The Most Important Thing: Presbyterian World Mission
When I am asked
what was the single most important thing that came before the 220th
General Assembly, my answer will be the commissioning of our new missionaries
through Presbyterian World Mission. This did not require a vote, or a lengthy debate,
it was more liturgical than legislative. But clearly, the continuing growth of
Presbyterian World Mission, our ability to create new mission positions in
response to the requests of our Church partners around the world, the ability
to recruit and train new missionaries for these positions, and most of all the increasing financial support from all around the
church which makes this growth possible is the most important thing in our church
today.
I am proud that
the Presbytery of Carlisle was involved in creating a new missionary position
in cooperation with the Presbyterian Church in Honduras which is now filled by
Mark and Ashley Wright serving in Tegucigalpa. I am proud that out of this
relationship with the Presbyterian Church in Honduras, we were able to bring
Rev. Juan Rodas to the General Assembly as an ecumenical representative.
Copied here is
part of the Presbyterian News Service article about our new missionaries:
Continuing a 175-year tradition, the 220th General Assembly of
the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on Wednesday evening (July 4) commissioned 152
Presbyterian mission co-workers and young adult volunteers who have accepted
assignments since the previous General Assembly.
The commissioning was held in the state where, in 1837,
Presbyterians established their first national denominational mission agency.
Presbyterian World Mission traces its heritage to that board formed in
Philadelphia. Nine mission co-workers were at the commissioning, representing
the 30 new and reassigned mission co-workers who have been appointed since
2011.
