Registration is picking up for the 2022 Global Mission Conference to be held online Thursday-Saturday, May 12-14, with the theme of Women in Mission. Now is the time to register and join with people around the world to celebrate and reflect on the vital role of women’s participation in God’s mission in the past, present and future in diverse cultural and religious contexts.
Sponsored by the Global Episcopal Mission Network, the conference will meet for 3 hours via Zoom on each of the 3 days, 1-4 p.m. Eastern Time. The conference is free and open to the public, and donations are welcome via PayPal on the GEMN website (see below for details). Spanish-language translation will be available.
Visit the conference page here for more information. If you’re ready to register, you can go directly to the registration page here.
Plenary Speakers:
- The Rev. Canon Hilda Kabia, dean of Msalato Theological College in Dodoma, Tanzania, will offer an African theological perspective on women’s work in mission and focus on the ministry of the Mothers’ Union in Anglican and ecumenical life in Africa.
- Ms. Elizabeth Boe, mission personnel officer in the Episcopal Church’s Office of Global Partnerships, will reflect on the work of women missionaries and facilitate a panel of current missionaries in diverse parts of the world.
- Dr. Dana Robert, professor of mission and world Christianity at Boston University School of Theology, will present an ecumenical overview of the history of women in world mission and identify current trends in women’s work globally.
- Ms. Lynnaia Main, the Episcopal Church’s representative to the United Nations, will speak on the church’s interaction with United Nations initiatives for women, especially through the annual meetings of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
Workshops:
- Ms. Elizabeth Ha will present on the work of Five Talents, which since 1998 has been transforming lives through economic empowerment in 20 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, often through women’s savings groups and business ventures.
- Ms. Chiseche Mibenge, director of gender initiatives at Episcopal Relief and Development, will highlight ERD’s mission companionship with women in diverse parts of the world, especially through its priorities of women, children and climate change.
- The Rev. Canon Dr. Helen Van Koevering will present on the work of the Mothers Union in southern Africa from the perspective of her 26 years of mission work in Mozambique.
- Ms. Alice Garrick, executive director of the Women’s Development and Service Society in the Diocese of Raiwind in the Church of Pakistan, will present on efforts to liberate women from human trafficking in an environment of religious persecution.
- The Rev. Canon Heather Melton, staff officer for the United Thank Offering, will speak on the work of this historic mission outreach and will review its grants process. UTO was established in 1889 by the Women’s Auxiliary to the Board of Missions.
- The Community of the Transfiguration, a women’s monastic order based in Ohio, will present on their longstanding work in the Dominican Republic.
- Indigenous Anglican Women of Colombia, convened by Bishop Francisco Duque, will discuss how they are transforming lives in a society historically plagued by poverty and violence.
- Women of Costa Rica and the Rev. Rebecca Yarborough will discuss women’s outreach in the Central American country and how it is enhancing ministry in the Diocese of North Carolina.
Workshops by women in Cuba, Korea and North India are in development.
Mission Spotlights and Testimonies
Short overviews of particular mission initiatives will be screened from time to time during the conference to illustrate the diverse ways in which people are participating in the richness of God’s mission. Here are some of them:
- Haitian mission of the Society of St. Margaret
- Stand With Iraqi Christians
- Absalom Jones Center for Racial Reconciliation
- Virginia Seminary’s Center for Anglican Communion Studies
- GEMN’s Mission Formation Program
- Global Mission Digital Toolkit
- Resources of The World Christian Encyclopedia, 3rdedition
- Global Mission at the 2022 Lambeth Conference
- World Mission Board of the Diocese of Texas
One-minute, pre-recorded Mission Testimonies about women in mission are invited! Did you have an inspiring time working with women in some part of the world? Were you awestruck by a particular woman missionary? Are you intrigued by the work of a women’s group grappling with a particular challenge? Make a 60-second recording about this and send it to conference assistant Nelson Pike at gemn@gemn.org. The Mission Testimonies will be dropped in at points during the conference.
More Details
Here are the conference times for different locations:
10am-1pm Pacific
1-4pm Eastern
5pm-8pm GMT
7pm-10pm South Africa
11pm-2am Pakistan
3am-6am Korea & Japan
Conference sessions will be recorded for later viewing.
Attendance is by donation. There is no fee, yet attendees are encouraged to make a donation as they are able. If you are not already a member of GEMN, you are encouraged to become a member when you register for the conference.
A note about donations: Payment is accepted via check or through PayPal. To donate via PayPal, please select the payment option “Pay at Door” while registering, then visit the 2022 Conference page on the GEMN website here to donate by clicking the red “Donate” button on the right-hand side. If paying by check, make checks payable to Global Episcopal Mission Network, P.O. Box 1434 Dublin, OH 43017-6434.