“How to Organize a Diocesan Mission Conference” will be the theme of the Oct. 19 online Mission Thursday convened by the Global Episcopal Mission Network. Presenting from their experience of putting together conferences in their dioceses will be Mr. Patrick Kidd, chair of the Global Mission Commission in the Diocese of New York, and the Rev. Dr. Leon Spencer, member and former chair of the Chartered Committee on Global Mission in the Diocese of North Carolina.
Mission Thursdays are free and open to the public. The one-hour gathering will take place on Zoom at 1 p.m., and free registration is here at Eventbrite.
For a number of years, the mission commissions in New York and North Carolina have offered annual gatherings in their dioceses to catalyze global engagement at the diocesan and parish levels. Kidd and Spencer will discuss how their commissions develop themes and workshops, generate enthusiasm in their dioceses, and fund the gatherings.
The theme of North Carolina’s third “Annual Mission Mission Gathering” on Sept. 16 was “It takes the whole world to know the whole gospel,” a statement attributed to Max Warren, who led the Church Mission Society in the Church of England in the mid-20th century. Keynoters were Bp. Todd McGregor, former missionary in Kenya and Madagascar and now a coach with the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders (SAMS), and Cameron Vivanco, a current SAMS missionary in Ecuador. The gathering featured nine workshops on such themes as creation care, short-term mission teams, finance, pilgrimage and partnership.
New York’s seventh annual “Global Mission Fair” will be held on Saturday, Oct. 14, at Trinity Commons, the community center of Trinity Church, Wall Street. The theme is “Harmony Unveiled: Exploring the Ecological Soul of Global Mission,” keynoted by Ms. Karenna Gore, founder and CEO of the Center for Earth Ethics. Included will be talks by the bishops of the diocese and announcements of the annual Sustainable Development Goal Grants.
Mission Thursdays, generally held on the third Thursday of the month, are opportunities for global mission activists to learn about current mission developments and form community.
Photo above: Scene from the 2021 Global Mission Fair at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.