Registration for the Global Mission Conference to be held May 3-5 in Tampa continues as plenary speakers are announced for the gathering. Organized by the Global Episcopal Mission Network, the conference will focus on “Mission: Journey into Healing.” See details and register here.
Presenting a theological overview of healing in the mission of God will be the Rev. Dr. Alberto Moreno (above left), Latino missioner in the Diocese of Oklahoma and vicar of Espiritu Santo Episcopal Church in Tulsa. Moreno’s D.Min. thesis at Virginia Seminary focused on healing from multiple perspectives, and he has a master’s degree in theology from the Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome. Originally from Mexico, Moreno earlier ministered in the Diocese of Northwest Texas.
Ms. Rebecca vander Meulen (above center), executive director of the J. C. Flowers Foundation in New York City, will address healing in medical mission and public health from her long experience of working with HIV/AIDS, malaria and asset-based community development in southern Africa and particularly in Mozambique. A graduate of Calvin College, vander Meulen holds a master’s degree in public health from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emery University.
Addressing healing amid the legacies of racism and colonialism will be the Rev. Canon Walter Brownridge (above right), canon for cultural transformation in the Diocese of Vermont. Brownridge served as an Episcopal Church missionary in South Africa during the second decade after the establishment of Black majority rule and ministered out of St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town. A General Seminary graduate, Brownridge holds an M.A. from the University of San Diego and a J.D. from Georgetown University.
Panels from GEMN-related organizations will address post-Covid healing of mission relationships and healing amid poverty and deprivation.
The gathering will include the opening Mission Networking Circle, table discussions of all plenaries, video Mission Spotlights and Mission Testimonies, the GEMN Annual Meeting, and networking times for diocesan Global Mission Advocates, medical missioners, people involved in Haiti, and other special interests.
The Mission Formation Program will be available from noon to noon, May 2-3, in tandem with the conference. This training in biblical mission, mission history and theology, cultural sensitivity, mission companionship, and networking strategies is highly recommended for mission activists and Global Mission Advocates. Register at the conference webpage.