Missions and Outreach Roundtable - Local and Global Impact
The Anglican Church Missions and Outreach Leader’s Roundtable began in 2022 with a conversation over dinner with Hans Frank-Holzner who served in outreach at The Falls Church Anglican at the time. We felt it would be valuable to bring together mission and outreach leaders from the area churches to get to know one another. We could learn about what our respective churches are doing in missions and outreach, consider ways in which we could work to together as well as have an opportunity to discuss issues of common interest. Shortly after our conversation Hans returned to his home state of Minnesota to attend law school.
I convened the first meeting of the Roundtable hosted by Church of the Apostles. Mission leaders from Apostles, Truro and The Falls Church attended the first meeting. I wasn’t sure if this informal group would gain traction or not. We decided that we would meet quarterly and see if other churches might be interested. Over time our small number began to grow and today there are more than 15 churches involved with the Roundtable from around Northern Virginia. It became apparent from the growing number of participants that the Roundtable was “scratching an itch.” Our participants include clergy, staff, vestry and church members. The common denominator is each one has some responsibility for the missions and outreach programs of their churches.
The group is committed to shared learning, sharing materials and exploring ways to serve together. We rotate the meeting each quarter to a different host church. The missions leader of that church gets to choose the topic for discussion. What we’ve learned is the challenges and issues facing each church, when it comes to missions and outreach, are much the same. The Roundtable is also something of a “support group” for missions leaders! It’s an informal group but has the enthusiastic support of our Bishop Chris Warner, bishop of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic. We call it the Roundtable although we’ve never actually sat at a roundtable!
I would encourage others to consider bringing together peers in missions and outreach in your dioceses. Bringing together “kindred spirits” results In deep friendships and greater Kingdom impact – across the street and around the world.
Alan MacDonald
Alan has spent more than 50 years in missions. He served with Wycliffe Bible Translators for 35 years, served as the pastor of global engagement in a church in Fairfax. He is a member of Truro Anglican Church where he led missions and outreach for three years. He is currently the Global Missions Advocate for the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic and is the Vice Chair of New Wineskins Anglican Partners.
