Haiti Outreach Ministries - October 2020 Update

The COVID-19 pandemic forced schools, churches, and the airport in Haiti to close down in March. But we are happy to share that Haiti Outreach Ministries (HOM) has allowed all campuses to reopen except Cité Soleil. Unfortunately, due to social unrest, gang violence, and flooding, only the church has reopened on the Cité Soleil campus. Their medical clinic and school were moved to the Terre Noire campus. But the ministries on all other campuses, which employ over 200 Haitians, are thriving.

Since HOM has been unable to receive U.S. church groups for two years, they have had to innovate to stay in touch with U.S. churches and medical mission teams. Zoom and live FB have worked well.

Latin America, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationNovember 4, 2020Haiti Outreach Ministries, Haiti

New Church Development in Brazil - October Update

We recently received the following letter from Outreach partner the Independent Church of Brazil (IPIB):

Dear Outreach Foundation friends,

The mission ministry is pleased to inform you of some of the actions carried out by the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil during the pandemic period.

With the support of the Central Office (represented by its President Rev. João Luiz Furtado), the local church councils, partnership with The Outreach Foundation, and members of the IPIB, the denomination was able to provide significant help to people who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The IPIB developed a project entitled "All Together in Mission" which has helped pastors, missionaries, and seminarians in communities impacted financially by the pandemic.

Sureste Presbyterian Theological Seminary - July 2020 Update

“Equipping the Saints” at a Distance

Dear friends,

It is a joy to share with you a note we received from Rev. José Juan Hernandez, rector of the Sureste Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Tabasco, Mexico, about the ongoing ministry of forming future church leaders for a growing church with more than two million members.

Dear friends at The Outreach Foundation,

Please receive a very affectionate greeting, hoping that God's grace will continue to protect you for your continued participation in God's work.

Sureste Presbyterian Theological Seminary remains committed to teaching and training seminarians to be church pastors whose lives and ministries are built on the foundation of God's Word.

Vulnerable Children's Fund - July 2020 Update

The Situation

According to James 1:7, “True religion is this, that we care for orphans and widows in their distress…” We cannot be faithful to the whole Gospel if we do not express love and care for the most vulnerable in our midst. The Outreach Foundation believes this fundamentally and believes that children are the most vulnerable of all in our sinful, broken world. And The Outreach Foundation believes that all children have the right to survive, to thrive, and to fulfill their God-given potential. This means understanding the global situations facing children everywhere and committing to helping to provide access to basic services, care, and education to the children in their (Outreach’s) spheres of influence.

In the church, and around the world, there is an effort to provide comprehensive care for vulnerable children that addresses the physical, emotional, educational, social, and spiritual life of every child, recognizing that they are each created in God’s image. The ultimate focus is on value and dignity for children and their families.

Reformed Presbyterian Children’s Day School Ministry - July 2020 Update

The Children’s Bible Ministry of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Guanabacoa, Cuba, began as a pastor’s dream shared with a group of visiting Americans from Thomasville, Georgia. Guanabacoa, a suburb of Havana, is a poor but proud and bustling community teeming with young families with children. Pastor Yoelkis Sierra Gonzalez knows this neighborhood well, and he saw firsthand the great need for a safe place for young children while their parents are at work. Pastor Yoelkis imagined the day when his church would welcome those children, feed and care for them, and teach them about Jesus.

Now, two years later, Pastor Yoelkis’ dream is becoming a reality. Soon after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, construction of the building that will house this ministry began early this year with a target completion date of fall 2020.

Matanzas Evangelical Theological Seminary - July 2020 Update

The Matanzas Evangelical Theological Seminary (SET) provides a high quality, diversified theological education program that prepares young church leaders to meet the challenges of growth in existing local congregations, including those of the Presbyterian Reformed Church in Cuba, and pursuing new church developments throughout Cuba. We recently received this note from the Rev. Dr. Carlos Emilio Ham, president of the seminary:

Undoubtedly, the world is undergoing one of the most difficult moments in its history with the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease that does not distinguish social classes nor geographical locations. Many countries have been affected in a bigger or lesser magnitude in a surprising way since this disease causes severe damage to human beings’ health. Cuba has not been free from it, which is why our Council of Ministers, together with the highest leadership of our country, determined to take a series of measures corresponding with the different epidemiological stages that our country could go through. Educational centers at all levels have closed their premises; sometimes these places have become isolation facilities for patients who were suspected to carry the disease or were positive for the virus. However, alternatives have emerged by using the media to continue teaching students.

San Pablo Presbyterian Theological Seminary - July 2020 Update

Dear brothers and sisters,

At this time of year, we would typically be completing another cycle of seminary activities. But COVID-19 changed those plans. We started our semester the first week of February but sent students and employees home on March 17 following the government's mandates.

We are waiting for instruction from the government on when we will be able to reopen. Before resuming classes, we will have to disinfect everything, including all classrooms, and public spaces. We will also need to expand the classrooms to ensure that everyone is at least six feet apart. All students and teachers will have to wash their hands with antibacterial gel and wear face masks, and we will have to take everyone's temperature each time they enter the seminary. We will create a single entrance for everyone and use a sanitary filter with chlorine to clean everyone’s shoes. If anyone shows symptoms of fever, we will need to isolate them and notify the authorities.

José Carlos Pezini - July 2020 Update

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Since March we have been receiving reports about the number of people infected by COVID-19 and the number of deaths keeps rising. Here in Brazil, more than fifty thousand people have died and the number of people who are infected is countless. As if this were not enough to take away our peace and cause fear, it has also brought uncertainty because it demands that we reinvent ourselves and seek new means to fulfill the mission that the Lord has entrusted to us. These challenges have helped make clear how our work makes a difference in the lives of pastors and churches. God has been faithful and tremendously blessed us and those we serve in this new way of accomplishing the ministry.

I am happy to inform you that even with social distancing and being forbidden by the government to travel from one place to another, I have continued to minister through the internet and social media. The SARA Ministries mentoring group, composed of 15 groups of pastors spread across the country, usually holds two retreats annually. Now, we meet remotely by Zoom once a month for two hours. We now realize that this new approach to mentoring is more effective. We have reached and cared for more than 500 pastors virtually, helping them overcome their problems and stress and finding new ways to carry out their pastoral ministry. Click HERE to view a recent video about my ministry.

Don and Martha Wehmeyer - Update

Dear friends,

No, it is not a Martian invader, this is me! The churches are technically closed, but by celebrating the Lord’s supper outdoors on Pentecost Sunday, we were not actually in the building. The members watched the sermon on the internet and then drove over to take the elements. No police arrived to put me in handcuffs, so I figure we can do this again if necessary! God is merciful.

Between COVID-19 and tropical storm Columbus, we are not in ordinary times. The seminary stopped classes at the end of March. Graduation has been postponed. The country has been on lockdown since the end of March. This has meant significant disruptions for workers. Many people get paid by the day, so for them to stay home week after week is a real hardship. The church and government have been making care packages, but it is never enough. Our little church of 20 families is helping 30 families. This means that the church savings are getting depleted pretty fast, but the session decided that this was the best thing to do, and I am proud of them. Several church families have stepped up to help, so I get to see first-hand how the Spirit of the Lord is working powerfully here.

Latin America, Global WorkersThe Outreach FoundationJuly 8, 2020Don and Martha Wehmeyer, Mexico

Partner Updates