| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
A letter from Sherron George in Brazil |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
April 8, 2005
Eastertide 2005
Dear Partners in Christ’s service,
Easter led me to think about the continual renewal of life all
around us in the midst of death. Often in our busyness we ignore
the cycles in God’s creation which bring new life, new opportunities,
new choices for us. I live in the largest Roman Catholic country
in the world, which is mourning with deep lament and thanksgiving
the death of Pope John Paul II. How our world needs such pastors
who seek life with peace and justice!
I spent Easter leaving behind the city of Campinas where I arrived
in Brazil and lived three times in the past 30 years. I moved
400 kilometers south to the city of Curitiba. When I returned
to Brazil in 2001, I began a totally new assignment and chapter
of my life. I know that we move through cycles with beginnings
and endings that open doors for new challenges. My transition
lasted nearly four years. I assumed the responsibility of closing
the mission office in Campinas and selling all properties. Having
finished that, I was ready to move to Curitiba with enthusiasm
and expectation. I open myself to this city with its amazing quality
of life and culture. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Israel Batista and Sherron George at zero degrees latitude, the
equator. |
|
Quito, Ecuador
When our Cuban friend, Israel Batista, the executive secretary
of the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI), told my Lutheran
colleague Eloy and me that we absolutely must visit “la
mitad del mundo” (the middle of the world), we gladly consented.
Israel was exhausted, as he had just finished a meeting of CLAI’s
25 member board, the members of which had come from all over the
continent. After lunch, Eloy and I completed our meeting with
Nilton, the new director of CLAI’s Department of Communications,
and off we went with Israel. He drove us down the long narrow
city of Quito, which is nestled between the omnipotent Andes at
2,800 meters above sea level, showing us fascinating housing projects
along the way, and promising us a unique adventure.
n less than an hour we arrived, parked the jeep, and entered
“la mitad del mundo.” It was windy so we donned our
coats. In the midst of colorful handcrafts and shops with tantalizing
smells, all of a sudden we stood before an impressive monument.
Each side had a line on the sidewalk and huge letters at the top
E N W S. Suddenly it hit me. We were at the “middle of the
world,” at the equator, at zero degrees latitude, at the
divide of the northern and southern hemispheres in the Andes at
2,483 meters (9,200 feet) altitude. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Then the fun
began. Israel and I straddled the hemispheres, switched places,
and laughed (see picture). Yes, it is possible for a Baptist Cuban
who lives in Ecuador and a PC(USA) mission worker who lives in
Brazil to form partnerships and work together in God’ s
realm. The gap between North and South can be bridged. That was
precisely the reason I was in Quito.
Publications project: “Partners in God’s
mission”
After visiting seminaries in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia,
Venezuela, and Peru and conversing with many Latin Americans and
with staff of the Worldwide Ministries Division, I had proposed
the publication of a series of 15 books in five years modeled
after a series published by the American Society of Missiology.
Israel responded: “As CLAI, we are enthusiastic about your
publication project. This is a dear need in our region. I insist
on the relevance of this initiative and our willingness to cooperate.
I worked out the initial details with another Cuban friend, Manuel
Quintero, a three-way PC(USA) mission worker and former director
of CLAI’s communications department. After the project was
approved, Manuel received a call to head Frontier Mission in Geneva.
A Brazilian Lutheran, Nilton Giese is taking his place and moved
in March from Curitiba to Quito, a week after I moved from Campinas
to Curitiba. Welcome to the amazing world of partners in God ’s
mission, which transcends boundaries! |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
The other partner is the Lutheran publisher Sinodal
located in Sao Leopoldo in southern Brazil. To get the project off
the ground and rolling, the director of Sinodal, Eloy Teckemeier,
and I were in the beautiful city of Quito at CLAI’s headquarters
for a meeting with Manuel and Nilton (see picture). |
|
Left to right, Israel Batista, Nilton Geise, Manoel Quintero, Sherron
George, Eloy Teckemeier. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Sinodal will
do the bulk of the publications in Sao Leopoldo. Other partners
in the project include the Latin American Alliance of Presbyterian
and Reformed Churches (AIPRAL) and key post graduate theological
institutions in Latin America.
Called as Partners in Christ’s Service: the
Practice of God’s Mission
The first two publications in the Series Partnership in God’s
Mission will be ready for the occasion of the Ninth Assembly of
the World Council of Churches to be held in Porto Alegre, Brazil
(near Sao Leopoldo) in February 2006. To my surprise, delight,
and honor, my colleagues decided that the first two books will
be the Spanish and Portuguese translations of my book, Called
as Partners in Christ’s Service, released by Geneva
Press in May 2005. Keep CLAI and Sinodal in your prayers as they
work on the translations.
All glory to the God of life and new beginnings!
Your partner in God’s mission,
Sherron George
The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
39
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
