| Andrea Mann |
As many of you know, Partners in Mission (PIM) is the Anglican Church of Canada’s official international mission program, organized and led by many volunteers across the country in parishes and dioceses, and by a national standing committee.
In a variety of ways, PIM encourages and enables Canadian Anglicans to join with companions around the world to proclaim, in word and action, the Good News of Jesus Christ.
One such way is Volunteers in , which has had 20 years of experience placing Canadian Anglicans overseas as teachers, priests, and administrators. Volunteers in from this diocese in recent years have included, Denise and Bishop Douglas Hambidge, The Rev. Ron and Dorothy Thicke, The Revs. Kathleen and Ed Schmidt, and, currently, the Rev. John Blyth and the Rev. Tess Meadows.
Another program is designed for theological students who have completed two years at seminary. They can spend three months in a Summer Internship in an Anglican diocese overseas. The Rev. Cathy Campbell, former rector of St. Mark’s and , was one such student. She did her internship with the Episcopal Church in the in 1993. The Rev. Roberta Fraser of St. Anselm’s went to the Diocese of West Ankole in the of in 1997. The Rev. Margaret Cornish of St. Alban’s, , in 1999 worked with the Church of Central Africa in
Currently, the Diocese of New Westminster and twenty other Canadian dioceses have developed close ties within the Anglican Communion through the Companion Diocese program of PIM. Your companion is the Diocese of Taiwan and Bishop David Lai.
General Synod apportionment and gifts to the Anglican Appeal allow Canadian Anglicans to share a resource that is in short supply in much of the Anglican Communion.
Grants are sent toward specific projects designated by receiving national churches, dioceses or other partner organizations for “local mission; proclamation, teaching and nurturing of new believers, loving response to human need, transformation of unjust social structures, and sustaining the integrity of creation” - to use the words of the international Anglican Consultative Council, 1984.
Last but least, a number of volunteers from this diocese have served on the national Partners in Mission committee, including Bishop Michael Ingham, the Rev. Stephen Leung of Good Shepherd Church, Vancouver, and Pat Appavoo, Christ Church Cathedral.
Clearly, Partners in is among the long standing commitments made by the people of the Diocese of New Westminster in serving God’s world within and beyond parishes and neighbourhoods.
As recently as September 7, the diocesan PIM committee began yet another initiative: A three way partnership with the companion Episcopal Church in , VST, and the national Partners in committee.
The Rev. Justin (Chun-min) Li will be in the diocese for one year of theological study and parish deputation. For further information about Fr. Justin’s visit contact the Rev. Margaret Cornish, Diocesan PIM Chair.
My work until December as a national staff person located on the west coast will also be a time of meeting new people, listening, learning and interpretation. With your help I hope to share the Partners in story of our church as widely as possible, so that the Anglican family around the world might become better known and deeper partnerships for mission develop.
I look forward to meeting many of you over the next weeks and months. Please don’t hesitate to call me at the Synod Office to learn how you and your parish can become more involved.
For further information on the national Partners in program please visit www.anglican.ca. Dr. Mann can be reached at (604) 684-6306 ext. 227 or by email at amann@national.anglican.ca.