was co-founder with Cesar Chavez of the National Farm Workers Association. (A full biography is on her website here.)
Four clergy and four lay deputies to General Convention, as well as four alternates in each order, will be elected during the convention, along with other diocesan officers. A list of offices to be filled is on the convention website, along with directions for nominations. A photo, brief biography and statement will be posted on the website, along with a short video from each candidate in which he or she will outline reasons for seeking the office.
Worship at convention will highlight ministry by, to and with young people, according to the Rev. Canon Susan Russell, convenor of the worship committee.
A reception will be held after the close of business on Friday, followed by the convention dinner. Afteward, Vijay Gupta, founder and artistic director of Street Symphony, will present the story of his organization, a grassroots community of more than 70 world-class musicians who present regular monthly programs at Skid Row shelters and county jails. (Read more at streetsymphony.org.)
The workshop sessions will follow the model of the popular offerings at the 2018 convention. Topics this year will include:
- An Introduction to FreshStart for Laity – Equipping Church Leaders, led by the Rev. Canon Joanna Satorius and the Office of Formation and Transition Ministry;
- Three Activities to Empower Your Congregation to be Missional, led by the Rev. Canon Eric H. F. Law, DD, executive director of the Kaleidoscope Institute;
- CPG Lay Benefits 101, with the Rev. Garth M. Howe, vice president, Domestic Account Management,
Church Pension Group; - Community “Soul Care” (care for older adults), led by the Rev. Rick Byrum, the Rev. Celeste Stump, Susan Brown and the Rev. Brian O’Rourke of Episcopal Communities & Services;
- Social Enterprise for Sustainable Churches, led by the Rev. Canon Jaime Edwards-Acton;
- Being a Deacon, led by the Ven. Canon Charleen Crean, archdeacon of the diocese
- A Changing Church in a Changing World: Leadership in Times of Transition, led by the Rev. Bob Honeychurch.
Additional topics are pending.
Deanery meetings scheduled
As in previous years, pre-convention meetings will be held in the deaneries of the diocese. Delegates and clergy are expected to attend; all other Episcopalians also are invited. Meetings are scheduled as follows:
Deanery 1
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
St. Paul’s Church
3290 Loma Vista Road, Ventura
Deanery 2
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 10 a.m.
St. Martin in the Fields Church
7136 Winnetka Avenue, Winnetka, CA 91306
Deanery 3
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
St. Thomas the Apostle Church
7501 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles 90046
Deanery 4
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Church of the Magdalene
1011 S. Verdugo Road, Glendale 91205
Deaneries 5 & 6
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 3 – 5 p.m.
St. Mark’s Church
330 E 16th Street, Upland 91784
Deanery 7
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
St. John’s Church
526 Magnolia Avenue, Corona 92879
Deanery 8
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 3 – 5 p.m.
St. Luke’s Church
525 E. 7th Street, Long Beach 90813
Deaneries 9 & 10
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
St. James’ Church
3209 Via Lido, Newport Beach 92663.