World Mission Day Summaries

From Rev. Michael W. Ridgway, St. Stephens-in-the-Field:

On May 16, a gathering of over 57 people met with Bishop Mary at St. Paul's in Salinas to hear the Bishop's report from her recent trips to our companion dioceses, Western Tanganyika and Gloucester. After her presentation, which included a slide show, commentary and a Q&A session, the participants broke out into groups to discuss and gather ideas around several initiatives supporting World Mission in the Diocese of El Camino Real.

The discussion groups were self-selected into the following subject areas each with their own discussion leader/facilitator: Solar Cooking, School Tuition, Pilgrimage, Micro-Credit Loans for Sewing Machines and Seminary Tuition & Hospitality.

There was lots of positive energy and enthusiasm in each of these groups. Summaries of their discussions and contact information for leaders/participants are available here.

England Visit Report with Photos

From the Rev. Canon Brian Nordwick:

View Bishop Mary’s visit to England with photos, please click on the following link: http://www.edecr.org/companion/Companion-TriadUpdate-20090513.pdf

From Joanna Shreve of St. Timothy's:

Dear Friends,

We are having a "World Mission" meeting on May 16th at St. Paul's, Salinas, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Our World Mission Network, along with the Conference Educational Resource Team (CERT), is going to be helping with the hospitality for this event. AS MEMBERS OF THE WORLD MISSION NETWORK We NEED YOUR HELP!!

1. We will be starting with a coffee hour at 9:30. It would be great to have several volunteers to help come to St. Paul's by around 8:30 a.m. to set up coffee, tea, etc. and make preliminary preparations for lunch.


2. It would be great to have some donated breads and fruit for this coffee hour also.


3. The lunch will have sandwiches catered and delivered by Quizno's. We’ll be placing this order and purchasing paper goods, drinks, chips, cookies, fruit, etc. as soon as we have an idea of what the registration numbers are.

REGISTER NOW AND INVITE OTHERS.

Registration is through Susan@edecr.org. People are being asked for a $5 donation to help defray the cost of lunch. Judging from the excitement around the diocese on World Mission outreach, we think this meeting will be well attended.

The agenda is still being developed, but from the most recent information we have, Bishop Mary will be talking about the Triad Companion Diocese Covenant and how it is shaping up from the diocesan delegations which she has lead to Western Tanganyika and Gloucester. A discussion will be had concerning this pivotal moment that our diocese is experiencing, how the other World Mission Partnerships will relate to the Companion Diocesan Partnerships, and how these other established partnerships might be of assistance to the CDPs. The youth who have done mission trips through the Sierra Service Project are also going to be invited to come and talk about their experiences. The challenges are “how to do together what we cannot do alone.”

There will be time for people to work together in small groups on specific outreach ideas. This would include a group that wants to address some of the issues about other parish relationships that are currently in place (Hope With Sudan, Haiti, Mexico, etc.)

If you would like to help with set up, clean up and hospitality or provide a treat for the morning coffee hour, please let me know as soon as possible. jrshreve@aol.com (Please put WMN in the subject line.)

The Global Episcopal Mission Network Meeting - May 20-23

From Rev. Amy Denney Zuniga:

The Global Episcopal Mission Network is holding its annual Mission Institute right in El Camino's backyard, at the Mercy Center in Burlingame from May 20-23. The focus will be on "making the local-global connection" and speakers include Dr. Jenny Te Paa, noted Anglican indigenous theologian from New Zealand, Dr. Henry Zeigler, medical missionary in Tanzania, and The Rt. Revs. Andrus and Charleston, bishops in the diocese of California. For more information and to register please visit http://www.gemn.org/.

World Mission Network Convocation Summary

From Joanna Shreve & Jerry Drino:

We had some great conversation at the World Mission Network Convocation this past Saturday at Church of the Good Shepherd in Salinas. Canon Jesus Reyes shared about his experiences as a missionary in Mexico and Brazil and how those experiences have helped form his approach to missionary work and to evangelism and congregational development. To sum up his message (which does not begin to do it justice!), he encouraged us to be open to imagining -- to remove preconceived ideas and stereotypes and, instead, be receptive to new and different understandings and experiences.

The Rev. Amy Denny-Zuniga and her husband, Vincent, shared about their three year experience as missionaries in El Salvador. It was hearing their stories that we found ourselves talking about "pilgrimages" rather than mission trips. Americans often find that visiting and living in third world countries can be such a shock because of the extreme poverty and hunger usually so prevalent. As we try to integrate ourselves into these communities, what is it that we bring and what is it that we can learn about ourselves and what is it that we can bring back to our home communities? Pilgrimages are transformational experiences and we need to pay attention to "re-entry" into our home communities for those who go on mission trips.

The Rev. Jerry Drino presented some thoughts and questions about the shift in our understanding of the meaning of mission for today. There has been a distortion in the past with the belief that mission was taking something to some people who did not have what we have. This is the "Imperial Attitude of Mission." From the teachings of Jesus it is clear that mission is God's Mission. Our vocation, if we chose it, is to arrive at the place where God's Mission is most likely to be experienced. Jesus gave a clear indication of where this might be when he said, "I was hungry and you feed me, naked and you clothed me, thirsty and young gave me to drink, in prison and you visited me..." Jerry talked about the Hawaiian concept of enlightenment called A'o aku a'o mai" which comes as a reciprocal experience of interaction between people, something that is discovered together and between each other. What is in the midst of such relationships is the Kingdom of God, Jesus' term for God's Mission.

The Rev. Jerry Drino closed out the day with a conversation around what some of our next steps might be as a network of people dedicated to promoting mission outreach. We hope to be on the schedule of the visiting bishops from our companion dioceses in September and we want to invite those who go on our summer mission trips to share their experiences with us, and hopefully support them in their "re-entry" back into our communities.

This March 2009 Convocation was prayerful, joyful and inspiring. We look forward to inviting you all to future convocations.

World Mission Network Convocation: Conversations on the Mission Partnerships We Build Together

From Joanna Shreve:

Saturday, March 14, 9:00-4:00 pm.

The World Mission Network of El Camino Real offers a tangible and practical way in which we connect with the Global Church and the needs of the world. As a congregation involved in world mission partnerships and seeking mission connections, we are being encouraged to send representatives to this “con-vocation” = speaking together.

Three conversations will be woven into the day:

• Mission Partnerships as Renewal of Congregations (Jesus Reyes),
• Cross-Cultural Discoveries and Sensitivities (Amy and Vince Zuniga-Denney) and
• Reshaping Our Theology of Mission for the 21st Century (Rev. Jerry Drino).

Come, be refreshed, renewed, connected and empowered for mission and help be a part of evolving this vital network in our diocese.

Church of the Good Shepherd
301 Corral de Tierra Rd, Salinas (off Route 62).

Cost: $5 per person.

Registration 8:30 am. PLEASE BRING YOUR SACK LUNCH. Contact Susan Altig to register: susan@edecr.org 831-394-4465. Contact Joanna Shreve with questions: jrshreve@aol.com.

Resources for World Mission Sunday-- Feb 22, 2009

From The Rev. Amy Denney Zuniga:

In 1997, the General convention of the Episcopal Church designated the last Sunday in Epiphany as World Mission Sunday. This year World Mission Sunday falls on February 22, and the theme is "Building Up the Body of Christ" and support of the missionaries of the Episcopal Church. Here are some resources:

A poster is available for free download at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79706_104293_ENG_HTM.htm or may be purchased through http://www.episcopalbookstore.org/ .

The weblog of ECR's own missionary, Robin Denney in Sudan, at http://robin-mission.blogspot.com/. Robin also has a video on the Sudan at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCpzcS2P_k8.

Need mission-minded preaching inspiration? The Rev. David Copley, Mission Personnel Director for the Episcopal Church, has a sermon for World Mission Sunday posted at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/sermons_that_work_104663_ENG_HTM.htm
Additional resources for World Mission Sunday can be found at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79706_21325_ENG_HTM.htm?menupage=75703 .

World Mission Network Presentation at Convention

The World Mission Network gave a presentation at the 2008 Diocese of El Camino Real Convention.

The following video was shown, and everyone who had participated in mission work this year, who was present, came up on stage. Jerry Drino talked about the network, and several people talked about what mission means to them. Thank you to everyone who made a special effort to be at convention for our presentation!

If you would like a copy of this DVD please email Robin Denney at: redenney AT gmail.com

Table of Contents

Welcome to the Blog of the World Mission Network!

This Blog:

• To comment on any article, click on "comments" at the bottom of the article, fill in the box provided, and add your name. Choose the "anonymous" option so you don't have to create an account.
  
• To see photos with captions from mission activities, click on the slideshow "Partnership in Action" in the top right corner
• To see documents produced by the WMN, see the "Mission Data Files" section in the right side bar
• To see Personal Stories about mission work and parish relationships see "Your Mission Stories" in the right side bar
• To see websites of our mission partners see: "Links- Our Mission Partners" "Links- Our NGO Partners" in the right side bar
• To see background resources see: "Links- Resources" in the right side bar
  

About us:

The World Mission Network is a forum of the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real. Each parish in the diocese is encouraged to have at least one person on our contact list. We send out a monthly update with info from this blog, as well as the roster from all the churches. The network has a non-hierarchical structure. There are no officers, and it is not a decision making body. Those who wish to be more involved in the running of the network can join the “Mission Circle” which is a group of people within the network who have agreed to receive more frequent communications, and participate in promoting the network, information sharing, and visioning.

• If you are new to this site, let us recommend some important articles:

Concerning the World Mission Network:

• Report to Convention 2008: who we are, accomplishments, challenges: click here
• See upcoming events in the right-hand sidebar
• Video Presentation (10 minutes) of mission involvement around the diocese 2008: click here

Concerning our new Triad Companion Relationship:

• Bishop Mary’s Powerpoint Presentation outline of the relationship 9-25-08: click here
• Discussion Topic about the Relationship: 9-11-08 click here
• Bishop Mary’s Address to Convention 2008, introducing the relationship: 11-21-08 click here
• Convention accepts relationship: 11-9-08 click here
• A Message from Bishop Gerard (Western Tanganyika): 11-25-08 click here
• Companionship Prayer: 11-25-08 click here

Mission Involvement around the Diocese and contact info for parishes:

• Mission Data File: posted in the right hand column, updated monthly: click here
• Monthly Updates: posted in the right hand column: November update click here
• Graphic: Map of involvement: click here

Discussion topics – You can add your thoughts on these or on any article:

• Triad Companion Relationship- click here
• Millennium Development Goals- click here
• Anglican Communion- click here

Questions? Please contact us!

Communications: Joanna Shreve: jrshreve AT aol.com
Blog: Michael Ridgway: mwridgway AT earthlink.net

Mission Circle:
Jerry Drino, Hope with Sudan: jdrino AT hopewithsudan.org
Julie Fudge, St. John’s Capitola
Sylvestre Romero, St. Phillip’s San Jose
Charles Greenleaf, St. John’s Capitola
Karen Greenleaf, St. John’s Capitola
Celeste Ventura, St. Mary’s Pacific Grove
Peter Troop, St. Jude’s Cupertino
Bill Shreve, St. Timothy’s Mountain View
Joan Anderson, St. John’s Capitola
Linda Morris, St. Jude’s Cupertino
Gloria VanBree, All Saint’s Palo Alto
Mary Lou McKenney, All Saint’s Watsonville

Convention Presentation!

The WMN is putting on a presentation during convention, so mark your calendars: Saturday November 8, Sherwood Hall, Salinas. The presentation will be sometime between 11:30am and 1:00pm. Everyone who has been involved in mission work this year, is invited to join us on stage, to give the delegation an idea of how alive mission work is in our diocese. We will also have a powerpoint presentation going with info and pictures.

Please get information and photos about the specific trips, relationships, or projects your church has supported this year, and email them to Robin Denney: redenney@gmail.com, or mail them to her at: 8620 Piedras Altos Ave, Atascadero, CA 93422.
The deadline for submission is November 3.

9-15 Conference Call Summary

The World Mission Network Conference call was held on 9-15-08. An agenda prepared by Rev. Jerry Drino was presented and a lively discussion among the participants followed for over an hour.

Comments and questions were offered regarding the Triad Diocesan Companion relationship presented by Bishop Mary. Next steps were proposed for improving communication among members and the identification of parish representatives. Further discussion centered on the Diocesan Convention, specifically the presentation and a display. Read the minutes by clicking the link below for further information and details:

Conference Call Minutes 9-15-08

Your Mission Stories

Please share your mission stories with us! You can post comments to this article with your story, or email the World Mission Network with your story so we can post it!

See the "Your Mission Stories" section in the right hand sidebar, where links to mission stories will be posted.

See the newest story: A reflection from Jackie Boynton on Epiphany Lutheran and Episcopal Church's 10 year relationship with Rwanda: 10 Years with Rwanda

Conference Call- "The Circle of Mission"

You Are Invited!

On Monday, September 15 at 7pm we will have a follow-up conference call to plan our next step. We have reserved a conference call line for 30 participants. Anyone who would like to join the conference call is welcome to do so in the spirit of working as a network, which is a circular and inclusive model. In order to participate we ask that you email , Robin (redenney AT gmail.com) and Jerry (jdrino AT hopewithsudan.org) to say that you are joining the call and to list any issues or questions you would like to address by NOON, Monday September 15 so that talking points can be addressed.

Review the minutes from last Saturday's meeting with the Bishop to renew our actions.
Minutes 9-6-08 Meeting

Then follow these steps:

Dial the Telebridge Number: 916-233-0499
Wait for the prompt to give the Guest PIN#. Enter 39642

-Posted by Jerry Drino

Meeting with Bishop Mary

The World Mission Network met with Bishop Mary on Saturday September 6 in Salinas. More than 40 people attended. The bishop talked about her experience at Lambeth this summer, and presented a concept for a Triad Companion Diocese Relationship between ECR, a diocese in Tanzania, and a diocese in England.

See the full report of the meeting including discussion and next steps: Minutes 9-6-08 Meeting

See the supporting documents that the Bishop presented: Bishop Mary's Presentation on Lambeth

Remember, documents are also posted in the sidebar of the page under "Mission Data Files"

Bishop Mary to Report to World Mission Network

Saturday September 6
9:30am-1pm
At: St. George's Salinas


Our bishop has worked hard and prayerfully in her mission to discern where God is calling her and our diocese to enter more fully into companionship with other parts of the Anglican Communion. On Saturday, September 6 Bishop Mary invites congregations to send their representatives to a gathering of the diocesan World Mission Network at St. George's, Salinas. Registration begins at 9:30 am with gathering prayers at 10:00 am. Last spring, in preparation for her participation in the Lambeth Conference she asked the diocese to help her discern where we need to move in forming a diocesan companion relationship with other parts of the Anglican Communion. A steering committee was formed, surveys were conducted and a discernment day for congregational representatives was held in May. A report was then generated and sent to her as part of the preparation for Lambeth. (See recent Mission Bell) She is now ready to report back to the diocese.

The impact (or "foot print") which our dioceses has in the world is quite significant.

Please send your reservations to Susan Altig: susan AT edecr.org by September 1.
All interested persons are invited

World Mission Network Survey Report Now Available

The World Mission Network has completed the first draft of its report on the mission involvement of the Diocese of El Camino Real.
The WMN will keep this report up to date, and it will always be available on this blog on the right hand column under “Mission Data”.

Please keep the World Mission Network updated with your parish’s involvement. If you see any changes that need to be made to the data, please email Robin Denney: redenney AT gmail.com

The Report includes and introduction, and then two data files.

Mission Report to Bishop Mary
Mission Data by Parish
Mission Data by Region

Our Mission Involvement

Click on the map above to see a larger version. This map shows the different places around the world that our Diocese has relationships and mission involvement. For contact information to learn more about any of these projects email Robin Denney. To submit information about any projects not depicted above, please post a comment here or email Robin Denney: redenney AT gmail.com

Get Involved!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Discernment Day (see the article below)! It was exciting to meet so many people from our diocese that have a passion for mission!

The network is still gathering information on the mission involvement of the diocese. Please email me with the mission involvement and interests of your parish. redenney@gmail.com Send me photos too!

If you have any ideas/topics for discussion on the blog, let me know!

Also if you have stories of your own mission involvement, or if you could write a reflection on what mission means to you, we are collecting these stories for the network.

Discernment Day

We began with informal chatting, and marking our global ministries on a “map” of the world. (we will try to turn this into a graphic and get it on the blog).

Gathering Prayer- Hank and Sherry LeBeau lead us in a short reflection on the unity of humanity and a gathering prayer Lakota and English.

Welcome and Introductions- Silvestre Romero gave us the vision for the day and lead the process of introductions, where each person present talked about the ministries going on in their parish. Silvestre explained how the Network came to be, and it’s purpose of gaining a vision of where we are, encouraging more mission activity, and discerning together where we might be led.

What is a Companion Relationship?- Robin Denney spoke about companion relationships, and the importance of partnership, walking alongside one another, and recognizing all we have to learn from each other. Also, how companion relationships form and what they look like, and their importance in the Anglican Communion.

Personal views of world mission – Jerry Drino told his story of being called to mission work throughout his life, from Alaska, to Watts, and now to Sudan. He talked about the importance of mission work, and of relationships. He showed us some strategic plans from Sudan, as examples of some of the pressing needs a diocese overseas might possess (being clear that this was an example, to spur ideas and not a proposed relationship).

Small Group Discernment- We broke up into small groups, and discussed our passion for mission, what we have to offer, what we hope to gain, what the mission network could do for us, and where we might be led in the future.

We then got together as a large group again to share our ideas:

Next Steps

What the World Mission Network can do:

· The mission network should put together a plan or report of the areas where we have connections, and ask the Bishop to pray over it, and go into Lambeth with these connections in mind.

· The Diocese may want to revisit it’s mission statement, to fit where we are now.

· The Network needs a mission statement.

· The Network will use the existing structure of the deaneries to get information out, and use the deanery meetings as a place to gather ideas and information, and communicate information about the Network.

· Communication is a huge part of what the Network will do, developing a system of communication using email, blog, website, and a phone/email tree style of personal connection through the network and deaneries, to be sure all congregations get the information

· The Network should seek to connect parishes throughout the diocese with mission resources and people who have experience.

· The Network should put together a resource directory where people looking for ideas can find contact info for people in parishes that have already done something similar

· Having returned missionaries come and speak helps to grow passion about mission, the network could organize visits.

· The Network should be a vehicle through which those engaged in mission can help parishes who are not engaged to grow a desire to do so… how to do this is an on-going discussion.

· The Network should have a presence at Convention with displays, and available contact information for different projects.

· Telling our mission stories is a critical part of spreading the passion for mission. We would like to collect these stories, and put them into some kind of a publication. Many times spiritual reflection and prayer come out of these stories, and we value that and hope that people include that in their stories.

· The network

· The email contact for the network (and coordinating committee) will be Robin Denney: redenney@gmail.com.

· The blog: worldmissionnetwork.blogspot.com will be a forum for discussions online. Please submit articles to Robin to be posted. Once posted, anyone can comment on an article. Please send photos and stories!

Qualities important to us in a Companion relationship:

· Choosing a region where we have some historical involvement

· There seem to be two clusters of current mission connections, one of which would be a good place to begin a companionship: East Africa or Caribbean/Central America.

· Pilgrimages of delegations from each diocese to enliven people’s passion about mission (Ease of Travel is a major consideration here.)

· Some passions we have to share are community organizing, political advocacy, and agriculture. In order to get a comprehensive view of what we have to offer in relationship, we should incorporate the needs and strengths of our diocese identified in the documents developed for the episcopal search process we went through.

· Ways for the children and youth to get involved

· Adult short term mission trips

· Language: ease of communication in forming relationships is important to us, so we suggest beginning with a relationship where many people speak English or Spanish.

· Listening to the vision of the people we seek to enter into relationship with is important.

Put September 6 on your calendars, to meet at St. George’s with Bishop Mary, to discuss the network, and hear her report from Lambeth

Closing Prayer- Robin Denney (Prayer 7 on page 840 BCP)

Come to our Discernment Day!

Wonder, Vision, Discuss, Learn, Network!

Saturday April 19, 9:30am-12:30pm
at St. George’s Salinas
98 Kip Drive, Salinas

Cost: Free!

This is the kick-off event for the World Mission Network. Come help us develop the vision for where we are going in mission together! We will have speakers, discussions, and materials on world mission.

We invite each congregation to send members to hear the voices of the world community that are speaking through the partnerships in our diocese and share your own congregations mission partnership. If your congregation has a shared mission with another part of the world, please bring materials and be willing to speak briefly about it.

Here are some of the questions we will discuss:

Where are the desires of hearts to be in solidarity with others, especially those who are suffering?

What has been done so far and where is God calling us into the future?

What companion relationship might be undertaken bishop to bishop, diocese to diocese in the future, and what criteria will be used to make such a decision?