Venezuela is engulfed in a political crisis with two rival politicians claiming to be the country’s legitimate leader. The economy has collapsed after years of hyperinflation, violence, food and medicine shortages, and about five million Venezuelan people have left the country seeking a better life.
Amid multiple crises in Venezuela, FAMILIA provides support to local pastors in need
For
citizens of most of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has been the crisis that has encompassed our lives over the past year. But for citizens of Venezuela, the pandemic is just one crisis of many that Venezuelans have had to navigate and survive.
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fellowship!
One group hit particularly hard in Venezuela are faith leaders, especially Baptist pastors and their families. In partnership with the National Baptist Convention of Venezuela (NBCV), the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has worked to get pastors and their families needed relief. “We have been able to get the Baptist pastors and their families around $40 each for the crises they face,” said Rubén Ortiz, the Latino field ministries coordinator for CBF. “That may not seem like a lot, but because of the currency crisis in Venezuela, that money can actually go a long way.” Through FAMILIA, CBF’s Latino Network, the Fellowship has been able to cultivate deep relationships with various pastors and
By Caleb Mynatt faith leaders in Valencia, Venezuela. Because of those relationships, Ortiz and CBF have been able to become aware of more specific relief needed for pastors and their families. In the case of these cash payments, that money, according to Ortiz, will primarily be used to pay for the cost of healthcare. “We’ve heard many stories of pastors in Venezuela who have died because they did not have the money to get healthcare in emergencies,” Ortiz said. “They are dying of illness and heart attacks because they cannot afford to go to the emergency room. This is what this money is intended to prevent.” Along with funds to pay for healthcare, the pastors were also provided with food and supplies. From canned goods and rice to
