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Bridgin Cultures “But the simple answer is incomplete,” Shelly says. That is only one of three ways Mission Network helps to support people in ministry in Latin America. Shelly relates to the 19 mission workers as they develop their annual plans and, along with her assistant, Fabiola Flores, provides administrative support. Several young adults serve in the Radical Journey program or in special assignments in Latin America. A second way that Mission Network supports people in ministry is through its participation in four Global Ministry Partnerships in Latin America. Groups of congregations in both North and South America “are partnering with each other in ways that strengthen ministry in both the South and the North. At times, the partnerships include North American mission workers, but more often they don’t,” Shelly explains. “The partnerships are strengthened through the relationships developed in visiting each other. Last year, 17 adults from the United States who are involved in partnerships traveled to Latin America, and 18 Latin Americans visited their U.S. partners.” Shelly invests time in orientation, accompaniment, group refl ection and follow-up, eager to see what happens after these visits. Whenever a partner organization in another country appoints ministry personnel, Mission Network recognizes the value of those individuals as International Partnership Associates. There are 23 IPAs in Latin America. “I am not in a supervisory role for IPAs,” said Shelly, “though I am very interested in their reports and often share stories from their ministries.” Third, Mission Network provides small grants to Latin American churches. About 10 Latin Americans are hired by church programs and some youth are partially supported in short-term roles by funding that includes some grant money from Mission Network. Shelly said, “While the churches supervise their own personnel, it is important for us as Mission Network to have information to share with U.S. churches and individuals that support these ministries. This involves a process of dialogue with church leaders. “In my role as Latin America director, I help bridge cultures and encourage the kind of direct involvement that inspires local as well as international mission. Decisions relating to funding, personnel placement and ministry direction are more complex because we are drawing on the diverse experiential backgrounds and gifts of the partners. Engaging the gifts of the partners not only strengthens one specifi c ministry, but also spawns more ministries.” In this issue: Features Additional Articles Viewpoints |
