ARGENTINA: In this video Malena Manzato shares about the long struggle to end domestic abuse in her home country, both inside and outside of the church.

The leaders of this project – Gwen (Scottish) & Marcos (Bolivian) Quinteros are committed to a pattern of integral church, seeking to meet the varied needs of a poor community and building ‘church’ into everything they offer. It is a model of incarnational mission appropriate to many locations.

They are doing this by (a) living amongst the people they serve and (b) setting up and developing a new community centre in the barrio of Sumumpaya, on the western edge of Cochabamba. All of their community provision happens in the context of running a new and growing church at the centre of the barrio – for that’s exactly where the Centre and sports hall are built (see www.integralchurch.co.uk).

As at March 2012 the Centre is operating these community provisions :

A school support group – providing help with homework and other educational issues.

Women’s group – they do activities together like knitting, cooking etc; but the real value of this group is for them simply to ‘be together’, something which is not part of their usual life pattern.

Dental services – on 1/2 days a week

Medical services – currently offering ad hoc programs such as a vaccination campaign, but hoping to become a weekly clinic before long. Gwen also runs a cancer awareness program – the need for smears, self-checking and mammograms – for she herself had breast cancer aged 30.

English lessons – it is generally accepted (even by people in Sumumpaya) that to have some command of English is an advantage in terms of getting a worthwhile job in today’s global world where English is the most commonly used language.

PEPE (Pre-escular programa educacion). PEPE is an education programme for pre-schoolers and as begun by BMS workers in 1992 in Brazil with just 12 children. It has now spread to six other Latin American countries and five countries in Africa. In Sumumpaya it has really grabbed the imagination and attention of many families in the community, who see it as a valuable, safe and effective setting in which their chuildren can grow in ability, confidence, skills, and spirituality. It is heavily oversubscribed. Gwen leads this group, but also co-ordinates the work of five other PEPE groups in the city and many other churches are interested in setting up PEPEs in their locality.So it is spreading – simply because it has worth and integrity and value to individuals and to the community as a whole.

Psychological testing – to diagnose children’s educational and developmental needs as a prelude to taking action to address those needs on an individual basis.

Youth nights – the same the world over, noisy, energetic and fun.

Football – training sessions for fitness and enjoyment and skills development. And there is now an official La Corona football team, playing in a local Christian football league.

The large sports hall – used for volleyball and basketball – and other community groups hire it for a variety of purposes.

The Hope Gymnasium – used regularly by over 40 young people from the barrio.

Red Viva – the Centre is now also affiliated to this international child-focused organisation, part of the Viva Network.

Church (Iglesia ‘La Corona’) – continues to be The central point, the hub of their ministry. It is from here that everything else originates – a true example of integrated mission at work. Currently there are baptism classes and Marcos has trialled Alpha.

See www.integralchurch.co.uk

SOUTHERN & CENTRAL AFRICA: A short film introducing the work of Amahoro Africa to gather pioneering and emerging leaders together from across the continent to talk about mission and theology.

CHILE: A short film of Musician and Pastor Leonardo Alvarez sharing his reflections on integral mission and why music is so important to him.

ARGENTINA: A short film introducing Graciela & Luis from Villa Maria, Cordoba province, and the story of how they are trying to live out integral mission in their home town.

In this short film, Phil & Rach Bowyer share the story of Soul Action South Africa, the network of NGOs and church ministries they facilitate in Durban, and how they’re trying to celebrate all that God is doing in South Africa.

A short film of Francis Wahome from Tearfund introducing Church & Community Mobilisation, featuring two stories of how it’s helping communities take their futures into their own hands.

El edificio de la iglesia estaba programado para la demolición, y no había otras congregaciones luteranas en la zona, para ayudar a resolver necesidades espirituales y sociales de la comunidad.

Samuel tomó rápidamente el asunto en sus propias manos.

Comenzó la reparación del edificio de la iglesia. Los vecinos se acercaron  para ayudarlo. Pronto el santuario, un auditorio, dos cocinas y cuatro baños se renovaron, limpios  y restaurados en condiciones de funcionamiento.

“Me sentí como que había una situación de emergencia”, dice Samuel. “Teníamos que empezar la adoración de inmediato. La gente venía buscando a la iglesia ayuda espiritual y social. Era obvio que la gente de la comunidad  necesitaba  una iglesia a su servicio. “

Hoy Pueblo de Dios está prosperando, mantener un horario semanal muy completo. Ellos tienen un servicio de adoración muy vibrante donde combinan la liturgia luterana con ritmos latinos contemporáneos, estudios bíblicos, clases de comunión y  confirmación, un club infantil, alimentos y servicios de distribución de ropa, trabajan con una clínica local de salud y profesionales voluntarios que brindan sus servicios a la comunidad alrededor de la iglesia, clases de costura para proporcionar oportunidades de generación de ingresos para las familias y mucho más.

Este año la misión Pueblo de Dios, espera comenzar  lo que Samuel llama a un “restaurante  casero”, donde los fieles preparan las comidas tradicionales para brindar a la comunidad celebrando así, su herencia cultural.

“Estoy sorprendido por la gracia de Dios en el crecimiento de nuestra misión”, dice Samuel. Se espera que Pueblo de Dios, se convierta en la primavera de 2011 en una congregación  oficial de la IELA.

También espera  el comienzo de una misión en otro punto de la ciudad de Compton para servir y ayudar a muchos inmigrantes, que cruzan la frontera México-Estados Unidos. Compton Es una ciudad pobre, con alto desempleo que sirve como un destino de llegada a muchas personas latinas.

“Tenemos que seguir compartiendo el pan espiritual y material”, dice Samuel.

El trabajo misionero está impregnado en la sangre de Samuel, él y los miembros del Pueblo de Dios se están preparando para iniciar una nueva congregación en la ciudad.

“Congregaciones abriendo nuevas  congregaciones” es un modelo principal para las nuevas iglesias en la IELA de acuerdo con Mary Frances. Un pastor luterano debe asistir en la formación de nuevas congregaciones de la IELA.

Ella cree que este modelo ofrece una tasa de mayor éxito y oportunidades.

“Tenemos muchos grandes congregaciones de la IELA a punto de hacer este trabajo, y eso es lo que queremos que suceda,” dice Mary.

“Se trata de compartir el reino de Dios, especialmente entre los pobres y entre las comunidades desesperadas por la atención espiritual”, dice Samuel.

Su visión para la nueva congregación en Compton es mostrar que “la gracia de Dios es un don (regalo) para la humanidad.”

“Toda mi vida me sentí llamado a compartir la buena noticia de Jesucristo”, dice Samuel, y añadió que ser un desarrollador de misión (misionero urbano) es un ajuste perfecto para él.

Antes de su vocación en la iglesia, Samuel era un reportero gráfico que trabajan en América Latina en nombre de la revista Latin America Evangelist, Christianity Today, Servicio Mundial de Iglesias, organizaciones y medios seculares.

Originario de Perú, Samuel se trasladó a Estados Unidos en la década de 1990. Él y su familia se unieron a la Iglesia Luterana Angélica en Los Ángeles, fue su primera membrecía familiar en una iglesia luterana. Allí Samuel tomó la decisión de asistir a Seminario Teológico Luterano del Pacífico en Berkeley, California, y entrar en el ministerio ordenado.

“Servir a la gente en el nombre de Dios ha sido lo más gratificante de mi vida”, dice.

Artículo traducido: LivingLutheran.com / Evangelical Lutheran Lutheran Church.

During our August, 2010 visit with partners in Ethiopia, we had the very great privilege of not only hearing about something that actually is life changing, but hearing directly from some of those whose lives had been changed.

I had been skeptical going into that visit. I had read a great deal about small groups formed to foster savings and credit among the poorest of the poor, and read some of the positive field reports that purported significant positive results for these groups. But I resisted the urge to buy into the story for a number of reasons, not the least being that I knew that the natural tendency of missionaries and NGO’s is to put a perhaps generously positive spin on their results. If they didn’t, sadly, they wouldn’t be in business very long.

This is not to criticize the outstanding work that these people and organizations do, nor diminish their sincerity, commitment or heart for the people they serve. It is simply a recognition that in maintaining their support, a positive story is more useful than a story of more modest gain, let alone failure. Not many donors these days care to continue supporting efforts that do not produce positive, measureable results in a reasonable time frame.

What we experienced in Awassa can only be described as life changing. In the southern part of the country, the Kale Hiwot Church has been active for over two years in facilitating the formation of small groups they call “Self Help Groups”. The original concept for SHGs, as implemented in Ethiopia, was developed by Tearfund. The formation of groups such as these is sweeping across the majority world under a variety of names, but they all share certain characteristics and goals/objectives in common.

First, and perhaps most shockingly to the western “let us help you” mindset, they reject outside money or supervision. It is true that the formation of a SHG in a new region requires some outside support in the way of training and coaching. But once established, they operate exclusively using their own resources.

Second, a significant function of a SHG is to provide a safe environment for its members to save their own money. To the westerner, this may sound odd. But remember that the members of such a group lack any experience in managing even tiny amounts of money, and can be easy targets from the less scrupulous in their communities offering to “help” them do that.

Third, once a group’s savings pool grows a bit, the group can make small loans to its members. These loans can be for periodic personal needs (such as annual school expenses), but are more commonly used to expand a member’s “business”. A member of one of the groups we visited reported that she had borrowed (and successfully repaid) several times from her group to expand her petty resale business. Having started with selling a box of products on the street, she was now set to create a second store. And she was not an isolated or “feature” case, but one of many who had experienced the liberation and optimism of being able to build up their own enterprises. Each member of the groups we visited testified that they were materially better off for having experienced their group’s supportive, disciplined approach to saving.

“How about repaying those loans?” you may ask. One of the profound strengths of a SHG is the bond its members share. It may not be as strong as the bond of family, but it is very close. And the resultant shared commitment to each other creates what has been termed “social capital” – a kind of intimately personal collateral that makes failing to repay a loan unthinkable except in the most extreme of situations. As a consequence, repayment rates of 100% (with interest) are common. However, it is possible that some, especially new members may not be completely committed to the group. One of the groups described to us a situation with one such member. Their solution was to take turns standing in front of the women’s home, encouraging here and challenging her each time she passed, until she finally agreed to pay back what she owed the group – and with interest! Today she is a fully committed member.

This idea of “social capital” goes beyond loans. One group member described to us how she was hit by a car, hospitalized, and during her recovery unable to work for quite some time. During her extended recovery, the other members of her group each chipped in to cover her weekly savings contribution so that her savings continued to grow during her convalescence. Imagine, for a moment, if this little vignette described the commonplace in the world we live in.

But the material benefits of these groups pale in comparison to their social and spiritual benefits. In Islamic settings in particular, it is of course common that women (the primary participants in such groups) live a culturally subservient and often times isolated existence. We heard member after member testify of their new sense of self-worth and confidence that had developed as a byproduct of their experience in their group. One woman, when asked how her involvement in the group had affected her relationship with her husband, said “Before I was only a wife. Before he kept me and supported me and my children. Now, I am a partner with my husband. Now he genuinely loves and respects me.”

Life changing, indeed.

I’m no longer a skeptic. As a result of this and earlier visits, our ministry has rededicated itself to supporting the formation of these groups in unserved areas.

Many of us spend our lives yearning to see God’s Kingdom established in His creation. Well, maybe a small part of it already has been – in southern Ethiopia.

http://africawaterandlife.blogspot.com

Posted by Douglas J Martin

Pastor Jeony Ordoñez and his wife Jessi have been working with the community for nine years, after feeling God call them to this part of the city.

“I grew up in the church,” says Jeony, “in the same denomination where I’m now a pastor. And my whole life I was taught to win souls for Christ. But when I arrived at the rubbish dump, God said to me, ‘You are not going to pray for people.’ I said to Him, ‘What? How can I not pray for people? I’m a pastor, I have to pray!’ But He was clear. He said, ‘If someone from the community comes to you, and they are hungry, you are not going to pray against a spirit of hunger, you are going to take them to somewhere where they can eat.’ And so I did what he said.”

Jeony desperately wanted the community to know Jesus, but he underwent a change in his thinking as he got to know the community and was humbled by the level of need they experienced. “Now I don’t win souls for Christ,” he says, “because I am not a soul, that just happens to have a body. I seek to win lives for Christ. Whole, integrated lives.”

Jeony and Jessi pastor in the local community, but they also run a project with the rubbish dump community called Amor, Fe y Esperanza (AFE) – Love, Faith and Hope. Their deepest desire is that the families of the Tegucigalpa garbage dump will experience the abundant life described by Jesus – the life of the kingdom.

The focus of project is education, and they’ll tell you that the greatest thing about the programme is that it expands the children’s worldview. Before coming to AFE, a child’s world revolves around the dump. They probably want to become a dump truck driver, because that is as far as they can see. At AFE, they meet people from other walks of life and see more of the country through field trips, and their ambitions change. Now they dream of becoming doctors, pastors, and engineers.

Jeony says, “It’s an honour that God trusts people like me to serve people like these. It’s an inexplicable but an enormous privilege.”

Over the last nine years Jeony and Jessi have seen many lives transformed, and their church community has grown. One of their favourite stories is one that has been unfolding over many years – that of Antonio. They first met him in the early years with the community, when they were actually on the rubbish dump themselves, teaching children. Jessi was doing most of the teaching, in classes of 15-20 kids. A young teenage boy arrived during her class, with a mask over his face, a baseball cap, and wielding a machete. He announced that he wanted to learn to read and write.

Jessi welcomed him in but he was disruptive and violent. He was given various ultimatums, as Jeony and Jessi tried to find a way to improve his behaviour so he could stay. Jessi came up with the idea of team competitions in class, and the newcomer, Antonio, was made a team leader. Two months later his team had won the class competition, and were taken to Burger King and the cinema – an outing that the Ordonez family struggled to afford.

The outing was a mixed experience – the kids were bored within the first 15 minutes of the film, but awestruck by how clean and pristine Burger King was. They ended up in the adventure playground, but had to leave after 15 minutes because the smell from their feet when they took off their shoes was so horrific!

The sense of achievement the team attained had a profound effect on Antonio. He became the school’s top student for two years. And when he finished there the school gave him a scholarship to continue his studies at a vocational school three hours away. For two more years he trained there as a welder, and at the end of his studies he returned to Tegucigalpa. Jeony points proudly at the school’s communal dining room. “Antonio built that for us when he came back.”

Today Antonio is one of the leaders in their church. And he works in the city beyond the rubbish dump.

This is the kind of change that Jeony and Jessi long to see happen more. The past nine years have been a steep learning curve for them, and they are quick to share how deeply God has changed them as they have sought to love and serve the community. There is so much more they want to see, because they know there is more God wants to do.