The Diocese of Central Florida‘s nearly 50-year Companion Diocese relationship with the Diocese of Honduras is just that: a relationship, with giving and receiving on both sides. In fact, the Rt. Rev. Lloyd Allen, bishop of the Diocese of Honduras, put it this way: “We are who we are because of who you are.”

But healthy relationships require continued growth, and multiple avenues exist for that purpose, including the Diocese of Central Florida’s annual Thanksgiving offering (see “2023 Honduras Thanksgiving Offering: Blessing a Hard-Hit Church“).

“I’m very excited to continue to foster the vibrant and flourishing relationship between the Diocese of Central Florida and the Diocese of Honduras,” said the Rt. Rev. Dr. Justin S. Holcomb, bishop of the Diocese of Central Florida. “I invited Bishop Lloyd Allen to be one of the chief co-consecrators for my consecration as bishop because I really admire his balance, leadership and commitment to his diocese. Being on diocesan staff, I’ve known him for years, and as bishop, I’m looking forward to working with him but also learning from him what we can do to be good partners in ministry.”

Partners in Mission

One of the first and best ways Central Florida Episcopalians can connect with their partner diocese is by traveling for mission work in the Central American country, an easy flight from Florida.

“When people take a trip to Honduras, I always know that they’re going to get hit by the love of Christ shown by our brothers and sisters there,” said Wesny Dubic, seminarian at Nashotah House and chair of the diocese’s Honduras Commission. He saw that happen to the Rev. Tom Phillips, new rector of Holy Trinity, Melbourne; Doug Romaine and Julio Ocampo from Phillips’ former parish, Church of the Incarnation, Oviedo, when he led their trip to Honduras Aug. 18-21.

Church of the Incarnation first planned a summer mission trip for the summer of 2020, “only to have it completely unravel in March of 2020,” Phillips said. “We had 10 people from our church signed up to go … We were meeting monthly with Wesny, reading a book; we were really taking it seriously.”

“In our third meeting – and this was a difficult decision – we had to tell everybody that we had to cancel the trip because of COVID,” Dubic said. But he and Phillips kept in touch, and they agreed to start with a smaller exploratory trip this year in preparation for a larger mission trip in 2024.

Iglesia Episcopal San Pablo | Photo courtesy the Rev. Tom Phillips

“We took a trip to San Pedro Sula to meet the people at a church called Iglesia Episcopal San Pablo,” Dubic said. “San Pablo was the actual church that Bishop Allen chose for us back in 2019. … They started praying for Incarnation in the same way that Incarnation was praying for San Pablo.”

When the two churches connected, Dubic said, “They really made an impact on all of us in the way they received us, the way they were present for us, the way they just showed us love.”

Phillips agrees. “We were so impressed with the level of organization, hospitality and preparation that the Diocese of Honduras did to make this trip a success,” he said. “I was so encouraged by the people and the vibrancy of San Pablo in San Pedro Sula and by the leadership of Padre Vicente Vasquez, the rector there. … I was blessed by the unity that the vestry had for one another and their commitment to the mission of their church, their parish and their neighborhood.”

And an unexpected blessing awaited Phillips in the Central American country. “What felt like a gift to me was that the community and the service of San Pablo were almost exactly like Incarnation’s,” he said, noting the similarity of the two church’s styles and presentations of liturgy and crediting the Honduran bishop with what he called “a perfect match.”

“Bishop Allen knew who they were and who we were,” he said. “In that way, we’ve basically found our brothers and sisters in Christ in Honduras.”

Despite Phillips’ move to Melbourne, Incarnation still plans to take a team to Honduras next summer and has already had a meeting to discern initial interest in the trip, he said. “The hope is to have a committed team by Christmas who will be going next summer to instigate some work projects and ministry with the parish there in San Pedro Sula.” This trip will take place June 8-14, 2024, per Dubic.

Other diocesan entities also have active partnerships, financially and otherwise, with churches or schools in the Diocese of Honduras, including the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando; St. Barnabas Episcopal Church and School, DeLand; All Saints, Winter Park; and St. John’s, Kissimmee, Dubic said. He added, “Since COVID, the amount of missionary travel that has happened between Central Florida and Honduras has decreased.”

However, that dearth of travel seems to be changing with the recent Incarnation trip along with two more from the diocese, led by the Rev. Comforted Keen and his wife, Judy, of St. Barnabas, DeLand. On Oct. 16-20, the Keens led a diocesan team made up of the Rev. Nancy Oliver, St. Mark’s, Cocoa; and Sue McIlrath, Grace, Port Orange. This group traversed the San Pedro Sula region, visiting churches and schools on the north coast of Honduras.

After Oliver returned to the U.S., the Keens and McIlrath traveled to Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, to meet a team from St. Barnabas, DeLand: Martha Bencomo, Marina Cox, Martie Cox and Mary Holm, who were in Honduras Oct. 20-26. This team spent time at St. Barnabas’ companion church, St. John the Evangelist, and school, St. Mary’s, both in Tegucigalpa. In addition, “Sue McIlrath, the international chair for the national Daughters of the King, spent much of her time in Honduras visiting the various chapters of the Daughters of the King there,” explained Judy Keen.

Partners in Ministry

But churches can partner with the Diocese of Honduras even without visiting the country. The Sewing Ministry of St. Francis of Assisi, Lake Placid, demonstrated this by sending children’s dresses made from pillowcases for distribution by churches in Honduras.

The Rev. Canon Connie Sanchez (R) with recipients of the dresses | Photo courtesy the Rev. Connie Sanchez

“Our Sewing Ministry came about after we did a Summer Sewing Camp (VBS style) in 2019,” said Barbara McCarthy, who co-leads the ministry with Ann Schirtz. “There was local press coverage (we are in a small town), and the next thing I knew, we were ‘bursting at the seams’ with donations from the community. A group of ladies – the first was Ann Schirtz – volunteered to come every Tuesday morning to sort, and the group began.

“We have held other workshops and camps for kids and adults since then,” she said. In the fall of 2022, the ministry made special pillowcases for seriously ill children.

“This spring, we took the skills we learned making those pillowcases and supplemented the donated pillowcases from parishioners with ones we had made,” McCarthy said of the Sewing Ministry’s recent gift to the Diocese of Honduras. “We organized a sewing marathon assembly line in April 2023 to complete the 139 little dresses. We had 15 women show up that day to work and have fun and fellowship, four from other congregations in the area.”

When the ministry learned that Allen would attend Holcomb’s June 10 consecration, the Rev. Dr. Robin Reed, rector of St. Francis, bought two large suitcases to hold the dresses, and the Sewing Ministry team went to work sorting, wrapping and packing so Reed could take them with her to the service in Orlando. “Father Comforted Keen helped tote the bags so they were actually checked luggage for the bishop of Honduras as he returned home,” McCarthy said.

Reed received a recent thank-you note and photos of the girls wearing the dresses from the Rev. Canon Connie Sanchez, canon to the ordinary for the Diocese of Honduras, who reported that the dresses were delivered to the Copan and Maya deaneries.

This Honduras ministry success has already inspired more. “We have the photos enlarged to poster size and displayed to inspire us as we give back,” McCarthy said. “We are already planning shorts and T-shirts for little boys.”

Partners in Giving

Financial gifts provide yet another means of partnership with the Diocese of Honduras. Although Allen continues to strive toward his goal of self-supporting churches, both storms and COVID have had a devastating impact on the nation and on the diocese.

In addition to the annual Thanksgiving offering for Honduras, financial gifts can have an enduring impact, Phillips said. He and Allen share an excitement about the diocese’s Theological Training Program, which continues to expand. “We are getting ready to ordain seven new deacons on Oct. 28,” Allen said. “And beyond that, our Theological Training Program is doing well. We have 11 more who have completed their theological training and come January, they will begin the canonical process. Sometime next year, we’ll have ordination of 11 more clergy.

“I’m in my 23rd year as bishop of this diocese, and so I’m seeing a turnover of the clergy,” he adds. “But with the training program, I will have a number of new clergy in the diocese: new blood, new expectations, new everything. It’s exciting.”

The Rev. Vicente Vasquez and Licensed Lay Minister Jasmina deliver a warm welcome to the Rev. Tom Phillips at Iglesia Episcopal San Pablo. | Photo courtesy the Rev. Tom Phillips

Phillips notes that the cost for this training program is only $400 a month, adding that it “equips students for ministry in a way that’s similar to seminary education here. Many of the courses are run by Allen and by seminary professors, and $400 a month is enough to put that person through a robust theological training. Bishop Allen is asking and encouraging Incarnation to consider supporting one such seminarian.

“It’s not hard for a parish to find $400,” he said. “And when you think about a parish being able to train up a theologically sound leader who will minister in an area that is underserved or in need of pastoral support, to be able to do that for $400/month is just a tremendous opportunity to have a significant, real impact for the kingdom of God globally.”

In addition to his enthusiasm for the Theological Training Program, Phillips said Incarnation is doing its best to provide financial assistance for its Honduran partner church. “Every month, Incarnation gives away its fourth Sunday’s plated offering and any special designated offerings,” he explained. “It’s called Generosity Sunday. … Last month, Incarnation raised $2,600 to give to San Pablo to help them get started on some much-needed repairs. What’s interesting is that the annual budget of the church is $10,000. … We were able to give them over 25% of their annual budget in one Sunday!”

To support the Diocese of Honduras and other ministries, he encourages other churches to try a similar approach. “One of the things that Generosity Sunday has taught Incarnation as a parish is that God blessed radical generosity, and it is an energizing endeavor for a parish,” he said. “It brings new life and new vision. And to any churches that feel they can’t afford it, I would say you can’t afford not to do it, because it will invigorate the mission of your parish in a way that I think is going to bring life – and probably dollars too.”

Partners in Education

Allen would love to see the partnership between his diocese and the Diocese of Central Florida strengthened, and he encourages clergy and laity to speak with Dubic, Phillips, the Keens or any of the other recent visitors to his diocese. “People may say, ‘Oh, what can we do?’ but there’s a lot that could be done,” he said. “We have a very strong youth presence in the diocese, and we have great needs. If in Central Florida, there’s anyone who has a background in entrepreneurship as Father Comforted Keen does, we would love to tap into that.

Doug Romaine (L), the Rev. Tom Phillips (second from L) and Wesny Dubic (R) enjoy time with friends from Iglesia Episcopal San Pablo | Photo courtesy the Rev. Tom Phillips

“But we’re also looking at the possibility for students who have finished college and want to come help us teach English as a Second Language here in Honduras,” he added. “We’d be willing to find a place for them to live and possibly pay their airfare if they will agree to stay for 10 months.”

And Allen has still more ideas to enrich the Companion Diocese relationship.  “I would like to ask the educational part of the diocese if we could begin a sort of partnership between our Episcopal schools and schools back in Central Florida,” he said. He envisions a program that could include both student and teacher exchanges.

“If we could have one student from each of our classes here come to Central Florida for 12th grade, it would open the door for them to apply to colleges in the U.S.,” he said. “I would like to see if we could get things moving in that area because education makes the world go around. If the Diocese of Central Florida could help me educate my people, getting our Honduran kids to come to the U.S. and get an education and come back, we can change Honduras.

“I come to Central Florida all the time,” Allen said. “And I would be delighted to come back and visit the schools and speak with the heads of schools and with anyone who would listen to me for five minutes. Besides the Thanksgiving offering, I would beg and plead to our brothers and sisters in Central Florida: Help us educate our people, and you will be making a big difference in the life of the diocese and in the life of the country.”