El Salvador: Day 5 - "Romero + FUNDE + Shicali"

Today is Tuesday, July 23rd, and this as our first full day in San Salvador, and we first went to the National Cathedral where Monsignor Romero has been laid to rest in 1980 (with the park across the street that was a site of a massacre by the US-supported army in 1977): 

(this is Elba, our guide):

And here is the Parque Libertidad, the site of another violently repressed protest in 1979, and the beautiful and interesting Catholic Church across the street where the protestors sought refuge for 3 days and 21 injured people succumbed to their injuries:

The Hospitalito, where Monsignor Romero was assassinated by a sniper from the death squads trained at the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, GA on March 24, 1980.  I am keeping photos of the inside for myself, because this is truly holy ground in my mind (not because Oscar Romero should be deified, but because it symbolizes faithfulness to its fullest extent, come what may):

After our lunch at a local Salvadoran Restaurant (Nelly's), we met with folks at an organization called FUNDE that works on economic and social development here), and then we went to Shicali (a pottery cooperative for people with disabilities to sell beautiful pottery in a fair-trade manner:

All in all, it is a pretty busy, full, rich and impactful day.  We are all processing the best we can, but also trying to remain open to the nudges of the Holy Spirit that call us forth to live faithfully, and not primarily concerned with our own comfort.  We'll see how God continues to work with all that we encounter, this week and beyond.

Paz, 

Gregg (or if you're in El Paisnal, it is "Pastor Gregorio!")

El Salvador: Day 4 - "Back at the Guest House"

We have just spent an amazing three days in the smaller community where our Sister Church is located: El Paisnal, El Salvador.  It was a wonderful chance to reoonnect with my friends there, and I have to say that I love the kids there like my own kids, and I have an affection for the other adults there like they are my brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a few thousand words...

The Rutillio Grande Memorial on the way to El Paisnal:

A panoramic picture of one of our first gatherings:

Making the maracas with colorful, plastic Easter eggs:

The younger kids showing us what they know in English with counting, numbers, etc. By the way, the older kids (not pictured) shared by introducing themselves, talking about what they like (colors, foods, etc.) and then telling us what they want to be when they grow up:

Putting together one of the two drum kits:

Some of the fruit of our sidewalk chalk on the street outside the church:

Pastor Chema and I are standing in front of a few of the trees we planted a mere 3 years ago (some stand 15 or so feet high, and they are bountiful with fruit!  There is every kind of fruit you can imagine all over the town!

The gift to Pastor Chema, which was a beautiful pottery communion set made by Angelika:

I am trying to ward off some of the evil "Cougar" energy emitted by the WSU hat given to Marvin, the man who teaches folks English in El Paisnal:

The gift of the banner and communion set as we prepared to worship with Buenas Nuevas church:

A few pictures with me and "mi hijas y mi hijos" (my kids), including Conchita, Adela, Graciella, Alexis, Laura and others:

Yes, we worked a little on projects, but that was not the real goal in coming to El Salvador. These are truly beautiful people who give me as much, if not more than I ever give to them.  We had fun teaching each other English/Spanish, eating together, worshipping together, having wonderful life-giving conversation and just BE-ing together.

Please hold us all in your prayers.  We are all well, yet a little weary and (some of us more than others) in need of a shower and a good night's sleep.

Peace and Grace to you all!

Gregg

El Salvador: Day 1 - "We Arrived Safely!"

It is now Friday night, July 19th and we just arrived safely at the Alfalit Guesthouse and got all settled in!  

Here is a photo as we gathered at the airport at "oh-dark-thirty" this morning:

Travel was relatively uneventful, except that our first flight out of Spokane was delayed 75 minutes and we had to change our connection between Denver and Houston, but in the end all is well, and all our luggage arrived safely as well.

Here is a picture of the travel-weary group eating a quick snack at the guest house:

Please note: we probably won't be able to post again until the evening of Day 4 (Monday), because we will be in El Paisnal with our Sister Church until Monday afternoon.  We leave tomorrow morning to see our friends there.

Please hold us in your thoughts and prayers!  Feel free to comment and I can share them with the group...

“Teamwork”

           I recently read an article titled, “6 Qualities of The Teams Paul Built,” by Joe Miller.  In this article, the author lifts up six characteristics of teams based on Paul’s ministry in the New Testament.  They are: 1. Having a synergy of roles – we don’t need to focus on titles or divisions among people on teams, but the team brings together those with a variety gifts. 2. Consensus leadership – each person on the team has value and is equally important to the success of the team’s work. 3. Trusting teams to make difficult decisions – this is the opposite of micromanagement. 4. Flexibility and interchangeability of team roles. 5. Like Jesus, Paul invested in people who, in turn, invested in other people.  6. Most importantly, we must make sure the direction of the group is in alignment with Christ’s witness and mission in the world.

 

One thing highlighted on a survey we recently took at the church that I serve, titled, “The Readiness 360 Survey" was as a potential area for growth in our utilization of “team-based ministries,” which is different from “lone-ranger ministries.”  

I am spending a lot of time thinking and praying about this as we head into the summer.  I know sometimes it is just easier to do something ourselves, but that also can be very challenging and difficult to sustain.  One recommendation for us on the survey was for ANY ministry to be supported by the church, it should have a minimum of five people involved.  When we invest in ministries as a group, a synergy and momentum that develops that is greater than the impact could ever be if it remained in the hands of just one or two persons. 

What successes and challenges have you experienced being a part of team-based ministries?

"Learning to Ride Out the Storm"

At the community of faith I serve, we are beginning a new message series based on the Book of Job titled, “Learning to Ride Out the Storm.”  Whenever I ask for ideas for meaningful sermon topics, the question inevitably arises about the “bad stuff” that happens to us.  Questions of evil and of suffering are challenging and ever present in our lives.  We all have struggles and “storms” in our lives, so the question I would pose for us to consider is, “How can we learn to ride out the storms?”  We cannot and must not ignore the storms, or try to avoid struggle.  It is part of the very fabric of our human existence.  How will we endure and even thrive in the midst of storms?  I think the following quotation from Theodore Roosevelt might give us some insight:

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

I am convinced that in order to survive and even thrive in the midst of the storms of life we must spend ourselves “daring greatly.”  What would it mean to risk entering fully into those hard places, and realize that we are never alone?  At its best, being church means that we help each other to become souls who strive valiantly and are willing to enter into the storms of life together.  Any community of faith I serve as pastor must KNOW that we don't “play church” by merely attending meetings or absentmindedly going to church on Sundays.  We sincerely strive for vital connections that give life and healing to the world.  What might that look like in your life? If you are in the midst of a storm in your life right now, will you please reach out and risk asking for someone to travel on this journey with you?