19 de Octubre 2007

 

¿Que tal?

 

World Communion Sunday 2007 was a fairly new experience for the members of little Second Methodist Church here in Iquique Chile.  We had been contacted by Pastor Bob Morwell of Union UMC weeks prior with a request to share in their worship service…all the way from Quincy Illinois.  A 4,000 mile connection. 

 

Pastor Morwell´s idea was to connect his congregation via video-cam with a Pastor, Missionary, Congregation in all seven continents of our world.  Internet access, especially in countries outside of the United States, is abundant.  Here in Chile you can find an Internet Café every few blocks and for a low cost of about a dollar for 20 minutes.  That access is not quite as abundant in the States as most of you have those connections in your homes, and those that don’t, do have the jewels of public libraries.

 

Second Church was not quite so prepared.  Our tiny wooden, two story house has no cable connection for Internet, nor could we afford such a connection.  To test the area and see if there was an open wifi route proved fruitless…nada!  But it was such an exciting offer, such an elating opportunity that we could not allow the moment to pass.  Pastor Bob suggested a cell phone connection, and he would project a photo of our membership on their altar wall so his congregation could “meet” us.  And, we had agreed that the way we would share would be our children and adults singing Cristo mi ama (Jesus Loves Me) alternately, Union UMC in English, Second Church in Spanish.   

 

But there was yet another difficulty to contend with.  The hour we would connect and share in this worship...their Sunday School began at 9:00 a.m. central-time, ours 30 minutes later.  In this latino culture when a meeting time is set it is not uncommon for the majority to arrive a half hour later…it is just customary.  How will we convince 70 plus hermanos to arrive not only on time, but 30 minutes earlier than usual for Sunday School Service?

 

The day arrived, World Communion Sunday, and all the difficulties that preceded fell away.  They came…they all came.  Even the little ones arrived on time.  It was the hour for our connection 4,000 miles away and we had a full house.  It was exciting to see their excitement.  We waited for the call, my cell phone in hand in great anticipation and just in case the choraling voices boomed above the ring ... we sang…not once, but 5 times.  No call came.  All of the children were moved to the kneeling rail to sit and we enjoy watching their enthusiasm.  But there was no ring.  Just the wait.

 

45 minutes later one of our back up phones went off, and with it came the voice of Pastor Bob.  A startling rush of  “sssshhhhhh’s” came over the sanctuary.  As we spoke, I looked out onto the faces of that little congregation, Second Church…everyone had moved to the front edge of their pew…sitting frozen to their seats, heads cocked to one side trying in earnest to understand each and every word of English I was sharing with the Pastor.  Their mouths were half open like a child who thinks they have just heard Santa slip into the downstairs living room Christmas Eve night.  Full of anticipation…they were each and every one full of anticipation.

 

We sang to them, they sang to us…I walked that cell phone up and down the aisles of the church so everyone had the opportunity to capture in their Spirit the sound of their Christian family so far away.  It was an incredibly emotional time for us all.

 

Sharing Christ in anticipation.  Grace, Peace, Salvation, Glory, and Love.  Who says we cannot experience Heaven right now, right here, with our Spirits filled to an overflowing abundance of love.  We now understand more fully World Communion Sunday.

 

God is SO Good!  Que Dios nos bendiga.

 

Becky Harrell

 

 

Cristo me Ama

 

Cristo me ama, bien lo sé,

Su Palabra me hace ver,

Que los niños son de aquel,

Quien es nuestro amigo fiel.

 

 Chorus:

Cristo me ama,

Cristo me ama,

Cristo me ama,

La Biblia dice así.

Cristo me ama, pues murió,

Y el cielo me abrió;

El mis culpas quitará,

Y la entrada me dará.

 

  -Chorus

Cristo me ama,

Cristo me ama,

Cristo me ama,

La Biblia dice así.

Cristo me ama, es verdad,

Y me cuida en su bondad;

Cuando muera, bien lo sé

Viviré allá con Él

 

 -Chorus-

Cristo me ama,

Cristo me ama,

Cristo me ama,

La Biblia dice así.