A letter from César Carhuachín in Colombia
May 2014
Friends in the God´s mission in Colombia: Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus!
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The two candidates for the second round of the Colombia Presidential Election: Juan Manuel Santos and Oscar Iván Zuluaga (Photo from El Tiempo newspaper, May 29, 2014)
We had been living in an electoral environment in Colombia the last couple of weeks and we are going to continue in the same type of environment these next weeks. Sunday, May 25, was the presidential election day. Of the five candidates representing different political parties, two of them are the principal candidates: the current President Juan Manuel Santos (National Unity Party), which is looking for re-election and working very hard for “A Peace Agreement” between the government and the FARC (Colombia Revolutionary Armed Forces); and Oscar Iván Zuluaga (Democratic Center Party), which belongs to the political party of the former President Alvaro Uribe and is saying the government doesn't have to talk about a peace agreement with the FARC but ask them for an unconditional surrender.
Although the peace conversations are not perfect at all, our church partner is praying for them because the Colombian society cries for peace. On May 25 Zuluaga got 29.26 percent of the votes and Santos got 25.68 percent. But neither wins the presidential election because to be officially elected the candidate needs to receive more than the 50 percent of the votes. Interestingly, there was a total of 59.95 percent abstention of votes, the highest abstention in the last 20 years. The second round for the presidential election is scheduled for June 15. Please join in prayer for this political process for the sake of our partner, the Presbyterian Church of Colombia.
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Youth ministry, theatrical drama at “Comunidad el Camino” Presbyterian Church (April 20, 2014)
We are in the last weeks of this semester at the Reformed University. All my 68 students are progressing in their theological pilgrimage, which really gives me a sense of satisfaction. I thank God for that! Most of them are currently involved in church ministries somehow. One example is Christian Gomez, a young man from the city of Medellin, who is doing his last two semesters and is serving at the Youth Ministry of El Camino Presbyterian Church. Since he is doing this ministry in that congregation, I see growth in the young people attending the church and being involved in youth activities. Praise God for them! It is good to see more young people in our churches! Christian led a youth drama presentation on Palm Sunday, touching many hearts, including mine.
This semester the Theology program of the Reformed University asked me to be the director of the theological journal Palabra y Vida (Word and Life). After a couple of conversations with colleagues, I accepted. (I hesitated to accept it because as mission co-workers we want to empower the national leaders.) Our first edition is scheduled for November of this year. My hope is that I will be able to pass this on to one of our Colombian Christian leaders after it is established. For now, please pray for me as I take on this new responsibility.
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Students working groups at the Reformed Lectures (Photo of Rev. Milton Mejía, May 26, 2014)
The Reformed University, through the Theology program, offers Reformed Lectures twice a year. This semester these ran from May 26 to 30. In the lectures the student and faculty hear about topics related to the Reformed tradition. The students have the opportunity to join one of the several groups to research a particular theological theme such as “Gender Violence in the Reformed Tradition,” “Pentecostalism and the Reformed Tradition,” “Marriage in the Reformed Tradition,” “Mission in the Reformed Tradition,” and so on. These lectures help the students to think theologically and to articulate their faith. Several of the Pentecostal students we have think that faith is one thing and theology is something different. One of them said, “My faith is something that I nurture in my church but theology is for school only.” These lectures help the students to think theologically, to reflect about their faith, and to reflect about our church practices. The school is planning to publish some of the lectures for the next calendar year.
The following is something that requires our prayers. On Sunday, May 18, a terrible bus accident happened here in Barranquilla. A bus driver of a Pentecostal church was taking many children home after the morning service. Unfortunately the bus caught fire. The reasons for that are not very clear. The inside safety measures were awful: there were no safety belts in the seats, the exit back door was locked, there weren't emergency exits, the bus was carrying more children (50) than its capacity permits (27), and so on. The result was a tragedy for many families. Children from 2 to 13 years old and a total of 33 people (including adults) were burned. Right now the authorities are doing their job to find out who was responsible for this terrible accident. Please join us in prayers for these families and for that Pentecostal church, because the situation is very serious. President Santos has decreed three days of mourning for this tragedy. You can read more at: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-27463522
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César Carhuachín preaching at a church retreat at Sagal, Atlantic Department (April 27, 2014)
During the past months I have been preaching in several churches, such as the First Presbyterian Church, the Comunidad el Camino Presbyterian Church, the Fourth Presbyterian Church, and the Seventh Presbyterian Church, and also at a church retreat in Sagal, a small town outside Barranquilla. These visits are helping me to know better the Presbytery of the Coast, where the Reformed University is located. A new thing I learned in the visits is that many of the university workers and students are worshiping weekly at our churches.
I want to request your special prayers for my visit to Charlotte, North Carolina, June 20-25. I will be talking about the mission in Colombia at church gatherings, at mission committee meetings, at session meetings, and to individuals interested in supporting God's mission in Colombia. If you want me to talk to your congregation, let me know. It will be great to talk with you about the mission of God in Colombia.
I invite you to visit my Facebook page Cesar Carhuachín in Colombia, where I post weekly updates, and ‘Like’ it if you want to receive them. If you want to contact me, feel free to use my email cesar.carhuachin@pcusa.org. If God puts it in your heart to support us financially, please check my page for specific directions: www.pcusa.org/cesar-carhuachin. Or use the "Give" link below.
Grace and peace,
Cesar Carhuachin
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 54
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