Companionship Programs Deepen Communion Bonds
Episcopal News Service. May 3, 1984 [84096]
NEW YORK (DPS, May 3) -- When The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina and the Anglican Church in Belize (formerly British Honduras) entered into a companion diocese relationship earlier this year, they became a part of a growing movement within the Anglican Communion.
Half of the dioceses in the Episcopal Church now participate in the Companion Diocese program, which is seen as an expression of the Partners in Mission concept. According to the Companion Diocese Handbook published by the World Mission office at the Episcopal Church Center, "The Companion Program can be seen as a disciplined way, agreed upon and shared in by the Companions, to know from first hand experience what it means to live interdependently with one another across geographical and cultural boundaries, within the Body of Christ."
The relationship -- known as Companion Dioceses in the Episcopal Church and Link Dioceses in the Church of England -- is described by the Rev. Patrick Mauney, coordinator of overseas ministries for the Church Center, as an "expression of grass roots concern to reach out to Christians in other places, to learn and to give -- it's a 'hands-on' experience."
Mauney is in a position to know. It is to his office that dioceses, both overseas and domestic, come to when they are interested in establishing a Companion relationship. Sometimes a diocese will have a good idea in advance of the area with which they would like to become involved, but other times it is a matter of matching interests and needs. Once the pairing is decided upon, the relationship must be approved -- first by both dioceses, then by the Executive Council.
Initial agreements are for three years, but most dioceses feel as though their work is only beginning at that point, and renew for a second three. Six years is considered the optimum time period. To extend the relationship much beyond that would bring a greater risk of dependency, and that is something everyone involved wishes to avoid.
Another way dependency can creep into a Companion relationship is if large sums of money are sent from one diocese to another. To help avoid this, only programs already underway or planned are usually funded by Companions. This also aids in preventing another pitfall:isolation of an overseas diocese from others in its province which are not receiving outside funds. This latter problem can be approached from a different angle Most of the dioceses of Province V, with the addition of Arkansas from Province VII, have formed a province-to-province relationship with the Church of the Province of Nigeria. Within this larger framework, individual dioceses are paired. Deemed very successful, the Province V-Nigeria relationship is now in its second term.
Although much stress is laid on Companion relationships being more than giving money, when donations are made, it is often through the Venture in Mission program. Volunteers for Mission is also utilized as an exchange medium for people in Companion Dioceses. While it is more common for volunteers to go from the United States to someplace like Africa, there are currently a number of volunteers from overseas serving in this country. According to Mauney, "People-to-people contact is probably the most important part of Companion relationships. This is more than just the bishop and his wife coming to visit."
Because contact between individuals is encouraged, the ties between people remain even after a Companion relationship officially ends. The fellowship and sense of identification engendered by this are a legacy in many ways more important than any material aid. Those involved in the program would probably agree with the 1982 General Convention resolution endorsing Companion Diocese relationships as a major priority for mission in the Episcopal Church, and with the rationale for that which called the program "the most important mission linkage in this decade."