Roatan, Honduras – Day 2
Sunday, May 28, 2017
It was a beautiful Sunday morning, slightly overcast, with cool southwest trade winds. We arrived at Bethesda Methodist Church in Flowers Bay – Roatan, Honduras – pastored by Rev. Anthony Pothemont. He is an incredibly gifted preacher.
The church sits on one of the most beautiful locations in the world: the southwest tip of the island of Roatan. It was built in the 1850s with four-foot thick walls to provide protection from hurricanes – and it has survived three of them. It sits 100 feet from the shoreline with clerestory windows open to allow those gentle trade winds to provide ventilation. Sounds of waves breaking on the rocky shoreline provided background music as we were engaged in an evangelical service lasting nearly three hours.
We were immersed in lively Methodist hymns with an accompanying chorus echo effect. The liturgy was vibrant and active. John Wesley would have approved. Rev. Pothemont’s message was powerful and informative, speaking on the disciples’ interaction with Jesus prior to and following the ascension of Christ. Equally enlightening was the sacrament of baptism of two children – and the unfortunate, but moving, sharing of bereavement and grief of a church member who just learned about the death of a relative. It was a communal sharing in the blessing of lives that are beginning to following the footsteps of Jesus and the grief surrounding cessation one’s earthly Christian journey and entry into the kingdom of God. Just as all Christians live in one body, Jesus Christ, we share in one community, the church, no matter the physical locale.
To complete our spirit-filled morning, we shared with the Roatan residents in the celebration of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper at the alter. The service concluded with a passionate singing of the recessional hymn, “I Just Want To Follow Jesus,” leading us to the benediction.
None of us present will ever forget the spiritual, moving, and informative Ascension Sunday of 2017 we shared with the Bethesda Methodist church in Flowers Bay, Roatan, Honduras. Everyone truly shared God’s love, which really does bring hope to the world.
– Dr. Gary Brown
