Venezuela YES Team Newsletter #3
By Brett Klingenberg
12/20/07

On Shalom: a few observations

If I were to use one word to describe the Shalom Mennonite Church it would be family, in every sense and meaning of that word. In Shalom your past doesn’t matter, what matters is the new life you are living right now; everyone is equal and important. When you come to Shalom, you are adopted. It is even hard to tell who the parents and grandparents are of the babies because they get passed around so much, and everyone is willing to take their turn.
When Pastor Ceferino introduces me to anyone, he tells me that they are his brother or sister. The first couple of days I just figured that he had a bunch of siblings, but now I understand that his relationships with members of the congregation are deep, a connection strengthened by their passion for the Lord.
I recently met ‘Grandma’. She is the oldest person in the congregation, and apparently everyone literally considers her their own grandma. She appears to be the most popular person here and people want to sit by her and hang out.
The elders of the church here are definitely not a formal bunch. They are together often, chatting, praying a lot and at random times, and laughing. I recently saw Gorda, who is a large, strong woman; greet one of her fellow elders. She hollered ‘Hola!’, wrapped her huge arms around him, picked him up, and squeezed him as hard as she could. Relationships and prayer transcend meeting agenda’s and formalities, every time.
Last night the Church had a BBQ for the pastors, elders, staff, and worship team. Towards the end of the night, they honored their Church secretary, Ramona. She is a single lady, about 35 years old, who lives with her father who is not a part of the congregation. Ramona is always here working in the office, answering the door, helping paint, clean, and walking our team around town. She has a family here with the Church. They honored her last night with many gifts, speeches, and hugs; and even though I couldn’t understand a single thing they said, I understood that she was important and loved.
Welcome to the family.
Church Building. Sanctuary on bottom floor, classrooms on top.