Elder Loida Gáffaro
de Valera, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church of Venezuela,
writes this meditation.
The Presbyterian Church of Venezuela has scarcely 850 members
in the whole country in spite of our 110-year existence. Anyone
might think that such a small church has not grown because it
does not have anything to offer. But do we truly not have anything
to offer? Is the presence of Jesus not evident in our church?
In the Presbyterian Mission of Maracay, twelve people minister
with men and women with HIV/AIDS. They are blessed to live together
with four other people who have HIV and are an essential part
of the group.
At First Presbyterian Church of Maracaibo with forty-one members,
two sisters prayed for the church. Since then, more visitors
have attended Sunday activities, and some with critical illnesses
have been healed.
The Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church in Guatire has only thirty
members, yet its school has 190 students. A government program
helps it meet the needs of children and youth who live in extreme
poverty. As government contributions became scarce, the church
took responsibility for the care of these children, so Good
Shepherd campaigned among other church schools, churches, friends,
and institutions. Soon many people volunteered to be of support.
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