Almighty God, who didst rescue Samuel Ajayi Crowther from slavery, sent him to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ to his people in Nigeria, and made him the first bishop from the people of West Africa: Grant that those who follow in his steps may reap what he has sown and find abundant help for the harvest; through him who took upon himself the form of a slave that we might be free, the same Jesus Christ; who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The first book in the Igbo language (Isoama-Ibo: A Primer) was written by a Yoruba man, Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther (1809-1891) in 1857.

In the mid-19th century, Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a Yoruba linguist and the first African Anglican bishop, played a key role in pic.twitter.com/KQWWCiPZov

— Africanism Culture (@imakun122) November 15, 2025

Loving God, who didst call Francis Xavier to lead many in India and Japan to know Jesus Christ as their Redeemer: Bring us to the new life of glory promised to all who follow in the Way; through the same Jesus Christ, who with thee and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

On Dec. 3, the Roman Catholic Church honors St. Francis Xavier, one of the first Jesuits who went on to evangelize vast portions of Asia.

Francis Xavier was born during 1506 in the Kingdom of Navarre, a region now divided between Spain and France. His mother was an esteemed… pic.twitter.com/mmYAmu0rMn

— ACI Africa (@aciafricanews) December 3, 2025

O God, who in thy providence didst call Channing Moore Williams to the ministry of this church and gave him the gifts and the perseverance to preach the Gospel in new lands: Inspire us, by his example and prayers, to commit our talents to thy service, confident that thou dost uphold those whom thou dost call; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Today the Episcopal Church commemorates Channing Moore Williams, Bishop and Missionary, 1910 https://t.co/ZOU8hteijR

Bishop Williams was the 1st Bishop of the Nippon Sei-Ko-Kai (Anglican-Episcopal Church of Japan)

Image: Statue at Rikkyo University, Tokyo. Photo: DT Johnson pic.twitter.com/3hXGauARtz

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) December 2, 2023

On October 15, 1906, Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky, the Jewish-born, rabbinical school-trained, former Anglican bishop of Shanghai, died in Tokyo, after a lengthy illness, at age 75. Apart from the novelty interest of a converted Jew becoming a church official and serving in the exotic East, Schereschewsky is remembered for having produced a much-respected translation into Mandarin Chinese of the Hebrew Bible, among other sacred texts, which became the standard 20th-century translation.

Samuel Schereschewsky was born on May 6, 1831, in Tauroggen, a Jewish shtetl in the Russian empire, in what is today southwest Lithuania. Both of his parents ”“ the former Rosa Salvatha, of Sephardi-Jewish heritage, and Samuel Joseph Schereschewsky ”“ died when he was very young. Samuel was apparently raised by a much older half-brother, a timber merchant who was the product of his father’s first marriage.

At age 15, he left his brother’s home, and held jobs as a glazier and as a Hebrew tutor before entering the rabbinical seminary in Zhytomir, in Ukraine.

Read it all.

Today the Church remembers the Apostle to the Chinese, Bp. Joseph Schereschewsky. Born to the Jews, he was training to become a rabbi when the Lord brought him out from them by the enlightening of his mind, when upon reading the New Testament he recognized it as the word of God. pic.twitter.com/5uVUriVvG5

— Joe – Young Anglican ⚓️ (@Young_Anglican) October 14, 2025

O God, who in thy providence didst call Joseph Schereschewsky from his home in Eastern Europe to the ministry of this Church, and didst send him as a missionary to China, upholding him in his infirmity, that he might translate the holy Scriptures into languages of that land: Lead us, we pray thee, to commit our lives and talents to thee, in the confidence that when thou givest thy servants any work to do, thou dost also supply the strength to do it; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Today the Episcopal Church commemorates Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky, Bishop and Missionary, 1906 pic.twitter.com/F0xkkbLRRH

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) October 14, 2023

Under the sponsorship of the YMCA, Wilder spent the following academic year touring college campuses. He told the story of the “Mount Hermon One Hundred” and urged students to pledge themselves to become missionaries. Some 2,000 did so. To avoid allowing the bright light of this new movement to flicker out, in 1888 YMCA leaders organized the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions (known simply as the SVM). They placed the recent Cornell graduate, John R. Mott, at its head. The SVM formed organizations on college, university and seminary campuses across the nation. Students signed pledge cards stating their intention to become missionaries and joined weekly meetings to study missions. The watchword of the movement illustrates the boldness and optimism of the Christian youth of that era: “The Evangelization of the World in this Generation.”

The SVM became one of the most successful missionary-recruiting organizations of all time. Prior to its formation, American Protestants supported less than a thousand missionaries throughout the world. Between 1886 and 1920, the SVM recruited 8,742 missionaries in the U.S. Around twice that number were actually sent out as missionaries in this period, many of them influenced by the SVM though never members. SVM leaders also formed college groups around the world in countries where missionaries had established mission colleges during the previous century. Their goal was to create a missionary force large enough to evangelize every nation. They thought in military terms. Missionaries were soldiers in God’s army. The SVM sought to recruit, to support, and to place these soldiers strategically around the world. If done shrewdly, they thought they would surely conquer the world.

Read it all.

Prayer is the greatest force that we can wield. It is the greatest talent which God has granted us. He has given it to every Christian. – John Mott #JohnMott #prayer pic.twitter.com/g2ZNMJxx0U

— Ed Rudiger (@EdRudiger) June 1, 2025

O God, the shepherd of all, we offer thanks for the lifelong commitment of thy servant John Raleigh Mott to the Christian nurture of students in many parts of the world; and we pray that, after his example, we may strive for the weaving together of all peoples in friendship, fellowship and cooperation, and while life lasts be evangelists for Jesus Christ, in whom alone is our peace; and who with thee and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, now and for ever. Amen

John Mott, missiologist and missions mobiliser extraordinaire, was so committed to 'the evangelization of the world in this generation' as well as the humanization of oppressed people and Christian unity across racial divides, that he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946. pic.twitter.com/dU9DfmYQCD

— Chris Howles (@ChrisHowles) March 8, 2025

Almighty God, who didst call thy faithful servants John Coleridge Patteson and his companions to be witnesses and martyrs in the islands of Melanesia, and by their labors and sufferings didst raise up a people for thine own possession: Pour forth thy Holy Spirit upon thy Church in every land, that by the service and sacrifice of many, thy holy Name may be glorified and thy kingdom enlarged; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Today the Church of England celebrates John Coleridge Patteson, First Anglican Bishop of Melanesia, and his Companions, Martyrs, 1871

Image: Carte-de-visite (1860s-70s), © National Portrait Gallery, London (CC BY-NC-ND) pic.twitter.com/CJuuyG6zpV

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) September 20, 2024

As night falls over Ridgecrest on this first full day of New Wineskins 2025, the words of Jesus about new wine and new wineskins resonate with special clarity. From early morning MAP talks to diocesan gatherings, from practical workshops to moments of prayer ministry, the Spirit has been moving in diverse and unexpected ways. Tonight’s plenary session brought these themes into sharper focus, calling us to consider what it means to be vessels for the new wine of God’s kingdom in our own time.

The evening began with testimony and song. Missionaries from across the globe shared stories of challenge and perseverance, of hardship endured and victories won. Their words bore witness to a truth at the heart of mission: that God is faithful, even in places of resistance and suffering. Between these stories, voices rose in worship, music offered not as performance but as prayer, reminding us that mission is born in the presence of God. A mosaic of art and song from around the world followed, filling the hall with a glimpse of Revelation’s vision of every tribe, tongue, and nation gathered before the throne. It was more than a cultural showcase; it was a foretaste of the kingdom to come, and a reminder that mission is not simply about proclamation but also about beauty, creativity, and joy.

Into this atmosphere stepped the Rev. Gabriel Ochoa of Recife, Brazil. Rev. Ochoa is a pastor, church planter, and visionary leader in Brazil’s Anglican movement. His ministry has centered on planting vibrant communities of faith and training leaders to shepherd the next generation. His words tonight were marked by urgency, vulnerability, and hope.

He began with a phrase that struck him deeply: “People love what other people are passionate about.” He asked us a piercing question: When we speak about the next generation, about church planting, how passionate are we? 

Read it all.

Day one of @newwineskins 2025 ends with powerful reminders: passion for the next gen, vocation as mission, and beauty as witness. The Spirit is still pouring new wine into new wineskins. https://t.co/BRvkKd68Fa

— American Anglican (@AnglicanCouncil) September 19, 2025

Almighty God, we remember before thee this day the blessed martyrs of New Guinea, who, following the example of their Savior, laid down their lives for their friends; and we pray thee that we, who honor their memory, may imitate their loyalty and faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Today we remember Lucian Tapiedi, who was among 333 Christians who lost their lives in New Guinea during the occupation of the island by Japanese forces in 1942.

Tapiedi is one of ten 20th-century martyrs whose statues above the Abbey's Great West Door. pic.twitter.com/HJqGGJNxBn

— Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) September 2, 2025

Almighty God, who didst raise up thy servant Samuel Ferguson and inspire in him a missionary vision of thy Church in education and ministry: Stir up in us through his example a zeal for a Church, alive with thy Holy Word, reaching forth in love and service to all; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Today the Episcopal Church commemorates Samuel David Ferguson (1842-1916), Missionary Bishop for West Africa (Liberia) and the first African-American member of the Episcopal House of Bishops pic.twitter.com/pF8qSCQkfF

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) August 2, 2024

You may listen directly here:

Or you may download it there.

Archbishop Ben Kwashi, Bishop of Jos, General secretary of Gafcon:

Our priorities-

The primacy of scripture
The power of salvation to transform lives
The priority of evangelism and mission pic.twitter.com/0CU803Fxvi

— Gafcon (@GafconGBE) April 17, 2023

O God, our heavenly Father, you manifested your love by sending your only-begotten Son into the world, that all might live through him: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill his command to preach the Gospel to all people. Send forth laborers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; and hasten the time when the fullness of the Gentiles shall be gathered in, and faithful Israel shall be saved; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

A spring morning in the Netherlands pic.twitter.com/ho9zD1JbGB

— Albert Dros (@albertdrosphoto) February 24, 2025

God whose strength bears us up as on mighty wings: We rejoice in remembering thy athlete and missionary, Eric Liddell, to whom thou didst bestow courage and resolution in contest and in captivity; and we pray that we also may run with endurance the race that is set before us and persevere in patient witness, until we wear that crown of victory won for us by Jesus our Savior; who with thee and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

21 February 1945. Eric Liddell died (aged 43). As a committed Christian, he refused to run in heats of the 100 metres at the 1924 Paris Olympics because they were held on a Sunday, but he won the 400 metres. His inspirational story featured in the film Chariots of Fire. pic.twitter.com/8ZSlZCQZHy

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) February 21, 2025

O God of compassion, who didst open the eyes of thy servant Thomas Bray to see the needs of the Church in the New World, and didst lead him to found societies to meet those needs: Make the Church in this land diligent at all times to propagate the Gospel among those who have not received it, and to promote the spread of Christian knowledge; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Thomas Bray was an English clergyman and abolitionist who helped formally establish the Church of England in Maryland. He's often referred to as the Father of the Modern Lending Library.

Image: Unknown artist, Cambridge University Library, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons pic.twitter.com/x0y0S2vzib

— Saint Barnabas Anglican Church (@Barnabas_FW) February 15, 2025

Readers interested in the growing diversity of the Christian story will find it useful to consider Shaw’s work alongside another recently published volume, The Palgrave Handbook of Christianity in Africa from Apostolic Times to the Present. Though focused mainly on African Christianity, it features several articles on the work of Black missionaries. Noteworthy contributions come from historians like Brian Stanley (who examines the important role of Black missionaries in Africa), David Killingray (who shows how emancipated slaves served the missionary movement), and Kimberly Hill (who considers how the concept of “Ethiopianism” spurred Black efforts at evangelization).

Studies like these offer a richer and fuller picture of the diversity of Christianity. Africans and African Americans embraced the gospel, transformed it in significant ways, and then made remarkable contributions to the growth of Christianity. Even today, we are only now beginning to appreciate the contours of this story. As Killingray notes, even the “evangelization of Africa” was “in the hands of Africans” and “often out of sight of European missions.”

Historians are now bringing these stories into the open, casting new light on the prophetic remarks of King David in Psalm 68:31–32. In the words of the King James Version, “Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God” and sing the praises of the Lord.

Read it all.

Sermons, letters, diaries, journals.

A new book sifts through documents to bring to light the nineteenth-century history of African American missionaries.https://t.co/momIunqmmF

— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) January 23, 2025

Loving God, who didst call Francis Xavier to lead many in India and Japan to know Jesus Christ as their Redeemer: Bring us to the new life of glory promised to all who follow in the Way; through the same Jesus Christ, who with thee and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Francis Xavier, companion of St. Ignatius and a co-founder of the Jesuits. He is considered by some to be the greatest missionary since the time of the Apostles. https://t.co/wnvWgc3Kny pic.twitter.com/44NekApYzt

— Jesuit News (@jesuitnews) December 3, 2024

Under the sponsorship of the YMCA, Wilder spent the following academic year touring college campuses. He told the story of the “Mount Hermon One Hundred” and urged students to pledge themselves to become missionaries. Some 2,000 did so. To avoid allowing the bright light of this new movement to flicker out, in 1888 YMCA leaders organized the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions (known simply as the SVM). They placed the recent Cornell graduate, John R. Mott, at its head. The SVM formed organizations on college, university and seminary campuses across the nation. Students signed pledge cards stating their intention to become missionaries and joined weekly meetings to study missions. The watchword of the movement illustrates the boldness and optimism of the Christian youth of that era: “The Evangelization of the World in this Generation.”

The SVM became one of the most successful missionary-recruiting organizations of all time. Prior to its formation, American Protestants supported less than a thousand missionaries throughout the world. Between 1886 and 1920, the SVM recruited 8,742 missionaries in the U.S. Around twice that number were actually sent out as missionaries in this period, many of them influenced by the SVM though never members. SVM leaders also formed college groups around the world in countries where missionaries had established mission colleges during the previous century. Their goal was to create a missionary force large enough to evangelize every nation. They thought in military terms. Missionaries were soldiers in God’s army. The SVM sought to recruit, to support, and to place these soldiers strategically around the world. If done shrewdly, they thought they would surely conquer the world.

Read it all.

Almighty God, by whose Spirit the Scriptures were opened to thy servant Roland Allen, so that he might lead many to know, live and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ: Give us grace to follow his example, that the variety of those to whom we reach out in love may receive thy saving Word and witness in their own languages and cultures to thy glorious Name; through Jesus Christ, thy Word made flesh, who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Prepare for our 2019 theme of Missional Ecclesiology by reading the works of renowned missiologist Roland Allen. https://t.co/ooybDZd4VF pic.twitter.com/YNHu2CgwBm

— The Telos Collective (@TelosCollective) July 31, 2018

George Augustus Selwyn was a very active man. This table is to enable students to pinpoint where he was at any particular time….

Take a look at it all.

Today the Church of England commemorates George Augustus Selwyn, first Bishop of New Zealand, 1878

Selwyn was 1st Bishop of New Zealand (1841-68) before being appointed Bishop of Lichfield on his return to England; @Selwyn1882 was established in his memory

Engraving 1842 (ALT) pic.twitter.com/qbUI48AEn7

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) April 11, 2024

YWAM established its presence in Arusha in 2000 and has since established three fully staffed offices in the region. The center’s education programs include classes in discipleship ministry, tailoring, computer skills, and English language, among others.

“In these days, tears are being poured out across the world by individuals, families and YWAMers worldwide. I am personally reeling from the weight of this news, as I knew and loved many of these individuals personally,” wrote Cunningham. She encouraged the use of three Bible verses:

• Hang on to the fact that, no matter what, we know that God is just and kind in all his ways (Ps. 145:17).
• Remind yourself of Job 42:2. Job had lost everything and his response to God was I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Let’s hang on to that word!

• Remind yourself of Isaiah 41:10: Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Read it all.

,
“We have not seen a tragedy of this magnitude in all of [Youth With a Mission]’s history & we are all devastated”https://t.co/Jd1wuDRtLd

— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) March 1, 2024

While Americans rightly exult in the achievements of U.S. medalists, “Chariots of Fire” also serves as a reminder that athletics and even patriotism only mean so much. When Liddell is informed that a qualifying heat takes place on Sunday, his Sabbath, he chooses not to compete in that race. The camera cuts from athletes at the Olympics to Liddell reading a passage in Isaiah: “Behold the nations are as a drop in the bucket . . . but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings, as eagles. They shall run, and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.” David Puttnam, a “Chariots of Fire” producer, wrote me that the verses were “specifically selected by the actor, the late Ian Charleson, who gave himself the task of reading the entire Bible whilst preparing for the film.”

The Isaiah passage is liturgically important for Jews: Parts of it are declaimed in synagogue on the Sabbath when we read God’s command to Abraham to leave the center of civilization and found a family, and a faith, in a new land. Isaiah reminds Jews that Abraham’s children have encountered much worse than what Harold Abrahams experienced. While most nations now rest on the ash heap of history, the biblical Abraham’s odyssey continues. The countries competing in today’s Olympics come and go, while those who “wait upon the Lord” endure.

“Chariots of Fire” also offers a message for people of faith who have grown troubled by the secularization of society and the realization that they are often scorned by elites. Like Liddell, we may be forced to choose religious principle over social success. Hopefully, however, we will be able to use our gifts to sanctify this world. As Liddell’s father told his son in the film: “Run in God’s name, and let the world stand back in wonder.”

Read it all (registration or subscription).

Remembering the Flying Scotsman Eric Lidell, Olympic Champion & man of principle who died in captivity this day 1945 pic.twitter.com/Jgse31BP1b

— John Duncan (@Newbattleatwar) February 21, 2014

God whose strength bears us up as on mighty wings: We rejoice in remembering thy athlete and missionary, Eric Liddell, to whom thou didst bestow courage and resolution in contest and in captivity; and we pray that we also may run with endurance the race that is set before us and persevere in patient witness, until we wear that crown of victory won for us by Jesus our Savior; who with thee and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

21 February 1945. Olympic legend, Eric Liddell, died (aged 43). As a committed Christian, he refused to run in heats of the 100 metres at the 1924 Paris Olympics because they were held on a Sunday, but he won the 400 metres. His story featured in the film, Chariots of Fire. pic.twitter.com/GB6wJW9yg1

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) February 21, 2024

“Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.”― Jim Elliot (1927-1956)

–quoted by yours truly in yesterday’s late sermon.

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” – Jim Elliot, 1927-1956, missionary martyr in Ecuador pic.twitter.com/Ja3XwXdWpH

— Brooks Buser (@BuserBrooks) October 11, 2020

O God, who in Christ Jesus hast brought Good News to those who are far off and to those who are near: We praise thee for awakening in thy servant Lottie Moon a zeal for thy mission and for her faithful witness among the peoples of China. Stir up in us the same desire for thy work throughout the world, and give us the grace and means to accomplish it; through the same Jesus Christ our Savior, who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“Surely there can be no greater joy than that of saving souls.” #LottieMoon @IMB_SBC https://t.co/vVhI7C5Uki pic.twitter.com/3kTLx2BaRa

— Kyle Brosseau (@jkylebrosseau) December 19, 2023

Merciful God, who didst call William Carey to missionary work in India and didst endue him with a zeal for thy Word that led him to translate Scripture into many local languages and dialects: Give us a heart for the spreading of thy Gospel and a thirst for justice among all the peoples of the world; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who sheds thy light and peace throughout humanity, and who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

I lectured on William Carey Saturday and I’ve been reading Andrew Fuller today. It has been a sweet reminder that these men are still my friends. pic.twitter.com/yl1l7yDGCF

— Jake Stone (@jake_stone89) October 13, 2023

O God of the nations, who didst give to thy faithful servant Henry Martyn a brilliant mind, a loving heart, and a gift for languages, that he might translate the Scriptures and other holy writings for the peoples of India and Persia: Inspire in us, we beseech thee, a love like his, eager to commit both life and talents to thee who gavest them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Today the Church of England celebrates Henry Martyn, Translator of the Scriptures, Missionary in India and Persia, 1812

Image: Nave window in @TruroCathedral – Henry Martyn was born in Truro and educated at Truro Grammar School. Photo: Michael Swift, via https://t.co/pdNVLNv7se pic.twitter.com/VIzF3LanWg

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) October 19, 2023

O God, who in thy providence didst call Joseph Schereschewsky from his home in Eastern Europe to the ministry of this Church, and didst send him as a missionary to China, upholding him in his infirmity, that he might translate the holy Scriptures into languages of that land: Lead us, we pray thee, to commit our lives and talents to thee, in the confidence that when thou givest thy servants any work to do, thou dost also supply the strength to do it; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

"I will no longer deny my Lord. I will follow Him outside the camp!"

–Bishop Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky
Here he is depicted in study. pic.twitter.com/Q8ISF2nCpR

— Rev. Brandon ⚓️ (@barukalas) September 2, 2023