The Rt. Rev. Lloyd Allen, Bishop of Honduras, was a guest at the 186th Annual Council in Jackson Feb. 1st-3rd. Honduras is one of the fastest growing dioceses in the Episcopal Church, and Allen is a member of the House of Bishops.
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| The Rt. Rev. Lloyd E. Allen (Jim Carrington/Photo) |
Allen is well-known to Mississippi as he continues a legacy of inviting and supporting the Mississippi Honduras Medical Mission, now in its 31st year, to the village of San Joaquin in the Santa Barbara region.
Allen’s remarks to council focused on a new role that he envisions the church to play in the development of Honduras, using the saying, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,” as a basis for his remarks.
The bishop’s desire is for ministry to develop within Honduras that teaches the people skills so that they may become self-sufficient. Allen presented Bishop Gray with a hand stitched piece-work that parishioners in his diocese learned to create through a micro-financing program. The artistry is now being sold by those who create it, giving the people a new source of income.
Bishop Allen stated that when he was consecrated as the first native Honduran bishop in 2001, the support level of his diocese by the larger church was at 98%. In 2013, the support level has dropped to 48%.
“Walking this diocese away from a legacy of dependency to depending on God with an interdependency on each other is our goal. We ask you a favor, teach us to fish. We need to learn to feed ourselves,” said Allen.
Allen’s goal is for the Diocese of Honduras to become self-sufficient by the year 2019. Achieving this aim is being facilitated by a new staff member, the Very Rev. Lura M. Kaval, whom Allen has called as the diocese’s canon for development.
Bishop Allen also addressed news stories regarding violence in his country. “I am here to assure you that a level of violence is a reality in Honduras, but Honduras is not the only country where security is an issue. When you go to Mardi-Gras in New Orleans, you go to one of the most violent cities in your nation.
“If you’re not involved with drugs and gangs, you have nothing to worry about in Honduras,” said Allen.
The bishop also gave his thanks for the volunteers from Mississippi who have for 31 years come to his diocese to provide medical care for the people of the Santa Barbara region, whose lives have continued to improve physically through generations. Most recently, the installation of a filtered water well for the village and the building of clinics and schools have added to the quality of life.
As for the bishop’s goals for ministry in his native land, Allen told those attending council to think in terms of development. “Do not create dependence with a Santa Claus mission. Come to us with a willingness to change the paradigm.”
To learn more about ministry opportunities in Honduras, log on to the new website www.EpiscopalDioceseofHonduras.org.
The Rev. Scott Lenoir is the editor of The Mississippi Episcopalian
