Last Saturday Barbara Willock and Justin Sandberg met with a group of us to discuss a mission in Nicaragua which has benefitted Plan Grande 2 in Nicaragua and those of us who have visited there:
CEPAD. Translated it means "Council of Protestant Churches of Nicaragua" For 45 years CEPAD has been working with the poor of Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
CEPAD's primary focus is community development in three primary areas: training community leaders, teaching sustainable agricultural practices, and empowering women. A small part of their work involves supporting Protestant groups who visit Nicaragua. For the smaller number of groups who choose to enter CEPAD's partnership program (like the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy), they continue to support both North American and the Nicaraguan communities in their partnerships. For the PCUSA it is a two-way street: they support our mission and The Presbyterian Church (USA) finances mission co-workers like Justin and his wife, Rene' who work directly with CEPAD.
CEPAD has begun a capital campaign which Barbara, a retired teaching elder in Giddings-Lovejoy, has agreed to help with. CEPAD has been housed in various facilities around Managua but would like to consolidate the various facilities in one building to allow them to better serve the people of Nicaragua and the visitors who come to work there.
If you are interested in finding out more about this campaign, contact C. Hutchins, Mission Committee or contact the church office. 636-394-2233.
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