PLANTING CHURCHES

MISSION CONGREGATIONS IN THE DIOCESE

From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus gathered a community of disciples around him. They were the foundation of what became the Church. Forming community is an integral part of the Church’s mission and a natural part of what happens when the Gospel is proclaimed. As the Spirit moves in our hearts we call God, Abba, Father, and recognise fellow Christians as our brothers and sisters, and community - church - is formed.

All our Parishes and Missions are encouraged and taught to start new missions. These new communities are called Missions in Formation or Mission Posts. They may begin in a house or school or garage, the place is not important, but they are the first steps in forming a new church. They are places, posts, where the name of Jesus is proclaimed, his Word preached and his service offered.

In the Diocese we talk of a ‘Spider Parish’: the body of the spider is an established congregation and the small missions churches it plants are the spider’s legs. The smaller congregations are looked after by the ministry team of the established ‘mother church’, deacons and lay ministers working with the priest. We don’t have many churches in the Diocese, but this method allows us to gather people in local congregations near to where they live.

Some of our mission posts are the direct responsibility of a parish. They are called ‘PARISH MISSION POSTS’.

Others begin in completely new areas or cities, a long way away from other Anglican churches, and they are called ‘DIOCESAN MISSION POSTS’. One day they may become parishes in their own right with their own missions. They are the responsibility of the Diocese, even though they may be cared for by the nearest parish. There are Diocesan Mission Posts in the cities of Juliaca, Cabanaconde in the Colca Canyon, Ica, where the earthquake took place, and some of the Municipal Districts of North Lima.

This page is about these missions, Missions in Formation.

DIOCESAN MISSIONS IN FORMATION

At present there are 10 Diocesan Mission Posts in the Diocese. Each one has a unique story of how it and got started. All of them may one day become parishes. In each case they are served by dedicated ministers - ordained and lay - who in some cases make long and tiring journeys several times a week to be with their people. [June 7, 2009]

The Bishop writes, “Once I preached in the Cathedral of Sale, in Gippsland, S.E. Australia. As we processed in through the cloister their Bishop (the Rt Rev Arthur Jones) stopped me and pointed to a very old photograph on the wall, of bedraggled looking wooden shack with a cross over the doorway. “That’s how this Cathedral started”, he said, “150 years ago!” And who knows what a great future for the Lord these, our small beginnings, may have?”

These are our Diocesan Missions in Formation, our small beginnings:

Espíritu Santo (District of Independencia, North Lima)
Jesús Fuente de Vida (District of Comas, North Lima)
San Andrés (District of Puente Piedra, North Lima)
San Patricio (District of Ventanilla, Callao)
Sagrada Familia (District of Villa Maria del Triunfo)
San Antonio (Arequipa)
Santiago Apostol (Selva Alegre, Arequipa)
San Felipe (Cabanaconde, Caylloma, Colca Canyon)
San Juan Bautista (ICA)
San Pedro (ICA)

PARISH MISSIONS IN FORMATION

At present there are 17 Parish Mission Posts in the Dioceses, the fruit of much hard work by our parishes and missions. Some are flourishing and will soon be fully fledged missions; others are right at the beginning and only just coming to life; but each time a new one is born we learn more and know that Jesus’ name is being announced and his love shared in a new area, for which we praise him.

In the list below, the mission post has the name of its ‘mother church’ and the city or municipal district in which it is located in brackets following:

Valle 2,000, Las Rocas, Nueva Jerusalén, San Francisco de la Cruz, San Pablo and Santa Ana (Mother Church: Sma. Trinidad - District of San Juan de Miraflores, Lima)
Shalom (Mother Church: Jesús El Nazareno - District of San Juan de Miraflores, Lima)
San Pedro (Mother Church: Cristo Redentor - District of San Juan de Miraflores, Lima)
Breña (Mother Church: La Ascensión - District Surco, Lima)
San Andrés (Mother Church: Jesús El Salvador - District of Villa El Salvador)
Sta María de Nazaret, Santiago El Pescador, La Epifanía, Santos Apóstoles and San Juan Bautista (Mother Church: Sta María Virgen - District of Villa Maria del Triunfo, Lima)
Carmen and Tacama (Deanery of Ica)

MISSIONARY DIOCESES

As the work grows it is clear that it is impossible for one bishop, one diocese, to cover this vast territory with its growing Church. The Diocese has grown from 9 to 41 congregations in the past eight years and the growth continues. At the same time the number of our clergy has grown from 6 to 32, and we have a large number of seminarians who will soon be approaching ordination.

As a response to this growth and the call God has placed on our hearts, we have divided the country into six regions. Our vision is to make a new Diocese in each one. As a first step the Province has given us permission to elect missionary bishops for three of these regions - the South, Central South and Central North. Each will be given the responsibility and charge of planting a diocese, and be given a team of co-workers - priests, deacons and lay ministers - to go with them. We believe that God is calling us to this exciting new task, and with great enthusiasm and a sense of awe we are looking forward to it.