An invitation from Rev. Doug Early & the Colombia Partnership Task Force:

All sorts of experiences can break open our isolated selves and introduce us to a world and a life greater than we had ever anticipated. Some of these experiences might be major events: the birth of a grandchild; the realization that someone we love loves us in return; spending time amidst a culture very different from our own. Some of these experiences can occur through much more subtle means: reading a written work that reaches our heart and spirit; hearing a speaker share a specific piece of wisdom; a conversation that goes deep. For me, one of the most profound experiences to break open my own isolation has been a trip to Colombia with a team of us from the Seattle Presbytery. I won’t waste time on a lot of specifics. Suffice it to say that everything I understand about God, about following Christ, about loving others, about being a pastor and a person, has been broken open, enriched, and enlivened.

The reason I don’t want to waste time on my own story is that I want to talk about yours – your story, and your congregation’s story. For all sorts of reasons, most of the folks in our churches will never be able to make a trip to Colombia. Yet there are ways in which those of us here in the Seattle Presbytery can experience life-enriching relationships with sisters and brothers in Colombia without ever boarding a plane. One of the most exciting opportunities that has arisen from our time in partnership with the Presbytery of the Coast is now taking tangible form. The Presbytery of the Coast runs a fantastic school in the city of Barranquilla that serves students from even significant distances away. Not everyone who would do well at the school can afford the tuition and other associated costs (uniform, books, meals), especially those who have to travel to attend (added costs). In consultation with one another, the Colegio Americano (the school, started by the Presbyterian Church in 1889), the Presbytery of the Coast, and the Seattle Presbytery have come up with a foundational model for connecting several parties in close relationship across the two map points. Ten students at the school in Colombia will each be connected with a Colombian family in the city of Barranquilla and one or more families and/or individuals in the Seattle Presbytery. The student will be a full-time student at the school; the family in Barranquilla will be a local, family-away-from-home for the student; and, the folks in Seattle will be a community of accompaniment and support throughout the student’s years at the Universidad.

The goal in all of this is not only getting the child through school. That would be worthy enough in its own right. But the goal here goes deeper than that. The goal is to establish relationships across cultures that will enrich the lives of everyone involved. As a result of the connection between the two presbyteries across a decade, we have seen many such relationships develop. And we would love to see such relationships develop all over the Seattle Presbytery. Since the day a covenant of relationship was established between the two presbyteries, the hope has been that every congregation would benefit in some tangible way. This is a great opportunity to build on that hope. If you are at all interested in being a part of one of these new communities, or would like to find out more about this - or any other aspect of our partnership with the Colombian church, plan on joining us for lunch on September 14, 11:00 am, Queen Anne Presbyterian Church. From my own experience, I’m pretty sure your life will be changed for good.

Rev. Doug Early (TE, Queen Anne)
Colombia Partnership Task Force

RSVP to communications<AT>seattlepresbytery.org.