“We see through a glass darkly” – St. Paul
YOU HAVE ACCESSED the home page of the North America support effort for the Christian Reformed Church of El Salvador, and other related ministries; “bienvenido“! This support is in both mentoring and monetary dimensions, please join in prayer and partnership.
INTRODUCING myself and this ministry effort: Yes, welcome to this site, from former missionary to El Salvador, Rev. Lou Wagenveld (D.Min.) 1995-1999. Other places of service with wife Mary Anne have been Argentina (13 years), California (15), and Mexico (2). Please spend a little while with me on these pages.
BACKGROUND: Some will remember the 12 year civil war in the 1980s, and the major earthquake of January 2001 in El Salvador that killed over 1000 people, most just a mile away from the Christian Reformed Church of Santa Tecla. The old colonial era building was so badly damaged it had to be razed to the ground. This was a building that a Michigan work team had helped restore and refurbish just two years earlier and where a new congregation was forming. During my time of ministry in El Salvador, I was privileged to meet and mentor two young leaders who have since been ordained: Rev. Joaquin Ordonez and Rev. Carlos Mejia.
Joaquin was leading the rural town church in Huizucar. Carlos in his initial contact with our mission, made it plain that he is convinced that the Christian faith from a Reformed world and life view perspective is what his country very much needs.
THE LEADERS: With his small but growing congregation and new leaders in training, Rev. Mejia sees a hopeful future and a real role for the Reformed faith in Salvadoran life. While the lack of an adequate facility severely hampered congregational life and growth, the new building has given them renewed vision and expectation (see below). The current President of the ES CRC is the recently ordained Rev. Ordonez, pastor in the rural town of Huizucar.
THE OPPORTUNITIES: We – you who read this and I – can help. If you love the reformed and evangelical faith, and have a heart for this small country and church, you can be part of the picture. Next are two pictures of the new building to replace the old one in Santa Tecla (the city church).
After the earthquake of 2001 – promised help never came…
In the picture are some of the leaders; Pastor Carlos Mejia on the left, next to him elder and longtime leader Samuel Montano and wife. In the middle, in gray; yours truly, Lou Wagenveld.
Dedication of the new building April 2006
On the right is Rev. Eduardo Aparicio from the Costa Rican Christian Reformed Church, who earlier had examined and ordained Pastor Carlos. Later Pastor Aparicio helped prepare Joaquin Ordonez for ordination.
This is the front (notice the CRC symbol) of the Huizucar CR Church which was started in 1979. It is led by Pastor Joaquin Ordonez (white shirt and cap) and his equally hard working wife Gloria Rosario (seated). With elder Alfredo Palacios (blue shirt) they are leaving in the back of a pick up truck after the morning service to attend to another recently started church in Maria Victoria. The town of 4000 is the municipality for another 10,000 people living in small villages and hamlets scattered around in the hilly coffee plantations up to 3 hour walks away. The name of the town in Nahuat means “Thorny Path” and the church has experienced some of that as well, so see the Christian School tab for more.