Around the world, commemorations of the 500
years of the reformation have been occurring, remembering all the many changes
that have happened due to the reformation which started in 1517. Here in
Colombia, commemorations are happening as well. Sunday, October 22nd, at New Life (Vida Nueva) Lutheran Church in Bogota, a special
worship service was held with a guest panel to discuss the history of the
reformation, and its impacts on the IELCO today. The women’s ministry of the church also held a
‘Dinner with Katarina’, a program to share the impacts women had on the
reformation (but often not remembered in history books).
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| The women of Vida Nueva (New Life) sharing stories of specific women who made the reformation possible. |
This last Sunday, October 29th, an ecumenical worship service was held with IELCO’s partners in DIPAZ
(Inter-church Dialogue for Peace) at the dedication of the new Lutheran church-building
in Caracoli, southern Bogota, a community of people mostly displaced from the
Colombian conflict which IELCO has been accompanying for 20 years now. The
focus of the worship service was on reconciliation, a central focus of DIPAZ,
both ecumenically as well as in the current reality of Colombia’s peace
process.
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| Pastor Jairo Suarez leading the worship service at Luz y Vida (Light and Life) in Caracoli, in the brand new temple. |
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| From Left to Right: Sara Lara, coordinator of Justicia y Vida (Justice and Life project) of IELCO, Pastor Jairo Suarez of IELCO, Jenny Neme, director of Justapaz (Mennonite advocacy organization), Pator Nelson Celis of IELCO, and Curtis. |
