Exchanging Places

ISSUE 3 2020

Habib Nader

the movement of people in mission, remain at the heart of USPG’s work People at the heart of USPG By Habib Nader, People Programmes Manager

People, and the movement of people in mission, remain at the heart of USPG’s work. Through the Exchanging Places programme, USPG offers its wealth of experience and knowledge of the movement of people in mission (going back three centuries) to encourage and support partner churches outside Europe as they share expertise and experience through the sending and receiving of personnel in mission. In this way, they build and strengthen reciprocal relationships. USPG’s role is to set up introductions between the prospective sending and receiving partner churches willing to share resources. We assist with the recruitment and preparation of nominated candidates and provide logistical support for a successful appointment. When it is necessary, USPG makes a financial contribution to enable the appointment to take place. The sending church is the partner church that offers and sends personnel from their church to another church, to serve and share in mission, whilst the receiving church refers to the church that employs and hosts the person sent to serve and share in mission from a partner church. Only nationals from partner churches outside Europe are allowed to serve under the scheme. People from the UK and Europe are excluded from this programme. In the past 25 years, 22 appointments have taken place between 42 dioceses and partner churches. Appointments involved both lay and clergy persons with a wide range of professional backgrounds, from priests, health and development workers, trainers, theological tutors, youth workers, administrators and Information technology specialists, with an average appointment length of three years, sometimes less. Partner churches taking part in this unique collaboration agree to share resources and contribute financially towards the budget for the appointment. Jointly sponsored appointments with ecumenical partners have also taken place. A recent example of this partnership between partner churches is the appointment of the Rev'd Fr Justice Apo Tetteh from the Diocese of Accra, Ghana to the Diocese of The Windward Islands, West Indies. The request for a priest from Ghana came from Bishop Leopold Friday of the Diocese of The Windward Islands to the bishops from Ghana attending the USPG 2019 Annual Conference. Apparently, many people in the Windward Islands trace their historical roots to Ghana and so it was deemed fit to have a priest from Ghana to serve in the diocese. Bishop Daniel Torto of Accra responded and after the ensuing processes by USPG a three-year appointment was agreed. It is hoped that a priest from the West Indies will also go and serve in West Africa in due course. Each appointment is unique and USPG responds to requests according to the needs expressed in the applications by partner churches. For further information please email Habib Nader, People Programmes Manager on habibn@uspg.org ■