Global Mission Reports

Diocese of Atlanta Global Mission Activity 2007 to Present

By Deborah Bruno Betsill

In 2005 Global Mission Committee, under the leadership of Gini Peterson of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Snellville, called for collection of global mission data from parishes throughout our diocese. The purpose was to network the diocese together in mission.  The information gathered would allow parishes in one part of the diocese to learn about the global mission work of their sister parishes in other parts of our diocese.

The plan was to enter the gathered information onto a spreadsheet and post it so that all parishes could access it.  The Global Mission Committee developed a questionnaire and sent it to parishes.  The effort met with partial success.  Therefore, from 2007 through 2009, as a committee member I undertook collection of this information in conjunction with my visits to individual parishes for Episcopal Relief and Development.  Ninety-two of 96 parishes allowed visits and completed the questionnaire.  As of January 2010 I have begun my second round of parish visitations and data collection.

Building on the work of both Gini Peterson and Terry Franzen (Christ Church, Norcross) of the Global Mission Committee, I visited parishes and entered the data collected onto spreadsheets. Copies and updates were e-mailed regularly to our bishop, the Global Mission Committee, now under the leadership of Mr. Richard Hall (All Saints’, Atlanta), and the Rev. Canon Debbie Shew, under whom I volunteer.  The final product is the “Diocese of Atlanta Global Mission Report.” 

The first document covers 2007 to 2009. A second document covers the first quarter of 2010.   If your parish’s information is incorrect or outdated, please e-mail me at dbbetsill@earthlink.net or call at 770-975-7772 or 770-815-1222.

Thanks to all of our parishes for their dedication to global mission work and for taking the time to supply the information.

Deborah Bruno (Debbie) Betsill is Diocesan Coordinator for Episcopal Relief & Development and a member of the Diocese of Atlanta Global Mission Committee.