In the city of Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico, December 6-8, 2017, the first Meeting for the Development of Wesleyan Writers for the Church of the Nazarene in Mesoamerica was held. There were 28 participants representing the majority of the districts in Mexico.

The goal of this meeting was to develop writers in the Wesleyan tradition to enable them to write theological books, basic bookklets, and lessons for El Sendero de la Verdad, among other materials keeping in mind the cultural context of the Mesoamerica Region. Regional leadership was looking to both encourage and awaken the passion for writing among participants and to support and help the growth of those writers in order to enrich the Church of the Nazarene through the development of new authors.

When Dr. Jorge Cordova, Field Strategy Coordinator, felt convinced of this need in Mexico, he did not know that the Lord had planted the same desire in Dr. Ruben Fernandez, Regional Education Coordinator and Clergy Development Coordinator for the Mesoamerica Region. The two leaders began to have conversations about the dream and in less than a year the dream became reality. This was the first in a series of meetings for the purpose of developing writers on the Mesoamerica Region.

Global Publications, through Rev. Scott Stargel, supported the event by paying for housing of participants, and the Church CAP in Oaxaca provided the facilities and food free of charge. The participants only had to pay for their transportation to Oaxaca.

Dr. Ely Camas, president of SENAMEX, worked with Dr. Cordova to choose invitees and to coordinate the logistics for the meeting. The coordinator of the conference was Dr. Monica Mastronardi de Fernandez, General Editor for the Mesoamerica Program of the School of Leadership and the author of various books, who shared each morning of the workshop. Dr. Frank Moore, General Editor of the denomination shared two workshops together with Drs. Camas y Betanzos, to lead the group in interactive sessions and practical activities.

There was a panel of experts comprised of Rev. Monte Cyr, regional coordinator of SSDM, Rev. Stagel, and Dr. Cordova. Lic. Wilfredo Marciaga, regional literature coordinator, was also available. Attendees also participated in discussion groups.

The following were some of the themes that were developed:

  • Qualities and disciplines of good writers.
  • The creative process, originality, and the organization of ideas.
  • Creating short, biblical reflections for wide distribution.
  • The work of research: practical and ethical questions.
  • Social problems and contextual challenges for the Church of the Nazarene on the Mexico Field.  Among other topics the group covered the following:

Dr. Ruben Fernandez commented on the meeting:

“The Lord still calls us to vision of writing, just as he asked the prophet Habakkuk and the Apostle John. The writings are no longer on tablets or scrolls, but communicated through the multiple forms of publications that exist in this digital era. What we write today will be carried to unimaginable locations and will be a blessing to many people who we may never know in this life. As a result, the church will be strengthened and unified. We are grateful to God and all of those who made this event possible and without a doubt this meeting has been a transformational experience for us.”

Source: Public Relations of the Ministry of Education and Clergy Development, Mesoamerica Region.