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ICM Santo Domingo News, March-May 2012

ICM Santo Domingo News, March-May 2012. Dear friends,

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ICM Santo Domingo News, March-May 2012

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  1. ICM Santo Domingo News, March-May 2012

  2. Dear friends, May peace be with you and your loved ones. We resume ourcommunicationwithgreatjoytoinformyouontheprogresswehavemade in recentmonths in ICM Santo Domingo withourwork in tearingdownwalls and building hope, a workthatwe are ableto do thankstoyoursupport and thehelp of ourlovingGod. Holy Week of 2012 was of great blessing to our community with the celebration of various services of spiritual renewal.

  3. On April 14th we celebrated our 5th anniversary. Among tears and songs of joy many church members shared their testimony of how their lives and those of their families have been impacted in such a positive way by theliberating and inclusive message and effortsfor social justice in which ICM Santo Domingo is a pioneer in the country.

  4. Theministry of PFLAG establishedby ICM Santo Domingo onApril 17, 2011 has nowcompleteditsfirstyear of work in theDominicanRepublic. Time has gonebyfast and there are countless of achievementsbythisministrywhich has takenonthearduoustasktoprovide moral support and toeducatethelovedones of themembers of our GLBT communitytoachievesignificantchanges in theirrelationships and changes in thepoliticalscopedemandingequalrightsfor sexual minorities. They are currentlygettingreadytoaccompany, forthesecondyear, the GLBT PrideParadewiththeirmotto "Ifloveis so great, whyhideit."

  5. Four new membersjoinedourchurch and withgreatjoyweofficiallywelcomedthem and encouragedtothemtobepart of thisgreatworkwhichcontinuestogrow. "Fromtodayonwewillbepromoters of thischurch, a propheticcommunitywherelove, respect and integration are theenginesthat drive ustoserve a communitythateverydayneedstofeeltheunconditionallove of Jesus" (words of ScarletMejia , newestmemberalongwith Francisco Caraballo, Roosevelt Brooks and Wilson Diaz)

  6. OnThursdayMay 8 the 6th NationalForumon LGBT HumanRightswasheld. Thisyear'sthemewas "GLBT Activism and PoliticalParticipation in theDominicanRepublic," towhichthefivepoliticalcandidatesforthepresidentialelectionscarriedoutthismonth of Maywereinvited. Thisphoto shows theparticipation of our ICM church at theforumwiththecandidate of Alliance forDemocracy (APD) Dr. Max Puig withwhomwehadtheopportunitytotalkaboutthe anti-discriminationlawsneeded in the country topromoteequalrights. Unfortunately Dr. Puig wastheonlycandidatewho responded totheinvitationtoparticipate in theforum.

  7. OnMay 12th weheld a congregationalmeetingwhereweelected Gregory Rodriguez as our new Lay Delegate (we are gratefulforthegreatwork of Gia Marte whoheldthe role of lay delegateforthepasttwoyears). Anotherresultfromthiscongregationalmeetingisthatstarting June 3rdtheWorshipServicewillbeheldonSundays at 10:00 am, notSaturdayevenings. Thechangeisduetothreereasons: (1) Tohelpmembersarrive more relaxedtotheservice and notafterwork and fightingtraffic. (2) Toincreasethenumber of attendance. (3) Tohave more time forcelebrationaftertheservice and to share a mealwiththeneedy. We hope thatbehindeverychangethereis a new opportunityfor personal and congregationalgrowth.

  8. Last, I wantto share withyouaboutourlatestoutreach. ICM Santo Domingo has started a ministry in Santiago, thesecondcity in size and politicalimportance in theDominicanRepublic. We are drivenbythe mandate of Jesus in Matthew 28: 19 "Gotherefore and makedisciples of allnations". We are alsodrivenbytheknowledge of thegreat spiritual need of thatregion. Withtherightcontactgroup, onMay 13thsix of uswereabletomake a tripto Santiago and held a workshopontheBible and Homosexualityattendedbytwentyparticipantswhofelt a great spiritual relieftowitnesstheliberating and healingtheologythat MCC has preached in manyparts of theworld. Thatsameeveningamidst a stormwecelebrated a beautifulworshipservice. Ournexttripto Santiago, whichistwohourstrip, willbeonSaturday June 16th. Myself, and a teamfrom ICM Santo Domingo are committedtotraveleverymonthto Santiago tostrengthenthisoutreachministry. WebelievethatGodwill do greatthings!

  9. Thank you for your prayers and your financial support. We are grateful, we are joyful, we are excited. Thank you! Paz y bendiciones, Rev. Wilkin Lara. Translated by Rev. Tania Guzman

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