Mission and Ministry work in Latin America & the Caribbean
The very first Lutheran School on the Island of Jamaica was recently dedicated in the impoverished area of downtown Kingston, known as Parade Gardens.
The Mercy Center, an institute of Concordia Seminary the Reformer (CMSCR), provides a spectrum of educational conferences, from personal witnessing and Christian reconciliation to family and community health and life issues. Disaster response training throughout the Latin American and Caribbean Region is done under the auspices of the Mercy Center.
The Mercy Center, an institute of Concordia Seminary the Reformer (CMSCR), provides a spectrum of educational conferences, from personal witnessing and Christian reconciliation to family and community health and life issues. Disaster response training throughout the Latin American and Caribbean Region is done under the auspices of the Mercy Center.
In July, volunteers, Christa Wesley and Libna Destin from Martin Luther Chapel in Pennsauken, New Jersey, traveled to Peru. Their goal was to enhance the normal routine of the children with a week long music camp.
We thank God for Concordia the Reformer Mercy Center, which has organized and facilitated several theological conferences across Latin America this year.
The first ever vacation Bible school was held last week in Palmar Arriba, Dominican Republic. Missionaries, pastors, deaconesses, seminarians and others assisted with stories about Bible heroes, crafts, and songs.
Diaconal formation continues to expand throughout Latin America. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Office of International Mission in Latin America and the Caribbean adds the country of Panama.
Thanks to Jamaica’s first OIM short-term team, DOWN came a wall in the sanctuary and UP went a drop ceiling in the apartment. Five individuals from Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Wichita Falls, Texas, labored alongside local plumbers, electricians, and carpenters to bring the multifaceted vision for the building ever closer to reality.
On Trinity Sunday, seven new adult confirmands were brought into membership at Lamb of God Lutheran Church in Licey, Dominican Republic. Missionary Pastor Sergio Fritzler, from Argentina, serves the congregation part-time, in addition to his duties as a seminary professor at Concordia the Reformer Seminary. Recent seminary graduate, Yban Navarro, assisted with the service.
Luke 6:36 reads, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” Showing mercy is part of our identity as Christians. Therefore, it makes sense that Lutherans in the Latin America & Caribbean region would intentionally focus on showing mercy in close proximity to the preaching of the Gospel and the planting of Lutheran churches.
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