Mar 5, 2026 | #PublicServiceAnnouncement, #Stories, #StrategicVision
The Episcopal Diocese of California welcomes the Rev. Robert J. Kossler as Interim Canon for Operations and Finance, beginning March 1, 2026. In this role, Bob will serve as Chief Operating Officer, providing strategic leadership for diocesan operations, financial stewardship, and organizational effectiveness.
Bob brings a unique mix of pastoral presence and executive skill to this role. Ordained in 2004 in the Diocese of California, he has served congregations across the Bay Area through times of transition, growth, and renewal—including Church of the Nativity (San Raphael), Holy Innocents (San Francisco), Church of the Epiphany (San Carlos), Transfiguration (San Mateo), and St. Francis (San Francisco). His ministry has been defined by steady leadership during complex changes, successful capital campaigns, improved governance systems, and a collaborative approach that empowers lay leadership.
Before ordination, Bob spent more than thirty years in technology and business leadership, most recently serving as Director of Global Solutions Engineering & Strategy at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where he managed worldwide operations and strategic planning. He handled multimillion-dollar budgets, led global teams, and spearheaded enterprise transformation that increased revenue from $200 million to over $800 million. His work focused on financial discipline, operational excellence, and strategic innovation—experiences that directly shape his approach to diocesan stewardship and organizational health.
Bob holds a Master of Divinity from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, an M.S. in Engineering from Stanford University, and a B.S. in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College. He has served on the Diocese’s Commission on Ministry and demonstrates a strong commitment to collaborative governance, transparent financial stewardship, and mission-focused leadership.
As Canon for Operations and Finance, Bob will work closely with Bishop Austin, diocesan staff, and leadership bodies to strengthen operational systems, support the implementation of the Diocese’s strategic vision, and ensure that the Diocese’s resources are aligned with its mission of building the beloved community and embodying God’s reconciling love.
Bob and his spouse live in Oakland.
Please join us in welcoming Bob to his new role!
Mar 5, 2026 | #PublicServiceAnnouncement, #Stories, #StrategicVision
We are excited to share that Laura Eberly will join the diocesan staff as our new Canon for Congregations, starting May 1. To assume this new role, Laura will conclude her dedicated service as the Clergy in Charge at Santiago St. James in Oakland on April 19.
Why This Role Matters
This new position will help our local congregations thrive on a practical level. The Canon’s core purpose is to tend the nets of our common congregational life by centering the gifts and needs of our communities. This means working on the ground with our congregations to assess their health and vitality, while supporting clergy and lay leaders through regular visits, listening tours, and responsive support for their expressed needs. By consulting with vestries and bishop’s committees, Laura will provide concrete tools our communities need to be healthy, faithful, and effective.
A Focus on Our Deaneries
An important part of Laura’s work will happen through our existing deanery structure. Partnering with Canon Sierra Reyes and our Regional Deans, she will work directly with deanery officers to strengthen our capacity to govern and connect our diocese. By empowering our deaneries, we will help foster grassroots collaborations and shared ministries between neighboring churches, ensuring that no congregation has to do ministry in isolation.
Why Laura is the Right Fit
Laura brings an incredibly practical and dynamic skillset to this work. Holding a master’s degree from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration, Laura has an extensive background in community organizing, training, and change management. She is the founding co-director of Mountaintop Coaching & Consulting, where she guides organizations seeking to align their practices with anti-racist values of diversity, equity, and inclusion via consultation, training, facilitation, project management, and strategic planning. In addition, because she served on our recent Strategic Vision Committee, Laura already understands the needs and hopes of our diocese
Bringing Laura on board as our Canon for Congregations is how we are putting our vision into practice, by giving our local churches the dedicated, hands-on support they need to do the transformative work of the Gospel. Please join us in welcoming Canon Laura Eberly!
Sep 18, 2025 | #PublicServiceAnnouncement
We recognize that some faith communities may struggle to fund their ministries due to a non-recurring financial crisis. Assessment relief will be considered in response to specific extraordinary and or unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of a congregation, resulting in a financial crisis that cannot be resolved in any other manner. A sharp, but temporary decline in aggregate church income, as determined by the committee on any reasonable basis, shall be considered an unforeseen circumstance.
- Who is eligible to apply for assessment relief?
Parishes and missions that have conducted pledge drives, have developed plans for cost overruns or additional expenses, have used reserves reasonably, have taken cost-cutting measures, and whose financial challenges are not due primarily to declining membership and/or income.
- Does the relief need to be repaid?
No. The relief approved by Executive Council is a forgiveness of the obligation to pay the designated assessment.
- Are we eligible for relief every year?
Assessment relief is intended to be used for extraordinary, non-recurring circumstances. Relief cannot be granted for more than three consecutive years.
- Is the relief for the current year or future year(s)?
Relief, if granted, is for the current year.
- What is the process?
- Complete the application below. Applications must be submitted in the calendar year in which relief is requested. The deadline is September 30th each year. Save your entries as you go. You can close the program and return to the application, but you must do so within 30 days; otherwise, the information will is deleted, and you must start over. The application can be submitted only after all entries have been completed.
- Once submitted, the application is automatically sent to the Diocesan CFO.
- The CFO forwards the application to the Assessment Committee, which may contact the applicant for clarification and/or additional information.
- After the Assessment Committee review, a recommendation may be made to Executive Council to approve the relief.
- If granted, the applicant receives a reduction in their assessment, which appears as a credit on their statement.
- Those who are granted assessment relief are expected to report to Executive Council by June 30th of the following year.
- What is the deadline for the application?
September 30th.
- Is an extension to apply available?
No. In order for the Committee to review the applications and make recommendations to the Executive Council at the November meeting, the deadline is firm.
- Click here to apply: https://www.cognitoforms.com/DioceseOfCalifornia1/AssessmentRelief
- Questions? Email Michele [email protected]
Jun 3, 2025 | #DidYouKnow, #Press&BishopStatements, #PublicServiceAnnouncement, #Stories
A message from the Rev. Canon Sierra Reyes, Canon to the Ordinary
The Diocese of California is delighted to share news of a significant new venture: the Standing Committee and Bishop’s endorsement of St. Lucy’s, East Bay, a unique specialized mission. This exciting development embodies our hope to cultivate diverse and dynamic expressions of faith that resonate with the evolving spiritual landscape of our communities.
What is a Specialized Mission?
Within the Episcopal Diocese of California, a specialized mission is a new congregation established with the specific purpose of ministering to a particular group of people or to address a unique missional need. This canonical framework provides the flexibility for innovative church planting and outreach efforts.
St. Lucy’s aims to build a community of faith for those who have become disenchanted from organized religion or are exploring faith for the very first time. Emily Hansen Curran, the church planter of St. Lucy’s, articulates her profound conviction: “It is my deep belief that there are people out there who have left the more conservative traditions of Christianity and who are looking for what could be next or how they could possibly have faith again.”
Bishop Austin K. Rios emphasized how this new mission highlights the creativity that can be found in our canonical structure: “Our governance structure within the Diocese of California is designed to be both robust and adaptable, creating fertile ground for the emergence of ‘fresh expressions’ of faith like St. Lucy’s. This new mission powerfully demonstrates our commitment to meeting all people where they are, inviting them into the transformative love of God.”
St. Lucy’s will cultivate a worship experience, emphasizing mystery, shared leadership, and a formational journey that offers opportunities for both learning and profound transformation. The mission plans to hold its services at St. Paul’s, Oakland on Sunday evenings, a thoughtful timing chosen to avoid any interference with existing congregations and to specifically welcome a demographic often not reached by current church offerings. As Emily Hansen Curran highlights, the goal is “to offer a church community and worshiping experience very different from what is currently on offer by any Episcopal churches in the area in the hopes of speaking to a different demographic.”
We invite all members of the Diocese of California to hold Emily Hansen Curran, the leadership team, and the entire community of St. Lucy’s in your prayers as they embark on this vital new ministry.
For more information about this exciting new community, please visit the St. Lucy’s website: https://www.stlucyschurch.org/
Should you have any questions regarding the missions of the Diocese of California, please contact Canon to the Ordinary, J. Sierra Reyes, at [email protected].
May 20, 2025 | #BishopStatements, #Press&BishopStatements, #PublicServiceAnnouncement
Dear Siblings in Christ,
I’m excited to invite you to the first layer of our Strategic Vision. It’s focused on building the soil that the seeds of the actual Strategic Vision will be planted in. It’s a series of videos that unpack the values that we have heard you say are important to you in our shared life together. These values are what you have described as the building blocks of trust—when they are present, we join together in following Jesus, and when they are absent, we break down into distrust that harms us individually, collectively, and in our witness beyond our doors.
Please join Cn. Sierra and me for this series of videos, Building Trust as a Diocesan Community: Nourishing 5 Values to Follow Jesus Together.
We will have an event every three weeks to explore one of the values by watching the videos together, talking in small groups, and sharing how we see ourselves in these values. We’ll have a spiritual practice to invite these values to grow in us, in preparation for the Strategic Vision in October at our Diocesan Convention.
Schedule: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. Zoom — Register
Topic | Date | Host
- Mattering | July 3 | Bishop Austin
- Collaborating | July 28 | Canon Sierra
- Collectively empowering | August 18 | Bishop Austin
- Sufficiency | September 10 | Canon Sierra
- Belonging | September 22 | Bishop Austin
I hope you will plan on joining us for each of these video events as we invest in building trust together.
In Christ,
+Austin
*Spanish interpretation will be provided
Mar 3, 2025 | #PublicServiceAnnouncement, #Resources
The Transgender Working Group of the Episcopal Diocese of California, which serves with the support of our bishop and wider diocese, is deeply distressed and alarmed by the growing wave of discriminatory rhetoric and actions from national, state, and local governing bodies in the United States. These actions are causing deep harm to Transgender, Non-Binary, and Two-Spirit communities.
As Christians, we condemn these attacks on our Transgender, Non-Binary, and Two-Spirit siblings and affirm the following convictions:
- All people, of every gender and age, are created in the image of God.
- Transgender, Non-Binary, and Two-Spirit people, as beloved creations of God, have an inherent right to respect and dignity.
- All Transgender, Non-Binary, and Two-Spirit people are entitled to the essential freedom of bodily autonomy.
We are committed to working toward a future where all of God’s children, regardless of gender identity, are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. To our Transgender, Non-Binary, and Two-Spirit siblings, know that you are not alone. The Transgender Working Group of the Diocese of California stands with you.
If you or anyone you know would benefit from spiritual, emotional, or liturgical support, please do not hesitate to contact us at the Diocesan Offices at 415-673-5015.
Transgender Day of Visibility worship services that are happening:
- San Francisco – Sunday, March 30th at Grace Cathedral, SF, 6 p.m.
- South Bay – Saturday, April 5th at St. Peter’s, Redwood City, 10 a.m., with fellowship following.
