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Search Term: bleijerveld
Costa Rica: with Pastor Eric
While I was visiting in Pastor Eric's church in San Jose, Costa Rica, I met one fellow who came out of a drug addiction background. He first came to the church to case the joint--see what kind of sound system they had, so he could come back and steal it. Instead, he became a Christian. If he doesn't become a pastor or preacher in some way, I'll be surprised.
He developed a huge tumor on his neck, about the size of a soccer ball. It was intertwined with his vocal chords. The doctor said, "You can have the surgery, but you'll probably never speak again." The church prayed over him. He speaks a little rough, but he has a voice and he intends to use it.
At this same church, we heard a knock at the door, and a fellow entered with his wife and two young children (in pajamas). He had been influenced by the church for some time. He was a heroin addict, and wanted to be set free. We prayed with them as he confessed his sin and accepted Christ into his life.
It's Becoming a Dangerous World
At the Cristo Rey UB church in Costa Rica.
Before Charlene and I went to Spain as missionaries, we spent a year attending language school in Costa Rica. When I visited San Jose in January to see our churches in that city, I discovered some major changes.
The city is much more violent. I used to walk all around the city with no sense of danger. Now, I was told, even the locals don't go out walking on the streets.
Probably the biggest crime now is extortion--not only in Costa Rica, but all through Central America. Someone calls you on a cell phone and says that if you don't leave a certain amount of money at a certain place tomorrow, they'll kill you, or your wife, or your children. They don't even bother to kidnap you. They just threaten you over the phone.
Anyone who appears to have any money is at risk. You don't need to be rich; a middle class person will do. The police don't know what to do about it, because how do you prove anything from a phone call? And people don't go to the police, because they have no idea who called them. Maybe it was a policeman.
In Honduras, one day I walked from the Bethel School, where we held the conference, back to my hotel. I heard about it. They said I shouldn't put myself at risk like that.
The same is true in many places around the world. In the Philippines, Sierra Leone, and other places where United Brethren churches operate, you just don't go walking around. Even locals get mugged, have their pockets picked, have cell phones taken off their belt. If they're hitting the nationals, sooner or later, if you visit regularly, you'll get victimized if you don't take reasonable precautions.
Garden Plots for the Church's Neighbors
I had a great day this past Sunday visiting with our churches in Holly Hill and Port Orange, Florida. Both are wonderful churches with excellent pastors and kind-hearted people. I'd transfer my membership to either one if it weren't for the long commute.
If folks are looking for a winter haven in the south, I'd encourage them to check out the Daytona Beach area. We have wonderful UB churches that would be happy to have them join the family.
In Port Orange, Faith UB has been demonstrating God's kindness by creating garden plots so neighbors can grow produce for their family's needs. Church member Pat Gill laid out the thirty or so raised gardens that come complete with drip line irrigation and are marked off in one-foot by one-foot squares. This system allows families to harvest crops four times per year. Wish I could do that in Indiana!
Live from the UB Youth Workers Summit
Jerry Davis speaking to the UB youth workers.
I am attending the UB Youth Workers Summit, which started today at First UB church in Holly Hill, Fla. We have 33 United Brethren youth workers from as far away as Boston.
Dr. Jerry Davis, from Huntington University, is our speaker. The theme is "Rooted."
- Rooted in relationships
- Rooted in worship
- Rooted in scripture
- Rooted in prayer
- Rooted in Christ
When is the Right Time to Have a Child?
My wife and I were both 23 years old when we had our first child. Some today believe that was pretty young, and no doubt it was. However, my kids are now having grandkids, and I'm glad I've got the strength and energy to enjoy them.
It seems the trend today is toward having children later in life. I suppose that helps explain why fertility clinics are doing so well. Some just seem to wait far too long. For some it may be a matter of completing their education, others a question of maturity, some just never think they can afford a child.
Planting churches is similar to having babies. Some wonder if it's the right time, if they have enough resources, or if they should have a baby at all.
Our United Brethren churches in Latin America can't follow that logic. They daughter churches at a pace that would frighten most people. The term "Octochurch" might even apply in some cases. Seemingly unconcerned about resources, timing or preparation, they simply gather believers in a new area and begin outreach. Once they begin having an impact, they build a simple shelter and before you know it, a new church has been organized. Within ten years or so, that church will probably give birth to a new church itself.
I admit, not all new churches succeed; up to one-half of all new church plants in Latin America fail. But they seem willing to tolerate a lot of failures on the road to success.
In the photograph is a group of believers who have assembled to plant one of two new churches in Managua, Nicaragua. During recent visits to Central America, I must have visited no less then 30 churches just like this one in Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Honduras.
Everyone in church planting and missions is agreed that the most effective way to saturate a region for Christ is through the multiplication of growing churches. So why doesn't it happen more often.
What about you? Have you had a baby yet? What are you waiting for?
Our Role in a Highly-Churched Country
The countries of Central America have large evangelical populations. Guatemala and El Salvador are 26% evangelical, Honduras is 23%, Nicaragua 22%. That's nearly as high as the United States (26%, according to one study). So how does this affect our role?
Those countries don't need pioneering missionaries from North America. They have plenty of Christians. Instead, our work really consists of church expansion. We want to provide resources and train leaders, and to help the Hondurans and Nicaraguans and others take the next step in becoming healthy, growing, viable congregations. That's what they seem to look to us for.
Central America isn't the 10/40 window, that area of the world stretching across Asia and northern Africa where 95% of the people haven't heard the Gospel, and which is home to 87% of the world's poorest of the poor.
Part of the Gospel ministry is compassion. But the other side is to reach the unreached. We must keep that balance. We will encounter compassionate needs everywhere we go, and we want to partner with people who are starting new churches. But we need to keep our eye on the unreached and the 10/40 window.
One of the stated priorities of Global Ministries is, "We focus our efforts and resources on lesser-reached people groups." We don't want to spend all our resources in heavily-churched countries, and not get around to countries where there is no opportunity to hear the gospel.
Going Where the Needs Are
Nicaraguan superintendent Juan Pavon and Francisco Najera, superintendent of our churches in Guatemala, overlook new target area for church planting in Guatemala.
At one of our churches in Guatemala, I met a fellow who emerged from a life of adultery. He had a confirmed case of AIDS, came to Christ...and no longer has AIDS.
They have people who have come out of extreme alcoholism, homosexuality, addictions--all sorts of things--and God has set them free.
I'm glad we're not just planting churches in some areas that are already saturated with churches, but going into areas of desperate need.
Costa Rica: Going Where It's Dangerous
Worship at Casa de Adoracion (House of Prayer) in Guadalupe, Costa Rica.
We have four churches in Costa Rica, and they are doing well. There are a lot of evangelical churches in San Jose, and a relatively high percentage of evangelicals. So when I visited there in January, I was encouraged that we weren't just building one more church in a neighborhood of churches.
Rather than follow the suburban model of planting yourself in a nice community, our churches in San Jose are focusing on some rough, dangerous neighborhoods nobody would go through.
I visited Costa Rica in January, and was joined there by Joe Leighton, pastor of Salem Chapel UB church in Junction City, Ohio.
Cristo Rey, where Pastor Marvin and Aura work, is one of the most violent neighborhoods in San Jose. They've been working there for a number of years.
As we worshipped at House of Prayer, crazed drug addicts yelled through the windows. We were there two nights. The second night, the pastor called us about a half hour before the service with a heads-up.
"The neighborhood is really on edge," he warned. "Be sure to drive your van right up to the door, so you don't have to walk through the neighborhood."
As it turned out, the only violence that night was two huge alley cats who actually fell through the roof while I was preaching. I didn't know what was happening. "What kind of demon-possessed people are they?" I thought. But it was just cats.
Guatemala: Our Next National Conference?
Church planting team in Esquintla, Guatemala, looks over a new site.
Next January when the international General Conference meets, we hope to welcome Guatemala as our newest national conference--our tenth. I visited Guatemala earlier this year. Let me tell you about our pastors and churches there.
Eight million people live in Guatemala City. Five volcanoes, two of them quite active, surround the city. The landscape is flat with huge gullies produced by lava flows. The roads curve around through the lava flows. It takes a long time to drive anywhere in Guatemala City.
However, Guatemala is probably more developed than the other countries where we operate in Central America--Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador. There are a lot of shopping malls. But because Guatemala City has eight million people, you do see a lot of poverty in that mix.
We have 12 churches in Guatemala, and a number of new church plants. They are basically divided into two geographical locations--around Guatemala City, and in the coastal area of Esquintla. I visited a number of the churches. Some are what I describe as "picnic shelters."
I was so impressed with the pastors, especially their level of dedication. They work with very few resources. Most have committed themselves fulltime to the work, even if they have no income. They live by faith. Nobody owns a vehicle. One project for Self Denial is to purchase a vehicle for the conference.
A United Brethren church in Esquintla, Guatemala.
The pastors live very simply. Most of them have a humble, one-bedroom home. Everybody sleeps in the same room. All resources go into the ministry.
Our leader in Guatemala is Francisco Najera. He is a wonderful, humble, committed leader. You can see leadership oozing out of this guy in the way he develops a sense of teamwork among his fellow pastors. I'm excited about how God is using him.
Honduras: Recognizing Francisco Raudales
Francisco Raudales (center) with the plaque presented by Global Ministries.
In January, I was privileged to attend the Honduras National Conference. This was the going-away conference for Francisco Raudales, who had served as superintendent since January 1997.
There were many expressions of appreciation for his ministry over the years. I presented a plaque on behalf of Global Ministries.
Juanita Chavez was elected as the new superintendent. They didn't announce the vote tally, but her selection definitely pleased the crowd, and people were supportive even if they personally didn't vote for her.
Praying for Juanita Chavez as she begins her new role as Honduran Superintendent. L-r: Francisco Raudales, Juanita Chavez, Jeff Bleijerveld.
I wasn't able to stay for the closing service on Saturday night, but Francisco told her 2000 people attended. My last official act was to pray for Juanita Chavez.
Prior to the election, Juanita had been working on a strategic plan for the coming years. It wasn't a plan with specific outcomes in terms of numbers, but outcomes in relation to healthy church development and healthy conference development. That was exciting to see. They were looking down the road--how do we get there? how do we know when we've developed healthy ministries?
It was something their governing council, the junta, put together, and they gave her the lead. It'll be neat seeing her work through that in the coming years.
"We Need to Support Ourselves"
The church at Bo, in Sierra Leone
While attending Sierra Leone Conference, I didn't sense a strong feeling of expectation in regard to support from North America. In fact, a number of younger pastors--some of the rising young leaders in the conference--came to me and said, "We need to be supporting ourselves. We appreciate everything the US and Canada have done in the past, but it's time for us to take ownership of the ministry God has given us."
The church in Bo just completed a new sanctuary that seats 400. It would be an impressive building in the United States. And they never asked the conference or the US for a penny. They built it themselves. They also run a school next door to the church, and it receives no outside funding that I know of.
I encountered something similar in Nicaragua. A discussion began about how Central American churches could participate in mission giving. They said, "We've been on the receiving end for a long time. We'd like to do something that puts us on the giving side."
They raised the idea of taking a missions offering and sending it to the United States. I told them about how the Canadians already participate with us in two offerings, Self Denial and Thank Offering.
They jumped all over that, thought it was fantastic. We need to work out the details of how we distribute the funds they send; they wouldn't want us to send it back to them. But to send money to us, and then it goes somewhere else--that's something we can do for them, as they seek to reach out to the world.
Sierra Leone: Can You Top This?
In the States, UB churches send 3.5% of their income to the national office as a "partnership fee," to help support the various ministries we do jointly. In Sierra Leone, they have a pledge drive.
They presented the conference budget and what they hoped to accomplish during the coming year. Then individual districts, churches, and members stood to announce their financial pledge for the coming year.
It was a fun time, with some playful taunting, egging each other on. "Our district is committing to half a million leones. What about you?" And it would be up to the next district to do as well or better. Likewise for churches. A number of people plunked down cash on the spot, some sizable chunks of money.
It was quite a lengthy exercise, probably three hours. I was encouraged by what I saw. They were putting their money behind Billy Simbo's leadership.
Sierra Leone: Conference Business
Jeff Bleijerveld (left) and Billy Simbo during a meeting of the Sierra Leone Conference.
After visiting at the Mattru Hospital, Billy Simbo and I returned to Freetown for the annual conference at the Lumley United Brethren church. The conference stretched over a period of four days--a lot longer than any conferences here in the United States, but a meaningful time.
I gave a keynote address on the first day, and then representatives from various denominations and organizations spoke, each taking 20 minutes to extol the virtues of the United Brethren denomination, of Billy Simbo, of the work being done, etc. But on Day Two, they got down to business.
Billy Simbo (right) spearheaded proposals to make major changes in their bylaws, structure, and other areas. The delegates asked a lot of questions, and there was much discussion, with disagreements here and there. But when it came time to vote, it was always unanimous. That really impressed me.
I wanted to understand what was actually happening. Were people on board with these changes? Just going along?
During breaks, people would ask me, "How do you like the conference?"
"Well, this is my first one," I would say. "How do you think it's going?"
And then they would tell me, "This is the best conference we've had for as long as I can remember." They would remark about the great sense of unity, the clear leadership, the desire to work together, and the shared passion to accomplish the vision set before them. It was very good to hear.
I could tell Billy Simbo had a lot of concerns going in, because of the major changes being proposed. But I think he came away feeling very good. He's now working with a leadership structure designed after the governance model. He works with superintendents chosen not by geography, but according to giftedness. Whenever you center leadership around giftedness and objectives and what you want to accomplish, you're better off.
Sierra Leone: First Impressions
My visit to Sierra Leone in December was my first trip to Africa (if I don't count a short visit to Morocco when we lived in Spain). I started the day in Germany, and ended the day late at night in Mattru, far up-country. Here are my memories and impressions of that first day.
The Freetown airport lies on an island. After the plane landed, a tractor pulled up to the plane with a wagon to collect our luggage.
Inside the terminal, I encountered a sea of people (which I've seen in other countries). Everybody wants to carry your bag. Some guys offered to fly us to the city via helicopter, but I'd heard too many stories about these helicopters. Instead, Billy Simbo and I headed to the car ferry (itself a 20-minute drive). We were jammed in like sardines, standing up the whole way. I didn't see any lifejackets, and there were no safety drills. We did go to the First Class room, which included some air conditioning and guys selling pirated CDs and DVDs (including some nice Christian CDs).
Freetown featured crowded streets, a lot of commercial businesses, and much hustle and bustle. We found ourselves on Kissy Road stuck in parked traffic for a couple hours. You can do your shopping on Kissy Road while you're stopped, because vendors come by with fresh eggs, bluejeans--anything you want. They carry everything on their heads. I saw one guy carrying a Honda generator on his head. That was the most impressive thing I saw in Sierra Leone.
Amidst the crowds, I carried my suitcase on my head, too. If you try pulling it behind you, you'll never make it through the crowds. Plus, it's more secure on your head. Of course, don't keep anything valuable in your pockets, or you'll never see it again.
Billy Simbo and I headed into the interior, taking dusty red dirt roads. It was a 250-km trip to Mattru. We arrived around midnight. With no air conditioning in the van, we kept the windows open the whole way. In the dark, we couldn't see anything, except for an occasional big farm truck.
When we reached Mattru and opened the car doors, the vehicle light came on. Only then did we realize we were completely covered with red dust. Mattru has no electricity, and the guest house had no generator. We used palm oil lamps, and bathed from a bucket of water. It was a little interesting getting cleaned up for bed, but I was comfortable.
Leadership Change in Honduras
Francisco Raudales, center, with the plaque I presented on behalf of Global Ministries.
Francisco Raudales and I pray over Juanita Chavez, as she begins her new role as superintendent of Honduras Conference.
In January, I was privileged to attend the Honduras National Conference. This was the going-away conference for Francisco Raudales, who had served as superintendent since January 1997.
There were many expressions of appreciation for his ministry over the years. I presented a plaque on behalf of Global Ministries.
Juanita Chavez was elected as the new superintendent. They didn't announce the vote tally, but her selection definitely pleased the crowd, and people were supportive even if they personally didn't vote for her.
I wasn't able to stay for the closing service on Saturday night, but Francisco told her 2000 people attended. My last official act was to pray for Juanita Chavez.
Prior to the election, Juanita had been working on a strategic plan for the coming years. It wasn't a plan with specific outcomes in terms of numbers, but outcomes in relation to healthy church development and healthy conference development. That was exciting to see. They were looking down the road--how do we get there? how do we know when we've developed healthy ministries?
It was something their governing council, the junta, put together, and they gave her the lead. It'll be neat seeing her work through that in the coming years.
Report from Haiti
After visiting our churches in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, I flew up to Miami to catch a plane to Haiti. I'm spending three days there, joining a team from our churches in Canada. I'll return to the States on January 28.
The Canadian Team is doing a tremendous job in Haiti. The group of 11 from a number of UB churches have been doing construction at Delmas, quilting classes, children's ministry, medical caravans, and leadership training.
Neil Cudney of Hespler, Ontario (second from the left), is orienting pastors to use "Train and Multiply" materials that have been printed in Creole.
Report from Costa Rica
Jeff is in Costa Rica, and sent this report a few minutes ago via his iPhone.
We visited Casa de Oracion in Guadelupe, Costa Rica, for an impromptu gathering last night. About half of the usual 75 gathered with us. Pastor Joe Leighton of Junction City, Ohio, shared his testimony and some words of hope.
The neighborhood is one of the most dangerous neighborhhods in the greater San Jose area as was evidenced by the drug addicts that shouted curses through the barred windows as we worshipped.
I've been impressed with each of the four church plants here in Costa Rica. Each is located in areas few church planters would dare to enter - let alone live! Yet they are the areas with the greatest need for Christ.
Juanita Chavez to Lead Honduras Conference
We have a new Superintendent in Honduras. Juanita Chavez was elected on January 9 during the annual conference. It was a privilege for me to kneel with her at the altar and pray for God's blessing as she assumes this responsibility.
During the conference a strategic plan was presented and approved that focuses on a number of significant outcomes and indications of church health. Juanita Chavez had a major part in the formation of the plan as a member of the leadership team and so it will be exciting to see her implement it in the coming years.
The conference is very excited to be named host for the 2010 General Conference and some very gifted people have already made themselves available to assist in the planning and preparation.
Read more about Juanita Chavez on the UB News page.
Plans Change Regarding Missionary Homecoming
On the UB News page, we told about the postponement of the missionary homecoming, which we had planned for next summer. This is disappointing, because we were looking forward to gathering nearly all of our missionaries in one place at one time.
But in light of the economic situation in the United States, we felt it was necessary.
We were well along in our planning. Meeting place, accomodations and meals were in place. Volunteers were lined up. About two-thirds of the money we needed was committed (though not received).
Continue reading Plans Change Regarding Missionary Homecoming.
Mattru Hospital and the First Lady
Recently, the First Lady of Sierra Leone invited Billy Simbo to the presidential residence in Freetown. She was interested in having her foundation come alongside Mattru Hospital. She has a particular interest in pediatric health and in lowering infant mortality rates.
The First Lady expressed her interest in developing a working relationship with the United Brethren church in Sierra Leone. She is a United Methodist member, and her husband is a member of the Wesleyan church.
Although the meeting went well, Billy didn't get his hopes up. He didn't even bother telling me about the meeting. But then he received a letter from the First Lady's office confirming everything they had talked about.
We don't know where this will lead, but it certainly can't hurt having the nation's First Lady on your side.
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