The Rev. Bernard Bisoke, the Anglican Church of Congo’s provincial youth coordinator, runs a peace center in the regional capital of Bunia. Bunia is part of Ituri Province, which the U.S. State Department has warned is frequently beset by “crime, civil unrest, terrorism, armed conflict, and kidnapping.”

We are hearing from Bishop Dhiloraj Canagasbey about the severe economic crisis in Sri Lanka that threatens to turn into starvation.

Just about three years ago, my wife Gretchen and I were close to making the decision to join the Anglican Communion. We had learned the history of the Anglican church, studied her theology, fallen in love with the rhythms of the Book of Common Prayer and become actively involved in a local Anglican parish. But having spent nearly three decades as missionaries, we had one last hurdle to consider. Do Anglicans still do missions? If so, how?

I want to take a minute to tell you about my six-year-old nephew named Knox. His story is an inspiration to me, and I know that it will inspire you also. When Knox learned that his aunt was working with people who have albinism in Tanzania, he was curious. What does it mean to have albinism? Why do people want to hurt them? Why was Shade trying to help them?

We wanted to share with you this amazing Christmas card that we received from The Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF), featuring calligraphy from ARDF staff member Emily Misner! ARDF is the official international relief and development arm of the Anglican Church in North America, partnering with local communities and churches to work about positive change in a variety of public sectors including health, food security, education, and vocational training.

In their first year of planting Rise Church in Portland, the Rev. Dan and Carrie Wolf were asking a simple question, “God, how can we bless and serve our neighbors?” The Wolfs have two young children (Coen, age 4, and Gemma, age 2), and as they met other young families in their neighborhood and at local playgrounds, their hearts were struck by the toll that the pandemic was taking on both parents and children.…

Feeling a tug on our hearts, we began pushing on doors to see if God was calling us to missions. One of the doors we walked through was the New Wineskins conference in Fall 2019. We went seeking to confirm God’s call.

My experience at Uncommon Grounds Cafe, a ministry of Church Army, was rewarding in an unexpected way.

The Greenhouse movement named Walk Across the Street came from an actual crossing of a street. Many of you have heard the story of how Pastor Michael Wright and I met. I literally walked from Cornerstone Oak Park Church to True Freedom’s service in the school across the street, and a friendship—and a movement—began.

My family and I are preparing to be sent overseas in the coming weeks, and as we travel around the country, sharing our calling with anyone who will listen, we are again presented with an opportunity to “remember.”

Rev. Bernard Bisoke Balikenga is the Provincial Youth Coordinator of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When Bisoke traveled to the U.S. in September 2019 for the New Wineskins Global Mission Conference and again in January 2020 to attend leadership conferences, Holy Trinity Anglican Church Windermere in Charleston, SC, was fortunate to be his host.

Martha, 42 years old, had been living in the unreached area (K) of the Punjab Province in Pakistan, with her husband and two daughters. With the husband working in the brick kilns, it had been difficult for them to manage their daily lives and family, but then Martha’s life completely changed as she got the sudden news of her husband’s death in 2019.

Though our food distribution project is now dwindling, ministry opportunities, which emerged from it, are just beginning. Meet Speciose, age 68, who bore eight children. Only one of her children is still alive today, a daughter named Olive, age 30.

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?

I first went to the mission field in the summer of 2013, to the same Middle Eastern country to which I hope to return in just a few months.

Back in September, John and I went to a New Wineskins conference, which is a global mission conference held every three years.

This ministry update letter was sent to us by Alison Barfoot, a missionary partner, on April 9, 2020 and is being shared with her permission.

When I went to school in Austin, Texas in the 1990’s, there was a bumper sticker that said “Question Reality”. That always tickled me, and I continue to question reality today.

What is it like to return to my passport country? Going out after 14 days of quarantine, it feels like a twilight zone experience.

I heard myself say it in response to a terrible crisis. I had told them I would pray and then I followed it with “I wish I could do more.”