January 29, 2007

Dear Friends in Christ,

Levántate, resplandece; porque ha llegado tu luz.
Arise, shine; for your light has come!
Isaiah 60:1

The new logo of the Dominican Evangelical Church reflects the growth and enthusiasm I witnessed at the church’s 85th General Assembly earlier this month. What a joy to hear about congregations that are growing rapidly and to see so many pastors and lay delegates under 30.

I was struck that the Iglesia Evangélica Dominicana (IED) has not discarded its previous logo, but is using both the old and the new on its printed material. I like that!

The IED is proud of its heritage as a church founded by Presbyterians, Methodists, and Moravians in 1922. It wants to embrace the future while staying faithful to the past. That was symbolized by the publication of a two-volume history of the Dominican church, Horizons of Hope, written by Hernán González Roca. The commitment both to tradition and new possibilities seems to be embodied in the abundant energy with which persons of all ages sing both the traditional hymns and the modern praise choruses.

Stewardship is emphasized strongly, and a significant percentage of the church’s 7,500 members tithe, but the country’s ongoing economic problems are inevitably reflected in church finances. The IED is now studying proposals for a less orthodox approach to self-sufficiency. At the church’s annual general assembly, proposals for both small and large income-producing projects were discussed at length. Among the projects approved are a parking lot on valuable church-owned land in Santo Domingo and small bakeries located in local congregations.

Elder Evelyn Roman acknowledged that these proposals represent “outside-the-box thinking.” She urged the assembly to view them positively, saying that it is too easy to think we cannot do something because we are “underdeveloped” in the Dominican Republic. This “impoverished mind-set,” she said, is reflected in the oft-heard response to new ideas: “Wait, slow down; you’re moving too quickly.”

Many IED members agree that the need to think outside the box is urgent. As someone put it, “Times are difficult, and we Christians suffer the same crisis that affects the whole country.”

Limited growth, high inflation, and corruption and fraud have all contributed to a major economic downturn during the first half of this decade. Energy shortages are a major problem. Entire communities of people have become “expendable” as the economy has shifted increasingly from agriculture to tourism and free-trade zones. There is an ever-widening income divide between the few rich and the many poor.

The most obvious sign of economic distress for the church is the struggle of church workers to manage with low salaries and high prices. Villa Consuelo is a vibrant congregation in a marginal community of the capital, Santo Domingo. There are 80 members, 50 of whom tithe. When asked about financial problems, Villa Consuelo’s members prefer to talk about God’s abundant blessings that appear just when most needed. They admit to being glad that their pastor is single and is able to get by on his salary by living frugally.

No so for another pastor, who is a married mother of two. She serves a congregation and works on the IED staff in the area of children’s ministries. In order to support her family, she also teaches full-time in a public school. Only if her husband could find a stable job with benefits would she be able to leave the teaching job and focus her energy on the church work. They have even considered the possibility of his going to the United States to work and send money back to the family, as many Dominicans are forced to do. (More than one million Dominicans live in the United States. Remittances from Dominicans living abroad are estimated to be about 3 billion dollars per year, roughly the same as earnings from tourism).

Despite the economic uncertainty faced by the church and its pastors, many young people are responding to God’s call to enter the ministry. The IED seminary, founded in 1994, operates in the facilities of one of church buildings in Santo Domingo. Seventeen new ministerial candidates enrolled in 2006, bringing the total number of students to 25 ministerial candidates and eight lay students.

The church in the Dominican Republic is seeking partnerships with PC(USA) congregations or presbyteries. Do you hear God calling?

June 2007 –Dominican Republic Network Meeting

On June 7-9 in Louisville, there will be a gathering of folks from PC(USA) congregations and presbyteries with mission connections in the Dominican Republic. We hope to learn about the many ways in which PC(USA) congregations are involved with Dominican churches and agencies. We will be sharing information about the IED. We will also learn about the current Self-Development of People focus on the Dominican Republic and hear from congregations about their mission involvement with a variety of Dominican partners. Please pass the word along to any friends and colleagues who may be interested.

October 2007 – Cuba Partners Network

The Cuba Partners Network will also be meeting in 2007, on October 4-6 in Louisville as part of the larger conference, World Mission 07: Gathering for God’s Future.

Thank you for your prayers of support for my ministry and for Christians in the Caribbean region.

Tricia

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 51