It was a great joy to gather last week for our Remembered History and Strategic Planning Day.

We are still compiling the notes and reflections from our time together, and I look forward to sharing a more thorough report on what was discussed and what we heard. In the meantime, I wanted to share one initiative that is already underway and responds

directly to one of the hopes expressed for our future.

There was broad interest in becoming more involved in campus ministry, particularly at UC San Diego. Several people also expressed interest in exploring a worship opportunity that might resonate with the college community. This interest was also reflected in the Congregational Assessment Tool (CAT) that was part of the Rector search process. Many of the hopes and priorities identified through that survey have helped guide my first year and a half of ministry at Good Sam.

In response to that interest, I have been participating in the Agape Episcopal/Lutheran campus ministry about twice a month since my arrival. This has given me the opportunity to learn more about the ministry already happening in our community and to begin building relationships with students and others who are engaged in campus ministry.

Out of those conversations, we have developed a plan for several “pilot services.” These will be opportunities to try out a form of worship that we hope could eventually become a weekly offering, while giving us the chance to listen, learn, and make adjustments based on feedback.

The services will take place at 5:00 p.m. on Sundays, either outdoors or in Roetter Hall, depending on the weather. These settings offer a more relaxed atmosphere and allow us flexibility in how we arrange the space. The liturgy will also be less formal while remaining recognizably and authentically Episcopal.

We are working with Heatherlynn, the musician-in-residence at Resurrection in Ocean Beach. Her musical style is warm and welcoming, and she has adapted a number of ancient works of the Church—including liturgical texts and the prayers of the mystics—into music that feels both timeless and accessible.

Our pilot services will take place on the first Sunday of each month this fall: October 4, November 1, and December 6.

I hope you will join us for one or more of these services. Even if you are simply curious about what we are trying, I would love for you to come and experience it for yourself. We will be listening carefully to the students and others who attend, and your feedback will be an important part of discerning where this ministry might go next.

I believe this is about more than starting another worship service. It is an opportunity for Good Sam to imagine how God might be calling us to be present in the lives of people who may not yet see themselves as part of a church community. UC San Diego is part of our neighborhood, and campus ministry gives us a chance to build relationships, share the life of faith, and discover new ways of being the Church together. As we look toward the future, I hope this can be one small but meaningful step in Good Sam’s continuing journey of becoming a community that reaches beyond our walls, meets people where they are, and joins in what God is already doing in our midst.

Blessings,

Paul