Congratulatory greetings from past leaders of GEMN were shared at Missio 2025 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on the last evening of the core conference, May 1.
From the Rev. Dr. Canon Mark Harris
A former missionary in Haiti and Mission Personnel Officer at DFMS, Mark was one of the founders of GEMN in 1995 and its first executive director. He is priest associate for mission at St. Peter’s Church in Lewes, Delaware.
Dear GEMN friends:
Congratulations on 30 years of service to the vision of the Church as a missionary community.
GEMN was conceived as a network of Episcopalians and members of Anglican Communion churches committed to the proposition that the Good News is spread by witness to God’s love in acts of loving kindness and personal faithfulness to the New Commandment and Eucharistic community.
It was formed by those of us who felt that the Episcopal Church as a religious society was in danger of losing its missionary zeal and by default giving over that work completely to independent agencies. The thought was that GEMN would stand as a witness to the Episcopal Church as a “domestic and foreign missionary society.”
It would do so by drawing together the offices of the Episcopal Church and a wide variety of local and national missionary efforts. As a network it would be support all its members, drawing on the experience of each.
I was honored to be the first paid Executive Director of GEMN. In the years that followed I have followed the work of GEMN with thanksgiving for the many who have provided leadership in this effort.
I am particularly pleased that the Certificate Program begun while I was director has continued, now as the Mission Formation Program. The wisdom of the whole is greater than that of any one of us.
At its core, missionary action takes many forms, but it is always cross-cultural, sometimes involving other countries and cultures, sometimes the more subtle differences that can exist in any of our domestic communities. I hope that GEMN will continue to stress the “global” nature of mission. I hope too that GEMN will affirm that the seemingly “local” shares much in common with the global. As GEMN continues to affirm the missionary work of the Episcopal Church, I hope it will always join the “domestic” and “foreign” actions of the Episcopal Church as a missionary society.
Again, congratulations for thirty years.
The Rev. Canon Mark Harris
From the Rev. Canon Patricia Powers
Having served as an Episcopal missionary in Brazil for 23 years, Pat was an early executive director of GEMN. She is currently priest-in-residence at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Punta Gorda, Florida, and continues as missionary canon for international relations for the Diocese of Brasilia.
Dear Mission-Minded Friends,
I was extremely happy to be reminded that it is the 30th anniversary of GEMN. As one of the first executive directors of GEMN with our office at DaySpring in the Diocese of Southwest Florida, we had great hopes and dreams for the organization and its participation in world mission.
To know that current GEMN members are gathered together these days in Honduras discussing and sharing mission plans, strategies and information for the continuation of God’s mission in the world is truly exciting. Even though retired and away from the mission field for some time, I continue to be involved, especially with the Diocese of Brasilia in Brazil. You can take the missionary out of the mission field, but you can’t take the mission out of the missionary!
I pray that your days together have been fruitful and that you leave the conference renewed, excited and energized to continue your precious work throughout God’s Kingdom.
Blessings,
The Rev. Canon Patricia Powers
From the Rev. Judy Quick
A deacon in the Diocese of Alabama, where she has been involved in companion relationships with the Virgin Islands and Honduras, Judy is a former vice president of GEMN and continues to be a generous contributor, including to GEMN’s Endowment Fund. She serves on the board of the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (AFEDJ) and has been a diocesan representative for Episcopal Relief and Development.
Bienvenidos á todos! Welcome to Missio on GEMN’s 30th Anniversary!
I am so sad I could not be with you all. Our AFEDJ Board Retreat is occurring at exactly the same time as Missio in Honduras. Que lástima! I am passionate about our work to support the humanitarian ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, but I truly miss being with so many friends who are also passionate about global mission.
Thank you all for participating in GEMN. Each of you has answered God’s call to serve, to join in God’s mission in the world. Muchissimas gracias.
Congratulations to GEMN, to the amazing leadership of Titus Presler, to the GEMN Board, and to all the previous GEMN leaders who kept the vision alive to equip and inspire for God’s mission in the world.
The Global Mission Conferences, now called Missio, are invaluable networking and learning experiences to deepen our walk with our companions in mission. The Mission Formation Program richly broadens our understanding of the history and the best practices of mission relationships. The abundant resources on the GEMN website inform and connect us.
A few years ago we on the Standing Commission for World Mission prepared the Guiding Principles for World Mission and offered a simple Message for the Church: Becoming a World Where Love is the Way: Crossing Boundaries, Listening Deeply, Living Like Jesus, Together.
Thank each and every one of you for your commitment to be a vital part of a world where love is the way, for crossing boundaries, for listening deeply, for living like Jesus, together.
Thank you, GEMN, for gathering missioners together to share experiences, enabling all to grow more deeply in faith through the shared ministry and companionship with others.
Bendiciones, Abundant Blessings for you all.
The Reverend Judy Quick, Deacon in God’s Church
From the Rev. Dr. Grace Burton-Edwards
Rector of St. Thomas Church in Columbus, Georgia, Grace is a former secretary and vice president of GEMN, completing her second term in 2024. She is a member of the Diocese of Atlanta’s Global Mission Commission and has been involved in the companionship with the Diocese of Cape Coast in Ghana.
Happy anniversary to GEMN, with congratulations and thanks for 30 years of inspiring and equipping Episcopalians to share in God’s mission throughout the world.
As we live together in the midst of multiple global challenges – climate disruption, human migration, political upheaval, economic uncertainty – the good news preached by Jesus becomes even more central in our lives: that God’s reign of love is unfolding throughout the world, forces of destruction are not as powerful as they sometimes seem, and we are being raised with Christ into a new kind of life together.
GEMN celebrates specific ways the church throughout the world shares in the healing work of God. The stories of mission you amplify are both rays of hope and examples to follow. Thank you for sharing this good news. I pray with you from afar – Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Have a wonderful conference!