The Presbytery of
Central Washington is located in the high deserts of eastern
Washington, nestled along the Eastern Cascade Mountains with
42 churches and 7,343 members. The presbytery’s newest
mission endeavor started with a vision to help Hispanic children.
The Rev. Lynn Jones, who was serving a congregation in Seattle,
followed her vision for children’s ministry to Pasco,
Washington.
The first steps for the new ministry were to find the right
location to purchase a house and develop rapport between the
community and the presbytery. Lynn Jones worked on her language
skills by being intentional in speaking Spanish with her neighbors
and in the surrounding community. Often people will seek to
have a better understanding by asking “What is it?”—which
is how the children of Israel described the arrival of manna
from the sky. So the children’s ministry became known
as “The Manna Project” because every day new opportunities
to minister to the children of the community seem to drop from
the sky.
The ministry seeks to develop a peer relationship with elementary
Spanish-language children who live in poverty and to provide
the children with a nurturing environment, Bible study, and
English as a second language program. Lynn Jones and the ecumenical
board members support this validated ministry through an espresso
coffee stand called Con Amigos and through a small grant from
the presbytery. The espresso stand, in a little building with
drive-up windows and in a fenced playfield, is a place where
children come to play, parents come for coffee and prayer, and
Lynn Jones provides pastoral care to all. It is not unusual
to drive by the espresso stand and see several parents inside
studying the Bible with one of the staff members. The after-school
program of play, Bible stories, and refreshments is a powerful
response to the heart cry of children that led the presbytery
and the Rev. Lynn Jones to this exciting ministry. Future plans
include expanding the playfield and finding a larger place for
community activities to address issues of poverty, immigration,
and spiritual development. |
