By Charly SHELTON

After three years with St Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church, the Rev. Kirby Smith will be moving on, taking a position in San Diego with the Episcopal Diocese.

“It’s actually coming up pretty quickly. I’m going to start at the Episcopal Diocese in San Diego on the 16th, which is next week,” Rev. Smith said.

He has accepted a position as the chief financial officer of the diocese, which will allow him to unify his interests in business and the church.

“I think I would say it’s the integration of both sides of my background,” Rev. Smith said. “I have an MBA from the University of San Diego, and I was in banking for a number of years, so I have a financial/business side of me. But then I also have the priestly side. And this job will really enable me to tap into both of those, and I think they’ll be complementary in this position.”

Having just passed his three-year anniversary with St Luke’s last Sunday, Rev. Smith said he has learned a lot from his time here and has enjoyed immensely his experience with the congregation.

“I would say it’s the people that really makes the church and we have such a great group of people, both in the English-speaking congregation and also the Spanish-speaking congregation,” Rev. Smith said. “And it’s such a joy to work in a place that’s so physically beautiful when you have really beautiful people to work with as well. So it’s a good combination.”

Rev. Smith will start with the San Diego Diocese on a part time basis, splitting his week between San Diego and St. Luke’s until Feb. 5 when he will start full-time in San Diego.

“I have found that La Crescenta is such a wonderful place. Many people kid that it is Mayberry in the foothills and I have found that to be true in the best sense,” Rev. Smith said. “It’s a very tight-knit community; [people] care for each other, people are respectful and I’m just very impressed with La Crescenta.”

  Charly Shelton