Volunteers Sought for Overseas Work
Episcopal News Service. April 9, 1987 [87086]
NEW YORK (DPS, April 9) -- The Episcopal Church's Volunteers for Mission program is, as the Marines' recruitment posters used to say, "looking for a few good men" -- and women.
Volunteers for Mission receives written requests from Churches within the Anglican Communion for personnel with specific skills, and it responds to the requests as an agency of the Episcopal Church's role in the partnership process. Volunteers for Mission was created by the General Convention in 1976 as a program through which people of all ages, backgrounds, skills and professions can share in voluntary service, generally for one to two years.
Candidates are sponsored by their local church so that they may receive the endorsement and support of the clergy and congregation and share their ministry abroad with those back home. A candidate is named a Volunteer for Mission and is appointed by the Presiding Bishop before going into the field. While on assignment, volunteers are under the jurisdiction of the bishop in whose diocese they serve. During the past year, 80 volunteers have served in 27 countries.
The program provides orientation and training for all candidates as well as language study when required for the performance of their assignment. The program is funded by income generated from Venture in Mission and especially the following dioceses who have pledged support: Alaska, Dallas, El Camino Real, Florida, Northern Michigan, Southwest Florida, Rio Grande, Fort Worth, Massachusetts, Los Angeles, Western Massachusetts, Western Kansas, Central Pennsylvania, Indianapolis and Louisiana.
Among the service opportunities now available are: Argentina -- stone mason/builder, social worker/day care; Haiti -- teachers, medical personnel; Honduras -- teachers and counselors; Kenya -- teachers at industrial training centers and Harambee Schools, dentists, doctors, nurses, agriculturalists, public health officer, theological tutors and youth workers; Madagascar -- priest/health worker, Theological Education by Extension coordinators; Panama -- agriculturalist, schools chaplain and social worker; Swaziland -- priest; Tanzania -- diocesan consultant, projects supervisor and building supervisor; Uganda -- carpenter, metal worker, doctor or medical team for Primary Health Care program, solar energy technologist, musician, schools chaplain, medical technicians, at the School for Handicapped, home economist for boarding school, agriculturalist, administrator, engineer for technical school, hospital administrators, secondary schools chaplains and science teachers; Virgin Islands -- assistant to bishop; West Africa -- Theological Education by Extension coordinator, finance officer and farm manager for local college; Zaire -- community health nurse.
For further information, please write to Coordinator, Volunteers for Mission, 815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017.