A group from Faith Chapel Church in San Diego, California visited El Salvador in late February. The group partnered with the Jerusalem church and community leaders in the construction of two homes. Last year, the group's visit marked the beginning of the housing project in the San Jose El Naranjo area. The group was very happy to learn that the church and community collaborated with ENLACE to build a total of 10 houses in 2006. They were even more thrilled to learn that local mayor's office has now stepped up and will be offering 22 homes for the neediest families in the area in addition to the church and community's 10 homes planned for 2007. It is amazing to see how a little initiative can cause a ripple of collaboration and hard work.
ENLACE's church and community program walks alongside churches as they begin to understand who they are as body and begin to reach out to their communities. The training helps form a biblical basis for why the church should be one of God's chief agents of transformation in the world and is one of the first and continuous aspects of ENLACE's work within any given community. Pastor Miguel Duran of the Good Samaritan Church in Las Delicias is no stranger to the concept of sacrificially serving his community; He has built his entire minstry around it. ENLACE has supported pastor Miguel and his core leadership team for over ten years. Recently, however, the leadership of his church has asked for training for the entire church. We hope to serve them in this manner in the coming months.
The community of El Cambio in El Tinteral celebarated the completion of a new access road. This small settlement community has seen amazing progress since it was founded after the 2001 earthquakes. Families in the El Tinteral area took refuge in what would be called El Cambio ("The Change") after a small plot of mountainous terrain was donated to put up temporary shelters. El Cambio's Ebenezer Church was established with the vision of collaborating with its community in order to bring positive change to the area. ENLACE has partnered with this church, community leaders, the mayor's office and other organizations over the last 6 years to bring sturdy homes, sanitation facilities, potable water, improved cooking methods, a local library and community center. All of these initiatives have truly brought "a change" to El Cambio.
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES INTERVIEW IN ABELINES- Blanca and Elena, original members of the Abelines health committee, tell what they have learned over the years and how it has affected the health of their community.
On Thursday, January 18 at 2:45pm I received a telephone call that I will never forget. Peter DeSoto a long-time friend and ENLACE co-worker had been shot in the neck. Peter and four ENLACE staff members were assaulted while coming home from a field visit with a long-time church partner in Abelines.
Kate Joslin, a friend from California, writes about San Jose El Naranjo
Our annual pastor and church leader’s retreat is the highlight of the year for our church and community program. It is a three day retreat that included seeking God together in prayer, sharing experiences from their contexts, Biblical training on servant leadership, and planning for next year's initiatives. This year, we invited pastors and church leaders from our four most committed communities.
