The Annual Meeting of the Convention of the Diocese of San Joaquin will be held at Evergreen Conference Center Oakhurst (EECO) Friday, October 28 and Saturday, 29, 2016. This year we will prayerfully consider and navigate through what it means to be an 'Emerging Diocese' in the Episcopal Church. Our theme is: "Called to be...Radical, Welcoming and Sending. The keynote speaker will be The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, who is the Presiding Bishop's Canon for Evangelism and Reconciliation.

The Convention Arrangements Committee has established on-line registration for the 2016 Diocesan Convention. The registration site is on our Diocesan Website: www.diosanjoaquin.org. The Registration fee is $25.00. Additional fees are noted for staying on site at ECCO, off- site and individual day attendance, and Vendor/Exhibitor Booths. A list of suggested hotels will be available on line for those wishing to stay-off site.

Registration for youth 4-12 years of age is $15.00, youth 13-18 is $25.00, youth under the age of 4 years are free. Babysitting is available for those children under the age of 4 years for a fee of $25.00. Youths 13-18 can be part of the youth activities assisting with the younger children. All children will eat meals with their parents. The last day to register is October 14, 2016, so we have accurate counts for ECCO staff to properly prepare for this joyous event.

We will have worship, small group discussions, exhibits, music, great food and drink, and fun enjoyed by all.

More information on Diocesan 57th Annual Convention can be found at the left column and at www.diosanjoaquin.org.

As a reminder, this year, the only way to register is online!

Keynote Speaker - The Rev. Canon Stephanie SpellersTitle

The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers is the Presiding Bishop's Canon for Evangelism and Reconciliation, spearheading Episcopal efforts to share the good news of God's inclusive love with new communities in new ways. She is the author of Radical Welcome: Embracing God, The Other and the Spirit of Transformation, and she most recently co-authored The Episcopal Way, the first volume in the new Church's Teachings for a Changing World series (with Eric Law).

Before accepting her current call, Spellers taught and directed programs in mission and reconciliation at the General Theological Seminary in New York City, and directed new ministry initiatives for the Center for Progressive Renewal, an ecumenical consulting and resource group based in Atlanta. She has helped to shape church-wide mission and movement for years, having served as Chaplain to the House of Bishops, as co-chair of the Standing Commission on Mission and Evangelism, as chief architect for the legislation that birthed Mission Enterprise Zones, as Canon for Missional Vitality in the Diocese of Long Island, and as founder of the influential emergent ministry The Crossing at St. Paul's Cathedral, Boston.