Sister Church Ingathering 2011

On September 12 and 13, Sister Church representatives from across the U.S. converged on the HTH offices in Xenia, Ohio for a two day conference.  Below are some reflections on this event from Gordon Garrett, HTH President, and Steve DeLisle, Sister Church Coordinator.

I Knew It Before It Happened!

By Gordon Garrett

I don’t mean to sound like a know-it-all, but I knew the Sister Church Conference was going to be a great experience. How did I know? Well, to be honest, I knew because José Reyes,

A Smiling Gordon

our Honduras Director, kept telling me how excited he was for this conference and what a great experience it was going to be. He clearly sensed it before it happened and he was very much on target. I thank the Lord that José was right.

Read the rest of Gordon’s joyful reflections on the conference by clicking HERE.

Face to Face

Reps Brad Cooper from Kansas & Marty & Karen Farrand from Colorado network during a break

These days you can communicate in a lot of different ways. You can post it on your web site or on face book. You can pick up a phone and call or text the person. You can go online and Skype them or IM them. One could even sit down and write a letter. Heart to Honduras spends a lot of time trying to communicate with our supporters and ministry partners using all of these formats. But nothing is quite as good as being together and talking face to face.

Monday and Tuesday September 12-13 over 40 pastors and leaders from 21 different North American churches gathered to learn and share about the Sister Church program. Honduras was represented by three men:  North American Team Coordinator German Pinell, Pastor Fredy Martinez from La Concepción and Pastor Alfredo Reconco from Tegucigalpa. Honduras Director, José Reyes even joined us via Skype the first morning for a time of sharing. Luis Cano, one of our former SOD students who now lives in the U.S., cooked all the meals for the conference, serving various dishes one gets while in Canchias on a trip.

Pastor Alfredo Reconco [right] has filled his plate with Honduran cuisine!

It was a good time to make new friends, reconnect with old friends, discuss what we had tried, what we have learned and explore where God was taking Heart to Honduras and the Sister Church Program. But what made it most special was the ability to be together. There was lots of talking, laughing, praying, discussing and learning.

Conference Focus: When Helping Hurts

Monday morning we heard exciting reports of progress from our Honduras participants, including the Skype report from José. After lunch Gordon Garrett led the group in a discussion of the focus book for this conference, When Helping Hurts. This book challenges us to realize that we are all poor in some area, whethermaterially, relationally, or spiritually, and that instead of being paternalistic in our work in Honduras, we need to be collaborative.

Among other things, we have been encouraged by the concepts in this book to look at ways to help Brazos Abiertos congregations become self-sustaining, taking on a growing responsibility for pastoral salaries and operating costs.

Over the two days other reports on outgrowths from this new approach to ministry, included:

Todd Stark shares the partnership between Southwood Lutheran in Nebraska and La Ceibita’s community in Honduras

• how projects are “born” and selected,
• how Sister Churches are being challenged to reach out to community leaders,
• some plans forcommunity development that switches gears from what WE think is important to what the LOCAL COMMUNITY thinks,
• what is happening in our work withorphanages, and
• reports of successful Sister Church and Communitypartnerships in La Ceibita and La Concepción.

Click HERE for a full report on this conference and the implications of the concepts in When Helping Hurts for ministry through Heart to Honduras!