Empowered Women

A woman came into the moderator's house during our lunch yesterday. I smiled and greeted her, but I am embarrassed to say that I was very surprised when I heard Lora translate that she was the pastor at the moderator's church. Up until this point, all the main leaders in the IPC that I have met have been men. What has caused my confusion? From my perspective it is a mixture of my own limited understanding of the culture, misinterpretations of the church, and the patriarchal mindset that I bring with me from my own context.

Martha's Call to Ministry

Martha fled with her family from her home in Córdoba when her children were very young to escape personal threats of violence there. They settled here in Chigorodó at some point and she continued as an elder here as she had been at home. She continued to take on leadership in the church as she reestablished her life.

Martha became the pastor of the original Chigorodó church with the continued encouragement of other elders in the community over several years. She graduated from seminary and was ordained into ministry as the solo pastor in her church with over one hundred members. She moved to the Manantial de Vida church in 2008 where she continues to lead. 

From 1990-98 there was a lot of violence in Chigorodó - dead bodies were often found in the streets. It was not safe to be out at night so members of the Chigorodó church were not comfortable walking from one neighborhood to the other for evening worship throughout the week. As a result, they started having evening worship at an elders house on the other side of the highway and eventually that led to building the church here called Manantial de Vida.  People from three other communities that were displaced including Ciesa moved here and solidified the need for a church in this neighborhood. Now people from many places are here - it is very diverse and very inclusive. Martha is the pastor in this community of replanted refugees. 

The positive encouragement from the community that empowered Martha to continue her studies and take on a traditionally male role in the church is amazing to me. What is even more amazing though is Martha's courage and tenacity to take on a difficult public and spiritual leadership role in a church that is known for speaking out against oppressors.

The Next Generation

Martha had to leave to meet with other church members so she left us with her daughter Jenny. Jenny is starting university  this year to study psychology. She is interested in working with communities. She has an interest in theology, but does not plan to be a pastor. Seeing the struggles of her mother seems to have had a big influence on her own decisions.

Not being a pastor does not mean she has any lack of initiative in the church! She is on the regional and national association of youth for IPC. She organizes national and   presbytery wide youth conferences every two years. She organizes events for ecological and social topics at these conferences. For example, they have talked about mining in Bahirá - both the environmental issues and how it affects the workers. Locally she organizes health brigades and soup kitchens, nature walks, and days to pick up trash in the streets. 

So why wouldn't someone so involved with the church at all levels be interested in becoming an ordained spiritual leader? Jenny has seen other female pastors in Barranquilla where the national offices are, but in the Urabá Presbytery her mother is the first and only female pastor. It must also be said that the Presbytery is only twenty years old.  One story she mentioned was where a man came to the door of the church asking for el Pastor, when Jenny explained that her church had a Pastora (female) he dismissed her and asked again for el PASTOR. Being dismissed over and over again is not encouraging even when your church members support you.

I asked Pastor Bernardino about this at breakfast today. He says that he has actively been encouraging five of the young women in his church to pursue a seminary degree. So far only one young woman has shown interest in seminary although there are many women acting as spiritual leaders in the church. 

Gender issues here are as real as they are in the United States. This is one of those situations where having an outside perspective makes the gender issue look much clearer. I should really have a corresponding article written from Jenny's perspective when she visits the United States some day. Talking to my sister, Reverend Katie Snipes Lancaster, Jenny could quickly see that there are hidden roadblocks for female pastors in my context as well. I praise God that Martha is willing to struggle through additional difficult challenges in order to make way for more women and more equality in the future. Her ministry is so important in this traumatic time in Colombian history.

(Me, Jenny, and Pastora Martha)

Needing Community

Yesterday was for Lora and I the longawaited  exploration of Chigorodó! We have been here for three days and had not been far beyond the thirty yards between the pastor's house and the templo (church - see, I am learning Spanish!). We woke up early for a 6am walk through this neighborhood to the major regional highway and then to the downtown which included a park with a Catholic Church on one end and the government offices on the other end.

(Department of Justice and government offices with people waiting outside for the doors to open)

Later we walked to a different neighborhood to be hosted for lunch by Jesus Vargas who is a ruling elder at Manantial de Vida Church (the other IPC church in town), the current moderator of the Urabá Presbytery and the principal of a school with over 2000 students. We talked about the Presbytery projects including reporting violence and injustice to local, regional and international authorities (including reports on the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship website), investing in growing lumber to pay for pastors' retirement, and developing community water filtration systems in towns where the government would not go.  

I asked why he has put so much time and energy into the church: When an armed group forced his family to flee their home in Nuevo Oriente (where he had also been an eldor), he joined the church in Chigorodó which was itself in need of dedicated leadership in a time of struggle. He had also been a school principal in Nuevo Oriento, so he was able to lead a new school here. He explained that when you work on things you care about, there are many people who come to support you and encourage you. If his community would not have pushed him to take on this leadership role, he never would have done it. 

Community is so important here in the life of the church. Living in community is a foundational part of my life as well. Unfortunately, one effect of globalization here is individualization. Vargas sees this in his school as students are now competing to be the best and most desirable for employers and teachers instead of learning how to collaborate with others. A lesson for both of our countries is, how do you promote a strong community and effective democratic government if citizens only know how to provide for themselves? Individualism is very disempowering for our global community. I have hope in the church community here that stands up for the oppressed, not for individual gain but for the good of all.

One Family, One Church

Today was a church marathon - from 9:30am to almost 1pm and then again in the evening for youth church. The youth church was more lively and had really great singers leading worship so I really enjoyed clapping and humming along with them! One young man even brought a guitar since I had asked if people play guitar there and mentioned that I would love to join worship in the musical language since I couldn't understand the Spanish! I enjoyed playing but need to work on finding songs they know in Spanish.

The highlight of the day outside of worship was being hosted for dinner by one of the elders of the church, Jorge. His wife had prepared roast beef, rice, chopped veggies and fried bananas for us to eat. He had three children present and one elder son who worked as a policeman in another town. Jorge sat to eat at the table with Lora an I while everyone else watched behind us in the small concrete living room. 

(Jorge's family outside their home)

Lora graciously translated for me that Jorge has been an elder for many years and coordinates a lot of the events for the three church plants that this congregation has started. He first described this church work and his role as a negotiator for the regional banana workers union which seemed to fill up his entire schedule, but then I came to realize that his income was earned as a banana sorter. He works for one of the big banana plantations and decides which bananas are "good enough" to be exported and which ones go to market in Colombia. I'll tell you the bananas that travel to the grocery store in the USA do not taste nearly as good as the freshly ripened ugly ones that I have been eating here!

Jorge is respected by the plantation owners because he leads group prayers for staff every morning and stems any possible riots in favor of more productive negotiations. He said this year they had successfully raised hourly wages by 4% which seems like a huge victory needed with current inflation.

His son who I met was working as a security gaurd for the Presbyterian school I mentioned previously in Apartadó.  He recently completed his two years of required military service and was offered a full time position at the base where he had worked, but he turned it down because he wants to go on to become a pastor. It is difficult to turn down a secure job like this, but it also seems hard to remain devoted to nonviolence when serving in the armed forces. He and I led a prayer together before we left the house, me praying in English and he in Spanish.

Jorge's  older daughter is in 10th grade and lives at home. She walked us back to the church and was responsible for leading the youth worship we attended. They did not need a pastor there to lead them. They could sing, lead prayers, read scripture and support each other on their own. Lora preached in Spanish as the guest. She is a serious theologian!

What is amazing to me is how much time each Memeber of the church devotes to supporting the community. While we were at church, Pastor Bernardino traveled to a church over an hour from Chigorodó that had been wiped out when a paramilitary group threatened the residents with violence over six years ago. They were forced off their land leaving only two church members who were willing to stay. Bernardino's church has been working with them ever since to keep the church doors open. There is new life there with new members, although the people who left will not come back. I would not want to return either. Experiencing threats and violence is common for people here. From what I can tell, many people living in this bario (neighborhood) are refugees from somewhere else in the region. The work of this church community is very relevant for every one here.

(The view from Bernardino's porch during a rain storm)

The All Stars :)

Today my accompaniment partner Lora and I traveled to the town of Chigorodó where we are staying with Pastor Bernardino. This area has a mix of cultures as it is home to  Indigenous peoples, Afro-Caribbean peoples, and people from all other regions of Colombia because it is near the pan-American highway.

We showed up at a house about a mile from the main square of town (still very dense neighborhoods) in a cab carrying our one big bag of supplies for the next two weeks. We sat in the house for sometime before Lora started translating where we were or who we were with. Then suddenly we sat down at a small dinner table with the pastor and his wife. we were surved a delicious lunch with pork, rice, pickled carrots and fried bananas. Once we were settled there he started to tell his story.

Pastor Bernardino has been here for 8 years but has been a church leader since he was 16 (in 1987). The area where he lives now was originally a banana plantation. When the owner could not pay his workers, they decided to move onto the property as payment. Since the people were favored by the local guerrilla armed group existing here at the time, the land owner was afraid to evict the new residents. Currently the neighborhood is well organized with grid-pattern streets, electricity, plumbing, and beautifully painted homes and businesses.

Previously Bernardino was the pastor in Apartadó where he was the head of the Urabá Presbytery.  During that time, paramilitaries and/or guerrillas  had been destroying the schools in the region so the presbytery decided to open a school (colegio) in Apartadó to support the community. Currently local schools are better funded  from the government and safe so the colegio is smaller.  They are now offering night college courses in the space as well.

Bernardino explained that there are three main ministries of his church, evangelism, deaconia (social justice), and environmentalism.  At the local government level there is an association of pastors that do massive evangelism events (campaigns) and he is Vice President of this association. The group includes all churches who wish to participate. The Catholics are not part of the association but they have been invited.  The IPC (Presbyterian Church of Colombia) has a good relationship with the Catholics (most people here identify as Catholic but I am not sure how many actually practice).

Bernardino's church also has connections with the local and regional government that meet regularly to discuss human rights concerns that they learn about through the congregation. We will visit some church members who were recently pushed off their land and still have not been able to find permanent settlement in this area. I think most of the people here have come here after being displaced from their land in other parts of the country. This community of displaced people has come together over many years. 

(Festival of "Families in Action" we saw coming into Chigorodó)

In addition to all of this, the church partners with organizations to promote environmental sustainability. This is a huge issue in a region where most of the industries involve extracting something from the land: bananas, pineapples, gold, copper, titanium, and oil. There are huge swaths of land still covered in rainforest, although it seems like they may be going away rather quickly.

(Bananas are everywhere!)

Basically, my first stop in Urabá is with a family of IPC all stars. I feel so honored to be staying with them this week. I pray we are open to learn from each other.

(Drinking the local "Tinto" coffee with Bernardino!)

Passion

I realized after writing the last blog about my day in Medellin that I did not fully express the joy I experienced meeting my hosts, D and S.  They took over as hosts at the last minute when the regional contact couldn't make it. They had other plans, but they jumped at the opportunity to take care of me for a day. 

Most amazing was the simple human desire to learn about each other. I meet a lot of people in my life, and I am often disappointed when a real connection is not made. Maybe because I do not follow professional sports or watch popular TV shows, I am not that easy to connect with.  But D and S made a deep connection with me in just a few short hours together and we speak different languages!

I think we really connected when I asked S , "Why are you studying journalism?" This opened up a dialogue about the need to empower women in society and how developing a strong voice for women in the news media would allow for change in male dominant structures. She also spends time with homeless people and finds them to be amazing teachers. So great!

D is studying finance and hopes to combine his passion for music with training in finance. He is still dreaming about how that would work - perhaps developing a music school, maybe helping musicians make a living, and definitely using the language of music to spread a message of hope and love and peace:). He and S are both leaders in the worship group at the new Presbyterian Church they founded in 2011! This has a big impact on the lives both of them are leading.

⬆D and S in downtown Medellin

I was a little hesitant at first to tell them what I wanted to do with my Masters of divinity degree, but after hearing their totally honest and inspiring hopes for the future, I decide to explain myself. I want to bring people from different faith traditions together to learn about each other respectfully and take action together to promote peace and justice in their community. Both D and S were excited about this concept and could relate to the need to be open to change and open to learning from/with the other.

This is all very inspiring to me as I come to Apartadó - a regional hub on the Pacific coast where I will be returning between home stays with human rights activists/pastors in the Urabá region. There is so much life in this country. Life dreaming about a more beautiful future. I hope I find this kind of life even in places that have experienced so much death.

Words of Peace

I landed in Medellin, Colombia yesterday after a whole day of flights across the Americas. I only stayed in Medellin for one day as a layover for my final destination in Urabá. I waited in line for customs with my one bag and after a few hesitant words exchanged in English and Spanish with the customs agent, he stamped my passport and I walked out to find my two hosts for the day holding a beautiful cardboard sign reading, "Benjamin." 

I was hosted by two young adults in university who are leaders in a new Presbyterian church that they started just over a year ago. The young man was basically fluent in English, so I retreated to my familiar language just minutes after entering the country!  We talked about music, art, and culture in Medellin and around Colombia. We also talked about the human rights work of the IPC (Presbyterian Church of Colombia). 

The young woman hosting me had been planning to attend a poetry festival going on at the time in Medellin called "One hundred Years of Peace for Colombia. She found an event that had an English speaking poet from Ireland. After eating lunch in the famous downtown complete with dozens of sculptures by Fernando Botero (who is from Medellin) and taking the metro train to my hotel, we went to the poetry festival held at her university.

One of Fernando Botero's works in Medellin 

We sat on the ground and listened to peaceful musical collaborations with instruments from drums and guitars to those plastic tubes you spin around in the air to whistle. The park was packed peacefully with people - many hugs and kisses were given as the crowds gathered, and finally the poetry began. 

They had international poets from Ireland, Peru, Egypt, and also poets from the 1% of Colombians that are indigenous peoples or Amerindian. They spoke passionately in their respective languages and translators spoke with equal vigor repeating the poems in Spanish. The crowd was alive - soaking up every word and applauding in celebration when they connected with the message. 

In my first day I have seen beauty, wisdom, strength, and love at every turn. I pray for peace. I pray for words of peace.

The Presbyterian Peace Fellowship is looking for a new accompaniment program coordinator. If you are interested in being an accompanier or being hired as the coordinator, check out their website.

My view at the poetry festival!

Journey to Colombia

Today I leave on a new journey with the people of Colombia, South America. I will not be with the government elite, the business leaders or the tourist industry, although I might run into them. I will be with the strong men, women and children who have moved to the tropical Urubá region of the country after being violently displaced from their homes, their communities and their land. These families and the local Presbyterian pastors that act as their civil rights advocates will be my guides into a world that is invisible in the United States despite the real connections between displacement and US interests.

I don't want to try to explain the complex systems of oppression that lead to US military aid in Colombia or land-grabbing strategies practiced by international corporations until I can understand at least one more layer of the issues on the ground. Stopping these oppressive practices is the objective that led the Presbyterian Church of Colombia to ask for a visible presence from the Presbyterian Church USA and that equal partnership for change is what moved me to get involved.

I leave tonight from Louisville, KY to fly to Chicago, Miami, Medellin, and finally to Apartadó before driving into the rainforests of Urubá to meet these amazing communities who come together as Christians to support one another. I am going both to use my US Passport as a shield for Colombian human rights activists and to be a witness to people's life stories in order to spread the word and promote change for justice and peace.  I pray for safety, for new friendships and for movement for liberation of these oppressed peoples.

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Peace