USPG, Serving Churches, Strengthening Communities

Bishop Saw John Wilme presides at the closing Mass
The theme of the 2017 USPG Conference was "Serving Churches, Strengthening Communities". Friends, supporters, diocesan representatives, staff and overseas partners of the mission agency gathered in High Leigh to explore this theme through 5 programme lenses:

  • Protecting health, 
  • Growing the church, 
  • Enabling livelihoods, 
  • Promoting justice and 
  • Responding to crises. 
USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel) is one of the oldest mission agencies in the Anglican Communion. Founded in 1701, it has been supporting Anglican Churches around the world in their mission to bring the fullness of life to the communities they serve. Many of our own Churches in the Diocese in Europe were founded and supported by USPG. 

Since 2015 USPG has been accompanying our Diocese in our work with refugees. Through funding, through provision of technical personnel, through planning for long-term strategies, USPG in an invaluable partner in our work. It was therefore a great pleasure to be able to give a keynote address on the theme of Responding to Crises and to share with the delegates to the conference how the Society has been working with us on refugee matters in Greece, Finland, and Morocco in particular, and what future plans might be developed.

Canon Grace Kaiso with Rebecca Boardman, USPG staff
On the periphery of the meeting I was able to have some planning discussions with USPG Staff and with the General Secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, the Revd Canon Grace Kaiso, about the possible secondment of a priest from a West African diocese to work with us in Morocco, in our ministry which is increasingly focussed on the Sub-Saharan migrant community there.  

I was also pleased to catch up with an old friend, Bishop Saw John Wilme, Bishop of Toungoo in Myanmar (Burma).


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