Greetings, visitors to "El Salvador Reformados." If you are totally new to this site, just a word about WHO this is from and about. (Else skip to next section 2018 report or more current, to Reports and Update tab.)
I'm retired CRCNA missionary Lou Wagenveld; in retirement I spend time in between Holland MI and Escondido CA (you can guess which season where!). I try to be useful to the church/ kingdom wherever I can, but my largest single commitment for nearly two decades since serving in El Salvador 1995-1999 is to the two Christian Reformed churches there. On the "Reports and Updates" tab you can see some information about 2017 activities in there. Report on Lou Wagenveld's trip to El Salvador, October 5 – 15, 2018
Everyone knows that “El Salvador” means “The Savior,” but you can also well know that not everyone in that troubled little country knows Jesus. On this trip there was a feeling of being overshadowed by two disparate dimensions, political and ecclesiastical; see below for those. Now as I write I have just returned from a 12 day trip there. The visit first of all was to once again review and renew the ins and outs of the Word and Deed Project, both in Santa Tecla and in Huizucar. From reports, I sensed an imbalance that needed correcting; while evangelism surely is wonderful, my “missiology of Word and Deed” together with a corollary of “and lead with the deed” (to gain credibil- ity) wants to see adequate attention paid also to diaconal and development ministries. The emphasis of the Word and Deed Project over the last two years has been on the Word, in the sense of planning and proclamation for new faith groups, especially in the Huizucar area. That is a small town of 4,000 but is the municipality for another 10,000 in the surrounding hamlets and villages, scattered throughout this hilly coffee growing area. Poverty is extensive, as many only have day work on the large coffee plantations; some do own small plots and cultivate their own corn and beans. The Project through the churches do have what they call a “Samaritan's basket” that blesses many families who otherwise would even experience hunger. But to get beyond that and do development work that will provide better incomes is also seen as a Christian response to needy families. Local CRC Pastor Joaquin, with the training and encouragement of Multiplication Network has five groups in different stages of development, although with some leadership difficulties we tried to talk through. The Maria Victoria group, pastored by Joaquin's brother Israel, is well advanced in construc-tion of a building with local efforts and funds; they did insinuate to me that help for a roof would be much welcomed! There had been advance notice that in the Santa Tecla city church there would be a training in progress. I was able to sit in on a couple sessions of “Timothy Two” being facilitated by a missionary pastor from an Evangelical Presbyterian Church of South Carolina; surprise – but those happen. Many struggling churches throughout the world look for support where ever they can find it. Which leads me to the relation of the El Salvador CRC to the presence of the CRCNA in the country; I went knowing that the lack of connection there needed work. I spent nearly half of my time making connections with personnel from Casa Semillas de la Nueva Creacion. Resonate's “Seeds of a New Creation Office” houses some eight local non-profit ministry groups as well as the Back to God Hour office. What most interested me was to build a relationship with the Casa Director, Gerardo Reyes; he was very receptive. Hopefully with time there will be increasing cooperation with the two CRCs. One nice sign of that was the invitation to Pastor Carlos to give one of the five Monday morning devotionals on Sola Escritura during this month of the Reformation. He did a good job, as did a young woman who will be graduating soon with a theology degree; she expressed to me a keen interest in the reformed faith. I was able to bridge that to where she got an invitation to give her devotional on Sola Gracia at the Santa Tecla church for Reformation Sunday. Pray for Brenda Garcia... a long story, but with possibilities as the Lord leads. And this is important: some of you ask what about the property next to the Huizucar church? You recall that lot was purchased with donations with the intention of building a Christian Vocational School for youth who cannot go to the city for high school. While “on hold,” behind the scenes Pastor Joaquin has been working on a plan of twelve steps to make this become a reality. We held a discussion with the Directiva Nacional (representatives of the two churches); they decided to make a bigger priority of accompanying the Huizucar church with all that is involved in that undertaking. My personal opinion is that, especially with the church planting efforts going on there that are taking a lot of the pastor's energy, the conditions are not yet ready for going ahead with the school project. Opportunities seem endless, but are not easy to bring together. One was a conversation carried over from an earlier visit with the now retiring manager of one of the Christian bookstores. He has shown interest in the reformed faith and is now moving into planting an independent church; I was able to hint at whether he might want to affiliate with the ES/CRC - a long shot but one never knows! He gave me his personal phone and email, so I plan to maintain a long distance communication. From him I also got back a large consignment of books which I left for free distribution at Casa Semillas. That book's title is “Hope for the Southern World: How the Values of the Kingdom of God can Change Cultures”, by the late Timothy Monsma. I mention this for prayer for the impact of this book and more especially in the light of two more things of significance in that small Central American country. The week of my arrival the next presidential campaign season was opened; that will last four months, with four candidates representing different platforms, proposals, and policies. There is general unhap-piness with the leftist administration of the last five years; continuing social unrest, even violence and little economic growth only serve to once again look to the future. Will things change? Some people are apprehensive about another leftist government winning, especially since the current San Salvador mayor who is of Muslim descent is running as candidate for that new coalition. We can pray... Another whole dimension is the religious one. I'd be curious to know how many of you who read this even saw what took place in Rome the first weekend I was in El Salvador. Former Archbishop of San Salvador, Oscar Romero, was canonized. The newspapers dedicated pages to this significant event, the first proclaimed saint from Central America: San Oscar Romero. Some may remember his death in 1980 which made him a martyr in the eyes of many; the current papal nuncio asked the country not to play politics with his canonization. In this continuing polarized country, that is bound to happen anyway. The significance for the Protestant/evangelical community is unclear. Will there be a resurgence of Roman Catholicism? I just add here this footnote: October is “Month of the Bible” and October 31 is the “Day of the Evangelical Church” in the country. Store and other-front churches continue to pop up all over, producing a very confusing ecclesiastical/mission scene. One leader I spoke with estimates the evangelical population to be around 38%; very hard to know what that means. A sad evaluation of mine is that with the generic fundamentalist evangelical nature of the witness is that even if that percentage were to reach 85%, nothing in the culture and country would radically change! An “other-worldly” and very individualistic, moralistic message is not impacting that society as one would hope to see. My convictions are that difficult as it is to do, the reformed faith must make its contribution! This final note: while in El Salvador I was personally able to meet the new staff person for Partners Worldwide, Fabiola Bettaglio. She just now (Oct.18, 19) attended the PW annual Conference in Grand Rapids, and stayed at our house over the weekend, to get better acquainted and see where there might be possibilities for future cooperation. There is a request for assistance with a honey bee project in the Huizucar area. Please pray for her ministry, and for “Evelyn,” a widow who requests help for this. Fraternally in Christ, Lou Wagenveld www.ElSalvadorProject.weebly.com [email protected] |
|
Picture: While three years old - my last visit there - this is still the core group of leaders, with one additional for the next picture.
left to right: Pastor Joaquin Ordonez, Samuel Montano, Israel Ordonez, Pastor Luis Wagenveld, Rosa Lina Palacios, Pastor Carlos Mejia, Francisco, Santiago, Gloria
Below starts this site HOME PAGE
"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...
....so in 2005-2006 we raised some money to enable the Santa Tecla sanctuary to be rebuilt.
Construction costs came to "only" $26,000. However, the back rooms while damaged are still in use and ideally will be torn down and replaced "someday." Just now in 2016 several Reformed leaders have started an Educational Committee to give leadership training for elders and deacons.
They would be tremendously blessed to see donations come to build new rooms for this project. Please contact me ....
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
Construction costs came to "only" $26,000. However, the back rooms while damaged are still in use and ideally will be torn down and replaced "someday." Just now in 2016 several Reformed leaders have started an Educational Committee to give leadership training for elders and deacons.
They would be tremendously blessed to see donations come to build new rooms for this project. Please contact me ....
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.
TELL ME MORE Many people visit this site; but neither I nor ARMA (the donor site) ever hear from you! Please "GIVE" - either feedback or $ ! Thank you. - Lou
You can contact [email protected] for information about activities of the Mission in the country.
About my involvements in El Salvador, and for MORE INFORMATION, please click on the tabs at the top.
Or contact me, Rev. Lou Wagenveld, at email address: [email protected] Cel. # (616) 392-9079
About my involvements in El Salvador, and for MORE INFORMATION, please click on the tabs at the top.
Or contact me, Rev. Lou Wagenveld, at email address: [email protected] Cel. # (616) 392-9079