On Sunday Feb. 5 there will be hundreds of Election Observers, both national and international, scattered around the country to just that: observe. In so many places in the world, as here, elections are often questioned as to their fairness and transparency. As you read, this will be my fifth time doing this. I have come to have deep feelings for this country since serving here with CRC World Missions from 1995-1999; during that time was our first experience with a Presidential Election which by Constitution occurs every five years. While I return in retirement almost every year, I make it a point to be here to contribute a grain of sand toward constructing a more healthy society/country. As you read, this is my fifth time of service.
There is way too much to cover, but a shortcut for me is to include this website by the coordinator of FECLAI, the group that I sign up with. There is a formal government coordinated process for all this; for new observers there is a two and a half day orientation. For perspective that as a missionary pastor especially interests me, and I hope you, cut and paste: http://www.elsalvadorperspectives.com/2019/01/religion-and-presidential-politics-in.html For more of lawyer Tim Muth´s posts see www.ElSalvadorPerspectives.com An eye on a whole different world!! |
(For information on the Vocational School Project, please go to that page)
Meanwhile, on the Word and Deed Project front, yesterday I met with ¨Comptroller Hugo Aguilar. He is meeting this evening with the two pastors to go over reports and plans; I will meet again with them later. There is progress. (later, whoops...no meeting: "difficulties")
On Sunday I am invited to attend a special occasion; I think it is the 20th Anniversary of Emmanuel Church in San Martin. If I am to preach (usually a visiting pastor is expected to) I will use the old word Ebenezer - hitherto the Lord has helped us. A church that was used years ago was the Drenth MI CRC; they gave a $2000 gift to put the roof on the building. Pray - I will spare you a long story - that a legal property dispute will get solved fraternally, and the church can move forward. On Monday I will meet with Resonate´s (and Back to God Hour´s) Casa Semillas offices in San Salvador. Just today the Director, Gerardo Reyes, said on the phone "I have good news..." so I look forward to nudging forward a ball I got rolling during my October visit. Pray for Brenda Diaz, a new Resonate "Caminante" (cohort/intern) and her service with Semillas; great potential. She has already preached in the Santa Tecla CRC once. Just today over lunch I was asked a spiritual hurt question. Opportunities to minister and accompany are endless. Your prayers are so valued as you there, I here, witness to the love of God in the Lord Jesus and the Kingdom ---- Shalom---- (next column over/left) |
Sunday night, Jan 27. A sad day, a happy day.
While waiting for my ride to a special anniverary church service this morning a worker across the street who I have spoken with before talked to me. With tears in his eyes he told me of the murder of his 31 year old sister in a western rural part of the country. I just finished reading the online report; MS-13 gang members are strongly suspected but in two months no arrests have been made. A side note: last year the security guard across the street was also killed but at another location. Then at the special service, which had visitors from three other congregations, the local pastor lameted the violence going on in that neighborhood. One of his own daughters has left for "El Norte" as well as other families from the church and this dangerous area. The Huizucar delegation came without most of their youth, owing to the threat of gang conflict should they come on that turf. But the pastor was also gladdened by the support shown by semi-sister churches. Your prayers, please, for those who live, work and witness in hard places. This afternoon Pastor Carlos and I had a good talk about some of the problems he is facing. |
----DECEMBER 2017 For several reasons, I was not able to visit El Salvador this past year: I hope to be able to do so in the first quarter of 2018. I have been in not totally regular contact with the pastors there, and with Hugo Aguilar, the Santa Tecla church member who coordinates the Word and Deed Project. Monies for that ($8,000/yr)
have been sent on a regular quarterly basis. ARMA (Association for Reformed Ministry Abroad) in Michigan is the non-profit funding channel that assists by receiving and disbursing donations, issuing tax-deductible receipts. Reporting from the Project committee is expected on a quarterly basis, corresponding to the funds sent the previous quarter and triggering the release of additional funds for the next period. While at times the reporting is uneven, I keep in touch and see satisfactory advances in the field. A very interesting development the last couple of years is the presence of the Multiplication Network, which is our son John's ministry out of Michigan. It trains leaders and encourages the planting of new churches, using methods and materials; both churches in El Salvador are participating. Joaquin in Huizucar has a small network of some 5 satelite groups in the outlying coffee growing areas Just recently 9 new converts were added to the church. Pastor Joaquin's energies are largely going into these efforts, leading to a decision to put the Vocational School project on hold. There just is not, apart from the economics of it, administrative capability at this time to proceed. Disappointing to some, but realistic until the Lord points the way to being able to develop that adjacent lot that was purchased last year. For Contact information or if you are inclined/led to give to support this Word and Deed Project, please click on the "More" tab. Thank you. ---Pastor Lou |
What a trip! Report on my February 2015 triple-header: Lou Wagenveld, CA, March, 2015
After celebrating Mary Anne’s birthday in Gilbert, AZ (east of Phoenix where our youngest daughter now lives), the next morning I left for Central America via a layover long enough in Houston to make a stop at the nearby conference of Christian Churches Together (Google this). Reason I stopped was to hear the very best lecture on Immigration that I have ever heard, given by Daniel Groody, S.J. (look him up also!)
But then on to an overnight in El Salvador, and some contacts at Casa Semillas the next morning before dropping 4 boxes of Tim Monsma’s Hope for the Southern World (Spanish) off at the Libreria Bautista. Please pray for the special promotion we are working up via media avenues to put this reformed world-view material in the hands of local Christians. Here a word about Casa Semillas, the CRCNA related NGO in San Salvador. Please pray for a leadership change they are undergoing, seeking a new director. They are now housed also in a different location. The Inter-Varsity program continues from there; if you have a heart for University student ministry, you can channel a gift via ARMA (for a tax receipt) or directly to me. Another program coordinated through Semillas is the Timothy Leadership Institute, with training of trainers taking place in many locations throughout the country. This modular biblical teaching strengthens leaders in several areas of ministry. ….But on with my trip….9 hours by bus to Honduras.
I spent a long weekend in Tegucigalpa at the invitation of son John, whose Multiplication Network was holding its continental conference there. I translated for the few English speakers attending this large gathering from 18 countries and 13 denominations. The range of speakers and topics covered was impressive; a special feature was the visit of a trio of representatives from the Lausanne Movement doing a survey in Central America on church planting initiatives. I also took the opportunity to visit with CRCNA mission personnel Casper and Leanne Geisterfer, local World Renew staff, and the Central Church pastor. Who also was there but Moises Colop of Guatemala, long time CRWRC worker, now in training with MNM! I bused back to San Salvador a day early for a follow up meeting there with the Lausanne folk who did a “consulta” with 30 leaders gathered at the Evangelical University. With a very positive endorsement of John’s Network, I was given the floor to explain that church planter training.
El Salvador: a country with continuing multiple challenges. I was there in the week prior to elections for the national assembly and mayors, so there was a lot of talk of that (and afterward of fraud.) There is a fracture line right down the middle of the society in that many elections are decided by very narrow percentages. E.S. traded places again with Honduras to be the world leader in violence and homicides. My interests were to see a host of people – with only a few days to be there, I maxed that Friday starting with an early breakfast meeting and had eight face to face conversations until 8:30 PM; great! The Saturday meeting with the various leaders interested in reformed perspective didn’t go as well; low attendance with some people new to the group, others were missing… so more another time.
A very good meeting was held Sunday afternoon with the eight leaders – including now one woman - of the Directiva Nacional of the ES/CRC’s two congregations. Mostly we went over the progress of the agreed upon objectives of the Word and Deed Project; all in all quite satisfactory. I heard some stories of progress and growth. While they asked for a commitment for this present year, due to their owing a couple of financial reports, I made my answer subject to receiving those yet this month of March. For you who are wondering, my intention is very much to continue, so feel free to continue to send your donations to ARMA (see link). Last year you helped raise $11,000 of the $12,000 projected. Thanks!
Some years I have made two trips, and now my sights are on October; pray with me about that, please
After celebrating Mary Anne’s birthday in Gilbert, AZ (east of Phoenix where our youngest daughter now lives), the next morning I left for Central America via a layover long enough in Houston to make a stop at the nearby conference of Christian Churches Together (Google this). Reason I stopped was to hear the very best lecture on Immigration that I have ever heard, given by Daniel Groody, S.J. (look him up also!)
But then on to an overnight in El Salvador, and some contacts at Casa Semillas the next morning before dropping 4 boxes of Tim Monsma’s Hope for the Southern World (Spanish) off at the Libreria Bautista. Please pray for the special promotion we are working up via media avenues to put this reformed world-view material in the hands of local Christians. Here a word about Casa Semillas, the CRCNA related NGO in San Salvador. Please pray for a leadership change they are undergoing, seeking a new director. They are now housed also in a different location. The Inter-Varsity program continues from there; if you have a heart for University student ministry, you can channel a gift via ARMA (for a tax receipt) or directly to me. Another program coordinated through Semillas is the Timothy Leadership Institute, with training of trainers taking place in many locations throughout the country. This modular biblical teaching strengthens leaders in several areas of ministry. ….But on with my trip….9 hours by bus to Honduras.
I spent a long weekend in Tegucigalpa at the invitation of son John, whose Multiplication Network was holding its continental conference there. I translated for the few English speakers attending this large gathering from 18 countries and 13 denominations. The range of speakers and topics covered was impressive; a special feature was the visit of a trio of representatives from the Lausanne Movement doing a survey in Central America on church planting initiatives. I also took the opportunity to visit with CRCNA mission personnel Casper and Leanne Geisterfer, local World Renew staff, and the Central Church pastor. Who also was there but Moises Colop of Guatemala, long time CRWRC worker, now in training with MNM! I bused back to San Salvador a day early for a follow up meeting there with the Lausanne folk who did a “consulta” with 30 leaders gathered at the Evangelical University. With a very positive endorsement of John’s Network, I was given the floor to explain that church planter training.
El Salvador: a country with continuing multiple challenges. I was there in the week prior to elections for the national assembly and mayors, so there was a lot of talk of that (and afterward of fraud.) There is a fracture line right down the middle of the society in that many elections are decided by very narrow percentages. E.S. traded places again with Honduras to be the world leader in violence and homicides. My interests were to see a host of people – with only a few days to be there, I maxed that Friday starting with an early breakfast meeting and had eight face to face conversations until 8:30 PM; great! The Saturday meeting with the various leaders interested in reformed perspective didn’t go as well; low attendance with some people new to the group, others were missing… so more another time.
A very good meeting was held Sunday afternoon with the eight leaders – including now one woman - of the Directiva Nacional of the ES/CRC’s two congregations. Mostly we went over the progress of the agreed upon objectives of the Word and Deed Project; all in all quite satisfactory. I heard some stories of progress and growth. While they asked for a commitment for this present year, due to their owing a couple of financial reports, I made my answer subject to receiving those yet this month of March. For you who are wondering, my intention is very much to continue, so feel free to continue to send your donations to ARMA (see link). Last year you helped raise $11,000 of the $12,000 projected. Thanks!
Some years I have made two trips, and now my sights are on October; pray with me about that, please
Central American children and the U.S. border.
See my translation of a poignant article from El Diario de Hoy that gives perspective; see El Salvador children and youth migration ...
the article begins: "Salvadoran youth are leaving because they have no hope...." see "more" page above/right. >>>>>
REFLECTIONS ON MY 2013 NOV. 14 TO 26 VISIT TO EL SALVADOR
THE WORD AND DEED PROJECT This has been my main concern for the past several years, and is really getting on track, finally. Two meetings were held with the coordinator and the two lead pastors. We went over the projected goals and the accomplishments; real improvements are evident at the same time as it was seen that some time frames were not observed. The desired results? Mixed… in Huizucar there has been significant growth and a lot of work done in getting a second congregation started in a distant community. Santa Tecla has seen the incorporation of three new members, and there is a sense that there is more unity in the group than previously experienced. Both churches see the project with more emphasis on evangelism than development, which is what they locally must decide. I still coach toward a balanced word and deed effort, to reflect our reformed understanding of transforming mission.
A joint meeting of the two congregations was held with limited participation, but a very good time of evaluation and interchange of ideas. I came away with a sense that the members are growing in awareness of the value of the Project, and a willingness to try to participate more. Now a new push to raise more funds is in order. Hint, hint (see page
"You can help'!).
CHURCHES UNITING?
Pastors on quite opposite ends of the church/theological spectrum respectively picked me up and dropped me off at the airport. The two plus hours of conversations I had with each of them helped me to somewhat understand the complexities of ministry in El Salvador today. It is almost not too strong to say about the church/mission scene in that country (“the little finger of Central America”) what is commonly heard in Latin America: “little town, big hell”! Even now when over two decades have passed since the Peace Accords, people’s memories are scarred by the ideological struggle and the interpersonal conflicts of who was aligned with whom. Can you conceive of some maximum 420 reformed adherents split up in four tiny denominations with some nine ordained pastors serving ten congregations ?! That is the case, sadly.
So for the past several years I have been making a concerted effort to bring those leaders together for the purpose of getting better acquainted and exploring what are the things in the reformed faith perspective that interests them to self-identify as “reformed.” Finally this past year responding to an intentional monthly invitation, the group has been gradually coalescing. Additionally, there are several other men who are indicating interest in some affiliation as well, as they distance themselves from former alignments and seek out new directions. Interesting is that the name in one of these new churches where I preached is “Sendas Antiguas (Ancient Paths).” That bi-vocational university math professor / pastor came upon reformational teaching through reading church history.
A big question is whether to encourage each of these groups to seek growth each on their own ecclesiastical track, or to try to bring them together in some kind of new uniting church body. The meeting this November did not very consciously address that; if anything, the convener seems to want to proceed very slowly on that front. One of the participating pastors, however, outside of the meeting even proposed a name for a new united denomination! Prayer for discernment is in order, please.
A NEW CHALLENGE
Three years ago Dr. James Skillen of the Washington D.C. based Center for Public Justice expressed interest in accepting an invitation to give some lectures in El Salvador. This is going to happen the first week of February, in combination with the presidential election taking place Feb. 1. Those who know the Center know of its keen interest in helping form leaders who encourage Christian’s participation in civic affairs, and inform the Christian public about how to think in principled ways about involvement in societal issues.
Lectures are being set up in two universities, with the largest pastoral alliance, and with the Reformed Fraternity. These will follow on the heels of the election, so interest should be high and many questions in the forefront of citizen’s minds. More will follow in future posts, but meanwhile your prayers are important for this new ground to be fertile. Should you wish to help fund this effort please contact me, or just designate your gift via ARMA on the Memo line.
Please see a fuller note on this under on the PAGE Jim Skillen in El Salvador
POST OCTOBER 2013
THE WORD AND DEED PROJECT This has been my main concern for the past several years, and is really getting on track, finally. Two meetings were held with the coordinator and the two lead pastors. We went over the projected goals and the accomplishments; real improvements are evident at the same time as it was seen that some time frames were not observed. The desired results? Mixed… in Huizucar there has been significant growth and a lot of work done in getting a second congregation started in a distant community. Santa Tecla has seen the incorporation of three new members, and there is a sense that there is more unity in the group than previously experienced. Both churches see the project with more emphasis on evangelism than development, which is what they locally must decide. I still coach toward a balanced word and deed effort, to reflect our reformed understanding of transforming mission.
A joint meeting of the two congregations was held with limited participation, but a very good time of evaluation and interchange of ideas. I came away with a sense that the members are growing in awareness of the value of the Project, and a willingness to try to participate more. Now a new push to raise more funds is in order. Hint, hint (see page
"You can help'!).
CHURCHES UNITING?
Pastors on quite opposite ends of the church/theological spectrum respectively picked me up and dropped me off at the airport. The two plus hours of conversations I had with each of them helped me to somewhat understand the complexities of ministry in El Salvador today. It is almost not too strong to say about the church/mission scene in that country (“the little finger of Central America”) what is commonly heard in Latin America: “little town, big hell”! Even now when over two decades have passed since the Peace Accords, people’s memories are scarred by the ideological struggle and the interpersonal conflicts of who was aligned with whom. Can you conceive of some maximum 420 reformed adherents split up in four tiny denominations with some nine ordained pastors serving ten congregations ?! That is the case, sadly.
So for the past several years I have been making a concerted effort to bring those leaders together for the purpose of getting better acquainted and exploring what are the things in the reformed faith perspective that interests them to self-identify as “reformed.” Finally this past year responding to an intentional monthly invitation, the group has been gradually coalescing. Additionally, there are several other men who are indicating interest in some affiliation as well, as they distance themselves from former alignments and seek out new directions. Interesting is that the name in one of these new churches where I preached is “Sendas Antiguas (Ancient Paths).” That bi-vocational university math professor / pastor came upon reformational teaching through reading church history.
A big question is whether to encourage each of these groups to seek growth each on their own ecclesiastical track, or to try to bring them together in some kind of new uniting church body. The meeting this November did not very consciously address that; if anything, the convener seems to want to proceed very slowly on that front. One of the participating pastors, however, outside of the meeting even proposed a name for a new united denomination! Prayer for discernment is in order, please.
A NEW CHALLENGE
Three years ago Dr. James Skillen of the Washington D.C. based Center for Public Justice expressed interest in accepting an invitation to give some lectures in El Salvador. This is going to happen the first week of February, in combination with the presidential election taking place Feb. 1. Those who know the Center know of its keen interest in helping form leaders who encourage Christian’s participation in civic affairs, and inform the Christian public about how to think in principled ways about involvement in societal issues.
Lectures are being set up in two universities, with the largest pastoral alliance, and with the Reformed Fraternity. These will follow on the heels of the election, so interest should be high and many questions in the forefront of citizen’s minds. More will follow in future posts, but meanwhile your prayers are important for this new ground to be fertile. Should you wish to help fund this effort please contact me, or just designate your gift via ARMA on the Memo line.
Please see a fuller note on this under on the PAGE Jim Skillen in El Salvador
POST OCTOBER 2013
_
There are meetings with different "communities" (churches, IVCF) scheduled every day from Sunday to Sunday. I'll be visiting the Seeds of a New Creation "casa" - the CRCNA's mission presence there which has risen in profile over the last while, in part owing to a linkage with the Elim mega-church. (Timothy Leadership Institute is now training their pastoral leader team) And over these 15 years since our service in El Salvador, and subsequent yearly visits, there are many friends who want me to stop in. Most importantly, I hope to encourage the pastoral leadership, as well as some long-time members who affectionately remember past missionaries.
On February 2 the next presidential elections will take place. If I am able to go, that will be the fifth time I participate as an International Observer. That function helps to guarantee more transparency in a country torn by conflict, violence, and polarization.
UPDATE: Dr. Jim Skillen, director emeritus of the Center for Public Justice has accepted the invitation to accompany me as an election observer, and hold meetings with Christians involved in political activities as well as give a couple of lectures. I'll be making those arrangements on this first trip. Another item for your prayer, please.
UPDATE: Dr. Jim Skillen, director emeritus of the Center for Public Justice has accepted the invitation to accompany me as an election observer, and hold meetings with Christians involved in political activities as well as give a couple of lectures. I'll be making those arrangements on this first trip. Another item for your prayer, please.
February 2013 report
My 2012 trip to El Salvador was at the very last possible hour, on Dec. 31 – I was picked up on schedule and dropped off at my lodging at 10:30 PM. The custom there is to shoot off fire-crackers and bottle rockets for both Christmas and New Years. I later joked with the people about how my arrival was celebrated; except that it didn’t let me sleep til 2AM !
The two full weeks were a little less packed than other years, but I did manage to see lots of people and have some good conversations. The first meeting however with the Directiva Nacional about the Word and Deed Project I didn’t handle very well. They had not invited Alba, the Project overseer; the upshot was that a second meeting just with the two pastors and her had to be scheduled during the week – that went much better. Reports were shared, and clarifications were made about expectations and planning.
I look for 2013 to be a better year.
Questions come to me about the churches. Santa Tecla is happy with three new attendees, one of whom if he can be retained is an exceptionally gifted person. In Huizucar the father of a large new member family came and introduced himself; later I saw him as a new face on the local Directiva, which is a positive development. Now I await the presentation of the new plans for the Projects. It is not easy to keep the balance between Word and Deed in a programmatic fashion. And the truth is that the culture there is more spontaneous than we North Americans are accustomed to. Ever heard the expression: "you make your path as you go?!" That is OK in the jungle, but not for Christians who have been trained that things must be done "decently and in order" in the church and kingdom!
Another dimension of my visits is to encourage the meeting and collaboration of about a dozen leaders that self-identify as “reformed.” A large part of the discussion at a Saturday morning meeting was about training/education options. I had invited the Salvadorean representative of MINTS - the Miami Interna-tional Theological Seminary. They offer modules of education from a decidedly Reformed perspective; interesting in that this is a growing institution that has developed over the last two decades from the
efforts of a former CRC missionary who is aligned with conservative churches in both North and Central America. In the next meeting after my visit it was communicated that the group will now be receiving training from MINTS on a monthly basis. “Lord only knows” what may develop out of this relationship; please pray.
For those of you who like details, two weeks ago I received from one of the key leaders (of the National Christian Reformed Church; one congregation, one new Bible Study group) a 35 page summary/survey of classical reformed doctrine. He is sharing that with the group at the meetings. Another thing I did was use some of the Project money for purchase of reformed books from the CRCNA publisher in Grand Rapids, Libros Desafio, for distribution to each of the participants. I’ve already gotten several thank you notes; good literature is both expensive and much appreciated.
Another conversation I had was with the president of the Evangelical Alliance, who also coordinates an initiative forming a group to help develop civic awareness in Christians. Next year presidential elections will again be held; he asked for any material that would be helpful in educating to that end. So I await developments in El Salvador, and the interest that the churches and those leaders show in the accom-paniment I might have for the projects and encouragement of any collaborative initiatives.
So this leaves me praying about “where to” in 2013?
PS I'll be happy to see comments or questions on the comment page.
December 2012
Dear friends of the El Salvador Project: Greetings now nearing the end of another year;
may the Good News of God’s doings in history once again be renewed in the world and in our
hearts. And may that bring Hope again for another New Year.
For the first year in the decade since we left that country after five years of service there with CR World Missions, I did not travel there. The last couple of years I went in October but this year reasons seemed to pile up why not to go until a bit later; finally now early this month I made plans and have tickets to go Dec. 31, returning January 14, D.V.
This past year there were some delays in planning and execution of projects. Exactly why I cannot say; part of it is just the endemic slowness seemingly built into the culture. Even the church leaders are influenced by this; although I have to recognize that both pastors work full time jobs and only attend the ministries as volunteers. And a sad reality is that they do not work especially well together; one
is in a city church, the other in a small rural town. Volunteer Alba, the former CRWRC worker, makes real efforts to keep them on task, but it doesn’t always come together as well as hoped for.
Thankfully, I’ve had a recent flurry of communications and photos*, because I wrote them that I was going to write this letter!
So you’d like to hear of what was accomplished. In Santa Tecla courses were given equipping a few people in things from bakery skills to theological studies. The church there has only grown slowly;
lately there are three new people who look like they will stay, a real encouragement to Pastor Carlos.
Huizucar over the last couple years has been reaching out to a new community a twenty-five minute hike from town. People were relocated there by the government after being displaced by earthquakes and floods. Our Projects have been able to help with diverse activities, from helping trench for bringing in water to distributing corrugated fiberglass materials to replace plastic tarp roofs. Services are
held in the community; some have not only come to the town church, but a dozen have been baptized as new members.
So Word and Deed monies are blessing lives, and the churches are encouraged to be able to project this kind of community involvement. While they can not even afford to pay their own pastors, and even less do much formal benevolence on their own, these funds help them to better equip themselves and also project a witness beyond their walls. “Presence,” Pastor Joaquin calls it; higher practical visibility makes people more ready to listen.
I'll put another report on upon my return, D.V., later in January.
* for photos, see the Photos tab.
Mid-August 2012 Emails and progress reports from El Salvador prompt me to write a quick update here. The pace of the Project continues to be slower than I would like to see it, but there is progress. Huizucar reports upcoming reception of about a dozen new members, including some children by covenant baptism. Santa Tecla is giving classes on Saturdays in topics from theology to new skills. They have also held conferences designed to attract new people.
Both churches are processing capital expense requests: Huizucar for roof materials in the new community where they are evangelizing and seeing new converts; Santa Tecla to finish bathrooms they started but have not been able to complete. While capital expenditures are technically not contemplated in the Word and Deed project, some funds "over and above" have been raised and will soon be disbursed. These improvements will enhance ministry and lend encouragement.
I'm in communication with not only the CRC pastors but also other reformed leaders about a possible visit before the end of the year, possibly in November.
Both churches are processing capital expense requests: Huizucar for roof materials in the new community where they are evangelizing and seeing new converts; Santa Tecla to finish bathrooms they started but have not been able to complete. While capital expenditures are technically not contemplated in the Word and Deed project, some funds "over and above" have been raised and will soon be disbursed. These improvements will enhance ministry and lend encouragement.
I'm in communication with not only the CRC pastors but also other reformed leaders about a possible visit before the end of the year, possibly in November.
January 2012 This is a copy of a letter sent recently to donors: January 6, 2012
1753 Elser Lane, Escondido CA 92026
Dear friend of the El Salvador Christian Reformed Word and Deed Project (ED-DD*):
Greetings, and God’s peace to you, in these opening days of this New Year, 2012.
Right off, I do here want to “publicly” thank Jerry and Dorothy Deters and the ARMA committee, along with Phil Michmerhuizen who sends out the receipts, for their faithful contribution. I here want to give you a picture of where things have been and are “at” regarding things with our El Salvador involvement. This letter is to ask you for your prayers; and yes, while I can report to you that there is a small “cushion” of funds in the ARMA account for the time being, something else came up: flooding (more below).
If you think the USA is becoming somewhat dysfunctional in its public life, you should visit El Salvador. While the new administration under President Funes has tried to make some needed changes, there have also been both missteps and blockages. I mention this, because that seems to be somewhat the pattern for many institutions in that country, including the El Salvador CRC. They have a hard time “getting their act together,” let alone keeping it together! OK, I know that doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in a project you have been supportive of, but Lou Wagenveld usually “tells it like it is.” What do I mean? And what can be done to move things forward?
It was hard getting good reporting the first half of the year; meetings there were postponed or missed, there was evidence of poor communication between the leaders, and to some degree ignoring the person that in effect represents us there and coordinates planning and reporting. That is Alba Lopez who worked for CRWRC and is very capable; and it didn’t help that she got a very good job with the government which then didn’t allow her to follow through on some things either.
On paper the Project came to its two year conclusion in early June, and without bothering with details I’ll just say that they were supposed to work up both reports and a proposal for continuing if they so desired. The above mentioned dysfunction led to my traveling there in October. The short version is that in two forthright meetings we came to a signed agreement to re-start the Project. Some of you may have read/heard of the terrible flood-ing that occurred right while I was there, so the $2,000 I carried in case we came to that agreement….well, we re-designated that for immediate disaster relief. And then upon my return after being turned down by CRWRC/DRS (who sent money to a Catholic NGO they had worked with years ago) another $2,000 was forwarded. Thankfully there was enough on hand to forward those emergency relief amounts, and some churches and individuals have stepped up and in part replenished the balances for the meanwhile. The Lord and his people are faithful. Thanks be to Him, and to you among them.
Prayer then…well, there could be so many things…
- for better communication between the leaders, and responsiveness to Alba.
- for the personal finances of both pastors; recently I was asked to send money so the electricity would not be cut off in Huizucar! “Dependency!!” At this point some may be thinking: “why do you continue to try to work with these people”? One response is 1) Christian solidarity; 2) my being convinced that El Salvador needs a Reformed presence; and I guess just my 3) liking challenges – and this is a big one, for which I have experience, relationships, and am perhaps uniquely prepared.
- for the economic situation of El Salvador –and our sisters & brothers in the churches there; with the loss from floods just at harvest time of significant amounts of the corn and bean crops the food prices jumped considerably.
- for the CRCNA agencies’ new strategies in Central America, with various partners.
Funds: if you wish to contribute at this time, please see the information at page bottom.
Permit me one other dimension of my involvement there: an effort both in visiting and correspondence is to bring into conversation and fellowship at some level the pastoral leaders of the four groups in El Salvador who consider themselves “reformed.” This also is a huge challenge in a conflictive society where everyone wants to be king in his own castle. So please pray that the Spirit of the Lord work in hearts and minds to bring a vision that together they can achieve more; areas like training and service need joint efforts. There are some encouraging signs on this front, but also land mines. An example: Carlos, a CRC pastor offered to help teach courses for MINTS in E.S. (Miami International Theological Seminary, autonomously related [!?] to the United Reformed Church - no congregations in El Salvador – yet!) but was turned down as “liberal”!
I close mentioning that in early December, some 20 plus CRCNA regional people held three days of meetings in San Salvador at Casa Semillas de Nueva Creacion (Seeds of a New Creation, the NGO that is now the strategy in Central America) without any reformed churches’ representation at the table even just to hear how the groups are doing. (see next report below) Sad; you can make that also a matter of prayer.
May 2012, another “Year of our Lord” find you well and doing your part to advance His Kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven.”
With fraternal appreciation, Lou Wagenveld
* For any who might want a refresher, ED-DD stands for Evangelism/Discipleship – Diaconia/Development. For more information, beside the web site mentioned above, you can contact me at [email protected] or at (616) 392-9079 or (760) 738-4696 Donations can be made out and sent to ARMA, 12964 N Bellwood Dr.Holland MI 49424
1753 Elser Lane, Escondido CA 92026
Dear friend of the El Salvador Christian Reformed Word and Deed Project (ED-DD*):
Greetings, and God’s peace to you, in these opening days of this New Year, 2012.
Right off, I do here want to “publicly” thank Jerry and Dorothy Deters and the ARMA committee, along with Phil Michmerhuizen who sends out the receipts, for their faithful contribution. I here want to give you a picture of where things have been and are “at” regarding things with our El Salvador involvement. This letter is to ask you for your prayers; and yes, while I can report to you that there is a small “cushion” of funds in the ARMA account for the time being, something else came up: flooding (more below).
If you think the USA is becoming somewhat dysfunctional in its public life, you should visit El Salvador. While the new administration under President Funes has tried to make some needed changes, there have also been both missteps and blockages. I mention this, because that seems to be somewhat the pattern for many institutions in that country, including the El Salvador CRC. They have a hard time “getting their act together,” let alone keeping it together! OK, I know that doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in a project you have been supportive of, but Lou Wagenveld usually “tells it like it is.” What do I mean? And what can be done to move things forward?
It was hard getting good reporting the first half of the year; meetings there were postponed or missed, there was evidence of poor communication between the leaders, and to some degree ignoring the person that in effect represents us there and coordinates planning and reporting. That is Alba Lopez who worked for CRWRC and is very capable; and it didn’t help that she got a very good job with the government which then didn’t allow her to follow through on some things either.
On paper the Project came to its two year conclusion in early June, and without bothering with details I’ll just say that they were supposed to work up both reports and a proposal for continuing if they so desired. The above mentioned dysfunction led to my traveling there in October. The short version is that in two forthright meetings we came to a signed agreement to re-start the Project. Some of you may have read/heard of the terrible flood-ing that occurred right while I was there, so the $2,000 I carried in case we came to that agreement….well, we re-designated that for immediate disaster relief. And then upon my return after being turned down by CRWRC/DRS (who sent money to a Catholic NGO they had worked with years ago) another $2,000 was forwarded. Thankfully there was enough on hand to forward those emergency relief amounts, and some churches and individuals have stepped up and in part replenished the balances for the meanwhile. The Lord and his people are faithful. Thanks be to Him, and to you among them.
Prayer then…well, there could be so many things…
- for better communication between the leaders, and responsiveness to Alba.
- for the personal finances of both pastors; recently I was asked to send money so the electricity would not be cut off in Huizucar! “Dependency!!” At this point some may be thinking: “why do you continue to try to work with these people”? One response is 1) Christian solidarity; 2) my being convinced that El Salvador needs a Reformed presence; and I guess just my 3) liking challenges – and this is a big one, for which I have experience, relationships, and am perhaps uniquely prepared.
- for the economic situation of El Salvador –and our sisters & brothers in the churches there; with the loss from floods just at harvest time of significant amounts of the corn and bean crops the food prices jumped considerably.
- for the CRCNA agencies’ new strategies in Central America, with various partners.
Funds: if you wish to contribute at this time, please see the information at page bottom.
Permit me one other dimension of my involvement there: an effort both in visiting and correspondence is to bring into conversation and fellowship at some level the pastoral leaders of the four groups in El Salvador who consider themselves “reformed.” This also is a huge challenge in a conflictive society where everyone wants to be king in his own castle. So please pray that the Spirit of the Lord work in hearts and minds to bring a vision that together they can achieve more; areas like training and service need joint efforts. There are some encouraging signs on this front, but also land mines. An example: Carlos, a CRC pastor offered to help teach courses for MINTS in E.S. (Miami International Theological Seminary, autonomously related [!?] to the United Reformed Church - no congregations in El Salvador – yet!) but was turned down as “liberal”!
I close mentioning that in early December, some 20 plus CRCNA regional people held three days of meetings in San Salvador at Casa Semillas de Nueva Creacion (Seeds of a New Creation, the NGO that is now the strategy in Central America) without any reformed churches’ representation at the table even just to hear how the groups are doing. (see next report below) Sad; you can make that also a matter of prayer.
May 2012, another “Year of our Lord” find you well and doing your part to advance His Kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven.”
With fraternal appreciation, Lou Wagenveld
* For any who might want a refresher, ED-DD stands for Evangelism/Discipleship – Diaconia/Development. For more information, beside the web site mentioned above, you can contact me at [email protected] or at (616) 392-9079 or (760) 738-4696 Donations can be made out and sent to ARMA, 12964 N Bellwood Dr.Holland MI 49424
December 7, 2011 There were sufficient funds on hand to be able to send an additional $2,000 to continue relief help (see next post below). These were replenished with a wonderful offering from my "home church" Niekerk in Holland MI in November.
Last night the pastors were to meet with Alba to coordinate future plans for the Project, and to submit reports of what they did/are doing with the emergency funds.
Today is the beginning of a three day series of meetings in San Salvador of CRCNA agencies and their "counterparts"/partners in the whole Central American region. I'm wondering and praying if they will include the local reformed churches in their talks (see above).
Please continue to pray for the witness/work of the Gospel, especially in its transforming reformed dimensions, in this little country. - Lou
OCTOBER 2011 TRIP REPORT. "Man proposes, God disposes..." is a Spanish saying.
This trip was for just ten days, over two weekends. Some plans worked out nicely - I must have had 14 conversations with individuals, for encouragement, mentoring, and gather perspective. They were all the way from a 24 year old youth who desires help in moving up from peddling popsicles, to clothes, to make more money and study to become a doctor (or failing that, to come to "El Norte"!); to a lawyer /pastor in his office in the Supreme Electoral Commission... and in between.
I met with representatives of four very small "denominations" who all aspire to being "reformed." But the overweening aspect of the time there, was the tremendous storm at the airport and later in the capital on my arrival; with only a three day pause, it spun off the Pacific tropical depression and hung on for another week. In a word, it is a disaster for the country (and region)(go to GlobalDisasterWatch.com and see the "tropical storm" section) in loss of life, crops, and to some degree hope. No, you can't imagine 42 inches of rain in six days, but that record came in the town of Huizucar where I was to preach on Tuesday evening. The service was cancelled and I sent home by daylight; good, because I had to drive around a mudslide; those and flooding rivers have killed over 30 people in El Salvador, and over 100 in the region. In the Reformed Calvinist church in San Salvador on Sunday morning the service also had to be cancelled; buses were scarcely running.
Time and space just now limit what I will write. Tonight I show the film Return to El Salvador in a local theatre, and will comment this documentary that shows people who had to flee during the civil war and now return, to visit or to minister. (you can see the "trailer" at ReturntoElSalvador.com)
Below are pictures of a meeting held in Santa Tecla last Sunday afternoon, with rain flooding in the doorway.
This meeting was with the Word and Deed Project group of the CRC ES "Directiva Nacional," held during the downpour of Sunday Oct. 16, 2011 We came to an agreement for another year continuation of the Project. On the table with the agreement is the $2,000 that was to have been an "advance" on the projects. Mutually we decided to share the money between the two congregations for emergency basic non-perishalbe food supllies for families of greatest need in their communities.
Pastor Lou Wagenveld with the leaders; on the right in the brown jacket is Huizucar's pastor, Rev. Joaquin Ordonez. He is currently President.
I don't seem to be able to import the pictures of the foodstuffs and supplies that were purchased and distrubuted. I have already received some reporting and accounting. (Jan. 2012)
I don't seem to be able to import the pictures of the foodstuffs and supplies that were purchased and distrubuted. I have already received some reporting and accounting. (Jan. 2012)
REPORTS AND UPDATES
(Note: Reports listed Newer to Older)
Fall 2011
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?
* * * * * * *
This quick September 2011 update. 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
May 2011 There has not been all that much to report these last months; sporadic contact from the CRC ES President Joaquin
Ordonez 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.
December 2010 Reports and impressions of my two 2010 visits to El Salvador
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)
UPDATE on my May 2010 visit to Central America. This didn't get posted on my prior site, and here I'll limit myself to just some very basic inforamtion 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.
UPDATE late October, 2009 If you already read below, you see that I made a visit to El Salvador in March; over these intervening months I’ve been in frequent contact about the project with the leaders in El Salvador. They sent me a final copy of the Evangelism/ Discipleship – Diaconal/Development plan, with a proposed budget of $15,850; on the basis of that we came to an understanding of cooperation. That involves along with some program costs, a half-time salary for the first year for Alba Lopez, longtime former national CRWRC worker in El Salvador. She began in August, and initial reports from her are very positive. Speaking by phone recently with her she was very encouraged. That Sunday she had had a session on “values” with the Huizucar church; they want to make those biblical, and sound developmental ones.
I have received some good reports of growth in the rural Huizucar church as they already implemented some aspects of this on their own, in conjunction with other trainings and local visions that they have. In Santa Tecla, Pastor Carlos wants to integrate this with a new (for them and the country) Bible League initiative for evangelism. So this is a good time to continue alongside the El Salvador CRC in its ministry efforts.
I wonder what the church will do for Reformation Day; they don't want to be "just another evangelical church" although they struggle with seeing the growth in the pentecostal churches and wonder if they should imitate more their aproach. I encourage them to persevere in trying to contextualize the reformed faith, to let it make the contribution that it can to the tremendous needs of a society in turmoil and an economy that leaves many behind.
Once again, I ask for your supportive encouragement if you are willing to make a contribution to this effort. Pray for the members, the leaders, and these new initiatives.
Que Dios le bendiga (may God bless you)
UPDATE June 2, 2009
THE COUNTRY / GOVERNMENT
Yesterday Mauricio Funes was sworn in, along with his Cabinet, as President for the next five years. His inaugural speech was wide sweeping, ambitious, and challenging to all sectors. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in the audience and immediately after hearing Funes say that all relations between El Salvador and Cuba would be renewed, was also assured that every effort will be made to build on the good relations with the United States. The speech pointed to significant shifts in focus and efforts to turn the country in a different direction; from my standpoint, the mention of faith, hope, ethics, and values were important touchstones. Much prayer and goodwill is needed for this country that has a significant part of its population living in the United States, and seemingly intractable problems at home. This is an historic shift in El Salvador.
THE E.S CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCHES:
Just now at the end of May I formally received what is the final edition of the agreement that has been arrived at for a
Word and Deed Project
which I for more than a year have been promoting and even raising funding for! It consists of a double two-dimensional effort: Evangelism / Discipleship coupled with Diaconal / Development. This is meant to be a holistic (integral) witness for the Christian Reformed Church, to produce growth and service presence in the two communities of Santa Tecla and Huizucar.
The objection to having a salaried person (mentioned below) was withdrawn. Former longtime CRWRC employee Alba Lopez will be employed on a half-time basis to help accompany this project, in everything from encouragement to training to monitoring. A third of the needed funds are for her salary; the rest will go into trainings, materials, and program expenses. The churches are making a commitment to raise a part of the needed $15,850 for the first year.
ANOTHER INTERESTING DIMENSION
Sparked by the approach of the Reformed Calvinist Church to me, for help in renewing relations with the CRCNA, I made something of a prior counter-proposal: could the two El Salvador reformed churches begin a conversation looking toward reconciliation and reuniting?! That letter has not had any formal response as of yet; please make this a matter for prayer.
Part of the thinking behind this initiative, besides the smallness of each group, is the fact that next year two significant reformed bodies will be joining in one. The Reformed Calvinist church (six small congregations) already is a member of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches; my hope is that the two will retake the name of either the Christian Reformed or simply Reformed Church of El Salvador and become a charter member of the emerging World Reformed Communion. That happens in Grand Rapids, Michigan D.V. in June 2010. (Update mid-2012: no formal movement on this but there is occasional informal contact between leaders.)
Fall 2011
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?
* * * * * * *
This quick September 2011 update. 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
May 2011 There has not been all that much to report these last months; sporadic contact from the CRC ES President Joaquin
Ordonez 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.
December 2010 Reports and impressions of my two 2010 visits to El Salvador
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)
UPDATE on my May 2010 visit to Central America. This didn't get posted on my prior site, and here I'll limit myself to just some very basic inforamtion 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.
UPDATE late October, 2009 If you already read below, you see that I made a visit to El Salvador in March; over these intervening months I’ve been in frequent contact about the project with the leaders in El Salvador. They sent me a final copy of the Evangelism/ Discipleship – Diaconal/Development plan, with a proposed budget of $15,850; on the basis of that we came to an understanding of cooperation. That involves along with some program costs, a half-time salary for the first year for Alba Lopez, longtime former national CRWRC worker in El Salvador. She began in August, and initial reports from her are very positive. Speaking by phone recently with her she was very encouraged. That Sunday she had had a session on “values” with the Huizucar church; they want to make those biblical, and sound developmental ones.
I have received some good reports of growth in the rural Huizucar church as they already implemented some aspects of this on their own, in conjunction with other trainings and local visions that they have. In Santa Tecla, Pastor Carlos wants to integrate this with a new (for them and the country) Bible League initiative for evangelism. So this is a good time to continue alongside the El Salvador CRC in its ministry efforts.
I wonder what the church will do for Reformation Day; they don't want to be "just another evangelical church" although they struggle with seeing the growth in the pentecostal churches and wonder if they should imitate more their aproach. I encourage them to persevere in trying to contextualize the reformed faith, to let it make the contribution that it can to the tremendous needs of a society in turmoil and an economy that leaves many behind.
Once again, I ask for your supportive encouragement if you are willing to make a contribution to this effort. Pray for the members, the leaders, and these new initiatives.
Que Dios le bendiga (may God bless you)
UPDATE June 2, 2009
THE COUNTRY / GOVERNMENT
Yesterday Mauricio Funes was sworn in, along with his Cabinet, as President for the next five years. His inaugural speech was wide sweeping, ambitious, and challenging to all sectors. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in the audience and immediately after hearing Funes say that all relations between El Salvador and Cuba would be renewed, was also assured that every effort will be made to build on the good relations with the United States. The speech pointed to significant shifts in focus and efforts to turn the country in a different direction; from my standpoint, the mention of faith, hope, ethics, and values were important touchstones. Much prayer and goodwill is needed for this country that has a significant part of its population living in the United States, and seemingly intractable problems at home. This is an historic shift in El Salvador.
THE E.S CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCHES:
Just now at the end of May I formally received what is the final edition of the agreement that has been arrived at for a
Word and Deed Project
which I for more than a year have been promoting and even raising funding for! It consists of a double two-dimensional effort: Evangelism / Discipleship coupled with Diaconal / Development. This is meant to be a holistic (integral) witness for the Christian Reformed Church, to produce growth and service presence in the two communities of Santa Tecla and Huizucar.
The objection to having a salaried person (mentioned below) was withdrawn. Former longtime CRWRC employee Alba Lopez will be employed on a half-time basis to help accompany this project, in everything from encouragement to training to monitoring. A third of the needed funds are for her salary; the rest will go into trainings, materials, and program expenses. The churches are making a commitment to raise a part of the needed $15,850 for the first year.
ANOTHER INTERESTING DIMENSION
Sparked by the approach of the Reformed Calvinist Church to me, for help in renewing relations with the CRCNA, I made something of a prior counter-proposal: could the two El Salvador reformed churches begin a conversation looking toward reconciliation and reuniting?! That letter has not had any formal response as of yet; please make this a matter for prayer.
Part of the thinking behind this initiative, besides the smallness of each group, is the fact that next year two significant reformed bodies will be joining in one. The Reformed Calvinist church (six small congregations) already is a member of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches; my hope is that the two will retake the name of either the Christian Reformed or simply Reformed Church of El Salvador and become a charter member of the emerging World Reformed Communion. That happens in Grand Rapids, Michigan D.V. in June 2010. (Update mid-2012: no formal movement on this but there is occasional informal contact between leaders.)