Church of the Holy Child Parish to Parish Experience
Church of the Holy Child, Ormond Beach, began their first Parish to Parish relationship in 2005 with Santa Maria, a small church in the mountain village of
Rancho del Obispo. From 2005 through 2010, a special relationship was developed and grew through visits throughout those years.
The main mission trip was always in the summer, but there were other opportunities for visits throughout our 5-year Parish to Parish relationship.  The following lists only a few of the things accomplished:
- Relationship building Family to Family
- Vacation Bible School for 125 children of the village each summer
- Helped start a DOKÂ and Junior DOK Chapters
- Helped provide a home for St. Maria’s Lay Pastor
- Introduced the concept of a Micro-enterprise
- Taught on prayer and healing
- Made home visits and offered family prayers
- Showed the Jesus movie for the village and the Jesus Movie for Children to the children
The things that can’t be listed are the innumerable memories the team members and members of Santa Maria will hold dear to their hearts forever. It was truly a life-giving, life-changing experience for all.
In 2010, Church of the Holy Child began to develop a Parish to Parish relationship with a new church. Through a discernment process that involved interviews between Holy Child and six Honduran parishes, God opened the way to enter a Parish to Parish relationship with Church of the Resurrection in Las Crucitas, a small village at the top of a mountain.
With the previous experience of a 5-year Parish to Parish relationship and a new vision received from the study of When Helping Hurts, the team entered this new relationship with the goal of coming along side Rev. Lourdes Herrera, rector, joining their assets with the assets of those in Las Crucitas. Together they look forward to all God will do as this relationship grows over the next five years.
New Daughters of the King Chapter
Installed in Companion Parish in Honduras
March 2012
On their mission trip last summer to their companion parish, Church of the Holy Child,Ormond Beach, introduced the ladies at Church of the Transfiguración in Las Crucitas,Honduras, to the Daughters of the King. Over the next nine months Rev. Connie Sanchez traveled to this little village atop a mountain at the end of a very bumpy winding road, to train the ladies.
On March 4, ten ladies were installed into the new DOK Chapter and Mary Ann Jones, Grace Bradbury, Judy Keen and Robin Jacobs, from Church of the Holy Child, were there for the installation.  Not only did a new chapter begin in Las Crucitas, but three of the ladies installed, are from other churches where chapters will soon begin their process to start DOK Chapters. (Two other young women from Las Crucitas weren’t able to be installed that Sunday, because they are high school students, who have to attend school all day on Sundays, but they will be installed later.)
In addition to attending the installation service, the ladies from Church of the Holy Child, brought with them nine suitcases of used clothing, which the ladies at Las Crucitas will resell. So far they have made $100! This may not sound like much, but in a country where the average weekly earnings are $7, it’s quite a bit. They will be using these funds to purchase windows and doors for their church, which at present has four walls and a roof.
As Church of the Holy Child and Church of the Transfiguración continue in their Parish to Parish companion relationship, their friendships deepen. It’s very exciting for both parishes to see these ambitious women help move their church away from dependency and toward become self-sustaining.
