wfn.org | Lutherans in North and South America Share a History

[Brenda Williams <BRENDAW@elca.org>]

Reply-To: ElcaNews <ELCANEWS@ELCASCO.ELCA.ORG>
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

July 2, 1998

LUTHERANS IN NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA SHARE A HISTORY
98-24-145-MR

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Angel Furlan, president of the Iglesia
Evangelica Luterana Unida (United Evangelical Lutheran Church) in Argentina
and Uruguay, said his church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
will continue their long history of work together.  Furlan, of Buenos
Aires, Argentina, spoke to ELCA participants in a Latin American Companion
Synod Consultation here June 12-14.
     The event, hosted by the ELCA's Division for Global Mission, brought
together leaders from the 11 ELCA synods involved in work with Lutheran
churches in Latin America.  Each of the ELCA's 65 synods is matched with a
"companion" church.
     The Montana Synod relates to the church in Bolivia, the Northwest
Synod of Wisconsin to Brazil, the Indiana-Kentucky Synod to Chile, the
Southwestern Minnesota Synod to Colombia, the Northeastern Pennsylvania and
Nebraska Synods to Argentina.
     "It was the result of missionary work from the United States that the
Lutheran church in Argentina and Uruguay developed to become a national
church body  recognized by the government in 1940," said Furlan.
     At the beginning of the century, Lutheran missionaries from Nebraska
and Pennsylvania helped communities in Argentina form their own Lutheran
Church, said Furlan.  "Local pastors in Argentina worked side-by-side with
missionaries for church development."
     "This relationship was unique because most Lutheran churches in South
America were European transplants," noted Furlan.  "Germans, who came to
settle in Argentina in the last century, preached only to German
communities there.  It has only been in the past two decades that they have
opened themselves to use Spanish in their worship life.  The same story is
true for the Danish community that also arrived here in the last century."
     "The language of our church from the beginning is the language of the
people -- Spanish.  We owe that to our brothers and sisters in the United
States" said Furlan.  "This makes our church different from any other in
the country whose primary language was not Spanish."
     "Many refugees from eastern Europe came to Argentina, too.  In that
way, the 'ethnic congregation' emerged within the Lutheran church in
Argentina.  It is very important to highlight this point because we see
that you also have ethnic congregations within the ELCA.  You will have
more in the future, particularly Latino ethnic communities," Furlan told
participants.
     "The challenge among congregations of the church today is to reach
the poor and people that are excluded from the socio-economic system in our
country," said Furlan.  "This is how new missions have been developed in
the church."
     "Restucencia, a town in northern Argentina, is an area that has
constant flooding.  With the Lutheran World Federation, the church built
100 homes for families living in that area," said Furlan.  "The name of
this community project is the Rainbow Project."
     "Another area of ministry that continues to be very important to the
Lutheran church in Argentina involves ministry with HIV-positive
individuals" he said.  "We have a home for people with AIDS who have been
abandoned by their families or relatives.  The church provides a safe and
caring place for HIV-positive people."
     Furlan pointed out that the relationship between the ELCA's Nebraska
and Pennsylvania synods, "as it was established and developed more than 50
years ago, was characterized by paternalism.  This was the way the
relationship was designed for some time."
     "The key component of the companion synod relationship between both
churches today is no longer paternalistic," said Furlan.  "Today it is
about accompaniment.  The focus is now on the communion of the two
churches, the opportunity for the two to exchange gifts and share the hopes
and dreams of both churches together."
     "The Lutheran church in Argentina and Uruguay continues to grow with
a very strong mission emphasis," said Furlan.  "The way in which we see our
relationship between the two churches, as an accompaniment, sounds very
good to our ears.  It shows that there has been some maturity over the last
several years."
     "Participants met to share stories, encourage and support
relationships between the ELCA and the Lutheran church in Argentina, as
well as to provide work and ministry updates," said the Rev. David
Dennison, ELCA associate director for global relationships.

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html