February 26, 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In mid-2006 I accepted God’s call to work with Puentes de Cristo as the U.S. coordinator of this ministry. During my time here I have been blessed by the friendship and kindness of many people, both from the United States and Mexico. I have seen God at work in amazing ways, and have grown personally and spiritually in ways that will continue to touch my life for years to come. I feel greatly blessed for the opportunity to have served God alongside brothers and sisters in Reynosa.

It is with sadness, then, that I write to tell you that I will be stepping down as U.S. coordinator in August of this year. While it has been a tremendous privilege to serve here, I feel that the time is right for me to move on. I have long wanted to attend graduate school to study public policy, and after much prayerful consideration, I feel that this coming fall is the most opportune time for me to do so, both for personal and professional reasons. Although I will be gone, Puentes de Cristo will remain in my constant thoughts and prayers.

We at Puentes de Cristo are working closely with World Mission staff of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to find someone to serve as U.S. coordinator of Puentes de Cristo. God has blessed us with several strong candidates who have many gifts to bring to the ministry. We hope you will pray for our ministry as we seek future leaders to guide the work God has set out for us.

As you may know, the position of U.S. coordinator is currently a long-term volunteer position. This means that the U.S. coordinator is given a small living allowance, as well as health care benefits, although he or she is not considered fully salaried. While there are many gifted people willing to give of their time to serve this ministry, we believe that the ministry would be served well by the leadership of a mission co-worker—that is, a full-time, long-term mission worker compensated at a level comparable to that of a pastor.

Your church has a long history of supporting this ministry, and we are very grateful for your support. This transition is important for the future of our ministry, and we invite you to be a part of it. If you would be willing to be a major contributor to the future leadership of this ministry by helping make it possible for us to call a mission co-worker to Puentes de Cristo, please contact me or Stan DeVoogd , PC(USA)’s area coordinator for Mexico and Central America.

I look forward to speaking with you further in the coming weeks and months. Please continue to keep our ministry in your prayers during this coming period of transition.

In Christ,

Bill Richter
U.S. Coordinator
Puentes de Cristo

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