Bishop Suffragan Leo Alard of Texas challenged the Diocese of Louisiana to welcome strangers and to make its churches centers for all people when the diocesan convention met Feb. 9-10 at St. Paul's Church, New Orleans.

Drawing from his own experience as a Cuban refugee fleeing Castro's communism in 1961, Bishop Alard told of arriving in the United States with no possessions and little in the way of English-speaking skills. He had served as national president of the Episcopal Young Churchmen in Cuba and was eager to establish himself with the Episcopal Church in this country as a 20-year-old newcomer in a new land. His reception at an Episcopal church in Miami was less than embracing: The priest pointed him to a Roman Catholic church down the street.

"This was a church in maintenance and not one of mission," Bishop Alard said of the Miami congregation. "The church was losing members because they did not want to share the gospel with Cubans. You have the same future if you do not adopt the nature of a missionary outpost. The church that lives to itself will die."

In addition to Bishop Alard's inspirational talks, the Rt. Rev. Charles Jenkins, Bishop of Louisiana, reinforced the convention's mission theme in his Evensong sermon and praised the work of his staff and department volunteers for their mission-mindedness in his state of the church address.

The diocese is gearing up for an extensive capital campaign. During convention it was announced Gov. Mike Foster and his wife, Alice, will serve as honorary co-chairs of the campaign.

Delegates adopted the 2001 budgets -- $509,480 for assessment and $739,830 for program.

Ann M. Ball