Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Winter 2015 Issue | Page 20

Thinking Big When it comes to Mission
Ashley Cameron
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

The words of Margaret Mead,
an anthropologist and Episcopalian,
ring true for Episcopalians across
the Diocese of Virginia every year,
through their work with food banks,
hypothermia shelters, refugee outreach
programs and more. “Local outreach
and community involvement are a vital
part of our ministry as a church,” said
Buck Blanchard, diocesan director of
Mission and Outreach. “But sometimes,
it’s easy to forget that our responsibility
also extends to our brothers and sisters
in Christ across the globe.”

Every day, headlines overwhelm
with their news of violence, racism
and disease. For many churches in the
Diocese of Virginia, though, these badnews headlines have become a call to
action. “The Church in Virginia can and
should be a leader when it comes to
responding to these worldwide crises,”
said Blanchard. “It’s what we’re called
to do.”

When Ebola struck West Africa,
parishes around the Diocese of Virginia
began reaching out to their partners to
assist. St. Anne’s, Reston, has supported
the Diocese of Liberia since the early
1990s, when several Liberian families
made St. Anne’s their church home.
One parishioner in particular, Dr. Ayele
Ajavon-Cox, a Liberian dentist, was at
JFK Memorial Hospital in Monrovia
when the