COMPANIONS AND PARTNERS

Dear Friends in Christ:

Mary Sherwood's visit here in early October 2002, our new relationship with our sister congregation in Puerto Rico and a letter I received recently from African Team Ministries all reminded me that we are part of The Anglican Communion, which includes people on every continent. We are, as our relationship with the Diocese of Puerto Rico makes clear, Companions on the Christian Pilgrimage and Partners in Mission. As Companions and Partners, we are called to mutual support and encouragement, through our prayers and through our giving.

During her Sunday evening presentation, Mary told us that she would not return to Madagascar until she had gifts and pledges sufficient to support her work for the next three years. The cost of carrying on her work is $6,000 a month. As I thought about the challenge in those words, I realized that we could provide her with some of the support she needs over the next three years. I knew that Jan and I could easily pledge $10 a month and I was pretty sure that there were at least nineteen others who could make a similar pledge. Knowing that all of us receive many requests for help (and I'll get to another one in the next paragraph), I'm asking you to pray about whether you are being called to join Jan and me in supporting Mary. I would like to let Mary know about the support she can count on from us by the end of December.

The letter that I received from African Team Ministries contained a request for $500 to support a new HIV/AIDS education and prevention program in Tanzania. The program is a joint effort of the Anglican and Lutheran Churches in the Rift Valley region of Tanzania. The Anglican Bishop there is Alpha Mohamed who was a visitor to Western New York in the fall of 1988. When Bishop Alpha was here, I had the privilege of driving him around the Diocese and remembered vividly the visit we made to Niagara Falls. As we looked at the Falls, Bishop Alpha turned to me and said, "Daniel, we must pray and give thanks to God for this great wonder." And we did, as the Bishop offered a simple prayer of thanks and praise. Over the intervening years, I have heard news of Bishop's Alpha's work in Tanzania and my admiration for him has grown. As we gave thanks together for the wonder of Niagara Falls, I give thanks for all that God has accomplished through Bishop Alpha. I would like to see us provide some support for this vitally important new program. Again, I ask you to pray about whether or not this is a program that God wants you to support.

Both of these challenges will be on our Vestry agenda on November 13. If you have ideas about how we as a community can respond to these needs, please speak with a member of the Vestry. I believe that God, who has been so generous to us, wants us to grow in our own generosity and will bless us in ways that we cannot imagine as we give.

Your brother and priest,

Daniel