Sister Parish
First Lutheran Church and Rios De Agua Viva
 Our partnership with Rios de Agua Viva, our Sister Parish in San Mauricio, El Salvador. began in the early 1990s when we were introduced through the Companion Synod program. For many years Christine Segerhammer served as head of the Sister Parish program and maintained our communication with the Pastor in Rios. We received our first visitors from Rios in 1997 and responded by sending a delegation of youth, led by Mark Hurty and Randy Urdahl, in 1998. A second youth delegation traveled to El Salvador in November of 1999. In 2001, following the earthquake which devastated the country, a women's delegation from FLC went to Rios, taking many needed supplies. During the summer of 2002, we again hosted a small delegation from Rios. Friendships began between the youth of both congregations which blossomed during our latest visit during the week after Christmas 2004.
The latest delegation to visit Rios consisted of 5 high school youth and 3 adult chaperones. We specifically focused on meeting the people in the congregation and building relationships with them. We visited their homes, shared the Word and prayer, and listened to their concerns. We spent time learning about the civil war that has affected so many of the families in the congregation. Bishop Gomez and his family hosted us for an evening, giving us the opportunity to discuss with him the role of the Lutheran Church in El Salvador. Finally, we had an opportunity to meet with both the Rios Church Council and Youth Council, to discuss their ministry in their community and the plans that they have for the future. See photos or a slideshow from our trip.
With this recent trip, many of us at FLC have developed true friendships with our brothers and sisters in San Mauricio. We have a better vision of what their hopes are for their ministry and how we can support them in their efforts. The community there is economically depressed, but rich in faith. They have presented to us four specific projects that they would like help with.
Current Projects in Rios - January 2005
- Security wall: There is a great need to replace part of the wall surrounding the church. Security is a major issue in all of El Salvador, as great poverty leads to high crime rates. A neighbor who is an architect has designed a wall that will offer security as well as improve the appearance of the church.
Estimated cost for the building materials is $1800. Labor will be supplied by the members of the congregation.
- Sponsor Children: Many of the children in the congregation cannot afford to go to school. Pastora Vilma and the church council have drawn up a list of names of children who are in need of financial support, limiting it to one child per family. It is hoped that the members of the congregation at FLC will "adopt" one of the children at Rios and sponsor them financially on a monthly basis. The funds will go to buy uniforms and shoes, school supplies and transportation for the child. Sponsoring families would get a photo and a brief history of the child and their family. It is hoped that beyond just the financial help, it will serve to connect our families with theirs in a more personal way. More information.
Estimated costs: $25/mo for preschool, $30/mo for primary school children, $40/mo for high school students and college students.
- Support the after school program: The church was forced to close its school a few years ago for lack of funds. There is great need in San Mauricio for an after school "homework help" program. The children of the community would be able to come to the church and receive tutoring from some of the older students and possibly some student teachers form the Lutheran University. Pastora Vilma hopes that this could be a springboard to reopen the school full time in the near future.
Estimated cost: $100+/mo. This should be an ongoing project supported by benevolence funds designated for Sister Parish.
- Mini-Library and school supplies store: The Youth Council at Rios is hoping to open a small "school supplies" store and mini-library in one of the school rooms at the church. There is no place nearby where the students can get what they need for school. Once it is established, it should be self supporting and they hope it will provide a small social center in their neighborhood. They are collecting used books for the library and building bookshelves.
Estimated Cost: $1000
We are currently in a good position to support our Salvadoran brothers and sisters in these ministries. Several years ago fundraising efforts raised $2000 for a Rios Silk Screening project which was placed in a FLC fund. For a variety of reasons, this project never came to fruition and the fund balance is currently $2091. At their January meeting, FLC Church Council approved a motion to release these funds to the Sister Parish Committee to be used for the current needs of the Rios Congregation.
The Committee has designated $1000 for the store and mini-library. An additional $1000 has been set aside for the security wall, with the remaining amount to be raised through additional fundraising. The FLY group will be recruiting members of the congregation to sponsor the children, and it is hoped that the support for the after school program will be provided by the Sister Parish portion of the benevolence budget, or by special donations.
Looking Ahead
As mentioned above, one of the most important things to come out of our most recent visit has been a renewing of friendships. That, in turn, has opened avenues of communication that have previously been a struggle. We are in contact with the people in Rios almost every day and in the short month since we've returned we've been reminded again just how difficult their lives are, and how much our support, both spiritually and financially, means to them. One of the young mothers who we visited has been diagnosed with AIDS. She is just 23 and has children 7, 5, and 2. Now her husband and children are being tested as well. Just this week, we received news of a vicious attack on the Lutheran University, in which a night watchman was brutally murdered and many valuable resources stolen.
It is our goal to keep our Sister Parish in the hearts and prayers of the members of the congregation here at FLC, to report often on their ministry and to connect our families with theirs through the "Sponsor a Child" program. It is our hope that the current enthusiasm of the youth will spill over into the adults so that we, as a congregation, are united in our support of our sister community.
References and Links
Background for the ELCA Sister Parish Program
The ELCA is a member of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), a communion of 133 churches in 73 countries. The Companion Synod Program is an expression of the communion fellowship of the ELCA with its companion churches in the LWF. The 65 Synods of the ELCA participate in the Companion Synod Program which is under the administration of the ELCA Division for Global Mission.
The Companion Synod relationship exists for the purpose of strengthening one another for life and mission within the body of Christ, giving us an opportunity to participate in the life and ministry of our companion church through prayer, communication, exchanging visitors, and sharing resources.
There are currently 3 ELCA Synods participating in the Companion Synod Program with the Salvadoran Lutheran Synod: the Sierra Pacific Synod, the Greater Milwaukee Synod and the Metropolitan Washington D.C. Synod. First Lutheran Church in Palo Alto, CA is in partnership with Rios de Agua Viva in San Mauricio, El Salvador.
Goals
Sister Parish Program Partner churches seek to:
- Make manifest our unity in Christ through sharing experiences of faith and Christian living
- Provide a network of concerned friends to advocate for our Salvadoran brothers and sisters should they be in danger or need
- Build up the reign of God here on earth as it is in heaven through support of small community-based, sustainable development projects
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