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Winter 2000-2001
Dear friends:
At Christmastime people the world over look to the promise of
"peace on earth, good will to men"—none more fervently
than Colombians, where violence is part of daily life and formal
peace negotiations with the country’s largest guerrilla group
have been paralyzed due to increasing paramilitary activity, just
as dialogues get under way with the second-largest group.
To express solidarity with Colombia, the IV General Assembly
of the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI), held once every
six years, is meeting here this January. When I say "here"
I mean in Barranquilla, in the churches and schools of this Presbytery,
which has the honor of hosting the Assembly, plus a continent-wide
Consultation on Mission to be held just before the assembly along
with other pre-assembly events. CLAI is bringing together the
long-divided evangelical, Pentecostal and historic branches of
the Protestant church in Latin America.
I feel especially privileged because I serve on the theological
commission of CLAI. This commission has written numerous documents
and study guides to prepare the churches for the assembly and
the consultation on mission. We will also draw up the final document,
the results of the consultation, plus recommendations of assembly
study groups. Under the theme "Free to make peace" we
will deal with many problems of peace across Latin America—from
armed conflict to prejudice and lack of unity among the churches,
from depressed economies to broken homes and wasted lives—with
the goal of understanding strategies of peacemaking as part of
the mission of the church.
The Presbyterian Church of Colombia is already seeking to be
faithful to the gospel of peace as the conflicts here deteriorate
and the parties increase their military might in response to the
strengthening of the army under the Plan Colombia. Let me share
with you some of the many ways the church is working for peace.
- Training in peacemaking. Workshops, courses and seminars
strengthen the commitment of church members to support issues
of human rights and peacemaking on a biblical basis and within
the perspective of the Reformed traditions. More and more Presbyterians
participate in peacemaking projects on the local, national and
international levels. Some of our pastors have received threats
for their participation and one was killed by forces that participate
in the armed conflict here. (I should add that I personally
have not been threatened or killed, even though it’s been
some time since you have heard from me. The delay was due to
extensive travel and a case of the flu that wouldn’t go
away, plus new administrative responsibilities.)
- Aid to victims of violence and desplazados (internally
displaced persons who must leave their homes because of violence)
Gifts from friends in the U.S. have been important in helping
us provide humanitarian aid to those who are threatened by guerrilla
or paramilitary forces. But new groups of desplazados arrive
constantly— over 200 families came to Barranquilla a week
ago after a massacre of some 40 fishermen in a nearby rural
community. The help they need includes basic food and shelter,
but also legal advice, psychological counseling and pastoral
care. Economic alternatives are also important: we support projects
that provide jobs and job
training for those who have lost their livelihood. (What can
a fisherman do in the city?)
- Participation in processes of dialogue and peace negotiations.
We participate in the Peace and Human Rights Commission of CEDECOL,
which represents most Protestant and evangelical churches in
Colombia, promoting and coordinating peacemaking on denominational
and congregational levels. We also contribute to the Ecumenical
Network of Work with Desplazados, and we are among the churches
that form part of the "Peace Colombia" movement, which
seeks alternatives to the Plan Colombia. A recent meeting in
Costa Rica of government, guerrilla, and non-governmental organizations
was sponsored by this movement.
The preparation of pastors and church leaders who serve in each
of these areas is, obviously, key in this ministry of peacemaking.
Theological education in its broadest sense is a key part of my
work, and I need to bring you up to date on what has happened
to the Presbyterian Theological Seminary, which you have supported
with your prayers and gifts for so many years.
We are now in the final stages of university accreditation.
The Presbyterian Theological Seminary has formally disappeared,
to be replaced by the School of Theology of the Reformed University
of Colombia (CUR, for its initials in Spanish). Because the CUR
must operate under the laws of the Ministry of Education of the
Colombian Government, this has ended a successful international
partnership of many years duration. The seminary was a joint program
of the Colombian and Venezuelan Presbyterian churches, but as
of
December 31, 2000 this association ended.
PLEASE NOTE: Gifts through 2000 to any of the ECO projects
related to the seminary were divided between Colombia and Venezuela.
After January 1, the Seminary will not exist. Gifts for theological
education must be designated for the CUR or for the leadership
training program in Venezuela. I will send you a complete list
of ECO projects for the CUR in a few days, but please make a
note of the new ECO number for Venezuela right now: #862544, Leadership
Training in Venezuela. Wonderful things are happening in the Venezuelan
church, great teachers and students, and I urge you to support
this work as well as the work of the CUR.
And since this is still the Year of the Child let me thank all
those who supported the school in Apartadó with scholarships
during the past year. The school did survive the year, thanks
to your generosity, and more than 100 children are able to study
only because of your help. GRACIAS!
Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year . . .
Alice Winters
The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 261
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