Portuguese Churches Test Partnership
Episcopal News Service. February 2, 1984 [84019]
EASTON (Feb. 2) -- Bishops of the three Portuguese speaking churches of the Anglican Communion met for the first time in Porto Alegre, Brazil last year. Acting as hosts for the three-day meeting, the six Bishops of the Igreja Episcopal do Brasil (The Episcopal Church of Brazil) were joined by the Rt. Rev. Fernando da Luz Soares of the Lusitanian Church, Portugal, and the Rt. Rev. Dinis Sengulane, Diocese of Libombos, Mozambique.
Also in attendance was the Rt. Rev. Elliott Sorge, formerly bishop of South-Central Brazil and now the Diocese of Easton, who represented the Education for Mission and Ministry Unit of the Episcopal Church.
The overall purpose of the gathering was to strengthen the role of each as partners in mission. The first specific task addressed was the use of the Church School Missionary Offering of 1983 which had been designated for Christian Education in the Igreja Episcopal do Brasil The Brazilian Church hoped to develop some materials in Portuguese which could be used by the three sister churches.
The Christian Education Committee of the Brazilian Church presented a display of educational materials already available in Portuguese. Each of the Churches then presented what their immediate and long term needs are in the area of education.
It became apparent as each presentation was made that it was going to be very difficult to have one project which would serve each of the Churches. Besides the differences that exist in the language as it is written in Brazil and Portugal there is the further difficulty of importing educational materials into Mozambique, a Marxist country. The high importation fees in Portugal also limit the work.
A group was asked to prepare a list of projects that would serve each of the Churches. The following projects were presented:
- An annotated list of books for Christian Education on different levels: church school, youth, confirmation, leadership training and formation of ministers, lay and ordained.
- A series of basic texts on Anglicanism similar to the Church's Teaching Series of the USA.
- A series of small books or pamphlets which would serve as primers or "First Steps for New Converts."
- A commission was formed and given the responsibility of making a decision on the requests as presented by the Churches and as funds allow.
During meetings a great concern was raised about the responsibility and opportunity of being partners with other sister churches of the Anglican Communion where missionary work in Portuguese is needed. Such cities as Newark, Fall River and Los Angeles were identified as having large concentrations of immigrants from Portugal, as well as Montreal in Canada.
The Brazilian Church committed itself to assist the Lusitanian Church by sending a Brazilian priest to work in Portugal. It further agreed to be partners with the Diocese of Libombos in a project of evangelism.
In the closing session, a vote of thanks was extended to Sorge for his assistance. He was asked to convey to the World Mission Unit unit of the Episcopal Church their gratitude for the financial assistance for travel that made the meeting possible and to the Executive Council for designating the offering to them of the Church School Missionary Offering.