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Mexican VBS Program Seeks Land for Playing Field
PUEBLA, MEXICO (June 2, 2001) - A children's program called Niños Poblanos (Puebla Kids) will be the focus of the 2001Vacation Bible School (VBS) project sponsored annually by the Department of World Mission of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
The VBS project is a joint effort between the Department of World Mission and Covenant churches in North America. According to missionaries Jerry and Vicky Love, funds donated by various North American Covenant churches will be used to buy land for a permanent playing field for children near the Covenant Church of Puebla.
Puebla, located two hours from Mexico City, is the fourth largest city in Mexico with a population of 2.5 million. According to the Love family, jobs are difficult to find and the pay is low. When the Loves started the Covenant Church of Puebla after arriving in 1994, about 26 people attended services. The Loves discussed sponsoring a VBS at the church and 13
people showed up for training sessions.
The congregation targeted an area of 421 high-rise apartment buildings occupied by more than 19,000 people. The church handed out 350 fliers in the neighborhood and organized a one-hour Bible school the first week, Vicky said. The Bible school soon had 80 children in attendance.
The Bible school eventually was expanded to three hours and over the course of two years the Bible school has helped lead many to Christ. The first commander of the club was Javier Sanchez, whose wife, Genoveva, also became a leader. Other leaders include Coral Santomé, Sonia Ibarra, Cristina Ibarra, Gadiel Ureña, Olga Aguilar and Yolanda Galicia.
Thanks to what the Loves describe as strong leadership support, many neighborhood children are
now attending summer camps, performing church Christmas pageants and attending Sunday worship services regularly. The youth of the church recently participated in a citywide competition with other churches and won two sports awards and a pair of Bible quiz awards.
The ministry needs several items:
- A supply storage unit
- Soccer goal posts
- Large benches
- Picnic tables
- A loudspeaker system
- Quilts for children to sit on
- Four-foot hoses
- Wash basins
- Drinking fountains
For more information on the children's ministries in Puebla or to inquire about donations of needed items, visit the ministry web site at www.pacto.org/pueblakids.
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