Clausons in Monterrey

The life of a typical pastor in Mexico is vastly different from that of a

pastor in the United States. In the Covenant Church of Mexico, only a

handful of pastors are able to dedicate themselves fully to ministry while

most instead have to work at least one other full-time job just to be able

to provide for their families. Access to quality health is often difficult

to come by. What they have in common with other pastors from just about any

where in the world is that they are often overworked and rarely have the

chance to be ministered to. All this often takes a toll on their health –

physically, emotionally and spiritually.

It was in light of this reality that the staff of Covenant Missionaries here

in Mexico decided that we would deviate from our local ministries for a time

and focus our energies on a retreat for the pastors and their spouses. The

goal is to give them the chance to take a break from their full agendas to

fellowship with their colleagues from across the country, to relax and be

recharged spiritually and to receive medical attention.

Over the next three days, we will be in Metepec, Puebla, just a few hours

from Mexico City, collaborating in this event. The overall theme for the

retreat is "Bienvenidos a la Mesa" – "Welcome to the Table", emphasizing

that even though these pastors will come from vastly different social and

economic settings – from the urban churches of Mexico City to the mountains

villages of Oaxaca – the uniting factor is that we are all children of God

and are invited to share in His fellowship.

In addition to the workshops and conferences that include topics such as

"Biblical Leadership" and "Pastoral Ethics", there will be medical component

as well. A group of physicians from Bethany Covenant Church in New

Hampshire will be working together with Mexican doctors to offer every one

the pastors and their spouses a physical exam. Also, volunteers from Pine

Lake and Bethany Covenant in Washington and Bethlehem Covenant in Minnesota

will be coming to help with the logistics and child-care. Thank you to

those churches for lending a hand!

Finally, we pray that this would be a chance for reconciliation and healing

for a church that, like many churches, has experienced division and

conflict. The differences in social-economic situations mentioned above

often make it difficult for church leaders to work together in shared

ministry.

Please join us in praying for the physical, emotional and spiritual health

of each of these dedicated pastors and that they can return to their

congregations rejuvenated and refreshed.

Also, pray for those who will be leading workshops (Erika will be

co-facilitating a workshop of resolving congregational conflict) and

conferences and medical check-ups.

-Thanks for your prayers,

Nils, Erika, Matías and Lucas