I’ll be honest. When I first came on staff, it took me a little bit to wrap my head around the idea of our Peru partnership. With my focus fixed on the Great Commission, I struggled at first to understand how spending Browncroft funds and partnering with a church that didn’t appear to “need us” made sense. Even though I had taken a seminary class on the Global Church that gave me new awareness, old patterns of thinking and living still needed to be worked out in my life. But over my past couple years here, I’ve seen the many ways our Peru partnership has been a blessing to our church and relearned some important lessons:
Christianity doesn’t belong to any culture, be it first century Judaism or a Western culture today. In the 1800s, well over 90% of Christians lived in the West. However, by 1990, the majority of Christians were in Africa, South America, Asia, and the Pacific, with proportional increases each year. The Majority World Christian today will have darker skin and be from a different continent than North America or Europe.
I find the ideas of Eddie Arthur, former CEO of Wycliffe UK, so helpful: “In the same way that any culture can be a vehicle for the Gospel, the Gospel also confronts every culture with a need to change and be aligned to God’s purposes. As someone once said, ‘all cultures are the same distance from Jerusalem.’”
The Beatitudes in Matthew 5 present a world that challenges us to think differently, with a different value system, and not according to the world which would squeeze us into its mold. In the Beatitudes we read “blessed are” the poor, the mourning, the meek, the hungry, the thirsty, and the persecuted, for when they look to God to meet their needs, they gain Him, the greatest gift and answer to all of their lack. We have the most opportunity to receive of God when we are challenged by our inadequacies, our needs, and our lack.
In partnership, we can work together to demonstrate the unity of the Body of Christ.
This all brings me the value of being in partnership with a church, Alianza Miraflores, that lives in a different world than we do, that is engaged in the mission alongside us, and that reads Scripture from a different cultural context. I’ve already been humbled through this partnership, and growing in humility is a good thing. I’m delighted for our church to welcome our friends from Miraflores this weekend and have them with us in the days to follow.
As Pastor Juan Valle, his wife Katty, and their adult daughter Maria Fe all join us at Browncroft, it will require extra attention, care, and appreciation to understand and learn. Their visit could even be a little humbling for us, which is good medicine. And through them, our vision of the world, the lost, the church’s mission, our culture, and so much more could enlarge and grow. In partnership, we can work together to demonstrate the unity of the Body of Christ, experience the power of the Holy Spirit to transform each of us as individuals and as congregations, and see God at work strengthening our ministries, our presence in our communities, and our efforts to reach the lost.
Together we can learn how to better be the Global Church — the one, holy, Body of Christ. We can collaborate together serving the mission of Jesus. This partnership began with talks in 2017 and became formalized a year later. It was established through joint endeavors such as soccer ministry here in Rochester, and kids camp, a family conference, and orphan ministry in Lima.
What’s our hope for our Peru partners’ visit next week (October 4-11)?
- Outreach and increased community among our own Hispanic families
- Sharing and learning from each other as both of our churches are engaged in the Alpha program
- Broad ministry exchange and care across all of our various ministries
- Discussions of future efforts, such as:
- Working together to financially support missionaries in Peru
- Supporting and working in the Peruvian orphanage (that also uses the Alpha Youth program)
- Growing our ministry among Hispanic families as that community grows in our area and in our church
Would you pray for this next week and even jump in? Maybe you’re skeptical as I was at first, thinking, what do I have to gain or to give? That’s where humility comes in. God isn’t impressed or confounded by how much or how little you have to offer. He can use you for His glory no matter what. Just enter into our spaces and be–be the person God created you to be and see how the Holy Spirit might meet you. Start with this Sunday’s service and hear how God speaks through our Peruvian partners in ministry. (Kids will hear from them in their Sunday theater experience, too!) Please stay for the free lunch after second service (featuring delicious catered Hispanic and Peruvian food) and join our conversation with the church in Miraflores. The Valle family will also join us at next Tuesday’s Alpha meet and Wednesday’s Student Night, and Katty Valle will share at our Women’s Gathering Friday night.
To RSVP for lunch on Sunday and the other gatherings this coming week, check out the buttons below. Give our friends a warm “Bienvenidos!” when you see them. We are grateful for their partnership!
