GLOBAL MINISTRY
The ELCA describes their vision for Global Mission as “accompaniment” and defines it as walking together in a solidarity that practices interdependence and mutuality. This vision shapes our Global Mission efforts at Gethsemane.
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EL SALVADOR
We have a formal partnership with Iglesia Concordia, a small and faithful congregation in San Salvador, El Salvador. Each summer we travel with a delegation to visit our partners for a week of worship, relationship-building, sightseeing, learning and service work. We are thankful for the hospitality and generosity that we receive on each visit. As we take these steps to walk together in solidarity we recognize that the partnership we have with Iglesia Concordia is with our entire congregation and not simply those who travel.
When we travel we bring along donations of medicines, books and other items on request, we have also brought down hand-made liturgical gifts like a stole, communion-ware and an altar cloth, translated letters and photos to share with our partners. These offerings are one way that all of our members can participate in our partnership. We regularly pray for our partners in worship and encourage individual prayers for Iglesia Concordia, their ministries and members as another way that we can walk together.
We look forward to the work of identifying new ways to walk alongside of Iglesia Concordia with mutuality and interdependence as our relationship grows and trust that there will be new ways for our members to be engaged in this vital ministry.
Finally, as we continue to grow our partnership in El Salvador we are building relationships with the Lutheran Church in El Salvador and several churches in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area synods that also have partnerships in El Salvador. These ongoing partnerships have been a blessing as we continue to learn about partnering with a global congregation.
You can pledge your support to our partners in El Salvador here.
GLOBAL MISSION TRIP TO EL SALVADOR FAQ
What is the Cost of the trip? What does it include?
The total cost of the trip is $2,000 with a $200 deposit due March 24th. This includes airfare, 7 nights lodging, all in-country transportation, and food. The Gethsemane Memorial Foundation will subsidize each participant $200 towards the cost of their trip. The group could decide together to do a fundraiser to help offset the cost of the trip.
Where do we stay?
We will stay in a very nice guesthouse, Las Magnolias, located on the side of a volcano overlooking the city of San Salvador. Our host, Christian and his partner, provide breakfasts and some dinners. Each room includes a bathroom (with a shower) and will be shared with 2-4 people depending on the size of the room.
What will we do in El Salvador?
Our trip will be a combination of visiting with our partner congregation, Iglesia Concordia, their pastor Gloribel, and members of their congregation. There will be time to visit the homes of some of the members, share how ministry and the community has changed in the past four years, and learn about their challenges and hopes for the future. We also will visit sites around the city of San Salvador to lean about its history, the culture, and the civil war. We are planning three day trips, one to the rural village of Guaymango, a partner congregation, another to the coffee fields that support the Lutheran pastors in El Salvador, and a day of rest at the beach on the Pacific ocean. There will be some less structured times that include meals in restaurants, visits to marketplaces and time for fellowship and devotion with fellow travelers.
What is the required retreat?
We are planning a half day retreat in June for all the travelers to get to know one another, learn final details of our trip, as well as some cultural and historical pieces about the country so we can journey there with grace and humility.
Who will we be leading our trip?
Both Pr. John and Pr. Amy will be traveling with us and organizing the trip. Sophie Yakes will be our group translator for those who don’t speak Spanish. Our “In-Country” host will be Christian Chavarría Ayala, who works for the Lutheran Church of El Salvador and who’s guesthouse we will be staying at. Michele Lehmbecker will be our “experienced traveler” as she has made the trip several times.
How is this trip part of Gethsemane’s global mission efforts?
During the pandemic it was not possible to travel to El Salvador for several years. Last year a small delegate returned to reconnect with our sister congregation. During that visit they begged for us to return with a large group of Gethsemane members so that together we could see the joy the church is bringing to the people in El Salvador. Our partnership is one of “Accompaniment.” This means, mutually journeying alongside one another in mission and faith. Our gift is not to bring something, or do something, our gift is to recognize that we cannot “be” the church without one another and we each have wisdom to share.
The Lutheran church in El Salvador is in the process of electing a new Bishop, just as we are electing a new bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod. We will participate in conversations about our ongoing partnership and brainstorm ways that both sides can contribute to the mutually edifying relationship.
As a traveler you should be willing to serve as ambassadors of Gethsemane, and upon returning, an ambassador of our mutual partnership with Iglesia Concordia. As we continue to build on our partnership, we will need people to tell the story and help to recruit future travelers and other participants.
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