by Ian and Polly Montgomery | Jan 10, 2013 | Peru, SAMS Missionaries
In July 2011, on his last day in office, President Garcia of Peru signed a regulation (Ley 29635) that defined a “religious entity” as needing 10,000 verifiable adult adherents. Thus regulating out of legal existence as recognized religious entities most religions and churches other than the Roman Catholics. This regulation (Ley 29635) comes into effect on January 18, 2013. It can thus be seen as anti-Semitic, anti Islam, anti Hindu, anti Buddhist and anti most Christian churches in Peru.
The history is as follows;
In December 2010 the Peruvian Government passed the Law of Religious Freedom and Equality. This law guarantees all religions and churches equality before the law. What was then required was a regulation, which would define a “religious entity.” The Ministry of Justice, we are told, had prepared such a regulation that would have continued the recognition accorded to religious groups and churches as we already had in Peru. However, this was not the regulation that was signed. It is suggested that at the last minute some ultra conservative Roman Catholic persons substituted another regulation, which was then signed by the departing president.
The effect of this regulation is that other religions such as Judaism and Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism are no longer recognized. Nor are other churches such as Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian and the scores of independent Evangelical Churches likely to fit the requirement and simply will become civic associations like a football or cricket club. It also means that they will no longer be able to have foreign missionaries as legal residents.
Interestingly the day January 18, 2013 is the first day of the week of prayer for Christian unity!
The Anglican Church in Peru – with whom I am a missionary – is a special case. Our existence here in Peru was the result of an intergovernmental treaty in 1846. we are not sure if that confers upon us any legal status separately from the new regulation. However we have joined forces with the other religious groups and Churches to seek a new and just regulation. The current one we regard as unjust and punitive.
It is hoped that President Humala will sign a new regulation that supersedes the one of July 2011, signed by President Garcia and due to take effect January 18, 2013. Meanwhile we are gathering adult signatures from as many as possible seeking to collect 10,000 plus signatures. Each signature has to be accompanied by a person’s full name, identity document and fingerprint of the right index finger. This is a tall order.
We are seeking prayer over this.
- To see the regulation be replaced by one with the previous rules intact.
- To gather signatures.
- In our case as Anglicans to see if the treaty of 1846 still is in force and covers our own Anglican presence.
To God be the Glory.
Ian Montgomery, Lima, Peru
by Ian and Polly Montgomery | Oct 2, 2012 | Peru, SAMS Missionaries
Pachacutec, Ventanilla
Last week I visited in Pachacutec, Ventanilla with Dr. Townsend Cooper, his wife Dawn and nurse Fany. We were accompanied by a U.S. team from MedSend. MedSend is a Christian group that gives financial help and cover the repayment of education loans for missionary doctors in the field. Pachacutec is a shantytown out at the end of any roads and was formed about eight years ago.
Pachacutec – the end of the road, literally!
In Ventanilla we had a clinic for children. We expected fifteen and saw forty. The clinic was set up in our mission there – San Patricio. San Patricio and its mission/house church, San Marcos, are overseen by Fr. Jaime Siancas and Deacon David Rodriguez. Their devotion and commitment have made this a lively center of mission. The medical ministry there is part of the concept of total ministry or Integrated Mission that is the hallmark of the Anglican Church in Peru. Fr. Jaime had asked the bishop to be posted to the poorest of the poor – here he is!
Dawn and Townsend at work
The next day we visited Villa el Salvador – our furthest south mission which has been established with a church building for several years. The Priest in Charge is Fr. Carlos Quispe who also heads up our social outreach programs through our NGO, Communion Peru.
With Fr. Carlos at Villa el Salvador
It is our hope to use the church, Jesus el Salvador, as a health outreach center by training some select workers in how to teach healthy living. To do this effectively, we need a place that has facilities, water and sewage. We tend so easily to take this all for granted but here in Lima and most parts of Peru these are often not present.
At the Jesus el Salvador we met a family where the two-year old daughter had been thought to be autistic. In Peru she would be simply sidelined all her life. Thankfully Townsend in fact diagnosed her as deaf. We are now working with a local ex-pat whose business is hearing aids. It was amazing – he turned up at the cathedral one Sunday and we got to talking and I took his card. That next week Townsend spoke to me of the girl, and I was able to put them in touch and we are well on the way to getting hearing aids. Talk about God working things out!
From Villa el Salvador we moved on to Chancheria and the chapel of San Pablo
Chancheria
Chancheria – Pigsty – is a shanty town where the homes are mixed in among pigs pens. Next to the area is a huge cemetery where the bodies are interred maybe eighteen inches deep due to the rocks. The dust has interesting components. It is a very poor area and not well served. We have had successful medical campaigns there and our social worker – Erica Montoya does most of the followup.
Chancheria showing an unusual feature – green hillside. Only at this time of year does the combination of damp mist and grey skies produce green growth. Most of the year the hillsides are brown and sandy.
The MedSend team was very taken by the seamless integration of Gospel and social outreach. We are not compartmentalized in our ministry as we are one Church seeking to minister to the whole person. We seek to bring Jesus to people and people to Jesus. Jesus is in our words as well as in our actions.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:22-27 ESV
Click to view slideshow.
