Forward Today: On Ministry and Mission

In this week’s edition of our weekly newsletter from Scott Gunn and the Forward Movement team, Scott writes about the broader Forward Movement mission, and an honor we were thrilled to receive at the annual Episcopal Communicators conference.


Dear friends in Christ,

I’m coming up on five years of ministry at Forward Movement. What a great journey it’s been! In the last five years, I’ve been able to travel across the church and see vibrant ministries and changed lives as people in small and large churches find new life in Jesus Christ. I’ve been able to work with a talented staff in Cincinnati and beyond to create new resources to support people as they seek to follow Jesus. I’ve been able to hear story after story of the power of daily spiritual practices, especially as Forward Day by Day readers tell me their stories.

Last week, the Episcopal Communicators met for their annual conference in Portland, Oregon. This is a group of communications professionals who serve congregations, dioceses, and other organizations across the church to help magnify stories of ministry and mission and invite others to join in their work. It’s a great group, and the conference is always inspiring.

PresAwardFT

I wasn’t able to travel out to the conference, but Forward Movement was well represented by several staff members. We were all surprised, delighted, and proud to learn that in addition to several awards for particular products, Forward Movement was selected to win the President’s Award for Excellence in Communication for “outstanding work in reinvigorating the life of the Church.” This was the first time this award has been given, and it is given at the Episcopal Communicators’ President’s discretion to recognize a person or a group for communication work that  excels and is a model for innovation and collaboration .

I’m sure Richelle Thompson, our excellent Deputy Director and Managing Editor, would agree with me that though our names were placed on the certificate, the credit surely goes to our whole organization. Every staff member at Forward Movement is invested in the work we do, and our accomplishments over the last few years would not have been possible without the whole team–editors, designers, customer service staff, fundraisers, marketers, and more. Above all though, we offer our thanks to God who has called us to this ministry of inspiring disciples and empowering evangelists.

In all that we do, we also rely on the daily prayers of Forward Movement friends and readers from around the world. Please pray for us and our continuing work to bring new life to the church and to the world. If you are excited about our work, perhaps you’ll tell someone about what we do or consider making a financial gift to support our mission work of providing resources to prisoners, military personnel, hospital patients, and nursing home residents.

Thank you, Episcopal Communicators. Thank you, Forward Movement staff. And thanks be to God for the calling to serve the church and its people.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director


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