Peace Sanctuary Churches
Information from the Peace Sanctuary Churches
Short Summary | Quote from Cristo El Rey | Story of Remanso de Paz | Quotes from Penial Members | Further Reading from the Churches | Peacebuilding Strategies
Short Summaries of the Three Peace Sanctuary Churches' Work:
Cristo El Rey (Christ the King) church is located in the town of
Photo by Phillip Cryan
Cristo El Rey was formed in 1978. Tierralta is the town where
Peniel church is located in the town of
Sanctuary of Remanso De Paz Church
Photo by Phillip Cryan
Remanso de Paz (Haven for Peace) church is located in the city of
A young woman works on crafts-production during a class
Photo by Phillip Cryan
Quotes from Cristo El Rey
October 2004
The following are some quotes from members of Cristo El Rey (Christ the King) church, which is partnered with GAC and was visited in October by LWR:
- Some displaced people living in Tierralta have begun to attempt to return to their rural lands, despite the ongoing conflict in the areas they were displaced from. "A lack of attention to their basic needs by the government forces them to attempt to return," a Cristo El Rey lay leader said. "People say, 'Rather than die of hunger here in the city, I'm going back, to at least die on my own land.'"
A community leader stands in the 'patio productivo' (community garden)
Photo by Phillip Cryan
- Another community leader explained, "For most displaced people, the impacts of their displacement never really go away. There is no such thing as full recovery, because the trauma is always there. You always dream about the way things were before, and wonder ‘when will it be that way again'?"
- A leader of CORSOC, the community development organization that grew out of Cristo El Rey's involvement in social projects, explained the church's rationale for becoming involved in such projects (especially assisting displaced people): "We don't do it because the government doesn't. We do it because we understand is as our role as Christians."
- Another leader told the story of how Cristo el Rey members first became involved in direct conversations with illegal armed groups: When the paramilitaries massacred members of Protestant churches in a rural area in 1996 and Cristo El Rey took in all the families that left the area after the massacre, "we went to try to talk to the paramilitary leaders here in Tierralta. They said they killed the church members because they were 'collaborators' with the guerrillas. We told them, 'You can tell that to the press, but not to us. We knew those people. We were here long before you were. We know they weren't working with any armed group.'"
Daughter of a Protestant pastor who was killed by paramilitaries
Photo by Phillip Cryan
Story of Remanso de Paz
A young man who is a member of Remanso de Paz wrote this song in order to tell the story of the community’s displacement and coming-together as a congregation
Singing 'Story of Remanso de Paz'
Photo by Phillip Cryan
I
There is a story I want to tell you
Of things that took place not far from here
In my homeland, the land of my birth,
A land of prosperity and blessing
(x 2)
A great change came, a tragic war,
And at the time it was hard to confront
Our desperation and great sadness
For the people they had mutilated
(x2)
We moved to a city nearby,
Taken there by the Lord's hand;
In an instant He consoled us,
He told us "My child, I have brought you here,"
"You must come together,"
"You must be united"
(x2)
CHORUS
We cry, beloved brothers and sisters,
Not in sadness but with ardor;
The God of heaven has protected us
And has taken us by the hand
(x2)
II
We obeyed the word of God
Through the promises He made,
"I have brought you here for a great blessing,
I am Jesus Christ and I will be glorified";
But many have lacked comprehension
(x2)
I feel sorrow and I want to intercede today
Because what God wants to do
Is so great --
You have to open your heart
(x2)
Like when Isaac arrived in the
And was obedient to the word of God,
And the Lord blessed him greatly;
He prospered in that land
(x2)
CHORUS
We cry, beloved brothers and sisters,
Not in sadness but with ardor;
The God of heaven has protected us
And has taken us by the hand
(x2)
III
Today I can testify
Of the wonders of our Lord;
Today, united in APORTAPAZ1,
We are working in the vineyard of the Lord
(x2)
CHORUS
We cry, beloved brothers and sisters,
Not in sadness but with ardor;
The God of heaven has protected us
And has taken us by the hand
(x2)
[1] APORTAPAZ is a nongovernmental organization founded by members of Remanso de Paz to work on a variety of community projects: soup kitchens for poor children; patios productivos (community gardens); providing legal advice to displaced persons; training in production of handicrafts; etc. Its office is directly across the street from the church.
Quotes from Penial Members
December 2004
Photo by Phillip Cryan
Two LWR staff members --Michael Watt (Director of Programs for
“Peace must begin in our heart. How can you ask for peace with a pistol in your hand?”
(Guillermo2)
“How do you put a value on someone’s pain?”
(Luz Marina)
“Sometimes I think it must have been a nightmare, but I actually lived it.”
(Juanita)
“If I didn’t have my faith and my hope, I wouldn’t have survived until today.”
(Luz Marina)
“When I’m on my knees, praying, the question I ask God is, why and for what did this happen?”
(Luz Marina, speaking about abduction by guerrillas of her only son)
2Names have been changed for security reasons
Contacting the Peace Sanctuary Churches:
All emails sent to these addresses need to be in Spanish, so if you need help translating find a friend or go to a Sal y Luz meeting and get some help.
Cristo El Rey: corsoc_icr@yahoo.es
This is the church with which Gustavus is partnered
Peniel: iglesiapenielzam@hotmail.com
Remanso de Paz: igremansopaz@hotmail.com
For sending letters, cards, photos, etc, please translate them into Spanish and send them to this address. Make sure to note the
Phillip Cryan
Lutheran World Relief
There is currently a change in the organization and leadership of Sal y Luz at Gustavus, so the contact people will be announced once that information becomes available, probably in the fall of 2005. Until then, watch for information posted around campus on meetings and events.
Further Reading
from the Churches
A document was put together in the hopes of communicating the work and vision of the Peace Sanctuary Churches to a wider audience. This is the first draft of that document, and it contains information about the Churches, what they do, and what they have learned as well as historical information on the conflict in
Peacebuilding Strategies
Many of the peacebuilding strategies used by the peace sanctuaries in
The peace sanctuaries focus a lot of their energy on trauma healing. They create a space where victims can be healed physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Through all these actions, they essentially are working to end the conflict. They encourage dialogue, mediation, and negotiation. A main goal of the churches is to reestablish a sense of community among the victims. Rebuilding communities and providing support for displaced families and other victims who have nowhere else to turn. Through these methods, they are actively participating in peacebuilding.
Created: May 08, 2005
by the Intro to Peace Studies class of 2005