Ecuador Partnership Photo by Holly Blosser Yoder By Holly Blosser Yoder
West Union Mennonite Church, Parnell, Iowa A glorious array of music and movement characterized a worship service at the Camino de Salvación (Way of Salvation) church in southern Quito November 18 as a network of 9 mostly indigenous Ecuadorian Mennonite churches hosted representatives of the Ecuador Partnership. As a new conference, the multicultural network of churches is known as ICME (Iglesia Cristiana Menonita de Ecuador) or Mennonite Christian Church of Ecuador. Leaders presented a slideshow and told the story of their conference’s formation as a Mennonite community of faith. Representatives from the Ecuador partners brought greetings and CPMC conference minister David Boshart preached a sermon, translated by Peter Wigginton. Boshart’s message celebrated oneness in the Body of Christ as represented by the fellowship of the various groups worshipping together. He emphasized that “our joy as Christians can only be as full as our fellowship with each other,” and noted that “in John’s Gospel, the last prayer that Jesus prayed before going to cross was that we would all be one as he and the Father are one—and this oneness would result in complete joy.” Following the sermon, groups of children, youth, women, and men from various congregations led worship in song, using both Spanish and indigenous languages, accompanied by a variety of musical instruments including pan pipes, electric guitars, a keyboard and drums. A youth group presented a dramatic symbolic enactment of the salvation story from the Garden of Eden to Jesus’ resurrection. Following the service, fellowship continued over a hearty meal of meat, potatoes, salad and fruit. Future Partnership collaboration with ICME may include theological education for adults and youth, training for Sunday school teachers, accompaniment in the process of developing leadership for the multicultural conference, and exploration of a formal seminary program for theological education.
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Ecuador Partnership Left: Guests and hosts gather around the table to share stories of God's work in Ecuador. Right: CPMC Conference Minister David Boshart receives the gift of a traditional woven mantle, which hosts described as signifying leadership. Photos by Linda Shelly and Holly Blosser Yoder Linda Shelly, Mennonite Mission Network Director for Latin America
Twenty years ago in November 1998 in Quito, Ecuador, leaders of the Iglesia Cristiana Menonita de Colombia (IMCOL) and the predecessors of Central Plains Mennonite Conference (CPMC) and Mennonite Mission Network recommended forming a partnership. That partnership came alive a little over a year later when César Moya and Patricia Urueña were sent from Colombia to serve in Ecuador. They arrived in January of 2000 to begin work in indigenous theological education, yet by April 2001 also held the first worship service of the Mennonite Church in Quito. One of IMCOL’s contributions to the partnership was a strong sense that the long-term future would depend on developing an Ecuadorian church with a vision for ministry with indigenous people, refugees and others in need. In the early years partnership meetings were long and arduous as there were many decisions to be made and priorities to be set. In contrast, the partnership meeting in November 2018 was a relaxed time of sharing together and seeking to understand how the partnership can be most supportive. The difference can be attributed to the shift from the partnership operating the program in Ecuador, to the partnership supporting the work in Ecuador. The church planted in 2001 now has Ecuadorian leadership and has formed a legal conference in Ecuador (ICAME--Iglesia Christiana Anabautista menonita de Ecuador). The partnership welcomed this change and the Covenant signed in April 2016 committed to "work together in the best ways to support the vision and direction of ICAME," recognizing the value of ICAME making the primary decisions related to the ministry in Ecuador. Ministry with indigenous churches has also taken on new forms. Jane and Jerrell Ross Richer and their family arrived in 2015 to work with indigenous churches in the Eastern rain forest region. Over the past several years indigenous leaders have also visited ICAME and talked about their growing desire for an Anabaptist conference. They were present for the dedication of the ICAME building in February 2018. Considering legal complexities, they formed their own multicultural, primarily indigenous, Mennonite conference Iglesia Cristiana Menonita de Ecuador (ICME). While indigenous leaders of ICME date their Anabaptist theological roots to early Gospel Missionary Union missionaries recruited from Mennonite churches in the 1950s, they developed their Anabaptist convictions primarily through the teaching ministries of partnership personnel. During this visit the partnership had an opportunity to attend a church service at an ICME congregation Camino de Salvación (Way of Salvation) in the southern part of Quito. Honoring the covenant with ICAME, the partnership supports ICAME’s vision, which includes developing a relationship with the new ICME conference. In November these two conferences, along with the older conference on the Coast (IEME--Iglesia Evangélica Menonita del Ecuador) participated together in a workshop on Pastoral Care (caring for those who care for others). As we see these conferences emerge from seeds sown long ago, we are encouraged in thinking about their potential impact in the Ecuadorian context. Ecuador Partnership Various scenes from distribution day at Quito Mennonite Church's Refugees Project. Photos by Holly Blosser Yoder By Holly Blosser Yoder
West Union Mennonite Church, Parnell, Iowa On a Friday morning at Quito Mennonite Church, the ground floor of the multi-story building is alive with activity. It is distribution day for the church’s “Proyecto con Personas Refugiadas” or Refugees Project. Parents, waiting to pick up “baskets of love” (food and essential supplies), watch their children at play in the entryway. Inside the big room that serves as the church sanctuary on Sundays, volunteers measure out portions of food bought in bulk. Next to them are trays of brown eggs, bags of fresh carrots, and sacks of oatmeal. Next to the drums in the area where the praise team usually leads music are colorful plastic bags already filled and ready. Inside, depending on the needs of the family for whom the bag was prepared, are brown sugar, meat tins, maize flour, rice, oil, milk powder and beans. At tables set up in the center of the room, mothers and fathers with babies receive infant essentials—cloth diapers, diaper covers, and washcloths made from soft t-shirt material. A young couple watches as Delicia Bravo, a worker from Mission Network, demonstrates how to use this more frugal, eco-friendly alternative to disposables, folding the cloth diapers to fit inside the waterproof diaper cover. Some of the diaper covers had been completed just that morning, snaps affixed with a special tool. The diaper covers are made from an array of patterned fabric--scraps and discontinued patterns donated by a manufacturer—polka dots, stripes, snowflakes, tractors, and an outer-space design, cut and sewn with rows of snaps arranged to accommodate a growing baby’s bottom. Down the hall is the project’s office. A peek inside reveals a stack of cotton blankets, which the project has paid refugee women to sew from bolts of blanket material--both the blankets and the work being a help to refugees who arrive with few possessions. This scene at a distribution day last November highlights the growth of Quito Mennonite Church’s refugee project, which developed out of a compassionate ministry to refugees fleeing violence in neighboring Colombia, and which has matured over time. The capacity of the program has expanded, serving 7800 individuals in 2018, up from 800 in 2014. Families and individuals seeking refuge in Ecuador nowadays come from many places including Venezuela, Syria, Yemen, and Congo. With accumulated experience, funding assistance from MCC, and access to expertise and services through a network of agencies, the church continues to respond to refugee needs as an expression of faith. Daniela Sanchez serves as the program coordinator along with Alexandra Meneses, who is also the psychologist for the project. Alba Silva provides logistical and administrative support. All three are also deeply involved in church leadership. Refugees, who often come to the project traumatized as well as in search of help with basic necessities, receive an invitation to spiritual and community support as they are welcomed to fellowship with the Quito Mennonite Church during their sojourns in Ecuador. During the weekend following this distribution day, refugees were among the church’s worshippers, on the praise team, and in the kitchen preparing meals and snacks. Peter Wigginton of Mission Network who, with his wife Delicia, volunteer with the project, explained its role in the life of the church: “The refugee ministry is an integral part of the church, serving the needy and marginalized.” While acknowledging that the work “does take a toll on the spiritual and material gifts” of the small congregation, he said “it is seen as the essential demonstration of the church living out what it believes.” Support in the form of prayer and helping hands from brothers and sisters in Central Plains Mennonite Conference and the larger church are appreciated. A work team from Central Plains Mennonite Conference led by Doyle Roth in early 2018 made building improvements. Young volunteers from Journey International, a Mission Network internship program, and YAMEN, an exchange program shared by Mennonite Central Committee and Mennonite World Conference, contribute valued time and talent to the project. Project coordinator Daniela Sanchez recently shared a dream to train youth in the congregation—many of whom are themselves refugees—to provide services for the ministry. Might this be a role for a volunteer from MMN or CPMC to fill in cooperation with project leaders? As members of the Ecuador Partnership, we can rejoice in the maturing of this compassionate ministry, pray for the wellbeing of its workers and the people it serves and, as modelled by our Quito brothers and sisters, remain open to what it means to live out what we believe. What’s in your basket of love? |
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April 2020
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