Live Blog: Truro Outbound Wrap-Up

Tonight I'm in the Undercroft at Truro where we're hearing reports from individuals who went on short-term mission this summer.

Right now we're hearing from Tory Baucum who is reporting on his mission trip to Israel and Uganda. In particular he is talking aboutstaying up one night with Anglican missionaries sharing the Gospel with their Muslim friends and through that experience he was introduced to the Episcopal Church in the United States. Jerusalem expanded his horizons, a very different culture - and spent the next ten years of his life expanding that horizon. And now he had returned. His vision is that every youth at Truro will go to Israel. Faith should be tested while they are with us, before they leave when we can walk with them to be prepared for the world that they are about to inherit.

1. Jewish Past: Understand Jewish roots - a new era in Christianity. For most of Christian history, we've had a very hard relationship with Jewish people. But now there is a new relationship with Jewish people and in Israel.

2. Muslim Future: Muslim faith is growing in the world and its growing in the United States. We need to prepare our kids to deal with Islam. Secularism is a spent-force, it's dying.

Uganda: Tory learned that Truro has had a thirty-plus year relationship beginning with Bishop Festo. Bishop William was his assistant who oversaw the diocese during the exile during Idi Amin years and then came here to study. And then Bishop George followed and that's who Tory and his team stayed with. Three bishops have passed the torch and we've received their ministry here.

East Africa Revival was in response to the laxity of the Church. They had been riding on the capital of the missionaries, but then began to pray for revival. The other thing was Idi Amin, the persecution fortified their souls. After that, this deal in the Communion is not that big a deal because they've been through worse.

When the Communion was splitting - with TEC on one side and Uganda on an other where will Truro go? Where are the relationships? This understanding helped him understand Truro better. We have a huge strain of African Christianity going through us.

Honoring all three streams in Christianity - a strong catholic strain, doing the stuff; clearly evangelical, having a personal relationship with Christ and not shy away from it; and charismatic - we honor that part of our life. Anglicanism holds all three together. None should be an embarrassment.

TEAM REPORTS

Mission Trip to Israel: We're now hearing the presentation about the team that went to Israel and worked in a library scanning historic documents that will be available online. We're hearing more about the library and the amazing work they are doing - including preservation of written tablets.

In addition they visited an Anglican school in Jerusalem which includes students of all nationalities. They also visited a Messianic Jewish grade school as well that is on the grounds of the Anglican school. In addition they visited other Christian ministries around the country.

Mission Trip to Uganda: Now we're hearing from the team that went to Uganda this summer. They went July 16-30. They went to the Diocese of Kigezi and Uganda Christianity University. We received greetings from Bishop George. We're family.

We are seeing slides from the mission trip - and Truro is sponsoring students to go to Bishop Barham University College and more need support who very much want to go but do not have the financial resources to attend.

They also visited Rugarama Hospital - the director is from Uganda and was educated in the United States and then returned to minister to his people. With one other hospital it serves 500,000 people. They have strong needs for doctors and equipment.

They visited Compassion International children - the neediest of the needy and Compassion International ministers to them.

They also worked with Five Talents: They visited one of the projects sponsored by Five Talents.

And they visited Uganda Christianity University and met with the Truro's mission associates. They attended worship in Nkoyoyo Hall where they heard from the children. They also learned more about the development of the UCU Library that would include more resources that they don't have yet. USAID/ASHA grant will partially fund the building of the library, but more funding is needed.

The team also met with others in Kampala, including an MP who had taken part in a Witherspoon Fellowship program in the United States. The relationships continue to strengthen and will continue as we look forward to the future and what the Lord will have for us in ministry together. The best years are truly ahead.

Five Talents at Lambeth: Craig Cole just gave his talk on the outreach at Lambeth that Five Talents did in the Marketplace, as well as taking part in the march into London for the MDG goals with the bishops. Five Talents held workshops and the outreach in the Marketplace was filled with stories of engaging bishops in the vital work being done by Five Talents.

I shared the video that is now up (see below) and shared some short personal reflections on Lambeth.

Mission Team with TIPS (Truro's ministry of hospitality to international students) - The team took international students across the United States and included lots of young people and children as well. Through this mission team, TIPS for Teens is now kicking off as part of outreach after Youth Alpha.

Mission Team to Anacostia, DC - A youth team also served the people in Anacostia over the summer and plan to continue those relationships in a very challenging part of the city - extending hospitality and friendship to those who live in the inner-city.