Note from the Mission Personnel Director: The Rev. David Copley

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 19-20)

As Christians we are all called to participate in God’s mission. We do this as we are called by the Holy Spirit; but the “Great Commission,” which is found at the end of the Gospel of Matthew, is seen by many as the basic text from which an understanding of mission is drawn. 

While many Episcopalians find it easy to participate in mission through social outreach activities, many do not see themselves as actively participating in the Great Commission or as evangelists. And yet, I would argue, we are all evangelists. We all share the Good News as we share our faith, and we do this in many different ways: by preaching, sharing our stories, listening to the stories of others, or helping to build a school. Evangelism takes many forms. As St. Francis said, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary use words.”

There is a strong incarnational element to Episcopal theology: we are all made in God’s image and God desires to be an active presence within each one of us. If we believe in this incarnational presence, then when we engage with people from different backgrounds and cultures in any meaningful way we also have the opportunity to encounter the presence of God. When we share our faith experiences, we grow in our own understanding of God as we experience this unique presence of God within the other. As Christians, when we are actively engaged in mission, whether it is domestic or global, we are both evangelizing and being evangelized.

Max Warren, the General Secretary of the Church Missionary Society (1942-1963), famously said, “Our first task in approaching another people, another culture, another religion, is to take off our shoes, for the place we are approaching is holy. Else we may find ourselves treading on men’s dreams. More serious still, we may forget that God was here before our arrival.”

As we continue to participate in God’s mission I pray that we are all able to keep our eyes and ears open to both receiving and sharing the Good News of the Kingdom of God as we develop and nurture new relationships with other parts of the Body of Christ.

Blessings,

David

**The picture in the upper right-hand corner of David's column features the participants in the June 2011 missionary orientation. You can learn more about them in the 'Get to Know our Newest Missionaries' section below.

The Episcopal Church of Sudan: One Church, Two Nations

Larry Duffee, a missionary from the Diocese of Virginia, reflects on relationship and partnership with the Episcopal Church of Sudan and the new realities of post-independence life.

The Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) has approximately 4 million members and is one of the largest social services providers throughout the large region that now includes Sudan and the new Republic of South Sudan. The ECS operates hundreds of schools, numerous clinics, and a hospital. The church drills bore holes for wells to provide clean water and provides education and training in the fields of agriculture, health, literacy, water, and sanitation.
 

The people of Sudan, living in one of the least developed areas on earth, have benefitted greatly over the years from partnerships between the ECS and the members of the worldwide Anglican Communion. While the people of Sudan have received material goods and training from the west, the members of the Anglican Communion have enjoyed the blessings of being in partnership with people strong in their faith and in whom the power of the Holy Spirit is greatly manifest. During a recent visit home, someone asked if part of my ministry was to teach the people of Sudan about faith. I replied, “No, the people of Sudan are teaching me about faith.”

The ECS faces many challenges in the new environment of operating within two nations. ECS dioceses located in the Republic of Sudan, the northern part of Sudan, are facing significant safety and security issues in the politically unstable border regions of the country. Already ECS churches and personnel in the north have experienced harassment and confiscation of property. The ECS in the new nation of South Sudan faces huge challenges operating in a country bereft of infrastructure and stability. Although incredibly blessed with resources, human and natural, South Sudan, still emerging from nearly a half-century of civil war, must struggle to create a new nation from the ashes of destruction.
 

Now that peace has finally arrived, the ECS will need the help and support of their partners in the west more than ever. South Sudan is a nation where only one in fifty children attend school, and where the statistics for poverty, health, infant and mother mortality are some of the worst on earth. But there are opportunities as well: operating within South Sudan should become easier in the presence of peace and an absence of US sanctions. There are so many ways for people to partner with the ECS. The needs of the people of Sudan are great: they need economic and human resources as they begin to create a new nation, and they need our prayers.

My ministry, to try and help the ECS establish systems of accounting, finance, and administration, is motivated in large part by my understanding of the vital role the ECS plays in the communities it serves. I want to help the ECS make better use of the financial resources it has available so it can serve more people. It is also important for the ECS to be accountable to its worldwide partners to demonstrate that the ECS is a good steward of the resources entrusted to it, which is a hallmark of partnership.

I am incredibly blessed to be living with the people of Sudan!

Larry also wrote a first-hand account of the Independence Day celebrations, which was featured in the July 12 American Friends of the Episcopal Church of Sudan (AFRECS) e-blast. You can read it here.