Where to begin...

I received a quick email message a few moments ago from a new friend from St. John's Lutheran Church who traveled to El Salvador for the first time earlier this month. She asked, "How did the partnership begin?" 

"Can I call you?' I texted. But then I gave it a little thought. Have I actually written down the origin story of our sister church* partnership? I searched my blog, and I did not find a story. It seems perhaps is it one of those twisty-turny tales that lives in the oral tradition of the few of us who are old enough to be originals. It might be easier to call, but I think it is time to write. I messaged my friend to watch for a link.

Where to begin...

The year was 1995. I had recently joined the church staff at St. John's ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) in Brookfield, Wisconsin as the Parish Education Coordinator for babies through adults. One of my responsibilities was to plan the programming and train the staff for Sunday School. I learned that our Sunday School children had supported a global mission connection in the past, but the connection no longer existed. When I asked Pastor Dave and Pastor Paul about it, they suggested I set up a new connection. I had zero experience with the synod, the national church or anything global, so I did what any good former math teacher would do: I left it to chance. I pulled out the ELCA Global Mission catalog which had recently arrived on my desk, closed my eyes, and said, "OK, God, where should we go?" I let the pages fall. The book opened to a photo of the San Salvador volcano in El Salvador. 

Well, what did we know about El Salvador? Nothing. My friend Pam, the Sunday School Principal, and I went to the Waukesha Public Library and checked out as many books as we could find about El Salvador. Surely we must have consulted with the Education Board or the Council, but I have no recollection of that. We just dove right in and decided to plan a big event, which we very creatively called "El Salvador Sunday".  At a planning meeting, one of our Sunday School teachers mentioned her cousin Mary happened to be a missionary in El Salvador. Great! We planned to have El Salvador Sunday during the Missionary Mary's home stay so she could lead a forum for adults while the children had a more hands-on experience.

As we started poking around in all things El Salvador, we learned that there was a Greater Milwaukee Synod El Salvador Committee. (How did we not know that?) The Outreach Committee, along with Principal Pam, put an article in the St. John's newsletter, looking for a liaison to serve on the St. John's Outreach Committee and the Synod El Salvador Committee. Jim  and Vonda, newish members at St. John's answered the call. Jim's organizational gifts, Vonda's little bit of Spanish, and their combined heart for social justice ministries seemed like just the right fit for the job. 

Through its involvement at the synod level, St. John's learned about the long history Milwaukee Lutherans have with Salvadoran communities and Salvadoran Lutherans, including the Companion Synod Relationship which the Greater Milwaukee Synod shares with the Salvadoran Lutheran Church (since 1988) and the community relationship with Comunidad Rutilio Grande (early 1990's). We learned quite a bit about Community Rutilio Grande from communications with missionaries in El Salvador and also from Pastor Greg at All Peoples Gathering Church in Milwaukee. Pastor Greg and his family spent sabbatical time living in Rutilio Grande, and All Peoples was raising funds to help with church construction there.

St. John's decided to designate the 1996 Sunday School offerings as support for two scholarship students in Rutilio Grande. We also decided to take up a special offering on El Salvador Sunday to help put a roof on the community's school. Sunday School teachers and friends worked to build a model Salvadoran community in the fellowship hall. We set up a model market and home. We wrote scripts for the teachers so students could learn and ask questions. We had Salvadoran snack foods and art stations for different grade levels. In February, 1996, while Jim and Vonda were a little busy with the birth of their daughter, Ellen, El Salvador Sunday introduced children and adults to the new global ministry connection St. John's was developing with friends in El Salvador.

Steve takes on the role of "Emilio" to help children learn about
daily life for a family in a rural community in El Salvador.

On March 24, 1996, little baby Ellen was baptized. On March 24, 1996, a group of 150 post-war refugee families officially settled on a small piece of land surrounding a hill. At the top of the hill, the families planted an iron cross. Here they would build their church. After much debate, they decided to name the church, Iglesia Luterana Los Héroes en la Fe (Heroes in the Faith Lutheran Church) to honor those who had given their lives and would continue to give their lives to God for the good of the community. We would not learn this story for a few more years.

In 1997, the Greater Milwaukee Synod El Salvador Committee received a request from the Salvadoran Lutheran Church for help in jumpstarting a church to church relationship program. Jim brought the request to St. John's: would we consider setting up a sister church relationship with a specific Lutheran congregation in El Salvador? We were offered two options by the Salvadoran Sister Church Office: one church was in an urban setting and the other was a resettlement community out in the countryside. We were warned in a small way, that the countryside church community was not exactly well-organized. There were divisions. "Tough cookies" was a descriptor that traversed the language barrier: "Sí, galletas duras." Well, Pam and Vonda and I seemed to know right away: the tough cookies might be in greater need of partnership. So, as much as we have chosen anything in this partnership journey, we chose Los Héroes. 

In mid-1998, the relationship was formalized via a little labyrinth of translated emails with help from our friend missionaries in El Salvador. Thanks to Mary, we sent a 70 lb suitcase to Los Héroes, filled with gifts from our Sunday School (including a felt banner and bright red canvas bags which were decorated by our kids and filled with school supplies). By this time, Jim and Vonda had taken on another role with our Sunday School program, leading what we called "The Traveling Road Show" which brought age-appropriate, hands-on El Salvador lessons into the Sunday School classrooms, week by week. From that first big El Salvador Sunday, we recognized the wisdom in growing our sister church relationship with intentional, regular programming with our children. The children had Salvadoran prayer partners. The children read Salvadoran stories. The children took home Salvadoran crafts and letters for their parents. This ministry strategy was highly effective and grew a generation of families who felt, and continue to feel connected with Los Héroes.

School supplies delivered to Los Héroes

In March, 1999, Jim traveled to El Salvador as a member of a Greater Milwaukee Synod delegation. The group served as international election observers and visited several Salvadoran Lutheran Churches, including Los Héroes. Jim was able to spend a night in the community, and for the first time, bring back photos of our sister church families. Later that same year, pastors from the Salvadoran Lutheran Church traveled to Milwaukee for the Synod Assembly. The group, including Pastor Santiago from Los Héroes, spent time at St. John's, as well as other congregations in Milwaukee and Waukesha. 

Picture Jim took of Pastor Santiago helping lead school classes.
The church served as the community school until later in 1999.

With these recorded moments, we could say, this is how the partnership began. For St. John's. For me. And for some whose names appear in this story. 

But this partnership has always been bigger than us. Maybe you felt that as you read this story. Maybe you entered this story somewhere in the midst of these moments and have something to add. Maybe you entered the relationship with was already years into its making. Or maybe this is where your Salvadoran partnership story begins.

*In Spanish, the word "church" is "la iglesia" and the term for churches in partnership is "iglesias hermanas," literally "sister churches." Other common terms are: partner churches, sibling churches, companion churches.