Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Greetings in our Lord Jesus Christ. There have been ways in which the pandemic has isolated us, though in other ways it has bound us together in a common experience. This leads to a deeper realization that we are actually a Body, a people, across cultures and nations. This Convention, we are grateful to God for continuing to bring us through, for upholding and encouraging us.

A ‘convention’ is literally a ‘coming together,’ which is what, by grace, the Church of Jesus Christ is. In the New Testament, this love and solidarity in the Body take a concrete form, for example in collection for the saints in Jerusalem representing the ‘bonds of affection,’ our mutual responsibility one to another. (I Corinthians 16:1)

Every year we take up a collection at our Convention. This year I invite you to take part in a special offering of thanksgiving and of solidarity. Our long-time friend, Bishop Lloyd Allen of Honduras, is seeking support for his Centro de Cuidados infantiles, Amiguitos de Jesus, Center for Childcare, the Little Friends of Jesus, in Villanueva, Cortes. The Center will provide for the immediate needs of children from the poorest homes.

To donate to Bishop Allen's Center for Childcare, The Little Friends of Jesus, send a check to the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas at 5100 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX, 75206 and note in the memo line "Honduras Donation."

HERE IS BISHOP ALLEN’S DESCRIPTION OF THE CENTER’S ADDITIONAL OBJECTIVES:

Ayudar al padre de familia con la educación de sus hijos mediante el cuidado y la instrucción de sus hijos dentro del centro.

To help fathers with the care and education of their sons at the center.

Contribuir al desarrollo fisico, intelectual, espiritual, afectivo y social del niño.

To contribute to the physical, intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and social development of the child.

Estimular el desarrollo de capacidades motrices en los ninos de preescolar.

To stimulate the development of capacities of movement in the preschool children.

Fomentar habitos de convivencia con los demas niños.

To form habits of sharing with the other children.

The communities served had suffered greatly from the hurricane on top of Covid. If we can raise $15,000, the diocese will match it for $30,000, which will fund the Center for half of 2022. Our collection will be presented as our in-gathering at our Convention Eucharist. I hope that it can be a kind of sacrament of our common heart for mission, and our gratitude for the communion Christ calls us into.

To donate to Bishop Allen's Center for Childcare, The Little Friends of Jesus, send a check to the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas at 5100 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX, 75206 and note in the memo line "Honduras Donation."