wfn.org | Executive Council receives warm welcome to flood-ravaged Honduras

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99-166

Executive Council receives warm welcome to flood-ravaged Honduras

by James Solheim

     (ENS) In a rare meeting outside of the United States, the 
church's Executive Council met in Honduras--and was embraced in a 
special way by the people and the problems of a vibrant and 
growing diocese.

     It began when many council members joined the work crews 
building the first 35 houses out of 95 planned at a new village 
outside of San Pedro Sula, a commercial hub where the diocesan 
headquarters and cathedral are located. A year after the 
devastation of Hurricane Mitch, the houses and a clinic were 
blessed by council members and ground was broken for a chapel. 

     "To come back here less than a year after the hurricane and 
see what has been possible is nothing less than a miracle," said 
Phoebe Griswold, who has traveled in the area with a team from 
the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief. The "Faith, Hope 
and Joy" project is the first directly sponsored by the fund. (A 
meeting of the fund's board after the council meeting approved 
the purchase of additional land, adjacent to the village, enough 
for another 100 homes).

     The bare patch of land she first visited last year now 
supports several housing projects, including one nearby that is 
sponsored by Habitat for Humanity and the South American 
Missionary Society. She expressed particular excitement with the 
new clinic, named for her husband, Presiding Bishop Frank T. 
Griswold. 

     "But we are building community, not just houses," she said, 
pointing out that a soccer field and garden are also part of the 
plans. And there will be a clean, safe water supply, thanks to a 
water purification system designed by an Episcopalian from South 
Carolina who is an environmental scientist.

Excitement infuses meeting

     When the council officially convened October 28 it was 
quickly apparent that the work experience would impact on the 
whole meeting. The presiding bishop called it "an opportunity to 
taste the reality of Christ's body in some concrete ways, to 
experience Christ in the here and now."

     Council members agreed that working together on the project 
had been a unifying force for the council itself, giving its 
decision-making a mission context. Some expressed an eagerness to 
return in another year to see how the village develops when it is 
filled with families--and the laughter of children.

     "The poor of Honduras angrily ask why God abandoned them--
but you have helped us answer the question," said Bishop Leo 
Frade in welcoming the council. He described a diocese that 
combines evangelism with social action, a diocese that is growing 
with about 20,000 members in 67 parishes and 15 missions, served 
by 45 priests and deacons.

     Later in the meeting Frade would strongly endorse a 
resolution calling on the U.S. government to halt its policy that 
deports Hondurans who lack legal immigration status. The policy 
threatens the economic recovery of Honduras after the hurricane. 
"It is difficult for an ant to walk beside an elephant," Frade 
said in pointing out that the policy towards Salvadorans and 
Nicaraguans is different. Despite its support for American 
policies in the region during the Reagan years, "We were your 
friends and we were left hanging. We are the only country that 
doesn't get protection. We are asking for the same treatment," he 
said.

Eucharist as festival

     For many council members, the highlight of the encounter 
with the people of Honduras came at a festival Eucharist--or a 
Eucharist that was a festival.

     Over a thousand people jammed the Catedral El Buen Pastor 
and an adjacent courtyard with television monitors to catch the 
exuberant service. Many had traveled through the night to be 
present. "I know now what it is like to be in the center of a 
cloud of witnesses," said Bishop Christopher Epting of Iowa, who 
helped distribute communion. Judge Jim Bradberry of Virginia 
called it "the richest liturgical experience" he ever had.

     The recently refurbished cathedral was flooded with light as 
the procession of bishops and clergy and guests was greeted with 
lively music. Youth in native costume brought forward the gifts 
of the earth during the offertory and placed them in front of the 
altar. The sanctuary was quickly filled with incense. The 
presiding bishop celebrated and preached in Spanish, receiving 
murmurs of surprise and appreciation.

     After the service the participants were inundated with 
confetti and glitters as they moved out of the cathedral and 
boarded buses for a visit to the diocesan-sponsored home for 
abandoned, orphaned and abused girls. Our Little Roses was 
founded by Diana Frade, council member and wife of the bishop of 
Honduras. Following lunch a choir from the home sang a special 
song they had written for the presiding bishop.

Chinnis hopes for hospitable conversation

     In her opening comments to the council, Pamela Chinnis, 
president of the House of Deputies, expressed her own 
appreciation for the opportunity to "experience the culture, 
language and warmth of the people of Honduras."

     With next summer's General Convention clearly on her mind, 
she expressed encouragement with recent efforts at "hospitable" 
or "graceful" conversation when dealing with potentially divisive 
issues. It is hard work, she warned, "to remain open to the 
spiritual gifts offered by people with whom we have deep 
disagreements about important things."

     At a meeting of Province IV, for example, participants began 
first by "discussing matters which unite the church--the 
baptismal covenant, worship, youth work; and then by addressing 
some dividing issues such as authority and sexuality." That 
approach establishes "common ground and the commitments we share 
before talking about our differences," she said.

     As General Convention approaches "the siren calls to 
preserve right-thinking by rejecting each other are becoming 
louder. We, as leaders of the church, must do our utmost to raise 
the hospitable option again and again, to model openness and 
welcome for 'the other,' whatever our perspective or vested 
interest," she said.

Opening the budget process

     With persistent prodding by the church's treasurer, Steve 
Duggan, the council continued its efforts to design a more 
flexible budget process, one that can respond to emerging 
challenges. He expressed frustration with the resolutions passed 
at the Philadelphia General Convention that had financial 
implications with no way to respond. "Can we build a budget 
process that is flexible and accountable, one that expresses a 
dynamic church?" he asked.

     Griswold asked a similar question in his opening remarks: 
"How is the budget a manifestation of the Gospel for the purpose 
of mission? How could we structure the budget so that it is 
possible to respond creatively to new opportunities?"

     Council members received a draft of the proposed budget for 
the next triennium which it will review at its January meeting.

     Several council members expressed concern over the role of 
the national youth office in a planned meeting of youth in 
Boulder, Colorado, at the same time as the General Convention. 
Tom Chu, director of ministries with young people, said that the 
triennial Episcopal Youth Event is based on diocesan delegations 
and put together with a set of criteria to guarantee balanced 
participation. The Boulder event is a different kind of meeting, 
with an open welcome, he said.

     What bothered some council members was the apparent claim 
that the Boulder meeting was sponsored by the national church 
when, in fact, it is sponsored by the Diocese of Colorado and the 
American Anglican Council, an umbrella organization of 
conservatives. Chu said that his office had provided some 
encouragement but was not a co-sponsor of the Boulder meeting, as 
some had claimed. A letter from Sonia Francis, assistant to the 
presiding bishop for program, made it clear that the national 
staff was providing only technical support based on experience 
with EYE.

In other action the Executive Council:

     Approved the formation of the Episcopal Partnership for 
Mission pulling together a wide range of organizations, agencies 
and networks that send missionaries;

     Discussed proposed funding for provincial networks to 
encourage networking possibilities. Some felt that the funding 
should come from the province, not the national church;

     Endorsed a resolution for General Convention that will ask 
parishes and dioceses to provide "a safe, hospitable environment 
for frank conversation with youth and young adults about 
sexuality…." It asks national and provincial youth networks to 
suggest guidelines and resources.

--James Solheim is director of News and Information for the 
Episcopal Church.