Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Spring 2014 Issue

Where We’ve Been When Bishop Johnston introduced the Five Priorities for Mission and Ministry, he said, “My firm conviction is that ministry beyond ourselves, through outreach ministries and domestic and world mission is, like evangelism, at the very heart of the Gospel.” And it would appear that folks in the Diocese agree. In our electronic survey questionnaire at Annual Council, attendees selected Mission and Outreach as the top priority that generates the most excitement, receiving 58.3 percent of votes. And it’s no surprise: Virginians are passionate about Mission and Outreach. At Council, we saw this passion when the GIRLs group of St. George’s, Fredericksburg, interviewed female leaders of the Diocese about their outreach work in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and right here in Virginia with human trafficking. We heard youth from Grace & Holy Trinity, Richmond, discuss their relationship with the Diocese of Liverpool. Council members also voted to support the formation of a Task Force for South Sudan. Just taking a look at the Mission and Outreach website gives a glimpse of how rich and varied our Diocese’s commitment is: from Middle East Ministry to Prison Outreach, from Disaster Preparedness and Response to the Millennium Development Goals, our churches know what’s at the heart of the Gospel. Staff Q&A with Buck Blanchard Our involvement in mission and outreach in Virginia is a great source of pride for our congregations. What is it about how we approach mission in Virginia that sets us apart? The most significant thing that sets us apart is our willingness to look locally, nationally and internationally without fear of where that might lead us. As a result, we do mission work in varied and unusual places. Our attitude toward mission is that we absolutely can accomplish what we feel called to do. If that takes us into an unusual ministry or a far-flung place, then we say “yes” to that. We don’t look for ways to say “no.” Instead we look for ways to say “yes, let’s go” to the calls we receive from God. For lots of churches, there seems to be an ongoing debate between local outreach and national or international mission. What advice do you give to congregations that are struggling between these two? I think the key is to remember that we’re called to serve others, whether those others are a mile away or 5,000 miles away. There’s no distinction. It’s a mission ministry to all people whether it’s a local, national or international call. We should not look at the local versus international mission question as an either/or. It’s really a both/and. There are folks who are inclined to do local mission work and we should look for opportunities to get them involved in that. There are other people who naturally, from God, have an interest in reaching out internationally to the rest of the world. Similarly, we should find ways to get them involved. It may not be that your church has to have an international relationship, but it’s incumbent on us to find 18 Virginia Episcopalian / Spring 2014 opportunities for people who are interested in those sorts of ministries and get them involved. Maybe that’s with another church or with a diocesan project. But what we don’t want to do is encounter a parishioner who truly believes he’s called by God to serve in a particular ministry and say, “We can’t help you with that.” We have to find a way to get them involved in what they believe God has called them to do. That’s our charge. How do you see our approach to mission and outreach growing and evolving in the years to come? What’s on the horizon? The most exciting development going forward is how we’re looking at mission opportunities not divided by church, but how we might be able to interest people in mission opportunities in fields where they are already passionate. So, for example, we have the young adult trip that goes to Haiti. It draws young people from across the Diocese, not one particular church. We have a Women-to-Women ministry in the Congo that connects women who are interested in those issues surrounding that ministry, not just women of a particular church. We can slice the mission universe in ways that are different than slicing it by 182 churches. We can actually slice it into affinity areas and areas that people are passionate about, and find ways to g ]

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