Convention Report

On Saturday June 16 a Diocesan Convention was convened at the York School in Monterey for the sole purpose of electing a new Bishop of the Diocese of El Camino Real. There were 5 excellent candidates who stood for election. Four were put forth by the Diocesan Search Committee that screened the great number who applied for the position. The fifth (also excellent) candidate came to stand for election via the petition process. I was, and all other delegates to the Convention that I talked to were, very excited to have a choice from among such an extraordinary group of candidates; a testament to the great work of the Search Committee.

The delegates to convention included all clergy in the Diocese along with all the lay delegates elected from each parish and mission in the Diocese. From St Philips the lay delegation that accompanied Pastor Mary and Father Bill Kelly included Cindy Hershberger, Nathaniel O'Brien, Steve Dodds and Jim Sotelo with alternate Donna Seelbach. All delegates to convention had an opportunity during the weeks leading up to convention to meet the candidates in person and to listen to each answer questions about their faith, their qualifications, what brought each candidate to want to be a Bishop and how each might deal with issues facing this diocese. This was done in a series of several sessions held at different venues throughout the Diocese. This was incredibly helpful in really understanding who each candidate was and in giving us confidence that whoever was ultimately chosen we would have a good and qualified Bishop.

When it finally came down to the vote at convention I was surprised at the overwhelming support for our now Bishop Elect, The Venerable Mary Gray Reeves. I was surprised that among such a well qualified group, where all candidates were so impressive, the delegates -- clergy and lay -- could so quickly (2 ballots) and so overwhelmingly settle on one. This strong support for Mary Gray Reeves bodes well for the future of the Diocese and gets us all off to a great start for a new era for El Camino Real.

Mary Gray Reeves is currently the Archdeacon for Deployment for the Diocese of Southeast Florida. In that position she is responsible for recruiting and placing clergy -- I understand that this is one of her strengths. She has also served as Rector, St Margaret's Episcopal Church, Miami Lakes, FL and as Assistant to the Rector at both St James, South Pasadena, CA and Christ Church, Redondo Beach, CA. In addition she has served her diocese as Deputy to General Convention (2003 and 2006), as Co Chair to the Diocesan Bishop for his Vision Process known as "Next Step", as Team Leader of The Nehemiah Project (a diocesan plan for congregational development), and as a member of the Diocesan Standing Committee and of the Diocesan Executive Board. She is fluent in Spanish and well versed in many Latin American cultures. She is 44 years of age, married to Michael Reeves and has two children: Katherine, age 14 and Dorian, age 13. She enjoys travel, mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, cooking and reading. More information about the new Bishop as well as her acceptance statement to the Convention can be found at the Diocesan website:

http://www.edecr.org/

             Jim Sotelo, Convention Delegate

Chairperson Needed for
Harvest Fair

We are looking for a Chair person to lead the Harvest Fair for St. Philip’s this fall.  Activity is already starting to come up and we need a leader to organize the team that will manage this fundraiser for the church.

We need to fill this important role by July 15th in order to continue having this event. If you are interested or have questions you wish to discuss, please call me or send me an email with your questions.

Thank you for your support and prayerful consideration.

             Jose Gonzales, Bishop’s Committee

Bishop’s Visitation Postponed

We were previously scheduled to have a Bishop’s visitation on July 15. Bishop Romero is still in place in the diocese during the month of July, but at this point it is our option to have him or not. In as much as we have no people coming forward for Confirmation or Reception, and because I am moving that weekend (!), Susan Seaburg and others have agreed with me that July 15 is NOT a good day for St. Philip’s to host a bishop. I have already communicated to Bishop Romero and Ann Wright, President of Standing Committee, and they completely agree that St. Philip’s would be better off waiting until some unknown future date for a Bishop Visitation—which will most likely be our new Bishop-elect, Mary Gray Reeves, after November 10, 2007. And, of course, we had Bishop Romero twice in 2006, in July and Oct. for the installation.

The Ven. Mary Gray-Reeves, Bishop-Elect for the Diocese of  El Camino Real