Saturday, 13 October 2007

• STRATEGY OF TRANSFORMATION

    STREET PSALMS: "The Verb Becomes Flesh"

  On the weekend of September 14-16 was offered the second course of the Strategy of Transformation, Street Psalms.  This took place in the General Orientation Room, at the library of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

  Sixty leaders ad youth pastors from 40 different local churches attended.  For these three days we reflected on what it means to be "Street Psalms" in a strange land; that is, how to proclaim the gospel about the grace of God among those who live outside of the context of the church, those who have been crushed by life, whose lives are at the lowest point, those who suffer, and those who are considered to be the least, the last and the lost.

  Leaders that work to reach out and serve high-risk youth and their families living in marginalized communities of Santo Domingo and other cities of this country were challenged to change or correct their images of Christ and his incarnation.  They were invited to consider how put flesh in the gospel they proclaim in the communities where they work. They shared their experiences of doing incarnation ministry in difficult places and were encouraged to carefully observe, reflect and take counsel.

  At the end of the event, many of these leaders testified that their vision has been expanded, and now they are able so see more clearly and are more aware of the need and importance to be God's agents of tran sformation, follow the current fo his grace, that like water, flows down hil and pool up in the lowest places.

       Upon request of these leaders, Street Psalms will be repeated so that all those who wanted to attend may have the opportunity to experience it too.  It will take place on November 30th through December 1rst. in Santo Domingo.  These two groups will be given follow ups through small group monthly meetings to continue the dialogue, and application of the principles learned.  A third course on the transformational mission series will held on January 17-19 of 2008.

  The Strategy of Trasformation Dominican Republic is a ministry initiative carry out by three partner organizations and a national local Partner, the Center of Transforming Missions, Christian Reformed World Missions, and Liderazgo Junvenil International and Club Juvenil Cristiano, led by Francis Montas. 

  This course was presented by Joel Van Dyke, director of the Strategy of Transformation, who came all the way from Guatemala, where he is implementing this ministry, which is also alrady stablished in Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Dominican Republic.  In the DR, Mario Matos functions as the national director and eventually will stablish the ministry in Haiti, Puerto Rico and Cuba.  Joel Renkema, missionary with CRWM participates as an associate trainer.

  • 9:42 AM
  • 8 Views
  • add eprops
  • add comments
  • email