Urban Church, Global City: Parana

10/14/17

Gathering in Parana

Parana, Argentina is the provincial capital of Entre Rios, that land between the Parana and Rio Plate rivers. One of the oldest Argentine cities with  a colonial feel and a still strong manufacturing center as well as a valuable port. Both Parana and its cross river neighbor Santa Fe  have active Waldensian congregations.

We gather at a community house, a kind of an intentional community. 
Pictures of Che Guevara ...still very present on the 50th anniversary of his death, and the ubiquitous Santiago Maldonado are on the walls. 

Che

The community that gathers, though small, is very vibrant and alive.  And diverse. The living room is filled with the sound and energy of playing children, the most we've seen yet. 

Gathering at Parana

There is a good number of young adults. With strong theological and philosophical convictions and a probing interest and curiosity. They challenge both church and society. And several are new to the family and tradition. In planning for the future, it's really important to know what attracted  these young people. Friends, relationships for sure. Old summer camp relationships contribute here as they do elsehwhere. And also the opportunity to be in a faith community with other families with small children.  And the core Waldensian values that seem to connect so well with young, passionate educated people who want to make a difference. And like the similar Flores community,  the Parana worshipping community ,is not burdened by a building and shares  in space use (and mission) with the nearby Methodist Church 

And the night turns into  a good party with food and guitars and songs being shared 

Sharing music

another song

and celebrating the recent ordination  of one of the church's newest pastors.  In typical Argentine style, the party continues into the night....

Celebrating ordination

                                                                        ****

Parana is where we gather for day long  conversation about urban ministry with representatives from all the communities. There were two key questions:
* What are the basic dynamics and demands of urban ministry?
* Given a still overwhelming Roman Catholic majority with a rising tide of Pentecostal churches, what is the unique role of an historic church within the Reformed  tradition?

• 

  Sharing in conversation

  
  

  

  Where do we go next?

To begin to answer these questions, we looked at the current  trends in urban ministry globally, e.g.: 
* The collapse of sustainable rural life due to mono crop farming and international agribusiness and resulting movement to the cities
* The flow of refugees and migrants around the world
* The impact of gentrification
* The conflict between economic austerity  and justice

They  discussed which were relevant to their contexts and which were  not. While gentrification has not had much impact here, on the other hand there is  the phenomenon of shanty towns that is not common in the Global North.   The migrant and refugee issues in South America has historically been an internal one shifting and changing with the politics..

We then  worked further  on context and defined  the unique characteristic  of each congregation.  We sought to discern what the passions were within the communities. Having discovered that needs assessments tend to discourage and disempower, we being by doing a capacities, or assets, assessment. In this we seek  to discover what the unique gifts of of each group are to bring to the unique work to which God calls us.....

Gifts that were discerned included:
* Being a celebrating community
* Willingness to search for meaning
* Serving older people

* Sunday school and work with children
*  Interfaith commitments and involvements
*   Public demonstrations

      *Especially a march against femicide

What would come next would be to agree on projects that would be:

.* Defineable
* Achievable
* Measurable and
*Verifiable

We finished our day of work by breaking bread together.

                                                     #####

Columbus Day has long  been  a controversial subject  in. South America. Whereas in the United States it has been a celebration of Italian culture, in South America it's long been known as el  dia de la raza because the vast majority of South Americans are mestizos, especially poor campisions, who are descendants  of Europe coming to the Americas .  In recent times we have become more aware that in many cases that encounter led to genocide of indigenous peoples so in some places the day has become more a day celebrating their story of courage and survival in the face of hostility and their continuing reality..  Parana has become the location for an annual popular Anti -dia de la Raza fiesta. The Parana fiesta has a unique character in that it consciously recalls and celebrates an all but forgotten and now rediscovered Afro-Argentine community that lived in the very streets where the fiesta takes place. 

Celebrating the indigenous people

Anti-Dia de la Raza fiesta

One of the guitar players in our party was playing  in one of the bands so we all came to downtown to  a sector where a historic blask community once lived, for a celebration of music and dance, candumble drumming and  even hip hop. It was a great way to end our time together. And the Argentina part of my journey. 

Many big thanks to Dennis, Carola, Alfredo and Yani for all their work....

. 

.