A letter from Sherron George in Brazil
Eastertide, 2010
“We, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another … Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.” (Romans 12:5-11)
Dear Partners in Christ’s service,
As we celebrate together this season of Easter in a world of destructive earthquakes, wars, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters, we find comfort and strength in the presence of the Risen Lord Jesus. How shall we serve the crucified and risen Lord as one body in Christ?
Uruguay
In February I had the privilege of representing the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) at the synod meeting of the Waldensian Evangelical Church of the River Plate (IEVRP). First, I took a marvelous one-hour trip on a huge boat-bus from Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires across the very wide Rio de la Plata, a truly beautiful ride. A member of the church met me and drove me the 70 km. along the lovely rural route in Uruguay to the denomination’s camp near the Waldensian Colony. The Waldensians trace their roots to the prereformation movement started by Valdo in France in the 12th century. They were forced to flee to the Alps in northern Italy and some migrated to Uruguay and Argentina in 1858. The church has three judicatories: one in Uruguay, one in Argentina, and one in Italy. I think it is our partner in South America with the greatest per capita number of social projects.
Waldensian assembly banner
The theme was displayed on a banner in the front: “sirvan al Señor com coracón ferviente“ (Romans 12:11). I like this Spanish version, “serve the Lord with a fervent heart.” The literal meaning is a “boiling heart.” For a week I met with partners in three denominations and three ecumenical institutions who serve the Lord with “boiling hearts” and who are all connected together in many ways in the one Body.
AIPRAL
German Zijlstra, executive secretary of AIPRAL
German Zijlstra and I sat at a picnic table under shady tropical cover at the camp and talked. He is the executive secretary of AIPRAL, the Alliance of Presbyterian and Reformed Churches in Latin American, of which our partner churches are members. Their focus now is on their upcoming Assembly in Guatemala. As I observed German’s “boiling heart,” we started talking about his family, an example of ecumenical connections. German is a pastor of the Reformed Churches in Argentina (IRA) and his wife is a pastor of the Waldensian Church. They met in seminary at ISEDET (no space to tell about my visit to this wonderful ecumenical seminary in Buenos Aires). German directed a Waldensian Lay Training Center in Uruguay for a while. Now he is a “volunteer” pastor of the IRA in Argentina, and his wife leads a social ministry. They have four grown children. A married daughter in Germany works as a translator, two daughters serve very actively in the Waldensian Colony in Uruguay, and their son is a PC(USA) pastor in Puerto Rico. German’s ecumenical ministry and family inspire me.
Argentina
One night I experienced not only a truly ecumenical spirit of cooperation and the boiling hearts of partners, but the aroma and taste of grilled Argentine meats. Now that is a treat that is as close to the heavenly banquet that you can have on earth! The hosts were Gerardo Oberman, the moderator of the Reformed Churches in Argentina (IRA), and his wife. Two other members of the IRA Board were there. One was Gabriela Mulder, vice president of AIPRAL. Gerardo pastors the San Lucas Paróquia of the Evangelical Church of the River Plate (IERP). It is a lovely church with a glass wall overlooking green grass, trees and plants behind the pulpit. We all met around a table in the middle of the sanctuary. Gerardo of the IRA is the pastor of a congregation of the IERP because the two are moving toward a union in October. Gerardo began the meeting by stating that the IRA has had informal contacts, but this is the first face-to-face meeting with the PC(USA). I think it was significant that Katie Griffin, PC(USA) mission co-worker who teaches at ISEDET, and her husband Daniel Fratea, an Argentine leader and pastor in the Association of the Church of God, an ecumenical Pentecostal church that partners with the PCUSA, and their children, Brian and Noelia, were there. Also Alfredo Mirando, on the staff of Salem Presbytery, who came to represent both the American Waldensian Society and the Hispanic Caucus at the Synod in Uruguay and to meet with the IRA and the IERP, was there. And Valdice Naves helped me bring a voice from Brazil. Both the IRA and the IERP have strong social ministries and a “boiling heart” for ecumenism. After a time of sharing and missiological reflections together, we all enjoyed the delicious "asado."
Hispanic Caucus
I was delighted to see Alfredo’s connections with these three denominations in Uruguay and Argentina. I think that the PC(USA) Hispanic caucus and congregations are ideal ones to establish connections with our Spanish-speaking partners. These cross-connections are very healthy for all. I now see the Hispanic Caucus as a new Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) partner and resource in mission in South America. I wish I knew this before I finished my book, Better Together: the future of Presbyterian Mission, available from Geneva Press.
Sherron George
The 2010 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 274
