LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 11

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MISSIONS ll

and Campo Grande. An exciting story of life and growth could
be told of the new work begun in the north-central coastal city
of Fortaleza. This came about as a result of following up
hundreds of Brazilian Lutheran Hour contacts.

The Lutheran Hour is broadcast from 100 stations and has
10,000 or more enrolled in its Bible correspondence courses.
Lay and Youth organizations have aggressive programs for
helping the church’s mission. The seminary is training a large
number of new pastors. Nineteen graduated in 1979 and 30 in
1980. In addition, there are 33 parish schools, one Christian
high school and junior college at Sao Leopoldo with 135
students. The high school and junior college are preparatory
forthe seminary. The Brazil church also maintains two homes
for elderly people and neglected children. There is also a
concern for helping the poor.

During the last biennium the Brazil church increased to
174,138 baptized, which represents a 1.8% growth. Approx-
imately 3,000 adults and children were gained from outside the
church in 1979. The LCMS has assisted and will assist its
Brazilian partner with nearly $1'% million annually for the
years 1980—83, which is matched by the Brazil church with $1
million.

The Brazil church is using a Bible study program in many
of its congregations. It uses this also as a basis for mission
outreach. It conducts mission work in neighboring Paraguay
and in Portugal. The Brazil church is determined to move
forward by making the best of the many opportunities that the
Lord places before it.

Parish pastors are overworked by having to serve too many
congregations. This is evidence of how the Lord is blessing the
preaching of the Gospel in this country.

The Brazil church plans to make fuller use of lay people;
train more pastors; increase the number of congregations
which use the Bible studies and continue their dramatic
outreach to the entire country. Under God the Lutheran church
in Brazil is making great strides forward.

E] Salvador

Population: 4.8 million; population growth rate: 3.3%.

At the present time there are five Latin American pastors
who serve 17 congregations and preaching stations. The six
congregations in El Salvador have a combined total member-
ship of 1,971 baptized, representing a 35.3% growth during this
past biennium. Under the leadership of the Rev. Martin Gomez,
these pastors, working under difficult conditions, remain
faithful to their calling to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to their
people.

Guatemala

Population: 7.0 million; population growth rate: 3.1%.

Beginning in 1947 invitations to do mission work in Guate-
mala came from three separate quarters: one from returned
Germans who had been in the U.S.A. war detention camps,
another from English-speaking black Caribs in Puerto Barrios,
and the third from a man who had gathered a congregation
through catechetical instruction using a Lutheran catechism
he had obtained from a Lutheran bookstore in Texas. Since
that time mission work has spread to the ancient capital of
Antigua near Guatemala City, to the student city of
Quezatenango, to Zacapa and Gualan. Large primary and
secondary schools have been established at Puerto Barrios and
Zacapa. Anumber of clinics for children under five years of age
are in operation at several places between Guatemala City and
Puerto Barrios. A general health clinic is manned by a
Lutheran doctor in Guatemala City. Mass media radio pro-
grams are produced and distributed out of Antigua to Central
American Lutherans. Christian literature is also available at
the same outlet.

Guatemala is the most populous of the Central American
countries. Fifteen congregations and preaching stations have
a combined membership of 2,081 baptized members, an in-
crease of 9% during the biennium.

There is great need for more national pastors and lay
leaders to lead the Guatemalan churches in inner growth and
mission outreach. A recent survey pointed out the opportunity
to begin work among the highland Indians. One of the greatest
challenges for the Guatemalan Lutherans is to train lay people
for personal evangelism.

Work has begun on opening four new mission congregations

in Guatemala City. This has been initiated by the largest
congregation in Guatemala: Cristo Rey. Church and school
facilities are being expanded in Puerto Barrios. An invitation
to do mission work in Belize (across the bay from Puerto
Barrios) has been extended to CONCAP (Council of Lutheran
Churches in Central America and Panama) through its mission-
ary in Puerto Barrios.

Mexico

Population: 68.2 million; population growth rate: 3.1%.

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod first began mission
work in Mexico in 1940. Mexico is 85% Roman Catholic.
Protestants, representing over 60 denominations, account for
only 2.8% of the population.

In 1968 the Lutheran Synod of Mexico was organized. This
small church body of 11 congregations and stations is served
by nine ordained and two lay pastors. The Rev. Jaime Martinez
Torres is the President. The ordained pastors received their
training in the Augsburg Lutheran Seminary, located in
Mexico City. Because of changing circumstances and the need
for more national workers in Central America, a study is
currently underway to determine the future direction of theolog-
ical education.

There is a real need to remember this church of 1,215
members (a decrease of 11% in this biennium) in our prayers as
it struggles to give expression to its Lutheran faith. This
church needs continued encouragement to recruit young men
for the ministry and to train and stimulate its membership for
more effective evangelism and mission outreach.

In Mexico City there is also a congregation, Good Shepherd,
whose ministry is to the English-speaking people there.

Guadalajara

Population: ca. 1,565,000.

In 1980 God opened a new door in a cross-cultural setting in
Mexico. The Board for Missions in response to this opportunity
called and sent the Rev. James Herzog for ministry to the
English-speaking community in Guadalajara, second largest
city in Mexico. His base for outreach is St. Mark Lutheran
congregation.

Panama

Population: 1.9 million; growth rate: 2.2%.

The United States of America and Panama signed a treaty
on September 7, 1977, which became effective on March 31,
1979. As a result of this treaty large numbers of North
Americans have left Panama. This seriously affected the once
thriving English-speaking congregations, Redeemer Lutheran
at Balboa (begun 1947) and Redeemer Chapel at Margarita.
These two congregations were formerly a part of the Florida-
Georgia District of the Synod. Responsibility for the work in
Panama was transferred by this District to the Board for
Missions in 1980.

The board looked upon this as an opportunity to begin new
work by moving out with the Gospel to the Spanish-speaking
people of the land; to continue ministry for the remaining
English-speaking people and to involve them in the “open
door” opportunity to move out with the Gospel to the Spanish-
speaking people there. The board in 1980 called the Rev.
Merrell Wetzstein of Dwight, Illinois, and formerly a mission-
ary in the Amazon region of Brazil, to develop this new forward
mission thrust.

Venezuela

Population: 13.9 million; growth rate: 3.0%.

Venezuelais the northernmost country of South America. It
is a country of young people, with over 44% of the population
under the age of 15 and over 55% of the population under age 20.
Approximately 95% of the Venezuelans consider themselves
Roman Catholic.

Starting in 1945 the Lutheran Hourin Spanish was heard in
Venezuela. This helped to pave the way for the Missouri
Synod’s eventual entry into the country. Actual work began in
1951 when the Lutheran Church E] Salvador (Our Savior) was
organized in Caracas. Spanish work began in 1952 in Caracas
with the arrival of the Rev. Roberto Huebner.

Since that time a faithful ministry of Gospel proclamation
has been carried on in these two widely separated areas of