Exercise daily. Walk with God!

Administrative items:

• Along the King’s Highway –No newsletter in November. Deadline for the December issue with Episcopal Life is October 26 for general articles and Monday, October 29 for articles about convention. Please submit articles or comments to Edy Unthank at: editor[atecr]edecr.org
• Deployment/Position Postings – Detailed postings for jobs can be seen by clicking on the following link: http://www.edecr.org/jobs.htm .
  • Youth Director, St. Paul’s Salinas
  •  Chaplain, Santa Cruz County Jail
• CONVENTION INFORMATION - Convention will take place Friday, October 26th and Saturday, October 27th!
  Please mark your calendars and save the dates for our upcoming Diocesan Convention which will be held at Sherwood Hall in Salinas on Friday, October 26th and Saturday, October 27th. We will have a full agenda including Eucharist, diocesan elections, Constitution and Canon Changes to facilitate our transition to the collaborative model of governance, fellowship, celebrations and much MORE! There will be a Friday night banquet and display tables
  
  Registration opens Friday, October 26th at 11AM with opening Eucharist beginning at 1PM. The Business of Convention begins Friday promptly at 3PM. Saturday, October 27th registration reopens at 7:30 AM and Convention reconvenes at 8:30 AM.
   
• A copy of the revised Constitution and Canons has been posted on the DioECR web site, http://www.edecr.org/dc2007/#CandC . A clean copy of all revisions will be included in packets you will receive at convention. If you have further questions, please contact Chris Creed (FrCreed[atecr]aol.com ) and/or Nancy Cohen (ncohen[atecr]law.stanford.edu ).
• Just a reminder that if you have not performed your annual financial church audit per canons, please make arrangements to have it completed by the December 31st deadline.
• The El Camino Real Foundation has a new website with great information on planned giving, wills awareness, and links to the Episcopal Church Foundation. You can send questions or requests via e-mail, and one of the Foundation members will contact you with a reply. Check it out at: http://www.edecr.org/foundation/ 

Announcements:

• In June, 2006, five students from the School for Deacons, two of whom were from our diocese, traveled at their own expense to the 75th General Convention to create a documentary film, Called to Love and Serve, on the role and life of the deacon in the Episcopal Church. Their documentary will be premiered at Grace Cathedral on November 13th at 6:00 p.m. Postcard invitations are being sent under separate cover. For more info contact The Rev. Kathey Crowe at: kathleencrowe[atecr]sbcglobal.net 
• Canterbury Cathedral Dinner at St. Francis, October 28: Canterbury Cathedral's mission as the Mother Church of the Anglican communion and spiritual home of Anglicans everywhere is of particular interest as tensions have arisen within the Communion. The Very Reverend Robert Willis, 39th Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, will be at a dinner at St. Francis on Sunday night, October 28 at 6PM to talk about such things. All are welcome. The cost of the dinner is $15. Please call St. Francis for reservations and directions at 408-292-7090 (8:30am-12noon) or email at StFran[atecr]StFrancisEpiscopalChurch.org .
• COMMISSION ON SMALL CONGREGATIONS – become a member!! Here’s an opportunity to be in on the ground floor working on congregational development in the third episcopate of El Camino Real. The Commission on Small Congregations represents 60% of the congregations on the diocese. What would membership on the commission involve? The CSC meets about once a month, usually by conference call to keep travel time and gas costs at a minimum. CSC members “meet” in the comfort of their church, office, home. The CSC sponsors a Small Congregations Network conference twice a year, focusing on strategy, tools, and resources for growing God’s mission in small congregations. The CSC plans to offer grants and scholarships in the coming year. To express an interest in the commission or for more information, contact Diane Lovelace at DiLovelace[atecr]aol.com  or at 408/ 263-8945.
• All ECR Clergy: Save the Date - December 4 ECCO sponsored Advent Quiet Day with Bishop Mary... It will be held at the St. Francis Retreat Center. More details to follow…

Ministry items:

• Youth Ministry –  There are the beginnings of planning for 2008 youth events/activities going on. The Diocese is looking for leaders with a passion for youth ministry who would like to become involved in future planning, and joining the Diocesan Commission for Youth Ministry. As a diocese, we will be regrouping and putting a new plan of action together. We will be contacting several of you who have already expressed an interest, but want to extend an open invitation to anyone interested in working in this very important ministry. Please contact me -brian[atecr]edecr.org  - so I can put you on the list for future planning. We will be gathering later this year.
• Vocare International Conference 2008 will be held in the Diocese of Texas in May of 2008. Currently May 23-25 is reserved and the team is working on getting May 22 as well, to be used as a traveling day. For airport information please visit the VIC page on our website www.vocaretx.com .

Important Training / Dates to mark on your calendars:

• Safeguarding God’s Children Church Training - Wednesday, November 7th: 7:00-10:00p.m. @ Saint Andrew’s Church Center - 13601 Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga. This training is required of all persons who work with children and youth. This includes all Sunday school teachers, nursery care workers, youth chaperones, drivers, ushers, clergy, and vestry. The presenter for the evening will be The Rev. Kathey Crowe. Refreshments will be served. RSVP to Katie Machemer, Director of Youth Ministries at Saint Andrew’s katiem[atecr]st-andrew-saratoga.org  or call 408 867-3493 ext. 255
• The Foundation Academy will be held at St. Mary’s in Pacific Grove on February 1-2, 2008. Bishop (elect) Mary Gray-Reeves will be the keynote speaker at Friday night’s banquet. More information to follow on the learning tracks of planned giving, capital campaigns, and annual giving.
• CLERGY CONFERENCE – April 21-23, 2008 at St. Francis, San Juan Bautista. More info to follow.
• MAGNETIC CHURCH CONFERENCE – May 16-17, 2008. This event is led by an Episcopalian, is fun, has some great practical ideas and will stimulate lots of thought about how to effectively be hospitable and welcoming to those not yet with us. It will be very accessible to all and a good way to begin our collective work of empowering our diocese for evangelism.
   

Diocesan Office Meetings:

• Next Week:  None scheduled
   

Dear God:
Thank you for loving me;
Teach me to love myself;
Guide me to love and serve others…Amen