CACS is pleased to welcome Thoma Lipartiani as a new student worker. Please read his introduction below in his own words:
I come from Georgia (Europe), where I am a member of St. Nino’s Episcopal Church in Tbilisi. Our congregation is one of the most geographically isolated within the worldwide Anglican Communion. The nearest Anglican church is Christ Church in Kyiv, Ukraine (Diocese of Gibraltar), approximately 1,254 miles away by road, while the closest Episcopal church is St. Paul’s Within the Walls in Rome, Italy. This isolation can sometimes feel lonely, despite the faithful ministry we share together in Christ.
We are blessed to receive visits from our bishop, the Right Reverend Mark D. W. Edington, along with other clergy, and we were deeply honored when the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend and Right Honorable Justin Welby, visited our congregation in 2023. Nevertheless, the geographic separation from our sister churches presents unique pastoral challenges.
After spending a year away from Georgia to study at Virginia Theological Seminary, I now have the privilege of serving as one of the newest student workers at the Center for Anglican Communion Studies (CACS). This Center graciously serves the worldwide Anglican Communion—a vast family united in Christ that spans the globe.
Though I have been working at CACS for only three weeks, I have already witnessed the vibrant ministry it provides to the Anglican Communion. During this brief time, I have been blessed to hear from various Anglican leaders who share both their concerns and their hopes, their challenges and their prophetic insights, about Anglican witness throughout the world.
CACS not only serves the Anglican Communion but beautifully embodies it. My colleagues represent the Anglican Church of Canada, the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, and the Episcopal Church, creating a truly international fellowship of believers in Christ.
Given my background, CACS offers me an extraordinary opportunity to serve the very Communion of which I am a member, while helping me become better acquainted with fellow Christians from around the world. Here, I am able to learn, understand, pray, and grow in fellowship with Anglican brothers and sisters across the globe, while contributing to the important work that Christ enables through CACS.
Looking back, it’s hard to believe how things have worked out. A year ago I felt so disconnected from other Anglicans, and now here I am working alongside people from churches all over the world. God has a sense of timing and I’m just thankful to be here and curious to see what comes next.
Thoma Lipartiani, B.A. (he/him)
Master of Divinity ’27
Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe