Updates
Word and Deed Project with the El Salvador Christian Reformed Church
Well over two years ago the two small CRCs – one city, one small country town – negotiated with me mentoring and support for this holistic/integral (look those words up!) Project. Honestly, it has not been easy; in a society where post-war conflict and competition exists there has not always been the cooperation needed between the two churches and leaders. A “city church” / “country church” rivalry and mindset exists that has not been easy to change. Built into the project is accompaniment by a skilled former CRWRC national staffer, Alba Lopez. Its hard for male pastors Joaquin and Carlos to have to report to her, so planning drags and reporting at times has been slow in coming.
But therein lies a lot of – for me – the challenge! Why are countries/societies/churches not progressing? Why don’t they grow faster? What are the underlying problems, and where are the solutions? “Dependency” is the bug-a-boo of all mission and development groups; how does one help without creating more of that? I guess: try to talk and walk (word & deed) it through.
This is not the place to carry on that discussion, but the supporters do need to try to understand dimensions of those questions. For now, I share with you that D.V. I’ll be going to El Salvador from October 6 – 17. Over those two weekends there will be lots of contact with individuals and group meetings. As to the Project, if conversations are not satisfactory, I am thinking of using the parable of Luke 13: 6-8 where Jesus looks for fruit from the fig tree. The man in charge asked for “one more year to‘dig around it and fertilize it’” – you get the point! Pray please for “fruit-full” talks!
“Fraternidad Reformada” The last two years I have met three times with a group of 15 – 20 leaders, half of them pastors, who consider themselves of “reformed persuasion.” Sadly, they come from four different denominations, all of which in some way trace back to the 30 years of CRCNA presence in the country. Christian Reformed, Reformed Calvinist, National Christian Reformed, and Orthodox Presbyterian. None is larger than five small congregations; in total who knows if they congregate a thousand people. Now, is it worth continuing to encourage, consult, and work with these? I always fall back to the statement of one of the younger leaders as he first took contact with the CRCNA: “your literature and doctrine have the answers to the problems of my country.” So I carry on; will you pray for two meetings I am planning to have, one each Saturday, with them?
Updates
A financial report on the CRC/ES Word and Deed Project came about six weeks ago, but still awaitng the supporting “narrative” report.
I’ve had some emails from several of the participants in “Reformados Presentes,” but none report a meeting. One participant wrote that he had been quite ill and asked for patience and prayer. Another pastor wrote asking for prayer as his family had suffered deaths and other difficulties. Life for bi or tri-vocational pastors is a constant struggle; this young leader would like to pursue more theological studies.
A Theology of Worship Conference that was largely initiated out of Calvin College and the Institute for Christian Worship was given at the Evangelical University. You can find reports and pictures on the Institute site; Emily Brink and Kathy Smith were presenters. Carlos Contreras of Baylor University coordinated the event.
I’m looking at dates for a trip to El Salvador next month, likely about ten days. Tickets are expensive; I don’t have quite enough frequent flyer miles unless I accept an unreasonable itinerary. Please pray something better will open up.
Look for another post soon. Lou
Updates
There has not been all that much to report these last months; sporadic contact from the CRC ES President Joaquin Ordoñez promised more information and reports by now, but they have not materialized. So you may make that a prayer concern. But I at least wanted to get something on the site for this 2011 year which we are well into. We have again moved to Michigan for the summer; second rainiest Spring on record, so my garden isn’t getting planted, and its hard to keep up with the lawn.
There was one meeting but not very well attended of the “reformados presentes”; they have taken the name Fraternidad Reformada
de El Salvador. I’m trying to evaluate the role I should have if any; “local ownership” is so important and while there is expressed
interest, they seem to have difficulty getting together to further their well intentioned objectives.
This additional prayer request: ARMA fund coordinator Jerry Deters is having slow recovery after knee surgery, and is in a rehab
center up the street. So pray he will improve readily, please. No plans presently for travel to El Salvador, but do hope to see more movement soon.
Updates
I had at least three purposes in going in May and again in October. The May visit was almost three weeks, having planned an extra weekend right in the middle so as to be able to make a side bus trip to Nicaragua. There I was hosted by staff of the Nehemiah Center and CRWM missionary Joel Huyser. You can look the Center up on the web if you wish for more information. Having heard a lot about it and knowing that it is serving as a new model for the types of partnerships that CRWM is entering, I wanted to observe and experience first hand dimensions of their programs and people. Very rewarding.
I could write a lot just about that trip…bus breakdown and delays – getting in at 1 AM instead of 7 PM, meeting a very interesting young Salvadoran now living in Montana who was visiting a friend on the Mosquito Coast, and a visit with the pastor of the First CRC of Managua. But another time…now back to El Salvador.
PALABRA Y ACCION – WORD AND DEED is the name of the project begun early
2009. We had hit some of the almost expected snags and needed to talk through some things. My second trip in October was still a follow through on that, and now we can watch to see if agreed upon adjustments will work out. A setback was that the “controller” – a former CRWRC staff person – took a national education job and now is only available for minimum involvement. I received reports of some of the programs and activities as well as the functioning of the two churches with their respective participants. They have moderate optimism and do see some constructive results. This is the program for which I raise funds.
“REFORMADOS PRESENTES” is an effort to bring some 15 or 20 persons – a variety of people from four mini-denominations (two to six churches) plus others – together to explore the contribution that the reformed faith makes to their lives, which in turn they can contribute to their ministries and communities. There is guarded optimism here also, in that there are individual, congregational, and denominational “histories” that need to be worked through or left behind. I see it as essential to the viability of the reformed witness in El Salvador; not everyone in missions nowadays shares that concern. True, the kingdom is larger than a given theological identity, but some of us – including some clear thinking Salvadorans – feel that our heritage has a distinct and valuable contribution to make in that context. Please pray for the trio of leaders that has committed to heading this up.
OTHER DIMENSIONS. I’ll not go into detail, but over the years, of course, I have many contacts in El Salvador. Partners Worldwide struck out on one of its projects, but I keep in contact with the president in ES of the Asociacion Cristiana para Desarrollo (Development). It may be far out at this point, but who knows if there couldn’t be a mango dehydration project that would create jobs and give a witness. Very different is consultation with a group that wants to think through the role of Christian citizens to make a contribution to the socio-political maturation of a nation that only now is making steps toward a more democratic future. I can possibly link them to people and published resources. A bit of wishful thinking? I like to consider it prayerful hope that can bring fruit on many years of mission and personal investment and presence. Please pray with me for that.
October 15, 2010 from El Salvador. Yes, tomorrow will be a week since coming, and I can´t begin to tell you how many conversations, meetings, and activities I´ve been in. Most of that will have to wait¨ I´ve been awake since 4 AM and away since 6 30 to get Rev. Guillermo Serrano to a TV interview, then on to two more and a lunch/talk. An intense conversation with two pastors late afternoon, and a visit with other church leades this evening before doing the shopping for tomorrows breakfast gathering.
On balance I´d say that things are sticky; after all this is El Salvador! May I ask that your prayers go toward breaking down some of the lack of charity and trust between some ¨denominational¨ leaders. I´m attempting to get a group of them to explore closer relations to better serve the strengthening of the witness and service of the reformed faith here.
For the moment then, just this. I already return to Holland next Tuesday; Rev. Serrano on Monday. Please pray for good trips.
Appreciatively,
Lou
Oct. 1, 2010 Amigos, please watch this site over the next month. D.V., I’ll be in El Salvador from the 9 – 19th; the second weekend Rev. Guillermo Serrano of the Spanish Back to God Hour and Reforma TV will be there as well. Meetings planned include updates with the CRCs on the state of the Word and Deed Project, talks between the Reformed and Christian Reformed leaders about future relationships if any, and another meeting of the “Reformados Presentes” (see below)
Updates
This didn’t get posted on my prior site, and here I’ll limit myself to just some very basic information and impressions. The meetings with the Christian Reformed churches about the Word and Deed Project were somewhat rocky. The leaders decided to put things on hold for re-evaluation, but thankfully the “hold” was lifted shortly and the ministries are ongoing, although for various reasons somewhat scaled back.
Very interesting was a full morning meeting with some 15 persons who responded to an open invitation called “Reformados Presentes.” This was intended to be an opportunity for making or renewing acquaintances, conversation, and exploration of future hopes and expectations for a “reformed presence” in El Salvador. (Unfortunately, an agreed upon meeting a month later did not happen; this is part of the reason for my trip planned now for October – it seems that they respond better to an invitation from me than among themselves. It would take a lot of explanation – some of it is tucked into the other web pages – to understand the lack of fellowship and trust among the various leaders. Please pray that in an Oct. 16 meeting some of this fear and mistrust be allayed and overcome.)
A weekend side trip to visit the Nehemiah Center in Managua, Nicaragua was very informative. Nine international and six national “NGOs” (non-profits) share an impressive compound building. They all have in common a desire to serve a broad spectrum of evangelical and pentecostal churches in the country, each contributing its specialty. Missionary Joel Huyser was my host.
