“My Mission Story” is the theme of eleven videos sponsored by GEMN in which Episcopalians witness to how God drew them into world mission. The stories are inspiring as laypersons and clergy talk about key turning points in their missional life with God.
Ranging from 6 to 14 minutes in length, the videos are ideal as discussion starters with mission committees and congregations. The videos are available on the GEMN website and on GEMN’s YouTube channel.
Here are the testimonies:
- “They made me a better Christian” – Canon Walter Brownridge of Christ Church in Montpelier, Vermont, talks about how ministry in South Africa affected him and his family.
- “I see Christ more in so many ways!” – Rosine Carter of Annunciation Church in Luling, West Texas, describes a years-long companionship with a community in Southeastern Mexico.
- “Has the western church forgotten us?” – Vincent Dixon of Stand With Iraqi Christians (SWIC) talks about companionship with an ancient and threatened Christian community.
- “Own your identity as a missionary, or go home!” – Missiologist Bishop Ian Douglas, recalls how Haitian Christians helped him understand his mission identity.
- “Presenting a friendly face in Iran” – Sister Ellen Francis of the Order of St. Helena describes efforts to catalyze peace and reconciliation with Iranians, and inter-religious initiatives in the United States.
- “The poor can show me God” – The Rev. Frederico Garza of Food for the Poor declares that “the Episcopal Church cannot see a rejuvenation without the poor alongside us.
- “God is a missional God” – Yvonne Lembo of the Episcopal Church Foundation describes Meet Me In Africa, her project that engaged people of color in forming relationships and building community in all five regions of Africa.
- “Moving out of my comfort zone opens me up to who God is” – Canon Ranjit Mathews of the Diocese of Connecticut recalls how Christ spoke to him through a leper girl in Mysore, India, and describes his experience of God’s mission in South Africa and Tanzania.
- “Called to discover the universal presence of the divine” – The Rev. Charlie McCarron, minister provincial of the Third Order of the Society of St. Francis, describes his experience of ministering to a community stretching from northern Canada to Brazil.
- “To catch that mission fever is transformative!” – Eric Travis, children and youth minister at Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio, celebrates the fruit of youth mission companionship with Christians in the Dominican Republic.
- “The memory is with me every single day!” – Amanda Watroba (pictured above) of Trinity Church, Lenox, Western Massachusetts, describes how a mission trip to El Salvador affected her.
The My Mission Story project was conceived by the Rev. David Kendall-Sperry of GEMN. GEMN executive director Titus Presler hosted the conversations.