Banner presented to Oxford UMC from El Shaddai, its sister church in El Salvador
Long standing relationships between NC churches and the Evangelical Methodist Church in El Salvador continue to bear fruit. The 8 NCC mission teams to El Salvador in 2014 included many returnees. The Fairway and Heritage Districts have adopted the Salvadoran Mission as their district-wide mission project. The love between the NCC missioners and the people of El Salvador is mutual, as they work side by side to improve the spiritual and physical lives of impoverished Salvadorans.
Team from Apex UMC takes a break from construction of the El Shaddai Church
The Methodist presence in El Salvador began in 1994 as an indigenous initiative and has grown to 12 healthy churches, primarily in the western Ahuachapan region near the Guatemalan border. This year’s Volunteer in Mission teams have hosted children’s Bible schools, packed and distributed food bags, helped build a new house and construct the El Shaddai Methodist Church building. Teams have also brought needed medicine and supplies for a Methodist Clinic. In January, the New Jerusalem Methodist Church, worked on by many NCC teams over the years, opened its long awaited kindergarten.
Fairway District Ray Broadwell and Gary Allred present check to Juan de Dios Penas for purchase of new church property.
Thanks to a grant from the NCC, the majority of the operational costs have been met. Funds donated by Fairway District will be used to purchase land for a church building in San Lorenzo.
NC Missionaries in El Salvador. The North Carolina Conference is blessed to have two NCC missionaries serving the Evangelical Methodist Church in El Salvador. Brian Dubberly (#S-00197), our conference missionary, coordinates all the UMVIM teams. His wife, Ellyn Dubberly, (#3021818) was commissioned as a UMC Global Ministries missionary in 2013.
Ellyn has been busy developing Sunday School curriculum for all the Salvadoran Methodist churches, in collaboration with the pastors and teachers. The goal is to have three years of theologically Methodist lessons that are relevant to the Salvadoran church and culture and adaptable for use in other Latin American countries. Additionally, Ellyn works with Infancia con Futura, a youth ministry that provides children from communities infested with gangs and drugs a safe place to go in the afternoons.
Ongoing Needs. The Evangelical Methodist Church in El Salvador is thankful for the ongoing support it has received from partner churches and individuals. Nevertheless, funds for pastor salaries continue to be a challenge. Additional resources are being sought to help cover operational costs and scholarships for children at the Methodist kindergarten. The cost per child is $45 a month. Families are responsible for $5 per month. Donors who will give $40 a month are needed.
To financially support the continued growth of Christ’s church in El Salvador, please consider making a donation to one of the following:
- Growing the Ministries of the Methodist Church in El Salvador (Advance #3021542)
- Pastoral Support for the Methodist Church in El Salvador (Advance #3021574)
- El Salvador Undesignated Funds, (Advance #00417A)
For more information about organizing a future Volunteers in Mission trip or any of the programs of the Evangelical Methodist Church in El Salvador, you may contact the following:
- Brian Dubberly, El Salvador Volunteer in Missions Coordinator, at briansmp@yahoo.com.
- Rev. Juan de Dios Penas, President of the Evangelical Methodist Church in El Salvador, at juandevim@yahoo.com.
- Rev. Bill Haddock, NC Conference Mission Interpreter, at revbillh@nccumc.org.
- Follow Salvadoran Mission Projects on Facebook.