Partnering Internationally
As I shared at our annual meeting two weeks ago, one of our goals for 2014 is to develop a partnership with an international ministry. In March I’ll be taking a small group to Guatemala to visit a ministry called Lemonade International. Two parishioners of ours work with Lemonade, so we have a very clear Christ Church connection. You can learn more about Lemonade on their website, but, essentially, this Christ-centered ministry is focused on breaking cycles of poverty and violence in a very poor area of Guatemala City. They do this primarily through sponsoring children, teachers, and schools as they seek to build healthy communities. Short-term teams are able to visit the children, teachers, and schools, as well as participate in the various aspects of the ministry.
In addition to the Christ Church connection, travel is much easier to Guatemala (both in time and money) compared with, for example, Africa or India. Another thing that makes Lemonade appealing is their experience organizing short-term teams. We simply give the Lemonade staff the dates we’d like to travel and they organize the trip for us. All we have to do is purchase plane tickets.
Also, Lemonade encourages sponsorship of children, teachers, and schools. These sponsorships allow long-term relationships to form, and anyone in the congregation can participate in this way. It is always a blessing to have sponsored a child for some time and then be able to visit, actually meeting the child or teacher, or spending time at a school. Lemonade also encourages short-term team members to use their gifts to help bless the community to which they are called.
In addition to Tim and Katie Hoiland (the parishioners who work with Lemonade) our team will be comprised of Megan Comstock, our children’s minister, Wendy Pitha, former Senior Warden, who has experience in mission to Central America, Frank Woods, who directs our outreach ministries, and, finally, myself and my son Owen. I’m bringing Owen in hopes that we’ll be able to return, saying that future trips can (and should!) include teens and children.
After we return, we’ll do a serious debrief, and, from there, make a recommendation to the Vestry regarding whether or not we feel that Lemonade will be a good fit for us.
Our vision is to be “a Christ-centered Anglican community participating in God’s work of reconciliation and transformation, seeking to be a blessing in our city and wherever God leads us.” Our mission statement calls us to “serve as a resource and actively partner with other Christ-centered churches and organizations.” I’m excited about living this out, whether with Lemonade or another ministry. Please be praying, and, if you have any comments or questions, don’t hesitate to ask.