You are already living out the Marks of Mission and General Synod wants to hear all about it.
The Living the Marks of Mission campaign, which encourages Canadian Anglicans to think creatively about how they are living out their faith, has been launched with two new contests.
Call for curriculum, songs
In the first contest, Anglicans are encouraged to design a Sunday school curriculum that would enliven the Marks of Mission for children. One winner from each ecclesiastical province will be flown to Toronto for a November 2011 weekend workshop where they will produce a resource with a top children’s educator. Winners will also receive a bonus gift for their home Sunday school program. Deadline for applications is Sept. 16, 2011.
The second contest invites songs about the Marks of Mission. Anglicans can submit home recordings of their mission-related song and one winner will receive a professional recording session and distribution of their song throughout the church. Deadline for applications is Oct. 14, 2011.
The Marks of Mission are used widely throughout the Anglican Communion, and Vision 2019, the church’s strategic plan, has recommended that the Anglican Church of Canada promote them as a useful ministry framework for all.
The Marks of Mission are, in full,
- To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
- To teach, baptize,and nurture new believers
- To respond to human need by loving service
- To seek to transform unjust structures of society
- To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth
For more information about the contests, visit the Marks of Mission website or email the Marks of Mission Team at General Synod.
Marks on the Move
Part of the Living the Marks of Mission campaign is identifying how the Marks of Mission are used throughout the church. This week the story was traceable in recent events.
At the recent Vital Church Planting conferences in Edmonton and Toronto, General Synod’s coordinator for dialogue, the Rev. Canon Dr. Isaac Kawuki Mukasa, led conversations about Vision 2019 and the common mission language that it encourages.
Outside his Toronto workshop on June 1, two deacons in training from Milton, Ont. stopped to consider the meaning of mission.
“Mission isn’t a buzzword,” said Nina Page. “To me, mission means getting out of the church and meeting people who are outside the church. It’s not what we’re doing inside the church but what we’re doing outside the church with other organizations.”
Ms. Page and her colleague Linda Mee have heard of the Marks of Mission but say they need to use it more in their parish work.
Over at Wycliffe College in Toronto, June 2, nine young Anglican theologians from around the world gathered to work on a book framed by the Marks of Mission. They first met at the Edinburgh 2010 mission conference and decided to share their reflections about Anglican mission today. Their nine-chapter book includes a foreword by the Archbishop of Canterbury and will share mission stories, feminist perspectives, and theological reflection—all grounded in the marks. It will be published in 2012.
The young theologians also discussed what the Marks of Mission mean across their diverse contexts.
“The Marks of Mission are a great resource that the Anglican Communion has,” said Luiz Coelho from the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil. “There have been lots of talk about the Marks of Mission in the life of the Anglican Communion, but surprisingly, when it comes to the provincial level, diocesan level, and parish level, they haven’t been announced.
“I think one of the concerns we had was, the Marks of Mission have been there for years. Is there another way for us to bring this discussion forward again and perhaps have more people read about it and think about it?”
Back at General Synod, the newly appointed Vision 2019 Implementation Team will oversee this challenge in Canada. Chaired by the Ven. P.J. Hobbs, the team will ensure that the strategic plan will be activated—including the Marks of Mission.
Get ready to share your stories of how you are living the Marks of Mission. If you have thoughts or questions, email the Marks of Mission Team. The conversation is just starting.
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