Our new church building, built by some mission teams from Tampa through the Dominican Development Group with some local assistance.
God blessed me with the opportunity to live in Santa Fe, the barrio where my church is located from 2008-2020. Santa Fe used to be a community with jobs, local businesses and entertainment opportunities. The sugar processing plant closed its doors in 1998 and the community has been struggling ever since. Most local businesses closed down also for lack of clients. The plant provided many of the services for the community such as electricity and water which helped create a dependent culture in the barrio. Some folks have found work in the few remaining Free Zone companies in San Pedro, tourism or in other sectors of the economy. There is, however, high unemployment and limited opportunities for people. There are gangs and drugs which wreak havoc on the members, users and innocent family members and friends. There is no public high school available, so all high school students must go to a private school or into San Pedro for classes. Kite-flying and basketball are the healthy activities that rival baseball in this area.
A few times a year my church has a procession around the community and this wheel is one of the few site remaining of the old sugar mill.
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I was an active participant in the ministries and life of the Santa Fe community. Most every day of the week there are ministry opportunities at the Iglesia Episcopal Santa Cruz, mostly led by the laity. The ones that I participated in varied over the years, but included the house masses, Morning Prayer, music ministry and of course Sunday worship. My primary ministries were the consolation ministry and a housing ministry. The consolation ministry combines some evangelism with guidance, prayers and assistance to people in the Santa Fe community, both members of Santa Cruz and non-members, undergoing challenges for health reasons or whatever trials life has offered. The housing ministry developed after Hurricane Maria visited in 2017 and was funded through donations specific to the project and partnered with families to improve their living circumstances. Visiting members of the church as a relationship building opportunity was one of my favorite activities.
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Avida's home before the housing ministry stepped in to assist. Below, Avida's home after the housing ministry finished giving her a small home made of block. Overall, this ministry provided home improvements for 28 families of Santa Fe.
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Mark 12:30-31 "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you mind and with all you strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
