Workshop Descriptions
(Subject to change)

In Alphabetical Order

Affinity Group: Dioceses

Block C: Affinity Groups
Communicating at the diocesan level presents unique challenges and opportunities. This session offers a dedicated space for diocesan communicators to connect, share strategies, and support one another in telling good news across wide geographies and diverse congregations. Whether you’re managing internal workflows, launching diocesan-wide campaigns, or navigating communications with clergy and lay leaders, this is your chance to learn from peers who understand the scope of your work.

Moderator: Chris Tumilty
Chris Tumilty serves as Director of Communications for the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, where they lead diocesan storytelling, digital strategy, media relations, and creative initiatives, including Courageous Love, Faith to Go, and congregational communications support. Chris began full-time diocesan work in 2007 with the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and joined the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego in 2020. With more than 18 years of experience, Chris helps churches share authentic stories, engage their communities, and communicate God ’s work with clarity and purpose. His work centers on equipping congregations to tell meaningful stories that build connection, discipleship, and trust. Chris is passionate about creative ministry that invites people to notice where God is already at work.

Affinity Group: Large Parishes

Block C: Affinity Groups
Large parishes often function as complex organizations with layered communication needs and a growing demand for strategy. In this workshop, communicators from large parishes and cathedrals will gather to share tools, explore scalable systems, and exchange creative approaches to campaigns, branding, and storytelling. It’s a chance to connect deeply with others navigating the same scale of ministry and discover solutions that fit your context.

Affinity Group: Small Parishes

Block C: Affinity Groups
Communicators in small parishes often wear multiple hats — sometimes all of them! This workshop is designed for those balancing limited time, budget, and capacity while still producing meaningful, effective communications. Join fellow small parish communicators to share practical ideas, discover time-saving tools, and be reminded that small parishes can do mighty things with clear vision and good storytelling.

Affinity Group: Organizations

Block C: Affinity Groups
If you work in communications for an Episcopal-affiliated organization — whether educational, social justice-focused, ministry-based, or otherwise — this space is for you. This workshop creates time for cross-sector dialogue, resource-sharing, and creative brainstorming with others navigating how to speak clearly and compellingly to diverse audiences. Together, you’ll explore how communications can amplify mission, align with values, and inspire action across the wider Church and beyond.

AI in Action: Smarter, Faster Content for Church Communicators

Track: Building Good Systems
Block D: Strategy and Impact
Artificial intelligence isn’t a threat to creativity — it’s a tool to amplify it. This hands-on workshop explores practical, ethical ways to use AI for brainstorming, writing, editing, repurposing content, and automating repetitive tasks. You’ll try tools like ChatGPT, Canva Magic Write, and AI assistants, with real examples of how church communicators use AI while maintaining authenticity and integrity.

Panelists: John MacAteer
Dr. John MacAteer is a philosopher and theologian who earned his PhD in from the University of California, Riverside, where he specialized in moral theory and aesthetics. He has taught interdisciplinary philosophy, religion, film, and humanities courses online and on university campuses throughout Southern California, including at Point Loma Nazarene University, where he serves as Instructional Designer. Dr. MacAteer has written extensively about the philosophy of film in work ranging from academic journals to general audience print magazines to blogs and podcasts. His current project is The Cinema of Resistance, a series of public film screenings co-sponsored by Resurrection Episcopal Church and the Ocean Beach Cinema Circle, a neighborhood film club which he co-founded.

Bridging the Gap: Working with Clergy and Leadership

Track: Deepening Good Work
Block D: Strategy and Impact
Strong communication begins with strong collaboration. This workshop offers strategies for building trust and aligning messaging between communicators and leadership teams. Learn tools for setting shared goals, leading effective meetings, and advocating for the communications role in your ministry.

Instructors: Bishop Susan Brown Snook & Chris Tumilty
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Susan Brown Snook is the fifth bishop and the first woman to serve as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, consecrated in 2019. Under her leadership, the diocese launched the Courageous Love strategic plan, planted new congregations, expanded campus ministries, and advanced affordable housing through the Mission Real Estate initiative. A former certified public accountant, she earned her M.Div. from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific and her D.Min. from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. Previously Canon for Church Growth in Oklahoma and founding vicar of Nativity, Scottsdale, Bishop Susan ’s ministry centers on evangelism, discipleship, and courageous love in action.

Chris Tumilty serves as Director of Communications for the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, where they lead diocesan storytelling, digital strategy, media relations, and creative initiatives, including Courageous Love, Faith to Go, and congregational communications support. Chris began full-time diocesan work in 2007 with the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and joined the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego in 2020. With more than 18 years of experience, Chris helps churches share authentic stories, engage their communities, and communicate God ’s work with clarity and purpose. His work centers on equipping congregations to tell meaningful stories that build connection, discipleship, and trust. Chris is passionate about creative ministry that invites people to notice where God is already at work.

Collaborating for Formation: Working with Christian Ed Teams

Track: Deepening Good Work
Block E: Reflection and Renewal
Communications and formation ministries must work together — and when they do, the impact multiplies. This workshop equips you to collaborate with Christian education leaders to co-create meaningful, spiritually enriching content. Explore ways to align messaging with curriculum, seasonal themes, and spiritual practices while fostering spiritual growth for all ages.

Communicating Across Languages and Cultures

Track: Deepening Good Work
Block A: Foundations and Vision
Effective communication begins with listening — especially across difference. This workshop explores practical tools for multilingual communications, culturally responsive messaging, and inclusive design practices that reflect your community’s diversity. Learn how to assess your materials, build cross-cultural partnerships, and communicate with authenticity and humility.

Instructor:  John Fenestil
John Fanestil is Executive Director of Friends of International Friendship Park, a nonprofit working to establish an international park at the western end of the U.S.–Mexico border. A San Diego native and Elder in the United Methodist Church, he has spent decades organizing communities along and across the border and helped found The Border Church in 2011, a weekly celebration of cross-border communion that continues today. John is a graduate of Dartmouth College, Oxford University (as a Rhodes Scholar), Claremont School of Theology, and the University of Southern California, where he earned his Ph.D. in History. He is also a writer whose books include Mrs. Hunter ’s Happy Death, One Life to Give, and American Heresy, blending history, religion, memoir, and social commentary.

Creating Media for Formation

Track: Telling Good News
Block B: Content in Action
Media for formation extends your ministry beyond Sunday. Learn to create short-form spiritual content — videos, reflections, podcasts, and seasonal guides — that foster connection and faith formation throughout the week.

Instructor: Charlette Preslar
Charlette Preslar is the Director of Formation for The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego and the cohost of the Faith to Go podcast. Her responsibilities include faith formation for all ages, lay licensing, congregational development, and Safe Church/Safe Communities. She delights in supporting the Episcopal schools in our diocese and our wonderful diocesan camp, Camp Stevens. A lifelong collaborator, Charlette would love to hear about where God is active in your life and talk about where God might be calling you and your community of faith. When she isn ’t working, Charlette loves the outdoors and is happiest with her feet on a trail or her hands in the dirt of her garden.

Creative Risk-Taking in Church Communications

Track: Building Good Brands & Launching Good Campaigns
Block E: Reflection and Renewal
What if your next bold idea is exactly what your community needs? This workshop invites you to challenge “We’ve always done it this way” thinking and explore creativity, experimentation, and faithful risk-taking. You’ll learn to pitch innovative ideas, build leadership buy-in, and measure impact — all while staying grounded in mission.

Instructor: Mary Grace Donohoe
Mary Grace Donohoe (or MG) is an strategic communications expert with over nine years of experience managing traditional and digital communications for faith-inspired nonprofits. As the Communications Manager for Strategy, Positioning, and Partnerships, she leverages her experience to ensure communications is more than a series of tools and tasks, but rather essential to EDS's mission and vision for a more just world. Central to her work is elevating voices excluded and undervalued by the church and reaching emerging audiences with EDS's cutting edge theological education offerings.

MG oversees program publicity, public relations, social media, and the brand and voice of EDS and its leadership, and collaborates closely with her colleague in communications, Dustin Jesudason. Mary Grace previously served as Communications Manager for the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island and for Religions for Peace International, a representative multi-religious organization with a presence in nearly 100 countries. She previously consulted with Red Letter Christians, a national movement at the intersection of Jesus and justice. She holds a B.A. in Political Science/International Relations and Religious Studies from Stonehill College.

Discovering Your Brand Identity

Track: Building Good Brands
Block A: Foundations and Vision
Your brand is more than a logo — it’s the story you tell every time someone engages with your ministry. Explore the foundational elements of brand identity, including voice, visuals, values, and audience perception.

Instructor: Adrienne Wilkerson
Adrienne Wilkerson is the Director of Communications & Advocacy for Episcopal Community Services, where she leads strategic storytelling, media relations, and advocacy efforts that advance the organization ’s mission across the region. In her role, she works to elevate ECS ’s impact in areas such as behavioral health, homelessness, early childhood education, and community support, partnering with local leaders and policymakers to strengthen vital services. Adrienne ’s leadership and commitment to mission-driven communications were recognized in 2026 when she was named one of the San Diego Business Journal ’s Leaders of Influence in Advertising, PR & Marketing. She holds an MBA and brings deep experience in strategic communication, community engagement, and advocacy to her work supporting vulnerable populations in San Diego.

Faith-Based Content for a Digital World

Track: Deepening Good Work
Block B: Content in Action
How do you create digital content that’s spiritually grounded yet engaging? Learn how to translate faith-filled messages into online formats that resonate deeply and authentically.

Finding the Gospel in Your Ministry’s Story

Track: Telling Good News & Launching Good Campaigns
Block A: Foundations and Vision
Every ministry has Good News to share. This workshop helps you uncover the deeper spiritual narratives in your work and communicate them through storytelling, reframing, and message development.

From Chaos to Calendar: Content Planning for Real Life

Track: Building Good Systems
Block B: Content in Action
If you’re stuck in reactive mode, this workshop helps you build realistic, flexible editorial calendars and collaborative workflows that bring structure and sustainability to your communications.

Instructor: Adrienne Wilkerson
Adrienne Wilkerson is the Director of Communications & Advocacy for Episcopal Community Services, where she leads strategic storytelling, media relations, and advocacy efforts that advance the organization ’s mission across the region. In her role, she works to elevate ECS ’s impact in areas such as behavioral health, homelessness, early childhood education, and community support, partnering with local leaders and policymakers to strengthen vital services. Adrienne ’s leadership and commitment to mission-driven communications were recognized in 2026 when she was named one of the San Diego Business Journal ’s Leaders of Influence in Advertising, PR & Marketing. She holds an MBA and brings deep experience in strategic communication, community engagement, and advocacy to her work supporting vulnerable populations in San Diego.

From Plan to Pews: Real Church Campaigns That Work

Track: Launching Good Campaigns
Block D: Strategy and Impact
What makes a campaign truly effective? This workshop dissects real church campaigns to reveal what works — from goal setting to execution — with templates and tools you can use immediately.

Gratitude as Strategy: Celebrating Your Community

Track: Telling Good News
Block E: Reflection and Renewal
What if celebration was your most powerful communications tool? Learn to center gratitude in your storytelling — highlighting milestones, honoring volunteers, and showcasing your community’s gifts.

Listening as a Communications Tool

Track: Building Good Systems
Block E: Reflection and Renewal
Before you communicate well, you must listen well. This workshop offers strategies for integrating feedback, surveys, and active listening into your communications process — even in moments of uncertainty or crisis.

Sacred Space, Sacred Story: Using Place to Shape Messaging

Track: Telling Good News & Building Good Brands
Block D: Strategy and Impact
Your ministry’s physical space tells a story — whether you realize it or not. Learn how to draw from architecture, history, and environment to craft messages and visuals that deepen connection and meaning.

Sustainable Workflows for Busy Communicators

Track: Building Good Systems
Block A: Foundations and Vision
Juggling emails, social media, bulletins, and websites? This workshop provides real-world strategies for streamlining your work, automating tasks, and setting boundaries to prevent burnout.

Visual Storytelling: Photography, Video, and Design

Track: Building Good Brands & Launching Good Campaigns
Block B: Content in Action
In a world where visuals often speak first, this workshop equips you with tools to capture compelling photos, produce engaging video, and design graphics that reinforce your message across platforms.

Instructor: Chris Tumilty
Chris Tumilty serves as Director of Communications for the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, where they lead diocesan storytelling, digital strategy, media relations, and creative initiatives, including Courageous Love, Faith to Go, and congregational communications support. Chris began full-time diocesan work in 2007 with the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and joined the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego in 2020. With more than 18 years of experience, Chris helps churches share authentic stories, engage their communities, and communicate God ’s work with clarity and purpose. His work centers on equipping congregations to tell meaningful stories that build connection, discipleship, and trust. Chris is passionate about creative ministry that invites people to notice where God is already at work.