Crossing Lines, Sharing Stories: Migration Immersion Lab

As communicators, we often tell stories that shape how others see the world. But sometimes, the most powerful stories are the ones we first need to witness for ourselves. In this immersive pre-conference lab, you’ll cross the border into Tijuana with Robert Vivar, Migration Missioner for the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, and step into the lived realities of migrants and the ministries that walk alongside them.

You’ll visit Friendship Park, where families divided by an international line reach across steel fencing to embrace. You’ll spend time in migration shelters, including Comunidad de Luz, EDSD’s shelter for women and children, and hear directly from those who serve on the frontlines of welcome. Over lunch near la playa, you’ll listen to local leaders share how their programs are helping real people build new lives in an unfamiliar city.

Robert Vivar

Robert Vivar is the Migration Missioner for the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, Co-Director of the Unified U.S. Deported Veterans Resource Center in Tijuana, and a staff member with Via International. His life and ministry are rooted in his own experience of deportation, which gave him a firsthand understanding of the struggles faced by migrants and deported veterans.

In Tijuana, Robert co-founded organizations that provided critical support for deported individuals—helping them access healthcare, reconnect with families, and navigate complex legal and immigration systems. His leadership at the Unified U.S. Deported Veterans Resource Center has brought comprehensive services to veterans living in exile, including assistance with VA benefits, housing, and advocacy for their right to return to the United States. With Via International, Robert works alongside local leaders to create sustainable change through programs in microfinance, cultural arts, food security, and community development on both sides of the border.

In 2021, following a landmark case before the California Supreme Court, Robert’s own deportation order was overturned, and his legal permanent residency was restored. Now based in San Diego, he continues to walk with migrants, deported parents, and veterans, embodying a ministry of justice, accompaniment, and hope at the U.S.–Mexico border.

Stress to Stillness: Tools for Daily Renewal

Before the rush of workshops, networking, and note-taking begins, take a deep breath. This pre-conference lab is designed specifically for communicators who give so much of themselves every day and rarely take the time to renew themselves. Heatherlyn will gently guide us through practices that restore body, mind, and spirit—offering practical tools you can carry back into your daily rhythm of work.

You’ll experience things like chair yoga made for the office-bound communicator, creative expression that helps release stress and spark joy, and even a mindful one-mile walk to the Pacific Ocean, where the rhythm of the waves reminds us what it feels like to truly rest. Heatherlyn will also weave her gifts as a musician throughout the day, offering live music to ground us and moments of shared song to lift our spirits and reconnect us with joy.

This is your chance to step away from deadlines, silence the notifications, and remember what it feels like to breathe deeply. Come, rest before the work begins—you deserve it.

Heatherlyn Music 

Heatherlyn is a gifted musician, poet-philosopher, and mindfulness guide whose work blends music, presence practices, and a deep commitment to justice and compassion. With a voice often described as healing and soulful, Heatherlyn creates spaces where people can breathe deeply, release stress, and reconnect with their own humanity. Through original music and creative expression, she invites audiences to experience joy, renewal, and belonging. As a queer, non-binary artist dedicated to hope and collective liberation, Heatherlyn brings authenticity, courage, and song to every gathering—reminding us that we are made of love and called to live with wholehearted purpose.

The Systems Lab: Streamlining Church Communications

This full-day lab is a deep dive into the tools, habits, and systems that make church communications more effective — and far less overwhelming.

In the morning, participants will explore best practices for managing communications workflows, prioritizing projects, and leveraging tools that boost clarity and consistency.

The afternoon will feature breakout tracks for Parish Communicators and Diocesan Communicators, each offering practical guidance tailored to your unique context.

You’ll leave with a toolkit of strategies to simplify your work, strengthen your impact, and support your ministry with greater confidence and capacity.

Tools of the Storyteller

This full-day intensive equips communicators with essential skills for telling meaningful, effective stories in both words and images.

The morning session, led by professional photographer Chris Martin, explores the craft of visual storytelling — composition, emotion, and technique — culminating in a hands-on photography exercise.

In the afternoon, acclaimed author and Episcopal priest Lauren Winner guides participants through the art of written storytelling, offering tools and frameworks for capturing the sacred in everyday life.

You’ll leave with sharpened skills, fresh insight, and new ways to proclaim the Good News.