News and Events

Dear priests and deacons,

It is only weeks until we meet in San Clemente for our spring  retreat. I hope you are looking forward to a real time of rich fellowship and prayerful work as I am. For some time now we have been dealing with the issue of the size and age of our church congregations in the United States. The new patriarch has appointed father Chris Keough as the head of a national committee on church growth and church planting. It is my pleasure and privilege to be appointed to that committee and working with Chris towards growing our churches larger in this and all other dioceses in America.

Because of this extreme emphasis in our house of bishops meetings and the obvious need we all feel, I have asked Fr. Chris to consider attending our fall retreat to teach us all firsthand how to grow our churches larger. Because of the tremendous need I intend to address church growth issues again this spring and probably every retreat in the future until such time as were all leading large, booming congregations. Please be prepared to discuss what you are doing in your area and any ideas which you can bring to the discussion. As well as exchanging ideas and we will be developing our strategy to move forward in our diocese. This will begin as it should, in prayer, so be prepared to prayer.

If you have a subject which you wish to report on, or have addressed, please notify me as soon as possible. I have a lot of good news to share with you and I'm sure you do as well. Father David Anderson will be contacting you very soon with the schedule, details, the vestments to bring in colors, etc.

His and yours to serve,
Bishop Doug

I wish you all a good lent.  What that means might be up for debate amongst us.  I have spoken to several of you in the last week or so and each is experiencing quite different times.  One is very excited and expectant as to what God is going to do next in his life and his church.  Another, quite the opposite is experiencing a real sense of defeat (or perhaps a lack of visible success would be more appropriate term).  This priest, questions his ability, his exact calling, and humbly stands before his bishop and God as moldable as could be.  Another, views his success as being minimum (a similar place I guess) but with no apparent sense of guilt or even contributing fault, but simply ready to move on in his life experience, maybe even a bit loose and fancy free.  Another priest is feeling a tremendous burden for me and what I am going through (for which I am so very grateful).  Let me clarify, not grateful for my burdens so much, but for his concern and active prayer for me. 

     I could go on but the point is we all are experiencing something different and probably aren’t even aware of it.  And my experience over the last 10 years teaches me we all tend to rotate our dilemmas and momentary swings.  This season I feel good, for you perhaps you are blessed with 2 or even 3 good seasons.  Oh Boy!  So season after season, year after year we sort of rotate chairs.  What might be the point of bishop’s rambling you might be asking?  To the point then; lent is a perfect season for all of us to grow, to deepen our experience with the Lord, regardless of where we are in our present circumstances.

     You see here we are, all coming from a different place, yet converging rapidly enough to our retreat and time together.  There we will become one in spirit and renew each other generously.  But let’s come prepared, prepared by a lent filled with deep fellowship with Christ.  If we all bring a little more of Him, we will be that more successful in furthering our cause.  I would hope that you and I will dive to the deepest corner of God’s pool of grace this lent, soaking up all that is possible.  May this be the best lent for us ever.  See you soon.

His and yours,

+Bp. Doug