Wanted: Partner Congregation from the U.S.A.

Santo Sacramento Congregation in Argentina Is Looking for a Partner Congregation

The IELU (Argentina) and LPGM partnership is still growing. LPGM has received a request from another IELU congregation looking for a Lutheran congregational partner in the U.S. Here is a brief snapshot of this congregation awaiting a partner.

The Santo Sacramento Congregation of the IELU, located in Villa Ballester in Greater Buenos Aires, has a rich history that began in 1936. And in recent years they have said:

Many people have joined our community, mostly women and children, who come from the periphery of the municipality where living and sanitary conditions are extremely precarious. All suffer the violation of their human rights: the lack of adequate nutrition, housing, work opportunities, education and health care.

The congregation participates in many outreach activities including providing affordable housing to women between the ages of 18 and 67; housing a School for Adults program in cooperation with the provincial government; they created a Solidarity Network that provides blankets, shoes, clothes, food and other items, locally and in many parts of the country; and they support the Mapuche Community, one of the indigenous populations of Patagonia. When writing about their congregational life they have stated:

We are facing many joys and challenges in this process of opening up and letting reality penetrate and transform our congregational life. We seek a healthy balance between preserving the traditions that give us identity and meaning while adapting to new demographic and economic realities. We still have a long way to go on this new journey, which is different from the reality that Santo Sacramento lived some years ago. We move firmly forward, however, with the confidence that this is God’s will. The Lord has put a great challenge before us as we walk together with our brothers and sisters who live in a situation of social vulnerability. We cannot travel this journey alone. As our congregation discerns new ways of being church, we seek to connect with others who are doing the same so that together we can be Christ’s body on earth, striving to restore God’s vision of a bountiful life for all.

Santo Sacramento members created a very thorough introduction to their congregation, which LPGM can pass on to a congregation that is interested in engaging in a unique congregation-to-congregation partnership ministry with them. Please contact Lutheran Partners if your congregation is interested.