We celebrate St. Thomas – one of the Twelve. Little is known about Thomas, the apostle, but he had many missionary qualities associated with him. Impetuous. Devoted. Courageous. Doubtful.

Click here to see how St. Thomas lived out his call to mission!

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The Call to Mission During a Pandemic

By: Julie Bourbon
                                       

The global COVID-19 pandemic brought many parts of the world to a standstill this first half of 2020. As hospitals have struggled to keep up with the crush of patients and governments fumbled their responses to provide adequate supplies, including PPE (personal protective equipment) for healthcare workers, more than 7 million people have been infected and more than 400,000 have died; that number continues to grow as of this writing.

Unsurprisingly, the poor and communities of color have borne a disproportionate share of the burden for the rest of us, both in the numbers of sick and dead, and in the numbers of those considered “essential” workers who had to continue to work, and thus to expose themselves more often to the ravages of the virus.

Places often considered “traditional” missionary spots—Africa, India, Latin America—are seeing explosions in the numbers of COVID-19 cases. Yet in this time—perhaps especially in this time—the work of mission continues, albeit in modified form.

We touched base with a few of the missionaries who have been profiled previously in the Encounter newsletter, to ask how they have continued to be mission for others during this unprecedented situation. They shared thoughtful reflections with us about the experience. We hope to share more with you in the future.

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USCMA receives complimentary books about missiology, theology, and spirituality for review. Our feature book for the month of June is The Ethics of Encounter: Christian Neighbor Love as a Practice of Solidarity by Marcus Mescher. For this book or a current listing, email Nichole Petty, the USCMA Office Manager.


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