"Just who is this Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society?" demanded the voice leaping out of the telephone. The answer was simple: The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society is us. It is the legal name for the way we collect as worshiping individuals, congregations and dioceses to organize as the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Yes, it is that and more than that. Since the General Convention of 1835, every Episcopalian, by virtue of baptism, is a member and, therefore, is involved in mission. Today there are a bit more than 2 million of us.

There is not a single legal entity that is the Anglican Communion. However, the Anglican Communion is also us as we link in mission with 73 million others in more than 600 dioceses in 164 countries. Linked by bonds of affection and loyalty, we strive to uphold and proclaim the catholic and apostolic faith, based on the scriptures, interpreted in the light of tradition, scholarship and reason.

For each one of us there are many ways to get to know who and what this large and scattered Anglican Communion is.

When we are traveling almost anywhere in the world we can join our fellow Anglicans in worship. The form would be familiar. We would recognize the patterns of Morning and Evening Prayer and the Eucharist. We would recognize activities of the laity, as well as of deacon, priest and bishop. We would recognize the friendship among people of all ages and the fellowship of food. We would understand and respect the passion for the neglected and forgotten and the desire to proclaim the good news of the gospel.

In our own churches, as we create study groups on the political situation in the Middle East or the financial crisis in Asia; as we host a Nigerian student or pray for the Martyrs of Uganda; as we plan a vacation to Spain or plan a party with a pinata, we bring alive cultures where fellow Anglicans live and seek to follow the teachings of Jesus.

As we initiate pre-school or schools or after-school programs so the church may nurture families and entire communities, we should know that Anglicans in Papua New Guinea and Guatemala come together to do the same. As we join with Presbyterians or Muslims or Jews to meet hunger in our midst, we should remember that conditions in many parts of the world keep people from living and working together so easily.

The Anglican Communion comes alive when we share stories, either individually or through organizations. Jane Fladd from the Diocese of Los Angeles, who has been a missioner in China and is now in Honduras, is one example. Bishop Simon Chiwanga of Tanzania, also chair of the Anglican Consultative Council, who has just finished graduate study in Massachusetts, is another example. Half of our dioceses have a formal companion relationship. The link between the dioceses of New York and Klerksdorf, South Africa, includes 12 parish relationships within it. Organizations that we know one way may also have unrecognized connections. Daughters of the King, with whom we associate local prayer groups, also offers missioner support. Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis engages in covenant ministries with churches in different parts of the Communion.

The gamut of informal bonds within the Anglican Communion enriches more formal arrangements:

n The Lambeth Conference, called by the Archbishop of Canterbury

n The Anglican Consultative Council

n The Anglican Communion secretariat

n The provincial judicatories in which the Episcopal Church is one of 38

n The churches "in full communion."

Ecumenical and interfaith relationships and endeavors are also very much a part of life throughout the Anglican Communion.

Just who is this Anglican Communion? It is us, with many faces finding many ways to remain linked in bonds of loyalty and affection. o

Willeen Smith is a member of the staff of the Anglican and Global Relations department at the Episcopal Church Center. She is United Thank Offering coordinator.