NOTE FROM THE MISSION PERSONNEL DIRECTOR: The Rev. David Copley

The global mission engagement of the Episcopal Church has been transformed in the past twenty years, as the world has grown smaller through the advancement of technology. We are now able to communicate quickly and easily throughout the world at the click of a button and international travel is more accessible than it has ever been.

Through the power of the Internet we are able to communicate instantly with churches as far away as the Philippines, Tanzania, Sudan and Colombia. Parishes and diocese around the Episcopal Church are engaging directly in global mission, sending short-term mission groups and longer-term missionaries around the world. Many of us are privileged to receive guests on a regular basis from other parts of the Anglican Communion with visiting bishops, students and missionary partners. We are all becoming more connected with other parts of the Anglican Communion through a myriad of opportunities that enable us share mutual ministries, to compare cultures and to experience how God is working in other parts of the Body of Christ.

The Episcopal Church through the Mission Personnel office and in partnership with parishes and diocese continues to send and support missionaries around the world. We currently have over 60 missionaries serving in 25 countries around the Anglican Communion. There are also a large number of missionaries sent directly through their home parishes and dioceses and through mission agencies such as Anglican Frontier Mission and SAMS (Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders).

The Mission Personnel office of the Episcopal Church Center is constantly looking for new and creative ways to support parishes and diocese in their global mission engagement as the character of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion continues to grow and change. One example of this response is the collaboration between the Episcopal Church Center and GEMN (Global Episcopal Mission Network) in developing a missionary training program for short to medium term missionaries, which will be held in the Boston area in May. We have also recently started a Facebook page called “Global Mission of the Episcopal Church” which we invite anyone to share news about their various mission activities.

The only constant in the global mission activity of the Church is that it is constantly in a state of flux. We hope that this newsletter will provide a resource that will prove useful as we all move together in participating in God’s mission of reconciliation around the world.

An Email from Robin Denney, 17 January 2011

Dear Friends,

There is a book about the Episcopal Church of Sudan called, But God is not Defeated . One of the authors, Samuel Kayanga passed away suddenly last week a couple days before the referendum began. He was a great theologian and teacher, and is missed by his family and the whole Episcopal Church of Sudan. There seems to be greater mourning going on for those who died that week and in the month leading up to the referendum, because they did not get to witness the referendum. Bishop Bullen Dolli of the Diocese of Lui, also passed away recently, a month before the referendum.

For so long, everyone in south Sudan has been thinking of and talking of January 9, the sixth anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, and the start of the Referendum. The full week of voting has come to a close, ending on Saturday evening. The preliminary vote count has taken place at the polling stations, and the ballots have been collected for the official count and declaration of results, which will take place by February 14.

Yesterday, I went around Juba with some friends and we visited polling stations to review the posted results. We only meant to visit a couple, but the more we visited the more we wanted to see. Other people were out doing the same thing, and it felt like a scavenger hunt of witnessing history. Of the 16 polling stations we visited, they had an average voter turnout of 95% and the vote in favor of separation was 97%.

Throughout the week of voting, Juba was very quiet. The voting was conducted with more than just peace, there was a camaraderie among people, a sense of unity of purpose, a feeling of the monumental importance of these events, and an awe that they should finally come to pass. Some organizations passed out water to voters standing in line. I even heard of private individuals who passed out food or tea to those waiting. Though the wait in line took many hours, people were patent, solemn, and respectful.

A personal highlight of the week, was watching the two Archbishops (Catholic and Episcopal), vote together, to the general applause of everyone waiting in line at the polling station. A few minutes later, Jimmy Carter, who was helping as an international observer, happened to stop by the polling station where we were, and shook hands with everyone.

Yesterday, the Archbishop preached at the Cathedral. He spoke of the triumph of the people in achieving a peaceful referendum. And he challenged the people and the government to carry this same spirit of unity of purpose into the founding of the new country. He said, “We have shown to the world the true nature of the people of south Sudan.” And that statement keeps coming back to my mind. It is so true, and full of such hope for the future.

The referendum week has not been universally peaceful. There were armed clashes in Abyei, which is on the border between north and south, along with other incidents along the border. And some people in the north continue to fear what the separation may mean for them.

Prayers are still needed for this transition period, for the announcement of the results, and for peace throughout Sudan. We also need to pray for Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, which are areas on the north side of the border, now entering into the popular consultation process about their own self determination. We continue to pray for peace in the north, for Darfur, and for southerners and Christians living in the north in this uncertain time.

It has been an honor to be here to witness these historic events, to see the people of south Sudan show the world yet again, that they are committed to the peaceful establishment of a new democratic society, to see south Sudan show the world that they are a people of peace. So many people have expressed their thanks to me for being here with them at this time. There is great gratitude to the international observers and other foreign visitors who came during the referendum. But most of all, people express their gratitude to God, for bringing them to this day.

Echoing the sentiment of But God is not Defeated : the people of Sudan have borne much suffering, and much joy. Though it all, they have not been left alone, nor have they forgotten who it is who is accompanying them. God incarnate, the living Christ, has already defeated death. God is not, cannot, and will never be defeated. While tears of sadness and tears of jubilation are shed at the events that have passed this week, we know that the Prince of Peace reigns in our hearts, and that all things are in the hands of God.

With love and much hope,
Robin

Additional reflections written throughout the referendum can be found on Robin’s blog: http://robin-mission.blogspot.com