A letter from Osmundo Ponce in Spain
February 13, 2008
El Escorial, Madrid
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I hope that the God of life and history bless all of your activities and various ministries.
It was almost 10 months ago that I arrived in Spain to work at the United Theological Seminary which is related to the Spanish Evangelical Church. This move has required many changes of me, but I believe that God and God’s church has accompanied me.
On arriving I found high expectations for teaching theology to lay leaders in local churches. Without delay, we dedicated ourselves to this task and created what we’ve called the “Theological Workshop.”
The Theological Workshop is a program meant to give leaders the necessary tools to carry out their ministry. It can be completed in two years, and one of its most important elements is that flexible enough so that anyone can take it, including people who “don’t have enough time” because of heavy work schedules.
At least at the beginning the program has been a success. Seminary faculty are writing all the materials. My job is to edit their work in such a way that it’s comprehensible to any member of a local church. The first people to learn are the professors themselves, because we have to write at a high academic level but at the same time be easily understood. This has been a difficult task!
In the places we’ve visited, the pastors have told us, “This is what we needed.” The Theological Workshop is already functioning in Madrid, Barcelona, and Pamplona, and it’s starting up this semester in Bilbao and Valencia. After summer, we’ll start the program in the Balearic Islands, and we’ve already talked with the Church in Portugal. But I don’t do this alone. We’ve formed a working team. On eperson is responsable for the north of Spain and another for the south. In this way, we can give attention to the different Protestant traditions. To date, there are Methodist, Presbyterian, Anabaptist, and Pentecostal churches participating.
Evangelical churches in Spain want more trained lay leaders because since the times of the Inquisition there has been religious repression here. We have to remember that Spain was one of the bastions of the Counterreformation in the sixteenth century, and this tradition has persisted since then. Evangelical leaders are demanding more religious recognition the state, which—depending on which political party is in power—keeps them isolated. For example, university-level study in a seminary is not legally recognized, and retired pastors don’t have the right to receive social security.
Spain is going through a powerful process of secularization, and it seems to me that this is due to how religion has been tied to the state. In some cases, Church and state were in absolute power. So when, at last, democracy came (only 30 years ago), people have abandoned religion and all kinds of rites. That’s why it seems to me that the Evangelical Church in Spain went from the frying pan into the fire, that is, it went from religious repression to secularization and rejection of the Church.
Nevertheless, you can sense in the daily conversation with people in the street a deep search for renewed spirituality, and that’s why Church leaders must be trained to meet these new pastoral demands. That’s why I say that Spain is a mission field.
At the same time, Spain is seen as a land of opportunity because it is second only to the United Status in the number of immigrants it receives every day. From Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia, many come here looking for better living conditions and higher salaries in order to sustain their families in their countries of origin. There are also many immigrants of other kinds, such as retirees from northern Europe who live in nice homes next to the Mediterranean Sea. All immigrants want to be welcomed by their new communities, so this is another chance for the church to carry out its mission. (By the way, in the study group for the Theological Workshop in a church in the center of Madrid, the majority of participants are Latin American immigrants and are now leaders in the congregation.)
As you can see, Spain is part of Europe, but it continues to be the South, and “the challenges of the South” have always been what guides the mission of the church. These challenges have to do with looking for signs of the Kingdom of God becoming reality in the midst of communities of need. Spain needs pastoral accompaniment in order to learn new ways to communicate the hope of the Kingdom. It’s necessary to accompany the new search for spirituality in a population that is now multicultural. It’s necessary to accompany the efforts of the new Spanish church leaders for them to get the recognition of the evangelical church. It’s necessary to support theological training of the new leadership of the church in Spain.
What should we do about this? I think that sister churches in the United States could include in their prayers the Spanish Evangelical Church and the whole Christian community in this country. We should see Spain as a mission field. I ask especially that you keep in your prayers the students and professors from the United Evangelical Theological Seminary and the Theological Workshop.
I am always encouraged when I receive a card from a church or a group that says that it is prayer for me or my ministry here. On my bedroom wall I have hung in the shape of a cross the cards that a group of young people sent me from their summer camp. Every night and every time I wake up I remember that I am here at God’s will and am accompanied by you.
Last year I had the chance to share with some pastors of the PC(USA) who were visiting Madrid, so you too should feel free to visit—it’s just a matter of crossing the Atlantic.
I pray that during this Lent we remember that our Lord Jesus Christ is present in the midst of life, and that our suffering and obstacles won’t tempt us to abandon our call to serve and try to carry out the mission that the Holy Spirit has given us for the glory of God.
With a warm and brotherly embrace, I send my love and respect, as always
In the hope of the Kingdom
Rev. Osmundo Ponce
