The Sinaloa church leaders meeting!

Thanks so much for your prayers regarding this meeting, held on January 20th in Ceuta. We were concerned that two of the four pastors wouldn’t be able to make the meeting due to work obligations, but, praise the Lord, all were in attendance. It was a long meeting, about five hours with no breaks, water or food! But they were determined to get through their worship and agenda and did a fine job.

Each of the pastors shared their hopes and concerns and visions for the future of their congregations. They had a time of worship and shared communion together.

Pastor Lupe from the Mazatlan church advised that his church is looking into a major community outreach for them: a home for displaced elders. Lupe and his wife Emilia have already taken a 90 plus year old lady into their home, and their work with her over the past couple of months has helped them to see the need of other elders in Mazatlan.

Traditionally, families have either had a family member return to the elder’s home to help them as they age, or have moved the elder in with their own family. But those traditions are losing ground all the time, leaving many elders either on the street, or living alone in a home they can no longer manage. Many are at a minimum lonely and at worst, unable to care for themselves. There is apparently a big deficit in community homes for older Mexican folks, and the Mazatlan congregation hopes to step into that gap. They have been working with DIF, which is the government assistance arm here. They hope to find a surplus building that can be renovated into a home for elders. DIF may also have grants available to help with the renovation and may also have some small aid available to the elders themselves who would be situated there. Lupe and Emilia are very excited at the prospect of this new ministry and are educating their congregation of the need and the opportunities for them to participate. Please pray with them regarding this venture. It is a big undertaking for them!!

The leaders also talked about organizing some continuing education for the pastors, something intensive over a weekend that would fit with their work schedules, since three of the four pastors are bi-vocational. These education segments would be lead by Lupe and perhaps by guest teachers as well. They would be held in the institute in Mazatlan.

Additionally, they would like to gather together for an annual conference in which they can exchange ideas and catch up with one another’s ministries and lives. A conference for them is long overdue. They will have another meeting on this subject in May. They are also talking about converting the unused church in El Salto to a retreat center to be used for church training and conferences for church workers.

There is also some interest in networking with other Lutheran organizations in Mexico. Presently, the Alianza Apostólica Luterana Mexicana does not communicate with or fellowship with other Lutherans working here, such as the ELCA, LCMS and AFLC to name a few. They would like to begin relationships with these other Lutheran bodies. Perhaps attend their conferences or hold joint conferences in the future. Please pray with them as they seek how to contact and interact with their brother Lutherans in Mexico.

All in all it was a great time of fellowship for the workers in Sinaloa, and it is our prayer and theirs that it will continue! Praise the Lord. Thanks for your continuing prayers for them!

Back row: Darwin, Lupe (Mazatlan), his wife Emilia and Juan (El Castillo)
Front row: Lidia, Tom, Ralph, Jose (La Cruz) and Ismael (Ceuta)