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A UB Partnership Between
Ohio and Costa Rica
Joe Leighton
A partnership began a couple years ago when Lancaster UB began investing financially in a fledgling UB work in Costa Rica. A few months later, Lancaster's youth pastor, Joe Leighton, was investigating short-term mission trip possibilities for his youth. In light of the partnership, Global Ministries encouraged him to consider Costa Rica.
As Joe enthusiastically prepared for the cross-cultural experience, he faced many challenges beyond his control. As Joe would tell you, it got quite discouraging, and with fading optimism, he and his wife, Cheryl, decided to take the kids, get it over with, and hope something good would come of it. To quote Joe, "I can't begin to tell you how glad we are that we went." Since that time, Joe has taken over the pastoral role of Salem Chapel in Junction City, Ohio, and that congregation is teaming with Lancaster to work with Costa Rica.
Pastors Alexander and Manuel of the UB church greeted us at the airport, and right there the Lord began to put our trip back together. Our group had made plans to link up with some other acquaintances at the beginning of the week in VBS and medical clinic work and spend the remainder of our week worshiping in the UB churches and getting to know the people. There is no way to describe our UB brothers and sisters in Costa Rica except to say that in 26 years of pastoral ministry, I have never met a group of people more friendly, more loving, more devoted to Christ than what we discovered there. They welcomed us into their hearts and made us feel as if we were family. In fact, when Cheryl and I returned eight months later, as the plane touched down at the San Jose airport, we looked at each other and said, "We're home."
There are currently three UB congregations in the San Jose area. Their strategy for church planting is simple--find the area of most desperate need and begin to minister. All three churches are in high crime areas stricken by poverty and high unemployment. They minister to the poor, the homeless, the addicted, and to prostitutes. Underage girls are sold for as little as $2 (yes, you read that right) a trick. As one congregation meets, a crowd gathers outside their building and throws rocks, shakes human skeletal remains, and chants voodoo curses. Yet this fledgling ministry has taken hold and lives are miraculously being changed.
Abundant Faith averages over 100 people for Sunday attendance. They are currently meeting in a temporary facility while they complete the first phase of their building. Just $2500 will enable them to purchase the rest of the materials needed to finish this portion of the project.
Another church, Christ the King, averages about 45 people and meets in a rented building in one of the barrios.
The Light That Leads to Liberty is the smallest of the churches, averaging about 20 in the daily services. They rent a house in which the pastor and his wife live, and worship in a renovated one-car garage. The landlord will sell them the entire facility for just $25,000. With offerings that average less than $20 per week, they really need our help.
Our return trip in February 2004 with Pastor Bill Pitts and key leaders from Lancaster and Salem Chapel further solidified many friendships begun last summer. We regularly correspond with several people. Cheryl and I have come to truly love these people. For those of us who have gone, our lives and ministries will never be the same. Lord willing, we will return in June of 2005 and beyond as an ongoing part of our lives.
If you are interested in hearing more about our experience and possibly going yourself, contact me at jlthunder@juno.com. I would be glad to provide information. If you personally, or your congregation, do not have a missions project, please consider Costa Rica. Whether it would be a one-time gift, or an ongoing partnership such as it is with Lancaster and Salem Chapel, your investment would go a long way in helping to further establish this young ministry. Simply send your offerings via Global Ministries. Gary Dilley and I will be more than happy to answer any questions.
What looked like a trip that had little possibility of success became a wonderful blessing and an opportunity to extend ministry. Live large! Go Global!
Joe Leighton (Joe, along with his wife Cheryl, is the bi-vocational youth pastor at Lancaster and senior pastor at Salem Chapel)
Posted June 3, 2004
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