ABM is committed to supporting our partner churches respond to God’s call of love, hope and justice in their own context. As our partners often work in quite different contexts to our own, we can gain new insight into ministry and mission and see a new viewpoint on life when we share things with our wider church family. That’s what ABM’s Encounter Program is all about. Specially selected candidates, nominated by their diocesan bishop, come to Australia to spend up to three months here.

In 2025, ABM has invited Fr Francis Marvin from the Diocese of the New Guinea Islands to be our Encounter Visitor. Francis was trained at Newton Theological College and is now the parish priest at St Mary’s Church in Apugi in West New Britain. He and his wife have a young family with a son and an adopted daughter.

While he is in Australia, Francis will be able to work among and learn from the parishes that will host him. They will be able to learn what it is like to be an Anglican in the Diocese of the New Guinea Islands, its similarities and differences to life within the Anglican Church of Australia. The Encounter Program allows those parishes to have a window on to world Anglicanism. While here, Francis will be able to work on his own educational goals and return to his home upskilled and, we trust, with his future ministry enhanced.

Over the years we have seen previous Encounter Visitors go back to their respective countries and then be elected years later to be a bishop in their Church.

Your gift will allow Australians like you to learn about Anglican life outside your own parish through this formative program and help the Encounter Visitors reach their own learning goals and take a little piece of Australia home with them in their hearts.