|
ELCA Companions in
Mexico
AMEXTRA
The Mexican Association for Rural and Urban Development (AMEXTRA) is a Mexican
organization with Christian values which promotes the transformation of
marginalized communities in rural and urban areas. It believes that personal,
family, and community development which is sustainable grows out of changed
attitudes in relationship to other people, the environment, and with God.
AMEXTRA has 100 community promoters, most of
whom are volunteers. It sponsors many local projects which respond to needs and
opportunities in their communities. Some examples are a day care center which
provides training and empowerment for women as well as care and education for
the children; coffee shops; and coffee production.
AMEXTRA has been very active in the state of
Chiapas, which has a long history of economic, social and religious tensions.
Some tensions originated with former Protestant missionaries who led converts to
reject indigenous social and religious traditions. In the midst of a complex
interweaving of issues, AMEXTRA strengthens the people to think theologically,
act in cooperation, and make peace.
The
Theological Community (CTE)
The Theological Community of Mexico offers Protestant theological education in
an ecumenical setting for laity and pastors of Mexican Protestant churches. It
has expanded from a handful of Baptist and Episcopalian students in their
respective seminaries to well over a hundred students, men and women, clergy and
lay, from 20 denominations. The Community has become a highly respected school
and the only viable ecumenical institution in Mexico. The faculty includes
highly respected Mexican Lutherans, and the school publishes a theological
journal. There is a growing partnership between the Theological Community and
the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
The Lutheran
Center
The Lutheran Center of Mexico City is an
ecumenical and inter-Lutheran retreat center which is a joint venture of
the ELCA and LCMS. The center lodges the ELCA immersion program which primarily serves Christian
groups from the United States who wish to meet Mexican people and experience
their culture, their faith, their language, their wealth, their poverty, their
dreams and their friendship. Groups study Latin American reality and meet
Mexicans who are making a difference in the context of their faith. Visits to
local towns as well as sites within the huge metropolis of Mexico City help
groups learn how AMEXTRA and other organizations are addressing the overwhelming
and complex issues which face Latin Americans. Visitors also learn how the U.S.
government and its policies contribute to the struggles of the Latin American
people and become advocates for more just and responsive policies. For
information on a semester immersion program for seminary students, see:
www.luthersem.edu/gmi/mexico.
Good
Shepherd Lutheran Church
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (Buen Pastor) is a bilingual (Spanish and English)
congregation in Mexico City, serving Mexicans and expatriates. It provides an
important ministry to bilingual families whose members are at home in English or
Spanish but not necessarily both.
The congregation owns a fine worship facility and parsonage.
|
