Middle East mission companionships to be focus of March 16 Mission Thursday

“Mission Companionships in the Middle East” is the theme of the Mission Thursday to be held online on Thursday, March 16.  Sponsored by the Global Episcopal Mission Network, the one-hour Zoom session at 1 p.m. will focus on the initiatives of Episcopalians to bear witness in solidarity with Christians in the Middle East, many of whom live with war, catastrophe and oppression in their daily lives.

All who are interested in mission in the Middle East are invited to participate. If you have ties and connections, come and share them.  If you’re simply interested in learning more, come and listen.

Free registration is here on Eventbrite.

The session will be hosted by Buck Blanchard, co-chair of the board of Stand With Iraqi Christians, an outreach of solidarity with the persecuted Christians amid the ongoing unrest in Iraq.  The Rev. Bill Schwartz, recently retired archdeacon for the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf and dean of St. Christopher’s Cathedral, Bahrain, will share from his experience and describe a number of ministries in the region.

Representatives of various mission organizations ministering in the region will introduce their work.  Presentations will be followed by Q&A and discussion.

Mission Thursdays are monthly opportunities for Episcopalians to learn about and network around developments in mission work.  Recent sessions have focused on missional implications of last year’s General Convention and Lambeth Conference, mission in Haiti and mission in the Sudans.

GEMN’s purpose is to gather, inspire and equip people to participate in God’s global mission.  Its core values are humility, inclusion and companionship.

Upcoming:

• Office of Global Partnerships Monthly Networking Call – Wednesday, March 2, at 2pm via Zoom.  Focus will the recent meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council that took place in Ghana.  The Zoom link is here. Meeting ID: 951 9776 7334.  Passcode: 395546.  All are welcome.

• Mission Formation Program, organized by GEMN for mission activists in congregations and dioceses, will be offered midday to midday, Tuesday-Wednesday, May 2-3, at St. Mark’s Church in Tampa, Florida.  Highly recommended for background in biblical mission, mission history and theology, companionship guidelines, cultural sensitivity and practical networking.  Occurs just before the Global Mission Conference.  Registration information is here.

• “Mission: Journey into Healing” is the theme of the 2023 Global Mission Conference for the Episcopal Church organized by GEMN.  Noon to noon, Wednesday-Friday, May 3-5, at St. Mark’s Church in Tampa, Florida.  This is a great opportunity to grow in understanding together at the first in-person Global Mission Conference since before the pandemic in 2019. Registration information is here.

Posted in Middle East, Mission Education, Mission Networking, Mission Thursday.