The hills of North Carolina were green and full of late-summer warmth as the Relay team arrived for the New Wineskins Global Mission Conference. It was the Trust’s first time attending this remarkable gathering, though we’d heard of it many times, of its scale, its passion, its deep commitment to proclaiming Christ among the nations. What the team encountered went beyond our expectations. It was, in many ways, more than a conference. It was a reunion rooted in prayer, full of welcome, and marked by a shared desire to see the good news of Jesus flourish in every part of the world.
Our team, Shumi Kupara, Daniel Magagnin, and Rev Dr Sam Jones, came with no agenda but attentiveness. What unfolded over the course of those days was a beautiful, sometimes sobering, always hope-filled experience of the church at work. Plenary talks, workshops, regional forums, and informal hallway conversations. The conference pulsed with life. They met people serving Christ in places of joy and hardship alike, and time and again, they were struck not simply by what was said, but by the posture with which others said it. There was a clear hunger in the room, for depth, for honesty, for collaboration. People had come not just to be heard, but to learn.
Some of the talks will stay with our team members for a long time. Bishop Yassir Eric spoke with tenderness and strength about the witness of Christ in Muslim communities, and the Spirit’s quiet work in places where fear once ruled. Rev Akua Ofori-Boateng called all to remember that mission must walk beyond church doors into homes, classrooms, and markets, that the gospel is for daily life, not just for religious spaces. And Rev Dr Winfield Bevins spoke of beauty, not as decoration, but as a form of proclamation. It was a reminder that the gospel speaks clearest when it takes root in the imagination as well as the intellect.
Of course, there were also moments that revealed the complexity of global mission today. In some of the smaller group sessions, it became clear that old frameworks still linger, ways of thinking shaped more by inherited assumptions than by mutual listening. But even in those moments, what the team saw was not resistance, but humility. Time and again, they encountered people willing to ask hard questions, eager to grow in understanding, open to correction not as criticism, but as invitation. The desire was clear, to be part of a global church that learns together, not just one that sends or receives. There was grace in the air.
One of the most significant gatherings for the team came during the Africa Continental session. Representatives from across the continent sat together, some meeting for the first time. Stories were shared, some filled with hope, others marked by hardship. A bishop from a remote diocese, largely cut off due to conflict, simply asked, “Please visit us. Encourage us. Don’t forget us.” That quiet request became, for many present, the defining moment of the conference. Out of that gathering came a vision, a desire to create an African-led network for prayer, support, and shared learning. Our team members were humbled to be asked to walk alongside that emerging work. Not to lead, but to listen. Not to design, but to serve.
Throughout the week, it became clear that despite the public challenges, there is great strength in the global Anglican Church, and even greater potential for deeper partnership. The people the team met from across North America, Asia, South America, and beyond were generous, open-hearted, and full of hope. Their commitment to Christ and to the work of mission was unmistakable. And if the path ahead will sometimes require careful listening, deeper contextual awareness, and new kinds of collaboration, then that is simply part of the Spirit’s ongoing work of shaping all of us into the body of Christ.
Before the team left, they also made a quiet visit to the Billy Graham Library. As they walked through the exhibits that traced the life of a man whose ministry reached across the world, they reflected on the many different ways God calls his people to bear witness. The world has changed since Billy Graham’s time. But the heart of the gospel has not. And the desire to see Christ lifted high, across cultures, across languages, across barriers, is alive and well.
Our team return home with full hearts. They carry with them new relationships, new insights, and a renewed sense of our calling, to walk slowly, listen deeply, and serve faithfully. Relay Trust’s approach blends data and presence. We work with robust tools, like Oxford’s OPHI measurements, but we also sit under trees with pastors who shepherd communities we could never fully understand from a distance. That balance matters. The work of mission cannot be done at arm’s length. It must be done hand in hand.
Please join us in praying and giving thanks for those who organised and hosted New Wineskins 2025. And for those who travelled far to be there, for those who shared their stories, and for those who are now returning to challenging contexts with new strength. We also pray and give thanks, too, for those who couldn’t attend, whose faithfulness continues unnoticed by many but honoured by God.
