December 13, 2007

Dear Friends,

It’s been almost a year since I came to Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, as a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) long-term volunteer working with Presbyterian Border Ministries as a coordinator for Proyecto Amistad. Presbyterian Border Ministry is a bi-national ministry formed by the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This year has been filled with many blessings and new experiences. My Spanish has gone from “minimal” to “conversational,” and I have met many wonderful people with whom I worship and have fellowship here in Mexico. I give thanks to God for all that he has blessed me with this year, the work he has given us to do in this ministry, and for all the provisions he has supplied us with for that work. Much of this work revolves around facilitating church partnerships.

Chris McReynolds and the Roberto Medina family of Proyecto Amistad.

Together with my co-worker Roberto Medina—the Mexican coordinator and member of the church in Mexico—we work primarily on facilitating partnerships between churches of the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico (INPM) and the PC(USA).  Partnering churches carry out vacation Bible school together, medical services together, church construction together, recreational and cultural outings together, worship together, meals together, and much more together. As you can tell, doing things “together” is a high priority in this ministry. As members of the partnering churches spend time together, they get to know each other personally and get a glimpse into how the other lives his faith. These relationships serve to encourage and equip each church to better serve others in the name of Jesus Christ in their respective communities.

One church partnership traveled together this year to do a VBS at two small mission churches in the Presbytery of the Huastecas (where former Proyecto Amistad coordinator Susie Frerichs now serves). These small churches had no discipleship program geared towards their children, and so they invited these partnering churches to help them get started with a VBS program. The results of this trip enabled each church to grow in its capacity to minister to others.

The two churches in the Huastecas, by participating in the VBS, were encouraged in their efforts and ideas to reach out to the children and families in their communities. The Mexican partner church, which is gifted in carrying out VBS programs, was greatly encouraged by the response from the children in the Huastecas. This church realized its gift and is making plans for future VBS ministry beyond their home church. The partner church from the United States, which helped with transportation and crafts, witnessed how much more effective their efforts were when working with their Mexican partners, who were better able to connect with the children through common language and culture. The positive response many of the children had to the Bible lessons and to the invitations to follow Jesus Christ are evidence that churches from Mexico and the United States working together can be much more useful to God’s mission. Other work that we do involves support to Noreste Presbytery of the INPM.

Proyecto Amistad helps Noreste Presbytery support a few of their pastors and missionaries who are starting new churches for the presbytery. There are four of these mission churches along the border and another will be opened in January 2008. Along with pastoral funding, Amistad facilitates visits from United States churches, which partner with the mission churches in construction and evangelism activities. In addition, scholarships and continuing education are part of Amistad’s work with churches in Noreste Presbytery.

Tuition is charged at all stages of schooling in Mexico. Along with tuition, there are uniforms and school supplies to purchase. Some families cannot afford to pay tuition, especially at the more costly high school and college levels. Amistad has been able to provide help on a case-by-case basis to those church families who need it. In an effort to be more effective with scholarships and to promote greater partnership between the churches and those who donate to Amistad, we are developing a scholarship program where the local church administers the scholarship—by choosing the student in need and providing a small percentage of the money—while Amistad donors provide the majority of the funds. For church leaders, Amistad assists with continuing education expenses for training conferences, study materials, etc. 

In all this work it has been reaffirmed to me over and over again that relationship is the key to doing “mission work” in another place and culture. Without an emphasis on forming relationships with those Christians who are already working in a place, we are “only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1). We would have only our own judgment and perspective to tell us if what we are doing is good and fruitful in God’s sight. Working in partnership with Christians in Mexico has been a great blessing.

On behalf of the Proyecto Amistad ministry, I give thanks for all who supported this ministry during 2007 and look forward to all that God has in store for the year ahead. From all of us at Proyecto Amistad we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

In Christ,

Chris McReynolds

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 256

Note:  If you would like to support the work of Proyecto Amistad, we welcome your prayers and financial support. You may contact Chris or Roberto at proyectoamistad@gmail.com and request the Amistad Prayer Update. You can send financial donations to Individual Remittance Processing, P.O. Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA designated for “Proyecto Amistad ECO# 863716” or “Chris McReynolds ECO# 75766.”