Thirty years ago today, on April 27, 1994, New Wineskins Missionary Network (formerly ECMC, Episcopal Church Missionary Community) held its first Global Mission Conference.…

New Wineskins is grateful to God for the life and legacy of the Rev. Mike Flynn who passed away this week. Fr. Mike was a fixture at New Wineskins Conferences, leading prayer ministry sessions on inner healing and anointings for ministry at nine conferences over 28 years. Fr. Mike’s FreshWind Ministries had a global impact on the Body of Christ. His desire was that every Christian might be filled with the Holy Spirit, find healing and wholeness through the power of forgiveness and restoration, and discover the unique giftings for service that the Holy Spirit imparts to all believers.

As I hopelessly sat at the conference that night feeling like everything in my life was continuing to fall apart, I exasperatingly asked God, Why did You even bring me here?

How might we, as Christians, be a visible presence to the communities where we live? Aside from checking in our neighbors, family and friends, what might we do to share the love of Jesus with others? As followers of Jesus we are people of HOPE! We have good news to share even if we too may feel anxious or afraid.

It was at the end of an evening plenary session at New Wineskins Global Mission Conference in 2013 that a healing and peace came over me that was totally unexpected.

As Christians, we are all called to be mission-minded, seeing ourselves as everyday missionaries wherever we happen to live and at whatever life stage we happen to be.

Having arrived at the Tel Aviv airport eight hours before my flight, I was the only one at the gate, the last gate in the international terminal, of course!

The thing I love most about New Wineskins is the relationships. The New Wineskins Triennial Conference is often described as a “great family reunion” and the same is true for our yearly board meetings. I look forward to them all year long and always learn so much from my fellow board members. It is great to get out of my normal routine and see what the Lord is doing across all cultures and contexts.

It was a blazing hot day, our second clinic day in the village of Ntooma. The Gospel tent was buzzing with activity as our Ugandan evangelism and prayer teams were ministering to the clinic patients. Dr. Chris Keenan, the team dentist, led a ninety-year-old man over to our area. Chris explained that the man had a terminal tumor in his throat and that even back in the US there was nothing that could be done medically to save him. Chris, himself a strong Christian, knew that the best we could do was offer him the Gospel and prayer ministry. Chris also told me that the aged man had been candidly told the seriousness of his condition.