Peru city celebrates Nazarene church’s 50th anniversary

Friday, October 21, 2011

Chongoyape, Peru

In an unusual public ceremony on the main plaza of Chongoyape, Peru, a variety of civic leaders honored the local Nazarene church on Sunday, October 16, on its 50th anniversary.

The festivities began with the town’s annual tribute to the “descapacitados”, the dozen or so local residents who are physically disabled, with the patriotic raising of the three flags on the town square, the singing of national and local anthems, and speeches by community leaders.

On the T-shirts many attendees wore was the phrase, “Las personas con descapacidad son como las aves diferentes en su vuelo, pero con el mismo derecho volar,” which translates in English: “People with disablements are like distinct birds in flight, but with the same rights to fly.”

The ceremony was followed by an extended tribute to the local Church of the Nazarene, with words from the governor of the district and numerous other civic leaders applauding the significant contribution that the Church has given to the community, especially in the area of services to children and adolescents, and for its moral influence in the city.

The youth Nazarene drama and dance team acted out the words of a Christian song, Escuchame (Listen to Me) as God is calling. Pastor Libia Montalban Farro, and Rector of the Seminario Teologico Nazareno Evelio Vasquez from nearby Chiclayo, brought words of greeting and emphasized the purposes for establishment of the Church of the Nazarene in that city and Peru.

Pastor Farro spoke about the 150 community children being sponsored by the denomination.

The several hundred people in attendance then went on a march down the streets of the town. Nazarene and civic leaders carried large banners representing the various ministries of the Church and were followed by women singing evangelistic songs.

About 50 children dressed in a variety of costumes marched in the procession, which concluded with a couple of makeshift floats representing heaven and the Ten Commandments.

As the parade went through the public market and around the main streets of town, hundreds more observed the festivities. More than 200 Nazarenes participated in the parade.

After the parade, 300 people assembled in a borrowed facility for a free meal of carne asada (sliced beef steak), and enjoyed the fellowship of Nazarenes and community members, including Governor Leonicio Iturregui Peralta, who shared his thoughts of what the Church has meant to him in the last 40 years.

The governor also lauded the combinations of events, which this year gave far more attention to the needs of people with disabilities than in years past.

Honoring Nazarenes for their work with the disabled has historical precedence, not just in Peru, but worldwide. J. P. Widney, who came up with the denomination’s name: the Church of the Nazarene, has a high school named in his honor that works with disabled students in Los Angeles, California. Korean Nazarene University is known around the globe for its services to those who are physically challenged.

 

< back to South America

next article >