When people talk about mission in the 21st century, they are not just talking about projects or programmes. We are talking about partnerships, about networks of trust that stretch across continents, binding together Christians who recognise both the challenges and the opportunities of our day.
This week, Daniel Magagnin, our Chief Relationship Officer, has been in the United States, meeting with church members ahead of the New Wineskins 2025 Hope for the Nations Conference in Asheville, North Carolina. His visit is important as we believe in investing in friendships that are both relationally deep and strategically purposeful. When relationships come first, mission becomes holistic with evangelism and discipleship sitting alongside theological formation, leadership development, and practical care for communities.
One of the most significant aspects of Daniel’s visit has been strengthening our links with the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). In just over a decade, ACNA has grown to nearly 1,000 congregations and over 120,000 members across the US, Canada, and Mexico. That growth highlights the genuine hunger for authentic Gospel witness in the West and the potential for cross-continental collaboration.
The Relay Trust’s engagement with ACNA is not about institutional alignment, but about mutual reinforcement. African churches bring resilience, vibrancy, and deep community-rooted discipleship; ACNA offers experience, human resource, advocacy, and a voice within the wider Anglican family. We hope that together, these connections can provide the opportunities to achieve more in unity than we could in isolation.
At Prince George Winyah Church in Georgetown, Daniel attended a service of Holy Eucharist marking both continuity and change. It honoured the long ministry of Bishop Dr FitzSimons Allison, while welcoming The Rt Rev Canon Dr John Ashley Null as Bishop of North Africa. These moments matter. They remind us that leadership in the Church is about stewardship, about playing the part God has for us, and then about passing the baton onto the next generation for the sake of the Gospel’s advance.
For The Relay Trust, this raises some exciting questions. We have supported training in some areas of northern Africa, particularly Chad, where theological education and local leadership development is critical. With Bishop Null now tasked with overseeing North Africa, a region where Christianity is often marginalised, we must discern how best to extend that support, all while being focused on supporting the church’s wider development, allowing the baton we are currently carrying to be passed onto them.
Another dimension of Daniel’s visit has been exploring the Public Reading of Scripture (PRS) movement. This practice, simply gathering to hear substantial portions of Scripture read aloud, may appear modest. But in societies where oral learning predominates, such as across much of Africa, it has profound potential. PRS could well become a scalable tool for evangelism, catechesis, and community formation. Strategically, it aligns with The Relay Trust’s emphasis on accessible, grassroots theological engagement.
Later this week, Daniel will be joined in Asheville by Shumi Kupara (our Chief Administrative Officer) and Rev Dr Sam Jones (our Regional Relationship Manager for the Anglican Provinces of Burundi and of the Indian Ocean). Together, they will take part in the New Wineskins 2025 conference, a gathering that embodies the very principle we have been considering, the necessity of global partnerships for a global Gospel.
At the Relay Trust, we are convinced that God’s mission is best served when the Church invests in relationships that are both personal and strategic, friendships that knit together prayer, resources, and vision. This is all about aligning intent and capability to ensure that our collective energy is directed towards the greatest missional opportunities, while recognising the reality of the world we live in, a world marked by both deep need and extraordinary potential.
So we invite you to pray with us for Shumi, Daniel and Sam; for Bishop Null and the Church in North Africa; for the growth of Public Reading of Scripture; and for our friends in ACNA. These are the threads which, woven together, create a global tapestry of Gospel witness. And by God’s grace, that tapestry points to Christ.