Retirement of mission pioneer

Friday August 31st 2007

Mr Cecil Wilson.After serving the call of mission with CMS Ireland for almost 32 years Canon Cecil Wilson has announced his retirement with effect from August 31.

Under his leadership CMS Ireland pioneered a vision of ‘partnership in mission’ that today sees the Society and Cecil himself held in the highest regard by the Church in many parts of the world.

An innovative and creative leader, Cecil’s desire to stretch the boundaries of contemporary mission thinking has ensured that CMS Ireland has been on a continuing journey in recent years and today strives to remain at the forefront of mission practice.

Ian Smith who succeeded Cecil as Director of Mission in June 2007 paid this tribute to his predecessor and long-term friend.

“In wishing him a long and fruitful retirement I am very conscious that I am following in the footsteps of a faithful servant of the Gospel who lives what he preaches, and who has been in for the long haul. He has never gone in for 'quick fix' solutions. His strategic vision has seen CMS Ireland come through times of difficulty as well as calm, and I am grateful for the solid foundations that he has built.”
 
Mr Smith said Cecil had been invaluable to the life of CMS Ireland over the past three decades – ensuring that the Society remained a blessing to the Church in Ireland and around the World, adding that his colleagues and CMS Ireland’s global partners now wish him every blessing in his retirement.

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