Presbyterians and Catholics Co-sponsor
VBS for Mexican Children
The Fork Creek Church, located between Vonore and
Sweetwater, in East Tennessee Presbytery, is a rural church of 53 members,
served by G. David Campbell, Stated Supply, and former Synod stated
clerk. During the last five years a large number of Mexican families
have moved into mobile homes very close to the church.
The session has been considering various ways of
reaching out to these folks, but there were two major problems: the
language barrier, and the knowledge that many, if not most, of them
were Roman Catholic.
St. Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Church is
in Madisonville, 7 miles away. Paul and Jenny Witte are lay leaders
of that church, and have done missionary work in Spanish-speaking countries.
The two churches discussed the possibility of a cooperative program
which the Wittes would lead, using the Fork Creek Church facilities,
because of its proximity to the Mexican community.
A two-day Vacation Bible School was scheduled for
the second week of July. A member of the Fork Creek Church owns the
Monroe County School buses; and a bus was rented from him. Another member
of the Fork Creek Church is an authorized bus driver, and for each of
the two days took the bus into the Mexican community, picked up about
40 children and brought them to the church.
The program included the usual Vacation Bible School
activities, but in Spanish. For the noon meal they had burritos and
tamales, and a special Mexican soup that some of the women prepared.
The Presbyterian ladies helped with the preparation and serving.
