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June 1976 Newsletter
COLOMBIAN CHRISTIAN MISSION
Dale and Jeanie Meade
San José del Guaviare in Colombia, South America
Volume 4, Issue 6 June, 1976
A CHURCH? NO, BUT A BUILDING
In the USA it is hard to imagine a church without a building. The two have become so closely associated that the building is often referred to as "the church." One often hears such things as "we are building a new church," or "we are going to church." People growing up with this idea find things here in Colombia strange and hard to understand.
The Jobo church has been in existence for three years, has 53 baptized members. When the trails are good or for a special occasion the attendance will reach 80 or more. Yet they are only now beginning to build a church building. About six weeks ago they began cutting logs which would serve for beams, corner posts, and rafters. It was a humble beginning. It will probably be at least a year before the building is finished.
First, they took their offerings, which they had been saving for over a year, and bought 50 sheets of corrugated roofing. From the beginning we have tried to practice missionary methods that create a strong indigenous church. We have worked along with them in the hard work of building, but it is their building. They have paid for it from the start to finish. This way we are assured that they are not saddled with anything that they could not support and maintain when we leave. It is slow going but it avoids resentment and problems that come when too much is given and too little is earned.
Working primarily on Saturday mornings we were able to square up the corner posts, put up beams and rafters, and nail on the roofing in the first month. In the next two weeks we put up one wall. It is made of a type of palm tree which is crushed and then split open to provide a sufficient rustic wall. We also dug drainage ditches to begin to dry out the ground, which becomes swampy in the rainy season. We dedicated the partially finished building (mainly a roof) on Resurrection Sunday.
The building is far from finished. When it is finished it could be aptly described as a "pioneer type building" at best, or an eyesore. But it will be the fruit of much sacrifice and the result of a labor of love; and it will be 100 percent theirs. It will keep the faithful dry in the rainy season and will provide shade in the hot dry season. It will resemble their houses and will provide a silent witness to the dedication of the Jobo congregation, which has already become known as "a voice crying out in the wilderness, calling men to repent."
(PHOTOS)
Warren Sander's jeep waiting to be loaded on a dugout canoe for the trip back to Bogota.
Work crew building the storage room in Bogota.