Dear brothers and sisters of Christ Church Waco,
It has been said that, “Missions exists because the worship of Jesus doesn’t.” This coming Sunday, February 7, is set aside within faithful global Anglicanism as a celebration of the work of the Gospel of Jesus across our planet as World Mission Sunday and a rededication of ourselves in obedience to that work.
The call to preach the Gospel faithfully to a broken world has rarely felt more immediate and it is one that echoes across the centuries since Our Lord’s Ascension. It is a call that Christ Church Waco and the Ft. Worth Diocese have embraced in loving obedience to Jesus.
As we look to the future of the Church and our place in obeying the call to mission as a diocese and as a local parish, please take a moment to watch this video address from Archbishop Ben Kwashi to our diocesan convention this past November.
Take some time to prayerfully consider the following points the Archbishop makes and their application to our lives individually and corporately as a Parish:
The Church exists because there is a mission to fulfill – a mission of serving and representing God to the watching world
A faithful and true representation of the Gospel comes with practical implications:
Jesus had compassion on the crowds – the same compassion we are called to demonstrate all over the world to those in need – the widowed, the orphaned, the handicapped, the abandoned, the unloved (and the unlovable), the elderly, the unloved and the uncared for
The Gospel calls us to the places the world neglects and ignores
Obedience to this call is not easy, comfortable or safe
Obedience will place demands on our finances, our time, our safety and our capacity to love and will challenge our commitment to Christ
God will equip us as we step out in trust and obedience to Him
Over the past year, despite the tremendous challenges of a worldwide pandemic, Christ Church Waco has been blessed to be able to financially support:
The work of Love for the Least caring for displaced Yazidi orphans and widows in northern Iraq
The translation work of Steve and Jean Watters of SIL International as they oversee multiple projects that will directly impact the opportunities of Central Asian people groups to have access to the Scriptures in their own languages
The educational work of Steve and MaryLynn Eisenbarth with East-West Ministries in teaching and discipling Mongolian university students and young mothers in the way of Jesus
The lifesaving, restorative work of CareNet
Locally, Christ Church members work in support of the Mission Waco Health Clinic (link) providing acute medical care to some of the most vulnerable members of our community and linking them to community support. Others provide faithful witness to students through teaching, artistry, research, servant leadership, and mentorship in a variety of campus settings. Some members engage with global mission and Christian disaster relief organizations in leadership and consulting roles. Other members witness faithfully on the job to co-workers, customers, clients, and patients. Still others serve quietly in small ways that are known only to the Lord.
As Christ Church looks ahead to this next year and growing in obedience to the missionary call of the Gospel, please prayerfully consider the role God is calling you to play in obedience to that call. If you would like to discuss that call further with the Missions Committee please contact Burritt Hess at mebwhess@gmail.com.