Newly re-elected bishop shares vision for Puerto Rican church

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (UMNS) - With 78 percent of the vote on the first ballot, Juan A. Vera Méndez was re-elected bishop of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico for a six-year term at the church's General Conference June 6-8.

Vera said the election "reflects that we're united."

He has been serving as the church's episcopal leader for more than two years, since he was elected to complete the term of Bishop Victor L. Bonilla, who stepped down for health concerns in November 1997.

Vera said he has been working intensely for the past two years "trying to put the church in good standing in Puerto Rico" by developing a strong program of new church starts, spiritual formation and work on social justice issues.

The church has had success in opening new congregations in the past. It has opened 20 new churches in the last 10 years, and membership has increased by an average of about 20 percent annually, Vera said.

He plans to continue that growth. "I want to open a new congregation in areas where Methodist churches don't exist," Vera said. "I want one church in each pueblo in Puerto Rico."

Stronger churches are encouraged to send outreach teams into neighboring areas to open new congregations, he said.

Vera said he also wants the churches to "be relevant to the problems facing Puerto Rican society." He has been active in social causes himself. The Puerto Rican government asked him to help negotiate peace with protesters on the island of Vieques, where opposition has been mounting to the U.S. Navy's use of the area for target practice. On May 4, Vera was arrested for protesting the Navy's presence on the island.

"With 11,000 members, we are talking about the impact we can have on our community," he said. "More than 33,000 people are impacted by the Methodist Church every Sunday. We want to be a church that is not just known, it is recognized in the country."

To help the church understand people's needs, a series of summits are being held for youth, seniors, and women and children. "Through all these summits, we are trying to invert the pyramid," Vera said. "What the people need, we do. We are responding to their needs."

Through increased theological educational opportunities as well as increased mission opportunities, the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico has been rediscovering its spiritual and cultural heritage, Vera said.

Vera would like to see the Puerto Rican church become financially independent. Although he was glad that the United Methodist Church voted to continue supporting the autonomous church financially at its General Conference, he said he wants "to have the funds to sustain the church."

He also plans on having a computer network that will link the conference office in San Juan with churches throughout the island.

Wacht is the assistant editor of the Florida Annual Conference's edition of the United Methodist Review. This story was written especially for United Methodist News Service.

Further Reading: Puerto Rican Methodists celebrate 100 years