Leadership
Diocese of San Joaquin, Anglican Church in North America
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Eric Vawter Menees
Bishop, Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin
We are a part of the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin based in Fresno and led by its bishop, The Rt. Rev. Dr. Eric Vawter Menees. The Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin is a member of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), led by its College of Bishops and its Archbishop, The Most Rev. Steven D. Wood. ACNA also belongs to GAFCON, a global movement within the Anglican Communion which represents the majority of all Anglicans. GAFCON recognizes the ACNA as a province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Born in Compton, California, Bishop Eric Menees is a tenth-generation Los Angelino. Bishop Menees graduated from the General Theological Seminary with an M.Div and from Seabury Western Theological Seminary with a D.Min.
After his ordination, Bishop Menees served Spanish-speaking congregations in East Los Angeles and Santa Ana within the Diocese of Los Angeles. He then joined the Diocese of San Diego, where he served as chaplain at The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, California, and later as vicar and ultimately rector of Grace Church in San Marcos. In 2011, Bishop Menees was elected by God’s grace as the fifth bishop of San Joaquin, succeeding Bishop John David Schofield. Bishop Menees currently serves as the bishop for Caminemos Juntos, the ACNA’s Spanish language ministry support network. He also leads the Border Bishops’ Conference, working to evangelize and plant churches in Mexico, and acts as the ACNA representative to both the Anglican Province of South America and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In addition, Bishop Menees is President of Forward in Faith North America, which describes itself as “the catholic voice of Anglicanism in North America.”
The Rev. David Miller, Vicar
Bishop Eric Menees has designated the Rev. David Miller as his Vicar for St. John’s Anglican parish. Recently retired rector of St. John's Anglican Church in Petaluma, CA, Fr. David has served in the Diocese of San Joaquin for the past 27 years. He has been an Anglican Priest for 46 years. He has served parishes in Massachusetts, South Carolina, Hawaii, and two here in California. He is married to Elizabeth (Betty) and they will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary next year. They have 10 children and 10 grandchildren. They met in a cross-listed Greek class at Union Theological Seminary in New York City where Betty got her M.Div. David was at General Theological Seminary where he did his seminary studies. They are just embarking on this new adventure of retirement, and David is grateful to be called by Bp. Eric Meness to serve, along with the dedicated lay staff, as vicar of St. John's, Orinda. David's motto for retirement is Psalm 118:17; "I shall not die, but I shall live, and declare the works of the Lord." He looks forward to doing just that: stay alive and preach Jesus!
Dr. Graham Walker
Lay Pastoral Catechist
Our worship services are coordinated by Dr. Graham Walker, who is a licensed Lay Pastoral Catechist assigned by the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin to St. John’s Anglican. He is also a Lay Reader, and Lay Eucharistic Minister, and frequently serves as liturgist and homilist. Dr. Walker formerly served as Lay Pastor of Waterford Anglican Fellowship in the Anglican Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic, where he was a Lay Catechist, served on the diocesan Standing Committee, and was elected as a diocesan delegate to the Provincial Council convened at the ACNA Provincial Assembly of 2013. After graduate study in Geneva, Switzerland, Dr. Walker earned the Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame. Born in Berkeley, California, he is the seventh generation of his family rooted in the San Francisco area since June 1776.