It has happened again. It happens every time we come to El Vergel, and this time is no exception. El Vergel has absorbed our team like a sponge absorbing water. If you’ve been looking at the pictures (thanks Jan Harris!) we’ve been sending back for the Facebook page you’ve noticed it. There is much to do here, and we’ve been doing a little of all of it. We are in the process of trimming shrubs, scraping and painting window frames, and rebuilding the roof over a large bay window.
El Vergel is administered a lot like United Methodist outreach ministries such as Urban Ministry or the McCoy Adult Day Care Center at home. The ministries are United Methodist, but each ministry is responsible for raising its own funding. El Vergel is a ministry of the Methodist Church of Chile but, like at home, they must raise their own funding. They have a number of ways to raise funds, each of which supports the work of the High School which educates students that will work primarily in the agricultural industry.
Like our outreach ministries at home, there is often little money for basic upkeep and repair of existing facilities. Like at home, volunteers are very important when it comes to getting some of the basic upkeep and repair work done. Much of what we do here is to help with the upkeep and repair of the facilities of El Vergel, which takes some of the pressure off of their budget and frees up more resources for the school.
Methodists have always been educators. From the very beginning, we have given ourselves to educate children and youth because we understand the importance of an education to success in life. Our educational efforts are both spiritual (El Vergel has a chaplain who teaches Christian education classes) and practical (equipping students for life and careers). Our work here is not so much about upkeep and repair, although that is the work we do. Our work here is about helping our young Chilean brothers and sisters receive an education in both faith and life. It is work we Methodists have always done, and hopefully always will do.
~Rev. Tom Duley