Council for Mission
Living Faith, Thriving Church: views from Tunisia
Council for Mission announces mission visit due in early 2026
The Church of Ireland’s Council for Mission is pleased to announce a visit from the Revd Frank Bernardi, Rector of St George’s Anglican Church in Tunis, between Saturday, 7th February, and Monday, 23rd February. Frank – an Associate Mission Partner of the Intercontinental Church Society (ICS) and SAT–7 – shepherds both an English–speaking expatriate community and a local Arab–speaking congregation, mostly from a Muslim background.
His ministry is driven by a twin passion to foster contextualised and culturally authentic expressions of worship, and to develop indigenous leaders. A profile of its work is found here on the church’s website: www.stgeorgetunis.com/en
The Revd Canon Tim Wright, Chair of the Council of Mission, remarks: “Frank’s visit is a wonderful an opportunity for the Church of Ireland to learn about Christian life and witness today in a country that has deep Christian roots but where today the Christian community is small. We look forward to learning about life in Tunis and are grateful to Frank for making time to visit us.”
Before moving overseas, Frank served in urban ministry and church planting in the inner city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Anne, are married with four children and have committed their lives to sharing the Gospel in North Africa. Anne leads an economic empowerment initiative, addressing one of the region’s most pressing needs – access to employment and job training.
This is the latest part of a Council for Mission scheme to foster global church relationships across the Anglican Communion, which helps to advocate the equality and complementary nature of mission at home and throughout the world. Many members of the Church will remember the visit by the Revd Arsène Mafurebe, from the Church of Burundi, in 2024, which commenced this initiative.
Frank will be available for visits to parishes and cathedrals, and speaking opportunities, in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. His favourite areas of interest (as well as topics on which to teach) are:
- The history of the Christian Church in Ancient Carthage
- God’s heart for the nations throughout all of Scripture
- The ministry of healing for reaching the nations
- The ministry of inner healing for effective discipleship
- Biblical leadership and developing leaders as a strategy for multiplying churches
If you wish to invite Frank to an event in your local setting, please get in touch with Linda Abwa at [email protected] or by phone on (028/048) 9077 5020.