A letter from Mark Wright serving in Honduras
June 2014
A Church With a Present and a Future
Alejandro is one of the young men in Peña de Horeb’s flourishing youth group. He plays and sings in the worship band. I’ll have to admit that the band wasn’t very pleasant to listen to when they first began playing and leading in worship. But they have worked hard and diligently, and today they lead with style and enthusiasm, encouraging an eager congregation to worship and praise every week.
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Honduran youth meet in Puerto Grande to discuss their own theological education program
Just as in the U.S., not every member of this congregation prefers the more contemporary music, but they believe that connecting with younger generations and new members is important, so they make allowances. In fact, they’ve made a number of changes, even to the worship space itself, to make the little church more appealing and “friendly” to churchgoers. And Honduran youth are helping lead the way.
The young people of the congregations of the Presbyterian Church of Honduras have spoken about their struggle to be heard and considered an important part of the Body. In certain congregations, like Peña de Horeb, it’s clear that they are being listened to, and many of the changes they help create are bringing new life and vitality into the worshiping community. Their passion for being better Jesus-followers is clear, and the congregation and presbytery want to help them grow.
A number of months ago Alejandro spoke to one of the youth leaders about his growing passion for knowing and serving Christ. But he was feeling incomplete; he had a hunger for more that wasn’t being satisfied. As he and the leader talked, they realized that Alejandro wasn’t alone in wanting to grow spiritually, and they began talking with presbytery leaders about an organized way that we might be able to help youth grow in the biblical and theological knowledge they felt they were lacking. At this year’s presbytery plenary session Alex Rodas made a presentation to the pastors, who then decided to explore offering theology by extension programs specifically for the church youth. The youth are eager to get started, and they understand that they will have to invest in their own education, both in terms of class and study time and in purchasing their course books.
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Honduran youth enjoy games together.
It’s exciting to see the young people of the church so excited and committed to following and growing in their knowledge of faith and the Bible. Some people like to say that “youth are the future of the church,” but the truth that these committed young people know is that they are the present of the church as well. It’s also refreshing to see the support and compromises that older members and leadership of the congregations and presbytery are willing to make for the future and the present of the church as well.
I would like to encourage your congregation to consider partnering in the work of the Presbyterian Church of Honduras. There are many ways to help, but more important, there is the opportunity to learn about and participate in God’s Kingdom in a life-changing way—by being partners in Christ’s service with the sisters and brothers and young and older people of growing Presbyterian churches of Honduras.
And, of course, let me thank you again for the many ways you already partner with both the church and with us as PC(USA) mission co-workers. We always need your prayers, your communication, and your friendship, and we ask for your financial support as well to be able to continue to walk with our Honduran family and see all the new things God is bringing about!
Mark and Ashley
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 43
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