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Colombians Hope Sister Church Program Can Begin ‘South-to-South’ Links

STRASBOURG, France — On January 31, Rob Hanson and Rick Skinner from Boise, Idaho (USA) will travel to Colombia as representatives of Hyde Park Mennonite Church to connect with their sister church at Puerto Asis in Putumayo. They hope to strengthen friendship and support between the Colombian and American congregations through face-to-face sharing and listening and to continue to discern God's will in this relationship.

The vision for a Sister Church Program emerged from an understanding of the call of Jesus Christ for his church to respond to suffering people, specifically Colombians who have endured more than 50 years of violence and continue to be caught in deadly conflict between government forces and armed paramilitary and guerilla groups. This call for sister church relationships implies presenting Jesus as the mediator, standing in solidarity with the Colombians and offering hope in difficult circumstances.

While current Sister Church Program links are all between the south and north, there is new interest in also developing "south-to-south" relationships, possibly in collaboration with Mennonite World Conference and its Gift Sharing Program.

The Sister Church concept took hold in Colombia several years ago, but it is only within the last year or two that viable structures are taking shape. There are, in fact, two programs in Colombia. One, "The Sister Peace Church Program," is an ecumenical program initiated by Justapaz, the Peace and Justice arm of the Colombia Mennonite Church, and its director, Ricardo Esquivia. It has eleven Colombian churches paired with churches in the U.S. and Canada. All of the Colombian congregations are "Sanctuaries of Peace." They provide refuge for people who are persecuted or threatened, attempt to achieve nonviolent transformation of conflict and to rebuild the social fabric of the country.

The second program, "The International Sister Church Program," is under IMCOL (Iglesia Menonita Colombia), the Mennonite Church in Colombia. It currently has four pairs of Colombian and North American partners and aims to strengthen Anabaptist identity through creating fraternal ties between Colombian Anabaptist and other Mennonite congregations. While the focus is primarily on building relationships, issues around conflict and violence cannot be ignored, given the situation in Colombia.

North American sister churches are asked to join a program from a faith-based perspective. Some, like the Idaho church and one in Columbus, Ohio (USA), have sent groups to Colombia and a church group from Colombia has visited the U.S. (See sidebar story.) Both programs encourage participants to interact on all levels of congegational life, to emphasize sharing the joys and struggles of daily living, the importance of prayer and to pray for each other. North American sister churches are also encouraged to take risks to live out the gospel of justice and peace in their own communities as their Colombian counterparts endeavour to do.

Esquivia sees value in expanding the program to form sister relationships between congregations in the southern hemisphere who are in similar political and economic situations.

"It would be an opportunity," he says, "to stand in solidarity with one another. Not just in the sense that we say, 'Look, you are hungry and so are we,' but to provide leadership in bringing ourselves and our societies out of hunger." Mennonite World Conference, which already has a presence across the South, could help facilitate such relationships.

Program activities within Colombia include curriculum development and training for leaders in counselling and conflict mediation, attending to child victims of violence or military recruitment, and walking with ex-combatants as they re-enter civilian society. Sister churches outside of Colombia can raise awareness among their people of what their southern partners face and determine how they can provide resources — people, materials, funds — to help them. Each partner can share ideas on preaching, teaching and worship and both can pray for victims of violence and people in power. They can also consider pastoral exchanges and team visits.

North American partners are also encouraged to lobby their governments to examine and change policies that are repressive, unjust or exploit citizens of other countries and to propose alternative policies that nurture well being.

A church that discerns that it is willing to commit to a Sister Church Program should contact either the National Colombian Mennonite Church office at iglher@uolpremium.net.co or the Justapaz office at justapaz@colnodo.apc.org. and request more information. A letter of interest along with a church profile and names of a committee of contact people will be considered an application.

The National Colombian Mennonite Church office, along with regional offices, evaluates applications to its program. The Sister Church Commission of Justapaz along with the Human Rights and Peace Commission of CEDECOL (the Colombian Council of Evangelical Churches) handles applications to the Justapaz program. Both programs match applicants with a Colombian Mennonite congregation. Once a match is made, the profile and contact information of the Colombian church will be sent to the sister church and communication can begin.

— Ferne Burkhardt, News Editor

STRASBOURG, France — Visiting their sister church at Puerto Asis, Putumayo in Colombia could be a challenge for Rob Hanson and Rick Skinner from Boise, Idaho (USA). There is so much guerilla and paramilitary action in the area that last year's attempt to go there by Anna Zook, a fellow member of Hyde Park Mennonite Church, had to be abandoned. Instead, Angel Pinto, the Putumayo pastor, arranged a meeting at another location.

Hanson, who chairs the Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference's Peace and Justice Committee, has been a part of Christian Peacemaker Teams delegations to Chiapas, Mexico. Skinner, a Boise attorney, has been active in global and local peace and justice concerns, including ministries to the homeless. This will be their first visit to the church in Colombia paired with Hyde Park through the Justapaz "Sister Peace Church Program." No one from there has yet visited Idaho, but they hope that will happen.

Columbus Mennonite Church in Ohio (USA) hosted a delegation from its partner, the Comunidad Cristiana Menonita de Paz (CCMP) in Armenia, Colombia, in November. That relationship began more than four years ago, arranged by the Mennonite Church's "International Sister Church Program," after an earthquake demolished the CCMP church building, and four people from Columbus visited Armenia in October 2000. The Ohio church decided to use one percent of the price of its new building to help reconstuct the CCMP building and to begin a relationship with that church.

Despite the distance and cultural differences, the Colombians felt "welcomed with much love." J. Antonio Herrera, the Colombian pastor who was with the delegation, said it was important for them to witness the lifestyle of Anabaptist Christians with more economic resources and who face less violence. "In spite of [our] economic and social differences, in Jesus those barriers break down and [we are] one people with one mission." he said.

They observed the Ohio church's disposition to serve and its concern for every member of the community and for the world, said Herrera. Colombians were surprised by the Ohio congregation's lack of a manifestations of the Holy Spirit like speaking in tongues as one of the Colombians did during prayer.

"Our concept of God has expanded, our faith is nurtured and we feel the support of brothers and sisters beyond our own faith community through this experience," added Herrera.

Demographic similarities between the congregations were important for initial feelings of comfort. Both are urban, middle class churches started by college students and each has a peace emphasis. They now regularly share prayer requests and congregational news via e-mail. The visit has put faces to names and closer personal ties are anticipated.

The next major step is to have someone from each congregation work with the other congregation's outreach efforts for an extended period. This step will require time, funds, and learning a second language and culture. Dan Halterman from Columbus says the relationship of the churches is still in its infancy but they see it as long-term and don't know how it will grow.

What will change for the Idaho congregation as a result of its sister church connection? "We have already been changed," said Linda Nafziger-Meiser, pastor of the congregation. "We expect to continue to have our hearts affected by opening ourselves to the deadly consequences of our bumbling and inconsistent American policies in Colombia on our real brothers and sisters there. Many people in our sister church have been devastated by the American-sponsored, indiscriminate spraying which has destroyed essential food crops; Pastor Angel has received regular death threats; and paramilitary and guerilla fighting has held the area hostage.

"What is God calling us to do in response? We really do not know. We are feeling our way, confident that discernment and guidance will come as we continue to step forward in the small bits of light and opportunity that we have had," said Nafziger-Meiser.

Churches interested in exploring similar sister church relationships should contact the National Colombian Mennonite Church Office at iglher@uolpremium.net.co or Justapaz at justapaz@colnodo.apc.org.