Thirtieth Anniversary

Methodist witness and mission are vital and alive in Latin America and the Caribbean with Methodist churches looking forward to extraordinary mission opportunities in the new millennium.

The events surrounding the 30^th Anniversary observance for CIEMAL (The Council of Evangelical Methodist Churches in Latin America and the Caribbean) were characterized by a profound sense of gratitude, celebration and hope as Methodists focused their visioning and planning toward the 21^st century.

Representing approximately one million and a half Methodists from 17 churches of the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, CIEMAL leaders met October 1-4 in Santiago, Chile were they celebrated 30 years of connectional ministries, and developed new initiatives for mission outreach through the member churches.

CIEMAL, created 30 years ago in the same city of Santiago, is the connectional body for mission and unity among the Methodist churches in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela as well as the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas (MCCA).

These churches, working through CIEMAL, representing Methodist ministries throughout a vast geographical area, affirmed in the Santiago meeting their "conexionalidad a favor de la vida" (connectionality on behalf of life) over against all of the connectionalities of death in the world today.

In seeking a stronger and more effective partnership with U.S. United Methodists, the leaders gathered in Santiago made an appeal for major support for the missional initiative "Encounter with Christ in Latin America and the Caribbean" (Permanent Fund #025100). "Encounter", a fund of the General Board of Global Ministries to be administered jointly with the Latin American/Caribbean churches through CIEMAL, was affirmed as a priority means for churches and individual donors in North America to be supportive partners in mission. Priorities for the churches include evangelization, new church development, comprehensive community health and ministries with the millions of deprived and suffering children throughout the continent.