The government formally recognized the church just one month ago on July 8. Earlier this month, an entirely different group honored the churches.
More than 600 horsemen and women gauchos – South American “cowboys” – paraded on horseback through the streets of Maldonado and asked that members of the Covenant churches participate.
“Gauchos are highly regarded as the pioneers of Uruguay, but today, many struggle with rural poverty,” says David Mark, Department of World Mission regional coordinator for Latin America/Caribbean. “Because the Uruguayan Covenant leaders have served effectively among the poor, the Gaucho leadership invited the Covenant Church to ride in the color guard of the parade.”
Gaucho leaders said they saw the Uruguay Covenant Church as “our spiritual leaders and guides,” Mark says.
Covenant pastor Freddy Silvera (at center in accompanying photo) rode in a parade bearing a banner displaying the familiar Covenant logo. Other Covenanters accompanied the parade and found opportunities to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to the participants.
“We celebrate our youngest brothers and sisters in Uruguay,” Mark says. “It is exciting to know that this church was not the result of the work of U.S. or Canadian Covenant missionaries, but came about through the efforts of Uruguayans and their Argentine neighbors and the support of CIPE (The Confraternity of Latin American Evangelical Covenant Churches).”
