Ho alive with Companion Diocese activity

by Ana Watts
There are lots of comings and goings in our Companion Diocese of Ho these days. In early January corn mills arrived in the parishes of Worawora and Agbozume. They are gifts from this diocese and the first two of the seven machines pledged, one for each parish in the diocese. In mid-January Heather Miller, chair of the Companion Diocese Committee, also announced that five young women from her Parish of Hampton will make a mission trip to the Diocese of Ho in Ghana, Africa, in early March.

Last fall, parishes in the Diocese of Fredericton raised more than $30,000 to supply a corn mill, and a structure in which to house it, to each of the seven parishes in the Diocese of Ho. A corn grinder will generate revenue for outreach and the upkeep of each parish, provide employment for at least four people in the community and make it possible to grind corn at no-charge for the poor. It will also be a sign of the faith and presence of the Anglican Church in the community. The corn mills are made locally and will be installed in the rest of the parishes as they are available.

The five teenagers from Hampton will travel to Ho with three adults: Ms. Miller, who was also a member of the delegation that visited Ho in 2009; the Rev. Dr. George Porter, diocesan Canon for Youth; and Jennifer Nelson, a respiratory therapist from the Parish of Central Kings (near the Parish of Hampton). The mission team will visit schools in Ho to meet and interact with the students and youth groups. They also hope to see the first corn mills in place.

The young women were inspired to make the mission trip by an invitation from Bishop Matthias of Ho and presentations made by members of a 2009 delegation to the diocese, Ms. Miller, Archbishop Claude Miller and his wife Sharon, and the Rev. Jasmine Chandra of Rothesay.

“Since March of 2010 the girls have devoted great time, effort and positive spirit to reach their goal,” says Ms. Miller. “With complete parent support they ran yard sales, held suppers, packed groceries, catered to parties, offered gardening services and conducted bottle drives. They also sold ice-cream, sandwiches and cookies to the people of the parish after services on Sunday.”

The mission team members have now purchased their tickets and are turning their attention toward the supplies they will transport. With airline exemptions the girls will be able to carry duffle bags filled with basic school supplies — from pencils and erasers to books and rulers. They will also transport some medical and dental supplies as well as a hundred soccer balls (including the needle tools necessary to inflate them) just for fun. They are most grateful for the support of several groups throughout the Diocese of Fredericton who have supplied many of these items.

Bishop Matthias is excited about the visit and claims that with the arrival of the soccer balls he will be “the most popular bishop in all of Ghana!”

 

Diocesan Communications

25 January 2011