Pray for Chile on Sunday, September 4, 2011

Pray for Chile on Sunday, September 4, 2011

Prayers for Chile:  Matthew 18:19-20

We come to the Shalom Center, “a gathering place”, high in the Andes Mountains of Chile in your name, Lord Jesus, and discover you are in our midst.  You are here in the smiles of the teens at the retreat for pastors’ children.  You are here in the creative expressions of art, music, theater, and dance at the leadership course. You are here in the beauty of the forest, mountains, and waterfalls.  You are here and so we dare to ask because you have invited us to do so.  We pray that you might give us wisdom to bring peace, justice, mercy and truth to Chilean schools where there has been a 60% increase in violence since the 2010 earthquake.  We pray for the leaders of the Pentecostal Church of Chile as they seek to equip the church to creatively face the challenges of these times such as spiritual apathy, unchecked consumerism, domestic violence, a growing economic divide between the poor and rich, and uncertainty about the future. We pray for courage to protect the unique natural beauty of this country whose glaciers, rivers, and forests are threatened by climate change, massive hydroelectric projects, deforestation, and desertification.   We know, as we join our hands in a circle to pray, that you are among us, and so we trust that what we have asked for together on earth will be done for us by our Father in heaven.

Mission Stewardship Moment from Chile:

“I know change is good for us, but I don´t like it.”  Most of us, like the young staffer at the Shalom Center of the Pentecostal Church of Chile, have a hard time incorporating changes into our personal or church lives.  Change, however, is often the tool God uses to burst us open like the seeds of a dandelion and send us flying out to share the good news far and wide.  For many months we had been praying for change. Change in the bylaws of the Pentecostal Church of Chile allowing the Shalom Center to become one of the first protestant non-profits in Chile under the wings of a Pentecostal church.  Change in funding at the Shalom Center so as to open the way for a Chilean national to become the director of this new non-profit organization. What happens when two of us agree on earth about anything we ask?  God brings change!  Thanks to the guidance, support, and funding from Global Ministries, the Pentecostal Church of Chile has changed its bylaws, and soon the Shalom Center will be challenged administratively and programmatically to grow in excellence as an example for future non-profits in this church and others throughout the country. Viviana Muñoz, a woman pastor from Chile with management skills and a passion for the healing of relationships, has become the new executive director of the Shalom Center. As we gather to pray in Christ´s name, let us prepare for change!

(Prayer and Mission Moment by Elena Huegel)

Video Resources for Chile:

–          Earthquake Recovery – Pentecostal Church of Chile: http://globalministries.org/resources/multimedia-resources/videos/video-mission-moments/chile-recovery.html

–          Blessing Cabins – Pentecostal Church of Chile: http://globalministries.org/resources/multimedia-resources/videos/video-mission-moments/chile-blessing-cabins.html

–          Shalom Center – Trauma healing and Resilience Development Ministries: http://globalministries.org/resources/multimedia-resources/videos/video-mission-moments/chile-shalom-center.html

–          Shalom Center – Pentecostal Church of Chile: http://globalministries.org/resources/multimedia-resources/videos/general-videos/videos-from-shalom-center-in.html

Global Ministries Partners in Chile:

  • Iglesia Pentecostal de Chile (IPC):
  • Communidad Teologica Evangelica de Chile (CTE):
  • Fundacion de Ayuda Social de las Iglesias Cristianas (FASIC):
  • Centro Ecumenico Diego de MedellinTaller Piret :
  • Fundacion Educación Popular en Salud (EPES): http://www.epes.cl/

To learn more about partners and projects in Chile: http://globalministries.org/lac/countries/chile/

Global Ministries Missionary in Chile:

Elena Huegel, a member of Iglesia Cristiana Ebenezer, Los Fresnos, Texas, serves the Pentecostal Church of Chile (IPC). She is an environmental, peace and Christian education specialist at the Shalom Center.

Pray for Partners without Global Ministries Mission Personnel: Peru

For more info on Peru, click here: http://globalministries.org/lac/countries/peru/