Rt Rev Dr Mwita Akiri

Mwita Akiri is an evangelist, teacher and author. He became the first Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Tarime in July 2010 – a small missionary diocese located west of the Serengeti and east of Lake Victoria. Prior to this, he served as General Secretary of the Anglican Church of Tanzania for nearly ten years. Some of his engagements include being a Research Professor and Visiting Lecturer in Mission and African History at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, Canada. He is also an external examiner for postgraduate degrees for Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology (Uganda Christian University).  

Dr Akiri has a PhD in African Christianity from Edinburgh University, UK.  In 2020, he published a historical account of the work of CMS in Tanzania from an African perspective.  

Mwita is married to Mukami, and they have two adult daughters – Mugure and Mbayo.  

Rev Canon Dr Mark Thompson

Mark Thompson is Principal of Moore Theological College, lecturing principally in Christian Doctrine. Mark has a passion for equipping individuals for God’s mission of bringing men and women from every nation into the kingdom of his Son. Mark is a canon of St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney and Chair of the Sydney Diocesan Doctrine Commission, amongst other roles in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney.  

Mark will be speaking this August on the importance and impact of God’s written word in the life of the believer, in the context of low literacy rates worldwide. 

Rev Dr Colin Reed

Colin Reed grew up in various African countries, went to high school in Kenya and qualified as a teacher in England, where he met his wife Wendy, also a teacher. They taught in Kenya, then Colin trained for the Anglican ministry in England. They emigrated to Australia where Colin spent a few years in parish ministry, 15 years on the staff of CMS and seven years teaching in a Bible college in Tanzania. In retirement, Colin worked on the Swahili translation of the Moore College External Studies course and then taught it in Tanzania. Colin has had a great interest in the development of the Church in East Africa, including its contribution to education. 

Angela Michael

Angela Michael is the Director of Miracle Ministries, Pakistan. In partnership with Anglican Aid, Miracle Ministries gives free education to 800 children of enslaved brick kiln labourers. Many of these children have worked alongside their parents since the age of 6, making bricks in harsh conditions to help pay off their family’s debts. These debts have escalated over generations due to slave owners taking advantage of illiterate workers, and realistically, families can never hope to repay these debts. But education can break the cycle of poverty and intergenerational slavery. For many, these children will be the first educated and literate members of their families.

Laura Wolfenden 

Laura Wolfenden moved back to Sydney from sunny Darwin at the beginning of this year and is excited to be working with CMS NSW & ACT in the role of Mission Engagement Specialist. She was the Children and Families Minister at St Peter’s Nightcliff for seven years, and loved seeing children understand their place in the big story of the Bible. Before serving in Darwin, Laura studied at Moore Theological College. Prior to this, she completed a ministry traineeship in Newcastle and studied Communications. She is married to Zac and enjoys words, all animals and Scottish crime fiction. 

Cameron Jansen 

For the past seven years, Cameron Jansen has been working in the Aid and Development team at Anglican Aid. After completing his Bachelor of International Studies in 2017 at the University of Wollongong, he joined Anglican Aid first as an intern, then Project Officer for four years, and now as Team Leader.  

At Anglican Aid, Cameron has been directly involved in the management and implementation of over 100 projects across a diverse range of country contexts and development sectors. He has conducted field visits and project evaluations in Pakistan, India, Burundi and Kenya. Cameron is passionate about highlighting and understanding the role of the local church in achieving Sustainable Development Goals. He is married to Jasmine, and they are currently attending Hope Anglican Church, Leppington, in Sydney’s new Southwest.  

Zeeshan LaalDin

Zeeshan LaalDin is a Pakistani Christian now based in Sydney, who serves as a Project Officer with Anglican Aid. He is the founder of 1toAnother Society, a Christian NGO dedicated to empowering minority communities in Pakistan through education, health, and economic initiatives. Through his role at Anglican Aid, Zeeshan continues his mission to foster positive change both in Pakistan and globally. He is married to Jessica, with whom he has three children: Malaika, Zayaan, and Rohaan. They attend Liverpool South Anglican Church.