Westminster Presbyterian Church, Spartanburg, SC

2007 Mission Trip to Santa Clara

1. Santa Clara - original structure 

Westminster Presbyterian Church, in Spartanburg, SC, is now in its tenth year of partnership with the jungle village of Santa Clara, on the banks of the Amazon River in Peru.  A team of WPC missionaries helped with the construction of the original church.  This wooden structure succumbed to termites and was dismantled in the spring of 2007.  As a result of a generous gift, the 2007 WPC Mission Team was able to lay the foundation for a new concrete sanctuary, which church members, along with other locals, completed in the fall of 2007. 

2 Assembly line passing supplies  

  
3.  New site is ready  

 
 4. Mixing mortar for foundation

 
 
5. Foundation ready

 

6. Walls going up!

 

7. Nearly completed walls

                             8. Looking through new “window”                   

                                                                                              9. New Santa Clara Church

Each summer the WPC Mission Team undertakes a work project such as building new benches for the sanctuary, painting, repair work on the church, pastor’s house, or Sunday school building, and digging latrines to name a few.  Bible school is held each day for the children of the church.  Enith Rios, the pastor’s wife, coordinates with Pam McAbee, Westminster’s trip leader, to prepare the Bible lessons and appropriate creative and supportive activities.  Some of the most valuable relationship building time is spent on the volleyball court and soccer field.  A healthy, good-spirited rivalry exists between the Peruvians and the Gringos.

      10.  Soccer break!

                                                               11. Bible School

                                                                            12. Worship

Pastor German Rios and his wife Enith have pastored the church in Santa Clara for the past 6 years.  They are dedicated to both the spiritual and physical well-being of the church members in addition to reaching out to other villagers.  They also enjoy spending time with their 3 daughters, a son-in-law, and a grandson.

13. Pastor German and Enith

14. The 2007 Westminster Mission Team