Disciple: Companion Connections

By The Rev. Greg McIntyre and the Rev. Dr. Leon Spencer

One of the great things about being an Episcopalian is we are always connected to something bigger. We are connected to our brothers and sisters in Christ at the parish level, then at the clericus or deanery level, then the diocesan level, then the province, The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion, then the entire universal Church and the Church throughout history. We stand on Sundays and say, “We believe in one holy catholic (universal) and apostolic Church.” We believe in being connected. We believe in partnering in ministry.

These connections are central to the heart of our Anglican identity. They go back to the missionary movement, which certainly carried with it a lot of baggage, but as colonies became independent, Anglicans worldwide began to consider a more genuine sharing in partnership in mission. We talked about “mutual responsibility and interdependence in the Body of Christ.” In the 1960s that vision found special expression in the creation of companion diocesan relationships. In a sense we knew then, and know now, that we are less than complete until we are connected to a larger community. There seems to be some innate human quality where we know deep down that we will become better people when we make connections beyond our communities of origin. To this end, churches all over the Anglican Communion formalized official partnerships based on mutual ministry, forming friendships and revealing the desire to learn and grow as followers of Christ.

“YOURS, MINE” IS “OURS”

The Diocese of North Carolina entered into companion links at the very beginning of this Anglican Communion endeavor. We established a link with the Missionary Diocese of the Panama Canal Zone in 1961, explored ties with El Salvador in the 1970s and entered into a relationship with Belize from 1984 to 1993. We now have two formal relationships. We have been partnering with the Anglican Diocese of Botswana since 2008 and with the Diocese of Costa Rica since 1997. During this time we have exchanged cultural ideas of what it means to be the Body of Christ. Our Christian testimony has been expressed and strengthened through service and a shared sense of mission. And through these relationships, we have worked toward the expansion of the Church, thereby reaching forth our hands in love to bring others to the knowledge and love of Christ.

The Rt. Rev. Hector Monterosso, bishop of the Diocese of Costa Rica, is fond of saying that one of the goals in this companionship is to get beyond the thinking that this is “your Church, your Diocese” or “our Church, our Diocese,” and move towards a vision where the Church in Costa Rica is seen as our Church to North Carolinians, and Costa Ricans see the Church in the United States as being their Church because we are all one Church, one Body of Christ. Whether we are growing the Church in Costa Rica or Botswana or in the United States, we are growing our Church and, ultimately, God’s Church.

Church growth takes on many forms. Growing the Church with our global partners can be quantitative in terms of number of new ministries, number of people served, number of new worshipers, financial growth or the physical expansion of facilities. In Costa Rica, mission trips are the dominant medium of exchange. Lay leadership workshops, youth exchange programs and micro-enterprise initiatives are other expressions of this relationship. In Botswana, given the distance and the travel costs, mission trips have been uncommon. Instead we have provided long-term lecturers for their theological school and workers for their hospice programs and for ministries with orphans and vulnerable children. On the surface these exchanges are structured to produce growth and propagate God’s love in ways that can be seen, counted and measured.

Growing the Church and sharing the Good News, however, has a qualitative dimension that is every bit as important, if not more so. Church growth is also about making the Church stronger in spirit, in substance, in relationship, in education, practice and character. The Church can grow all it wants in physical and quantifiable terms, but unless there is a deepening of the Spirit, it will go nowhere.

The question has often been asked, “Why not just send money to an overseas companion diocese? Our money could go a lot farther toward building churches and programs if it went directly to local people and projects.” This way of thinking addresses only the quantifiable elements of Church growth and does not account for growing the heart and soul of the Church. Bishop Monterosso tells visiting groups that growing the church in depth through relationships and partnering, in addition to size and number, is ultimately more expensive and takes longer, but it is absolutely essential. The Rt. Rev. Metlhayotlhe Beleme, bishop of the Diocese of Botswana, has made similar points, telling North Carolinians that relationships matter more than money for projects. Besides, he adds, there are many things that Batswana need to do for themselves. With these perspectives, in the long run growth through companionship will be much more sustainable, higher yielding and enduring.

MAKING THE CONNECTION

So how are we to “connect”? A simple start (and many parishes already do this) is to enter into prayer for our companions. When each Sunday we offer Prayers of the People, why not pray not only for “our Bishops ++Michael and +Anne” but also for “+Hector and +Metlha” – a constant reminder of bonds that connect us to our Anglican Communion. In your personal devotions, pray for the clergy of Botswana and Costa Rica by name – their names appear in our annual Gospel-Based Discipleship booklet. And if you have been on a mission trip to Costa Rica or Botswana, remember by name in prayer those whom you met.

Organize a program about the Church in Costa Rica or Botswana. True, we have had our link with Costa Rica for a number of years now, but there is still much to know and new people in our congregation to educate. Many parishioners have been to Costa Rica, and they can offer their personal testimony. So, too, can those from our recent Botswana pilgrimage. Invite them.

Find ways to share in ministry together. We are completing a technology project with the Diocese of Botswana, in which we have enhanced their capacity to communicate with us “face-to-face” using Skype. Those interested in their hospice work, for example, can talk with leaders of Holy Cross Hospice in Gaborone; those in Education for Ministry here can talk with their seminarians. Costa Rica offers similar possibilities.

And it remains possible to go to our companion dioceses or host those from Costa Rica and Botswana here. We are already planning for another Botswana pilgrimage in 2018 and for someone from Botswana to lead Lenten studies here. Trips to Costa Rica are regular and ongoing.

What comes from these connections? The Rev. Stephanie Yancy, a pilgrim to Botswana in September, wrote of “joyful worship, faithful people and warm hospitality.” That may seem simple, something we can discover wherever we are. But found in another culture, another part of the world, these experiences invite us into a discovery of the oneness of the Body of Christ. We may well “give” to our companions, but key to it all is that our own spiritual journeys are enriched immeasurably.

The Rev. Greg McIntyre is the associate rector at St. Alban’s, Davidson, the campus chaplain at Davidson College and chair of the Costa Rica Global Mission subcommittee. The Rev. Dr. Leon Spencer is chair of the Botswana Global Mission subcommittee.