Over five weeks this summer, Senior Master of Divinity and Transitional Deacon Timothy Beltran del Rio (Diocese of Chicago) spent time in the UK, observing, discussing, and learning about “mission” in the Church of England from clergy and lay leaders from over a dozen Church of England parishes. This was made possible by the Seminary Consultation on Mission grant from The Episcopal Church.
Among the missional work Timothy observed, he visited and spoke with the principals of two Church of England schools, learning about Christian education in England. One-third of all publicly funded schools in England are run by the Church of England, and many local vicars and cathedral clergy are involved in running multiple worship services a week for schools overseen by the church. One of these is Chelmsford Cathedral, where Timothy observed multiple religious education field trips that children took from the Cathedral School. One of the bishops even makes a point of annually marking the graduation of lower grades into the UK equivalent of high school with a special service and blessing. Across numerous venues, the missional opportunity that the Church of England has in education was often high on church leaders’ lists of important missional work. Notably, many leaders also commented on what they perceived as a lack of priority and resourcing by the larger church for this important work. Those clergy and lay leaders who are involved, however, seem deeply devoted to ensuring that God’s mission is taking place and made available to the youth of England.
Another missional moment Timothy encountered was the Langthorne Festival, an event that Holy Trinity and St. Augustine of Hippo in London’s East End hosts annually in conjunction with local community partners. This event was brought about within this parish by a priest’s commitment to community organizing principles. Through her relationship-building, the congregation has grown from an average Sunday attendance of approximately six congregants to around thirty-five over the last few years, with highly invested wardens and vestry working together to enact God’s mission in the world. The congregation has come to life and is leaning heavily into relationships with the local community (one plagued by poverty and knife crime). Through the community organizing work, Holy Trinity and St. Augustine, alongside community partners, transform and reclaim Langthorne Park annually for a weekend, turning a park that is often a center of crime into a multicultural and multigenerational venue for live music, food trucks, and community building fun. Due to the success of this event, the local city council has approved changes to Langthorne Park that will increase community access to it while discouraging criminal activity. This display of God’s mission active in a troubled community was beautiful, and many aspects of their work were made possible due to their unique placement in the community.
These are just two of dozens of learning experiences that Dcn. Timothy was able to experience this past summer thanks to the Seminary Consultation on Mission, contributing to his continued formation and preparation for the priesthood.
