The Body of Christ

New Life A few weeks ago we visited a new church in a city an hour north of us. The Pastor has stopped into the cafe on several occasions and invited us to visit. The church is located on the edge of A Coruña, in a converted warehouse. The had a full band and overall a nice contemporary service, but that is not what impressed me even though it was stylistically lightyears beyond anything else I have seen here. What really impressed me was something that I have not witnessed in the other evangelical churches that I have visited in Spain. They had a time of prayer at the beginning of the service where they prayed for other churches in A Coruña and Galicia. They prayed that God would facilitate new churches being started in Santiago dC and various other cities through out the region. They prayed for the Catholic church as well and especially for a nearby priest who is starting an Alpha course at his church. This outward focus was very different from the typically introverted churches that I have experienced. I praise God for New Life and the way in which they are seeking to live up to their name and for the example they are. Ecumenical Mass I was invited to an Ecumenical Mass this week. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. First, I am very excited that the Catholic church is reaching out to evangelicals, in a land where Roman Catholics often view Evangelical churches s as cults. Evangelicals also remember being oppressed by a dictatorship in which the R.C. church was too closely aligned to the power and money of the government. Anytime I see people from either group break down the walls of division that have been built up over the centuries I am very encouraged. I say I have mixed feelings because while it was an ecumenical mass, I was one of only three evangelicals there. I don´t know if that's because evangelicals were not invited or because they did not want to come. So, it was great that the R. Catholic Church is reaching out, but I think there is way more potential for true followers of Christ to worship and work together for the Kingdom. I still left being overall encouraged and praising God at the first bloom I see in the winter of animosity. Pray for the Church Please remember to pray for the church in Santiago dC and in Spain in both your personal and corporate prayer times. While 98% percent of Spaniards would claim Roman Catholicism, the vast majority are not practicing Catholics. Last year in the Spanish Newspaper "El Pais" it said that the average age of practicing Catholics in Spain is 65 years old. Just this week I read the following article "Spanish Youth Survey shows 50% decrease in believers over 4 years". Business as Mission The following is an excerpt from Wheaton College's alumni magazine explaining the important role of business as mission. It caught my eye because it is a great example of Christians living their life as ministry, especially in the business world. It also gives some insight into the philosophy behind a cafe business as a place of ministry. To read more, it is on page 16 in the online Wheaton Alumni Magazine. "Business is the most underutilized institution in society in promoting Christian values of justice, stewardship, human dignity, and peace," says Dr. Norm Ewert, associate professor of business/ economics, and the facilitator of the business-as-mission work group on campus. The work group exists to identify ways in which Christians in business may holistically serve people’s needs in a way that demonstrates the reality of God. Dr. Ewert explains, "Pastors and missionaries preach on Sundays, but they don't have regular contact with great numbers of people. Businessmen and women, on the other hand, deal with customers and employees on a daily basis..."

King's Day

Today is King's Day in Spain. It is the third and last in the winter Holiday season here (Christmas, New year, and King's day). Last night the my sister Rebecca (who is visiting for her winter break) and I took Isa and Abi to watch the King's day parade (Lori was working at the cafe). The Kings throw handfuls of candy into the crowds of people and last night little kids across Spain went to sleep dreaming about toys that the Kings were going to bring. This is the Spanish way to celebrate epiphany, when the kings (or wise men) visited Jesus and gave him extravagant gifts. Some families in Spain give gifts on Christmas and not on King's day, some on King's day and not on Christmas, and a lot give gifts on both to start and end the holiday season with giving. Today everything in town is closed (except for maybe one pharmacy that never shuts down). We are going to celebrate over a meal with some Spanish friends of ours. And then next week, life returns to normal as the holidays fall behind us. Happy King's Day!