Teaching biblical truths
In Colombia, South America, most choose to attend a private school over public school whenever possible. However the Colombian schools still have one advantage over American schools. Public or private, they are required to offer some kind of religious or ethical instruction. One small problem though is that the majority of the country is Roman Catholic.
In Colombia, however, as of 1997, there is one Lutheran school that teaches biblical truths faithfully. Colegio de los Angeles (School of the Angels), an all-girls school teaching Pre K through high school levels, has been family-owned for more than 30 years. As the family and other teachers from the school joined the newly formed WELS mission and grew in their faith, they worked with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) to revise their religion curriculum to align with God’s Word. They became the first Spanish-speaking school in fellowship with WELS.
Every private school wants a top-notch English program. When Colegio de los Angeles found out they could get a teacher from the Spanish program at Martin Luther College (MLC) that also was in fellowship with them, they jumped at the opportunity. With a native English-speaking teacher on staff, combined with its other well-known academic qualities, Colegio de los Angeles ranked 240th out of the 13,000 schools in Colombia. And because these MLC teachers are professionally trained by a WELS school, the school owners urge them to teach English using the Bible. They can even use biblical applications when teaching science and other subjects.
Chris Cordes, former missionary in Colombia and now pastor at Beautiful Savior, Hillsboro, Oregon, has been asked by the school to act as an American contact person to those who wish to support the school. In 1999 when he and all the missionaries were pulled out of Colombia due to the unsafe climate of the region, Cordes remained hopeful that the school would continue to thrive. He reports students are hearing the gospel at school. From there they take the gospel home to their parents, siblings, grandparents, and others. “Sometimes these kids ask, ‘Is there more for my faith life? Can we go to church?’” The school directs them to the church and the church has grown because of the ministry taking place at school.
“One of the challenges affecting this ministry is making sure there are enough qualified English teachers who are able to acclimate to a new culture and are available and willing to serve,” says Cordes. In 2012 only one candidate is available. “It is a beautiful opportunity and we are thankful for those who are willing to serve and thankful to Kingdom Workers for helping with this ministry effort.”
