Rector's Thoughts and Reflections

June 20, 2005

Our Mission Team

"Go therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I give you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time." Matthew 28:19-20

The great commission that is proclaimed in the last verses of the Gospel of Matthew makes it clear that the church's mission is always beyond us, pointing to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We are to be servants, used in the best sense of the word, by God, to transform the world. in the image of Christ. The work of Christ is beyond the four walls of the church, proclaiming the Good News, by who we are and what we do as Christians.

It is that going forth that will be highlighted by our Dominican Republic Mission Team, who leaves the 9^th of July for a week's work in one of the poorest areas of that country. It is unique mission work in that they receive a call to serve in a specific place from the bishop of the Dominican Republic, The Right Reverend Julio C. Holguin. He sets mission priorities and our team will work alongside Dominicans. It is mutual ministry, in which we encounter the give and take of ministry that is set much higher than ourselves and beyond personal interests. Our mission team will be working during one of the hottest months of the year in the Dominican Republic. They will live at the Episcopal retreat house in San Pedro De Macoris, take their meals there and be bussed to the mission site. The team will work hard, pray daily, gather for evening bible study, learn a bit of Spanish, get acquainted with the customs and mores of the Dominicans and hopefully underscore and deepen their faith with something that occurs through the whole experience. They will come face to face with the vibrancy of Christians in another part of the world, and witness that faith can be bold and influential with people who have very little in material possessions. Our team will certainly give a great deal of themselves, and they will have what I believe will be a life-changing experience, through the gift of mutual ministry -- people sharing the ideals and pragmatic understanding of faith at work in the real world.

This mission team is being sent forth from this body of Christ; they represent this parish and the priority we place on Christ's call that we take the Gospel into the world, be that locally, nationally, or globally.

The Mission Team is represented by several youths and adults who have made a tremendous commitment to do this work. Please pray for their well-being, the success of. their work, the relationships they will encounter and that it be a faithful and worthy endeavor in honor of Christ.

The Team is lead by Marie LaVigne, and members include Jane Eigenmann, Ryan Downing, David and Elizabeth Deaton, John George, Mary Elaine Jenkins, Dave and Loni Saunders, Alex, Jr., and Ashley Sineath, Kyle and Mark Szen, and Mark Dickinson, Youth Director from St. Bartholomew, Hartsville, SC., Mark will be active with the group and learn from this experience that his youth group may embark on mission work of their own.

Note of explanation: Bishop Holguin has been described as an entrepreneurial bishop, in that he is working tirelessly to build up the kingdom of God in his diocese through mutual ministry with several dioceses in the United States. To that end he is constantly changing mission priorities reflecting the changing needs of his congregations and mission imperatives within his diocese, and developing ministry with less dependence upon financial support from the National Church (US). His core mission outlook is centered on moving congregations from office fronts and carports to buying land and building churches in several communities that have the potential of growth and attracting members. He is strong about developing Episcopal schools in communities (public education in the DR is difficult at best), mission minded medical facilities manned by teams from the US (from a week to six months duration), day care affiliated with parishes, and strengthening the local community through the ministry of the local congregation. He has shown that a strong presence by the  Episcopal Church in the local community has great impact, positively, upon the entire community. The church is acting as an anchor in communities that once were divided and enslaved by drugs and hopelessness.

The ministry and mission of the Diocese of the Dominican Republic is constantly being challenged because among other things, inflation, the devaluation of the peso in relation to the dollar, clergy being tempted to move to the United States encouraged by higher salaries, high land values, clergy often managing two or three congregations, the expense of transportation for clergy (cars are prohibitively expensive). Bishop Holguin is cognizant of the fact that in the nearer future yearly funds from the Episcopal Church, North America, to help with diocesan expenses will end. He realizes that the church in the Dominican Republic must develop self-reliance. He and the Episcopal Church in the DR are up to the challenge to bring Christ and that Good News to the Dominican people. Actually Bishop Holguin sees what is in front of them as an excellent opportunity to respond to Christ through faith.

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Rector's Thoughts and Reflections