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Carpenter’s Kids Update

Originally published in the January 2010 Carpenter's Kids newsletter.

Buck Blanchard is a long-time friend and advocate of The Carpenter’s Kids program. As the Mission and Outreach Director for the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, Buck has been to the Diocese of Central Tanganyika numerous times in the last few years, often bringing visitors from Virginia with him to see the work of the various ministries of the DCT first-hand. He is also a member of the ―Friends from Colorado‖ group which is linked with the DCT parishes of Hombolo Mleche and Chilonwa and supports 301 Carpenter’s Kids.

As Buck was our first visitor of 2010, we thought it would be fun to talk with him about the changes he’s seen take place here in the last few years and get his thoughts on the future of the program:

CK: How many times have you visited the Diocese of Central Tanganyika? What was your first impression of the Diocese during your first visit?

BB: I think I have visited now 7 or 8 times, the first being in October of 2006. That was also my first trip to Tanzania, and certainly I was struck by the incredible needs of the people in the Diocese of Central Tanganyika. But I was equally touched by the warm welcome I received, the friendliness of the people, their joy, and their love of Christ. I had never met Bishop Mdimi and yet he invited me to stay at his home for several nights. I’m fortunate to travel all around the world and to meet a lot of bishops – and let me assure you that that never happens to me. So my first impression was: ―I love this place.

CK: What inspired you to get involved with The Carpenter’s Kids program? How has the program evolved over the last few years? When compared with other programs/ministries, what makes CK unique?

BB: During my first visit, Pastor Noah invited me to visit Mundemu. At that point I had never heard of The Carpenter’s Kids. While there, we visited the home of a granny who was taking care of 4 or 5 grandchildren, one of whom was in the CK program. The grandmother, who was struggling for her very survival, insisted on presenting a gift to me – a gourd -- thanking me with tears in her eyes (even though the Diocese of Virginia had nothing to do with supporting that village or her grandchild). That gourd still sits proudly on my desk – it’s my favorite touchstone. From that moment, I was hooked. That night I e-mailed some old friends and told them: ―this place will change your life.‖ Those buddies are the group now called Friends from Colorado, linked with two CK villages and supporting 301 Carpenter’s Kids.

Obviously the growth of the CK program has been phenomenal. But the sophistication and efficiency of the administration has been the biggest change. CK has a staff that stacks up against any group on the planet in my opinion. Taking care of over 5,000 kids in 100 par-ishes takes an enormous amount of work, but the leadership and staff have evolved into a group that handles those tasks with profes-sionalism and a sense of humor. But what makes the CK staff unique is how they meld their deep compassion, faith, and expertise. These folks come from across Tanzania and around the world, but they work seamlessly because of their common commitment to Christ and their desire not for credit, but rather to focus on the best interest of the people of DCT.

CK: The Diocese of Virginia is a very mission-driven diocese. How do you see The Carpenter’s Kids fitting in with what many of your churches are already doing?

BB: Under Bishop Shannon’s leadership, and previously under Bishop Lee, our hope is that the Diocese of Virginia can facilitate the ability of churches and individuals to follow God’s calling, wherever that might take them – across the street or to the other side of the world. Like elsewhere, our churches want to be engaged in partnerships with others. Carpenter’s Kids offers an opportunity to visit an area of the world where many would otherwise never go, and work with a program that involves mutual partnerships in Christ. The com-bination of a spiritual base and professional administration takes the fear out of working with others so far away. We like to say that, as Christians, ―we’re in the fear-not business,‖ but it sure makes it easier to live into that when you’re dealing with a quality group like Car-penter’s Kids.

CK: Where would you like to see The Carpenter’s Kids program in the future?

BB: Of course the primary goal now is to link all 200 DCT parishes with parishes or organizations abroad. What the Diocese of New York (and in particular Bishop Catherine) has done to accomplish that is truly awesome. But to reach 200 parishes, and to maintain links for years to come, I’d like to see the program aggressively opened up beyond New York, Atlanta, Virginia, and Rochester. Undoubtedly some parishes will not renew after their initial five year commitment, so we’ll need a much larger pool of potential partners to draw from if we are going to reach – and then maintain – 200 parish partnerships. In addition, thanks to a few generous donors, CK now has a secondary school fund and a health care fund. Those are both excellent and much needed programs, but CK will need to find long-term strategic solutions to funding those efforts. Relying solely on a few donors will not be successful. So I think we’ll need to have an open mind concerning other ways of funding those ministries. Some of those ideas (like an endowed fund) sometimes feel more like business than church, but I think the right solution probably involves a healthy balance between the spiritual and the practical. In this case that means finding the right balance between the relational goals of the CK program and the financial realities of providing meaningful sup-port to the Carpenter’s Kids. And the kids, of course, are what it’s all about.

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