The Synod of the Evangelical Church of Río de la Plata begins

Argentina, October 12, 2006

ESPERANZA, (ALC/IERP) The 37th Synod Conference of the Evangelical Church of Río de la Plata Taxi Heathrow Airport (IERP) began today in the city of Esperanza, in the northeast Province of Santa Fe. Delegates, invited guests, officials and others from some 10 countries are taking part in the gathering, which will continue until next Saturday.   

This meeting of the congregations with the theme of, “Faith and Economy: two faces … one look,” ends next Saturday, following which will begin the 14th Ordinary General Assembly that will designate IERP’s new authorities. IERP is made up of 42 congregations in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

The gathering began with a devotional service in the church of the Evangelical Congregation of Esperanza, and was led by Pastor Carlos Duarte. Following Pastor Duarte’s presentation, the Civil Intendant of Esperanza, Rafael Antonio de Pace, welcomed the participants and pointed out the history and importance of IERP in this city. 

In turn, Bishop Julio César Holguin, President of the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI) and who had come from the Dominican Republic to attend the 2006 Synod, gave a brief speech in the church building, congratulating those present and expressing his gratitude for the invitation. 

The 2006 Synod is also being attended by invited guests from Germany, Brazil, Bolivia, the United Sates, and by the Undersecretary for the Worship of the Nation, Osvaldo Grossman, who will be present during the closing session next Sunday.  

During his opening address to the conference, Federico H. Schäfer, Presiding Pastor of IERP, called on the 150 participants present to “build an inclusive, missionary, sustainable and ecumenical church.” He said that, “It is necessary to dig deeper into the knowledge of the Scriptures; it is necessary that we strengthen ourselves in the essential truths of our faith and have some minimal knowledge of the history of the church, in other words, that we come to know our identity as Protestant Christians.”     

With regard to the ecumenical environment, the President of IERP described as a “scandal before our Lord” the breaking up of the Church and urged the congregations to strengthen ties with those churches that come from the Protestant Reformation. Schäfer called for an extending of dialogue to “our fellow beings of the Jewish and Muslim creeds, if we do wish to live together in a world where God’s peace reigns.”  

Having to do with relationships with the Roman Catholic Church on the other hand, the President of IERP assured that contacts on both the local and national levels continue to exist.