TODAY IN MISSION YEARBOOK
Mission Yearbook: Presbyterian Church makes space for what God is doing
Aurora First Presbyterian Church has stood as a cornerstone in Aurora, Colorado, for more than a century. Originally a large and dynamic predominantly white congregation founded in a rural community, both the community and the church have evolved over the years.
As the community of Aurora expanded into a suburban metropolis and became a destination for immigrants and refugees, the church also faced the challenges of declining membership and cultural shifts. Rather than retreating inward, Aurora First Presbyterian chose a path of partnership. The church opened its doors to several other congregations, creating a unique and collaborative space for a number of congregations to not just survive, but to thrive.
This community includes the original Aurora First Presbyterian congregation, an African American church called Living Water Christian Center, a PC(USA) new worshiping community serving African refugees (Neema Church), a Spanish-language PC(USA) new worshiping community called Divino Salvador, as well as the Eagle Tabernacle Church serving the community from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Iglesia Apostolica, a Spanish-language congregation.
Despite their diverse backgrounds and traditions, these congregations have successfully coexisted, respecting each other's boundaries and cultures while also finding opportunities for shared worship.
The Rev. Doug Friesema has served as pastor of Aurora First Presbyterian for five years now and was drawn to the congregation because of its focus on partnership. “So often in churches we have had a colonizing mindset, thinking that ‘church’ means just one thing,” he said. “The reality is that God’s Holy Spirit moves in so many diverse and amazing ways.”
It is this giving of space, both literally and metaphorically, that has contributed to the partnership that has been blossoming in Aurora. “It is so important that we not set mandates on how people from other backgrounds and cultures live out their faith and worship God,” Friesema said.
There is value in giving the space for each congregation to have their own leadership, their own space, and to make their own decisions. “It gives us space to be surprised about what God is doing,” he said. “It is not FPC doing this thing, but God is doing this thing. What we end up doing together ends up so much better than what might be led by just one group.”
This “making space” has happened not just within the church building, but within the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church as well. An aging congregation, new life has been infused within it by the arrival of a Cameroonian community.
Lucas Nkwelle and his family moved to the United States to escape conflict in Cameroon, where his father had been a pastor. Nkwelle, a teacher, found FPC and became the president of a cultural organization that gives welcome to new immigrants from Cameroon. Lucas is often one of the first people they meet when they arrive in their new home of Aurora, and he invites them to church.
Divino Salvador began as a Spanish-language ministry within the First Presbyterian Church, initially serving families who had immigrated from Mexico. Pastor Lemuel Velasco, a former member of the church, was supported by the congregation to pursue his seminary education. Today, he leads the NWC that is now at the forefront of reaching out to the marginalized Venezuelan community.
Despite facing widespread misinformation and prejudice, both from media outlets and among the general public, including the Mexican American community, Divino Salvador has embraced these Venezuelan immigrants with open arms. As Pastor Friesema noted, “It would have been easy to push them away.” Instead, the members of Divino Salvador have demonstrated remarkable compassion and solidarity, providing vital support and resources to the immigrant Venezuelan community.
Erin Dunigan for the Presbyterian Foundation (Click here to read original PNS story)
Let us join in prayer for:
Rob Fohr, VP, Strategic Alignment & Mid-Council Relations, Presbyterian Foundation
Shawn Ford, Senior Internal Auditor, Internal Audit Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Let us pray:
God, help us to die to the old and rise to the new, that we may be your faithful disciples. Amen.