The Story of the Ecuador Partnership
The Story of the Ecuador Partnership The Ecuador Partnership is a joint mission, beginning in 1998, and is supported by 3 different organizations. They are Central Plains Mennonite Conference, Mennonite Mission Network and the Colombian Mennonite Church. The three Mennonite churches in Ecuador planted through the partnership are becoming new partners with us. A very important part of the Partnership is developing relationships among the people of Central Plains, the Colombian Mennonite Church and the people in Ecuador. This is accomplished by sending Fellowship and Service Teams and Learning Tours to Ecuador, and sometimes Colombia. We also encourage and support visits to Central Plains by our brothers and sisters from Ecuador and Colombia. Partnership Meetings are held every 1-2 years in one of the three countries, bringing together representatives from each entity, to evaluate the past and plan for the future of the Partnership. To learn more about the churches in Ecuador, go to http://anabautistasenecuador.weebly.com/iglesia-de-quito.html.
Recent Interactions
In the summer of 2012, the youth group from Riobamba Mennonite Church visited churches in Colombia. They traveled with their pastor William Valencia and his wife Luz Marina and another adult couple. They returned to Ecuador with much enthusiasm for the work and growth of the church in Riobamba.
Alyssa Rodriquez, from First Mennonite Church in Iowa City began a two year term in March, 2013 in Quito. She will be assisting with Mennonite Services, the Peace Workshops for children, and youth ministries in the Quito congregation. She will also be assisting a new program in the community “Jardin del Inca” which will attempt to address the high teenage pregnancy rates. Alyssa was on the 2012 Fellowship and Learning Tour when she sensed God calling her to return to Ecuador.
In January, 2013 a Fellowship and Learning Tour of eight people visited the two churches in Ecuador. Don, Shirley, and Jonathan Kempf, Margie Mejia-Caraballo, Shawn Nolt and Lois Janzen Preheim went from CPMC. Maria Alena Arango, from Colombia was also part of the group. Follow this link to read a report of the trip. www.centralplainsmc.org/latest-news-from-ecuador.html.
In February, 2013 Doyle Roth, Jerry Dunlap, John Goertzen, Ralph Stutzman and David Hochstetler from CPMC went on a Fellowship and Service Team. Mitzi Escorcia and Santiago Stucky from Colombia were also part of the team. They were joined by David Shenk, Darwin Villacis and Xavier Guapaz from Quito. They helped with construction on an indigenous church building in the south part of Quito.
In March, 2013, seven people from CPMC, Dave and Shana Boshart, John and Holly Yoder, Gebremichael Herramo, Fernando Ramos, and Don Kempf traveled to Ecuador for 4 days and then on to Colombia for about a week. Their visit to Ecuador was in preparation for the Partnership Meetings in Colombia. The group also spent time learning to know our partners in the Colombian Mennonite Church. Eleven people from Ecuador also went to Colombia to attend the meetings. Following the time in Colombia, Don Kempf, David Boshart, Linda Shelly, Zarai Gonzalia an Oscar Herrara made a fraternal visit to some Mennonite churches on Isla Margarita, an island off the coast of Venezuela. An article and photos are available on the Mennonite Mission Network website. www.mennonitemission.net/Stories/News/Pages/EcuadorpartnersreuniteinColombia.aspx.
Future Interactions
Mennonite Mission Network will be sponsoring a Youth Venture team to Ecuador in the summer of 2013. Youth from Christ Community Church in Des Moines will be participating in this trip, along with other youth.
Quito Mennonite Church
The Quito Mennonite Church is a result of César and Patricia’s teaching and friendships in Quito. They were meeting with friends and students in a Bible study and the participants decided that they would like to become a church. Colombian refugees who live in Quito often participate actively with the congregation while in the city. The church in Quito began in 2001 and members are increasingly taking leadership roles as the congregation matures. The congregation has many areas of outreach.
Peace Workshops are held on one Saturday a month with children from the church, the refugee families, and the Inca neighborhood. This is an economically poor area of Quito near the church where domestic and gang violence is prevalent. Most other evangelical churches in Ecuador are hesitant to address these issues. Daniela Sánchez coordinates a team from the church that designs workshops and implements them. They teach the children that violence in the home and community does not need to be tolerated. They are taught to interact peacefully and respectfully with their friends, parents, and teachers. About 8-10% of the 2000 children in this neighborhood have attended the workshops. Comments from the President of the Inca Association and parents in the neighborhood are very positive about this program.
Aid to refugees is the second area of outreach for the congregation. There are about 300,000 Colombian refugees in Ecuador. They come fleeing the violence of the civil war in Colombia. The situation for Colombian refugees is much the same as for undocumented immigrants here in the U.S. in the sense that they are often unwanted and face much discrimination. In addition, they often are not able to find jobs, and arrive with only the luggage they can bring with them. Most Ecuadorians don’t want to involve themselves in helping refugees. The refugee needs can be overwhelming for the church. It is also sometimes dangerous, as some of the refugees have participated in the violence and are involved in drugs. The congregation rents a house in Calderon, a northern suburb of Quito to provide shelter for two families. Currently, they are receiving substantial support from MCC Colombia to fund these ministries. David Shenk, a Mennonite Mission Network worker with the Quito Mennonite Church, is the coordinator of this ministry.
Mennonite Services is an after school tutoring program for children held at the Quito Mennonite church every afternoon.
The church is beginning a new ministry in the nearby community of “Jardin del Inca”. There are high rates of teenage pregnancy there and the program will try to address this issue.
Many of the church members are also studying courses on the Anabaptist/Mennonite perspective taught by Cesar Moya.
Riobamba Mennonite Church
Relationships formed through César and Patricia’s teaching ministry led to the eventual formation of a church in Riobamba. In the early 2000s, several couples who had experienced marital problems went to a Catholic marriage enrichment workshop. Their lives were changed as a result of this and they began meeting with Cesar and Patricia in monthly Bible studies. In 2007, two of the couples visited the Central Plains Conference and the Newton area. The congregation now is growing under the leadership of William Valencia and Luz Marina. William and Luz Marina are from Colombia and are supported by Ecuador Partners of Central Plains Mennonite Conference.
The Riobamba congregation has identified work with strengthening marriages as one of its primary missions.
Calderon Mennonite Church
On March 16, 2013 the first worship service was held for a new Mennonite congregation in the northern suburb of Calderon. There were about 25 people in attendance. This has been a vision of the Quito Mennonite church for several years. Calderon is the community in which the house rented for the refugees is located.
Ecuador Partners
On September 6, 2008, the Outreach and Service Committee requested that an Ecuador Task Force be created by Central Plains Mennonite Conference to build relationships among the churches in North America and in Ecuador. It is called Ecuador Partners and is a loosely defined group of people from Central Plains Mennonite Conference who are directly involved in supporting the functions of the Partnership. If you are interested in becoming a Partner, please contact Don Kempf.
For additional information, articles and photos see the Ecuador page on Mennonite Mission Network’s website HERE.
The Ecuador Partnership is a joint project of the Columbian Mennonite Church, Mennonite Mission Network, Central Plains Mennonite Conference, and the developing Mennonite congregations in Ecuador. For more information about the Ecuador Partnership and its members, please visit the web pages linked above. Financial support for the Ecuador Partnership is always welcome. For information about financial support, please visit the Central Plains Mennonite Conference Donation Page.
Recent Interactions
In the summer of 2012, the youth group from Riobamba Mennonite Church visited churches in Colombia. They traveled with their pastor William Valencia and his wife Luz Marina and another adult couple. They returned to Ecuador with much enthusiasm for the work and growth of the church in Riobamba.
Alyssa Rodriquez, from First Mennonite Church in Iowa City began a two year term in March, 2013 in Quito. She will be assisting with Mennonite Services, the Peace Workshops for children, and youth ministries in the Quito congregation. She will also be assisting a new program in the community “Jardin del Inca” which will attempt to address the high teenage pregnancy rates. Alyssa was on the 2012 Fellowship and Learning Tour when she sensed God calling her to return to Ecuador.
In January, 2013 a Fellowship and Learning Tour of eight people visited the two churches in Ecuador. Don, Shirley, and Jonathan Kempf, Margie Mejia-Caraballo, Shawn Nolt and Lois Janzen Preheim went from CPMC. Maria Alena Arango, from Colombia was also part of the group. Follow this link to read a report of the trip. www.centralplainsmc.org/latest-news-from-ecuador.html.
In February, 2013 Doyle Roth, Jerry Dunlap, John Goertzen, Ralph Stutzman and David Hochstetler from CPMC went on a Fellowship and Service Team. Mitzi Escorcia and Santiago Stucky from Colombia were also part of the team. They were joined by David Shenk, Darwin Villacis and Xavier Guapaz from Quito. They helped with construction on an indigenous church building in the south part of Quito.
In March, 2013, seven people from CPMC, Dave and Shana Boshart, John and Holly Yoder, Gebremichael Herramo, Fernando Ramos, and Don Kempf traveled to Ecuador for 4 days and then on to Colombia for about a week. Their visit to Ecuador was in preparation for the Partnership Meetings in Colombia. The group also spent time learning to know our partners in the Colombian Mennonite Church. Eleven people from Ecuador also went to Colombia to attend the meetings. Following the time in Colombia, Don Kempf, David Boshart, Linda Shelly, Zarai Gonzalia an Oscar Herrara made a fraternal visit to some Mennonite churches on Isla Margarita, an island off the coast of Venezuela. An article and photos are available on the Mennonite Mission Network website. www.mennonitemission.net/Stories/News/Pages/EcuadorpartnersreuniteinColombia.aspx.
Future Interactions
Mennonite Mission Network will be sponsoring a Youth Venture team to Ecuador in the summer of 2013. Youth from Christ Community Church in Des Moines will be participating in this trip, along with other youth.
Quito Mennonite Church
The Quito Mennonite Church is a result of César and Patricia’s teaching and friendships in Quito. They were meeting with friends and students in a Bible study and the participants decided that they would like to become a church. Colombian refugees who live in Quito often participate actively with the congregation while in the city. The church in Quito began in 2001 and members are increasingly taking leadership roles as the congregation matures. The congregation has many areas of outreach.
Peace Workshops are held on one Saturday a month with children from the church, the refugee families, and the Inca neighborhood. This is an economically poor area of Quito near the church where domestic and gang violence is prevalent. Most other evangelical churches in Ecuador are hesitant to address these issues. Daniela Sánchez coordinates a team from the church that designs workshops and implements them. They teach the children that violence in the home and community does not need to be tolerated. They are taught to interact peacefully and respectfully with their friends, parents, and teachers. About 8-10% of the 2000 children in this neighborhood have attended the workshops. Comments from the President of the Inca Association and parents in the neighborhood are very positive about this program.
Aid to refugees is the second area of outreach for the congregation. There are about 300,000 Colombian refugees in Ecuador. They come fleeing the violence of the civil war in Colombia. The situation for Colombian refugees is much the same as for undocumented immigrants here in the U.S. in the sense that they are often unwanted and face much discrimination. In addition, they often are not able to find jobs, and arrive with only the luggage they can bring with them. Most Ecuadorians don’t want to involve themselves in helping refugees. The refugee needs can be overwhelming for the church. It is also sometimes dangerous, as some of the refugees have participated in the violence and are involved in drugs. The congregation rents a house in Calderon, a northern suburb of Quito to provide shelter for two families. Currently, they are receiving substantial support from MCC Colombia to fund these ministries. David Shenk, a Mennonite Mission Network worker with the Quito Mennonite Church, is the coordinator of this ministry.
Mennonite Services is an after school tutoring program for children held at the Quito Mennonite church every afternoon.
The church is beginning a new ministry in the nearby community of “Jardin del Inca”. There are high rates of teenage pregnancy there and the program will try to address this issue.
Many of the church members are also studying courses on the Anabaptist/Mennonite perspective taught by Cesar Moya.
Riobamba Mennonite Church
Relationships formed through César and Patricia’s teaching ministry led to the eventual formation of a church in Riobamba. In the early 2000s, several couples who had experienced marital problems went to a Catholic marriage enrichment workshop. Their lives were changed as a result of this and they began meeting with Cesar and Patricia in monthly Bible studies. In 2007, two of the couples visited the Central Plains Conference and the Newton area. The congregation now is growing under the leadership of William Valencia and Luz Marina. William and Luz Marina are from Colombia and are supported by Ecuador Partners of Central Plains Mennonite Conference.
The Riobamba congregation has identified work with strengthening marriages as one of its primary missions.
Calderon Mennonite Church
On March 16, 2013 the first worship service was held for a new Mennonite congregation in the northern suburb of Calderon. There were about 25 people in attendance. This has been a vision of the Quito Mennonite church for several years. Calderon is the community in which the house rented for the refugees is located.
Ecuador Partners
On September 6, 2008, the Outreach and Service Committee requested that an Ecuador Task Force be created by Central Plains Mennonite Conference to build relationships among the churches in North America and in Ecuador. It is called Ecuador Partners and is a loosely defined group of people from Central Plains Mennonite Conference who are directly involved in supporting the functions of the Partnership. If you are interested in becoming a Partner, please contact Don Kempf.
For additional information, articles and photos see the Ecuador page on Mennonite Mission Network’s website HERE.
The Ecuador Partnership is a joint project of the Columbian Mennonite Church, Mennonite Mission Network, Central Plains Mennonite Conference, and the developing Mennonite congregations in Ecuador. For more information about the Ecuador Partnership and its members, please visit the web pages linked above. Financial support for the Ecuador Partnership is always welcome. For information about financial support, please visit the Central Plains Mennonite Conference Donation Page.
