Day: Minus One and Counting (Day)
On Sunday morning, November 16th, our group was blessed with an invitation to worship at the Union Church of San Salvador, an ecumenical, English-speaking congregation established in 1946 in the beautiful district of Colonia La Mascota. There are Union Churches in almost every country in the world, and they are very special Houses of God where residents, friends, strangers and travelers join together in worship and fellowship.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
–Psalm 84, New International Version
Approximately 60 families belong to this Union Church, and many of them are expatriates on foreign assignments. Some work with embassies, some with corporations, and many with humanitarian organizations. Most are Americans, but there are also members from Asia, Europe and Latin America.
Jennifer Bertan and Millard
Jeff Abbott, Fuller Center’s director of operations for Latin America, attended the church on an earlier trip to El Salvador and made a connection with Jennifer Bertan, a teacher at The American School. Jennifer made her first trip to El Salvador several years ago as part of a Habitat for Humanity build, and she asked the church board to invite Millard to preach.
Pastor Peter DeSoto and son P.J.
The church itself is stunning—on top of a hill, surrounded by lush greenery, and light and airy inside. We truly felt the presence of God there. The service was led by interim pastor Peter DeSoto, a Californian who now resides in El Salvador with his four children. The musical program was directed by Kathy Gordan, another teacher at the American School. Kathy’s voice is ethereal, and the musicians who accompanied her gave a stirring performance as they led us in song.
Millard’s sermon, as always, was a moving one, and there was a full house to hear it. He invited the members of Union Church to get involved with The Fuller Center project in El Salvador and, indeed, they did. Families signed up to receive our newsletters, and adults and teens pledged to volunteer with us. Many members of Union Church have come to the site this week to explore our work and lend a hand. We were especially blessed to meet Pamela “Coach Pam” Allie-Morrill, a motivator, mobilizer and organizer extraordinaire who has recruited volunteer translators to serve at our site each day of the build.
After the service, we had fellowship and refreshments in the church garden. The Fuller Center group of some 30 people really hit it off with the members of the congregation, many of whom had built with Habitat at home and abroad.
Union Church is an incredibly committed, active and upbeat congregation, and we hope to become good friends with them as we expand our program to build decent houses with all Salvadorans. We encourage all FCH Global Builders in El Salvador to worship there or attend one of the many classes or opportunities for fellowship at this church.
–Holly Chapman, VP, Communications and Development, Fuller Center for Housing
