The Honduran Challenge

On June 28, 2009, in the first military coup in Central America since the end of the Cold War, soldiers stormed the presidential palace in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, early in the morning, disarmed the presidential guard, woke President Manuel Zelaya, and put him on a plane to Costa Rica.

The change divided Honduran society and created an urgent need for what UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described as “the process of national healing.”

A large part of the responsibility was placed in the hands of the Executive Secretary of the Honduran Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Haggai Institute alumnus Sergio Membreño.

Divine Preparation

Sergio committed his life to Christ 21 years ago and saw political and media involvement as part of his calling.

“As a Christian and a citizen, I am called to support the common good. It is from a personal civic function, more than from a political party, that I have supported a wide range of initiatives with political and ethical implications.”

His Christian faith has been expressed strongly in his actions.

He coordinated the compilation of the First Report of Transparency in Honduras from the National Anticorruption Counsel (CNA) and the First March Against Corruption of Honduras, which had a turnout of 30,000 to 40,000 people.

He has also published widely-appreciated books on development and international relations and governance and has contributed to the mainstream media through regular columns in the main national newspapers, El Heraldo y El Tiempo, and La Razon. His article entitled “The Honduran Dream” impacted the nation by encouraging youth not to abandon their country by emigrating.

A Haggai Institute Power Break

Haggai Institute made a significant impact on Sergio’s life.

In April 2007, he attended the international session at Singapore and discovered it to be “an extraordinary opportunity to deepen [his] commitment with Jesus and to establish relations with believers from different continents and countries.”

The subject he found most relevant was Leadership.

“I have been serving as the coordinator of the Christian Community of Leadership (CCL), comprising professionals from many spheres, including politics. Five of us have been trained at Haggai Institute.”

It was the Haggai Institute training that helped him survive the horrors of June 2009.

“At a personal level, I went into a time of reflection to try and understand from a biblical and theological perspective what happened in our country and why.”

Seeing that political events had divided the church, he initiated a series of meetings with evangelical leaders of both political positions in order to bring reconciliation.

Bringing unity in the Christian Community for Leadership (CCL) has been “a real challenge.” But because of his Haggai Institute training, he has been able to initiate a process of dialogue and commitment centered on Christ, in which all the political and ideological differences are overcome with respect and tolerance.

“When the Christian vision prevails over the political and ideological platforms, we as Christians simply cannot be divided,” he insists.

His dream is to see a Honduras that has “a full recognition of God, not only as a personal Savior, but also as the Lord of History. A Honduras in which violence and hatred do not exist. A new generation of Hondurans, with whom our children and grandchildren can play freely in the countryside, in the city, and on the streets.”