On Saturday, April 9, 145 people gathered at St. Peter’s Church in Weston to celebrate global mission. Twenty-one speakers and seven panelists led discussions about successes and challenges, what healthy mission looks like and what mission could look like in the future. Participants shared challenges, lessons learned and hopes through a range of workshops, panels and conversations, and gathered for shared worship and music.
According to Laura Walta, project director for global mission, there were at least 46 churches represented, of which 22 had no history of involvement with the diocesan mission tithe matching grant process. In addition, there were also attendees representing American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, Episcopal Relief & Development, the Diocese of New York, the Episcopal Church and Episcopal Divinity School. The Rev. Donnel O’Flynn from Faculte des Sciences de Rehabilitation de Leogane Haiti was also in attendance.
Authors Fran Early (Doing Good? Says Who?) and the Rev. Louis Pitt (Post-Colonial Healing in Central Africa: Illustrated Memoir of the Rev. Louis W. Pitt Jr.), and the keynote speaker, the Rev. Dr. Titus Presler (Going Global with God and The Church in Mission) were available to sign their books and chat with interested participants.
All of the organizations that have received diocesan Mission Tithe Council Grants provided workshops: Kenneth Chomba from Tatua Kenya (grant recipient in 2012), Jeanne Rikkers from Foundation Cristosal El Salvador (2013), Liz Kinchen from El Hogar Honduras (2014) and Deborah Scarff representing the Maranyundo School for Girls Rwanda (2015). Philbert Kalisa from REACH Rwanda flew in to speak, as did Alex Wyse, who recently returned from a two-year mission effort at the Bishop Mazereka Christian Foundation in Uganda.
The day ended with an energetic international Eucharist put together by the Rev. Noble Scheepers, Rector of Trinity Church in Marshfield. Scheepers presided at the Liturgy of the Word, and Bishop Alan M. Gates presided over the offering of a "mission commission" and the Liturgy of the Table, assisted by the diocese's deacon for global mission, the Rev. Holly Hartman. "Patrick Michaels, music director at St. James's Church in Cambridge, performed a wide variety of international, multilingual hymns that had us clapping and waving our arms,” Walta said. “It was a perfect conclusion to a day filled with the energy and love of the Holy Spirit.”
Read the preview story about the summit here.