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Southern Africa Partnership CommitteePariish-to-Parish Partnerships
A number of parishes in the Washington diocese have partnered with counterpart parishes within the Anglican Diocese of Southern Africa. Read how they did it—and what it means to them.
Christ Church Georgetown (Washington, DC) Christ Church, Georgetown is focusing its Province of Southern Africa activities on the Monastery, UMariya uMama weThemba (Order of the Holy Cross), and the Grahamstown Diocese, where the Monastery is located. The Contemplative Group at Christ Church has supported the Monastery financially for five years, hosted the Prior, Brother Timothy Jolley for a week for the past two years, and last year financed a student’s school year as part of the Monastery Scholarship program. Several members of our Church have spent time at the Monastery. Last year, with the help of Brother Timothy, Christ Church sent a College student to South Africa, She visited the Monastery and worked at the Fikelela Aids Project in Cape Town for two months. Brother Timothy will be returning to Christ Church in May. A subgroup of the International Mission Group has formed to plan a parish-to-parish relationship in the Diocese of Grahamstown. In addition, the group hopes to sponsor a pilgrimage to the Monastery and partner-Diocese in November. Last year Christ Church also made a financial contribution to Cotlands, the multi-faceted South African NGO which runs orphanages, foster care, HIV/AIDS education and counseling programs at several locations throughout the country. For more information please contact:
The Church of the Ascension-Sligo Parish A companion parish relationship forged during the time of Apartheid In 1988, The Church of the Ascension voted to establish a parish-to-parish relationship with a Christian church in South Africa. This was communicated to Bishop Walker, who in turn put the Church in contact with Bishop Russell, Bishop of the Eastern Cape. In 1990, Church of the Ascension provided respite for Reverend Luluma Ntshingwa when he needed to leave South Africa because of his anti-apartheid activities. Reverend Ntshingwa's sojourn in the parish provided the opportunity to consider Holy Name, his parish in Mlungesi, as the one with which to establish a companion parish relationship. Reverend Ntshingwa and his family were in our parish for about three months before he moved to New York to attend seminary. A discussion of a parish-to-parish relationship between Ascension and Holy Name continued. When he returned to South Africa, he assisted Ascension in solidifying the companion parish relationship with Holy Name, although he had been reassigned to a different parish. Individual parishioners from Ascension visited SA and Holy Name. In 1993, a delegation of six members and the rector of Church of the Ascension at that time, the Reverend Emmett Jarrett, journeyed to SA and spent three weeks in the country. One week was spent with the members of Holy Name Parish. We lived in their homes, we worshipped together, and we formalized the companion parish relationship at that time. Church of the Ascension sent copies of the church newsletter, modest periodic financial support from its Missions Committee and occasionally exchanged letters with Holy Name. The Companion Parish Committee of Church of the Ascension , with the support of members of the parish, raised the funds to sponsor six members of Holy Name on a visit to Ascension in 1997. The relationship has experienced the wear of time. Changes in rectors in both parishes, interim periods, and the loss of members who provided the companion leadership in both parishes have increased the difficulty of maintaining the relationship over time. However, parishioners from Ascension have had the opportunity to visit Holy Name over the years and the welcome is always like a homecoming. More institutional support at the diocesan level in South Africa and in the U.S. would greatly assist parishes in the U.S. and in South Africa in maintaining active, viable companion parish relationships.
St. John's, Lafayette SquarePartnership with the Diocese of the Highveld, South Africa  Since 2004, St. John's Church, Lafayette Square, has focused on building a partnership focused on serving children from an informal settlement east of Johannesburg in the Diocese of the Highveld, South Africa. St. John's has partnered with the Rev'd Sharron Dinnie and her parish, the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Springs, in developing a pre-primary and after school center known as the Kwasa Centre. St. John's has helped purchase land for the Kwasa Centre and assisted in expanding its facilities in order to support its mission to serve the nearby Vukuzenzele informal settlement. St. John's Church School and the Kwasa Centre have also developed a sharing relationship by exchanging arts and crafts projects for the Christmas holidays. The St. John's Church School has also purchased equipment to help establish a Kwasa soccer program and has collected and shipped to Kwasa used children's soccer equipment from the Washington area. The partnership has been further strengthened by regular fellowship exchanges. St. John's parishioners have made two pilgrimage trips to South Africa where they have been able to share with members of the Kwasa Centre, Vukuzenzele, and St. Peter and St. Paul. The Rev'd Sharron Dinnie together with students, teachers, and parishioners have visited St. John's and Washington on two occasions. These visits to Washington have given the entire St. John's parish community an opportunity to be enriched by the partnership. For more information contact Kaye Edwards Davis, St. John's Church, at 202-347-8766.
St. Luke's, Bethesda In 2003, Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church in Bethesda began supporting with prayers the developing Southern Africa partnership and also sent a contribution to help combat the effects of the HIV/AID Pandemic in the Diocese of The Highveld in South Africa. In 2004, St Luke’s hosted four organizational meetings of the HIV/AIDS Ministry Team, now a Subcommittee of the Partnership Committee. The parish also decided to make a contribution to the AIDS Orphan Project of the Diocese of Lesotho, and is currently attempting to establish a relationship with a parish in Lesotho.
Last Update: 07/04/08
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