Venezuela Appeal - January 2022 Update
Venezuela, home to the world’s largest oil reserves, is a case study in the perils of becoming a petrostate. Since it was discovered in the country in the 1920s, oil has taken Venezuela on an exhilarating but dangerous boom-and-bust ride that offers lessons for other resource-rich states. Decades of poor governance have driven what was once one of Latin America’s most prosperous countries to economic and political ruin… So begins a recent article from the Council of Foreign Affairs and it is that kind of news which tends to stick in our heads when we think about “Venezuela.”
Being a student of mission history, I went in search of the background of our (newer) partner there, Iglesia Presbiteriana de Venezuela (IVP) – the Presbyterian Church of Venezuela. I was soon drawn in by the story of faithful service of Presbyterian missionaries who planted this church more than a hundred years ago, like Theodore and Julia Pond, who arrived there in 1897 after having already spent 20 years on the mission field in Syria followed by seven in Colombia. They quickly got involved with a fledgling school for girls (El Colegio Americano), which would soon come under the church, and they planted the first Presbyterian church in just 4 years. By 1911, they had set up a printing press so as to make religious materials more widely available.
Fast forward: the ministry there would be fully handed over to Venezuelans in 1943 when the first Presbytery was founded. In 1991, a Synod was formed with two Presbyteries. The IVP is now comprised of about 18 congregations and three ministry sites, such as El Colegio, which has over 500 students, both boys and girls.
Over the past few years, your gifts have provided life-sustaining food and medicine for the congregations of the IVP. We recently received this update from our partners:
Although the country's economic situation remains difficult, we no longer have a shortage of food products, but we do have sustained hyperinflation. For this reason, in the month of June, we used the other 50% of the donation that you sent plus two additional donations and the contributions of the communities themselves, to cover the requirements of the 18 faith communities and two schools (the third school managed to self-finance their feeding program). 845 families benefited from the food bags, as we were able to distribute over 9,800 pounds of food, as well as medicines…God willing that we can count on new and sustained offerings that allow us to maintain this program that has been a great blessing for our communities, especially in this pandemic situation. Reiterating our deep gratitude and wishing that the God of Peace continues to bless you…
Recently, we were able to send another $9,000 to the Presbyterian Church in Venezuela for this important ministry, and now look ahead, with both hope and eagerness, to an opportunity to visit these partners in 2022. If you would like to stay in the loop as that trip comes together for later this year, please let us know!
In our only Hope for this new year,
Marilyn Borst
Associate Director for Partnership Development
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts to support the Venezuela Appeal. All gifts of any size are welcomed. You may make a gift HERE or by sending a check to our office.