Now the zampoña, charango, flauta and bombo!
S
trains of music cast their lure from a tiny building in Lima, Peru, that once housed a fish restaurant. As members of Cristo Rey (Christ the King) Lutheran Church will tell you, this building now houses fishers of people (Matthew 4:18-20), as well as a wide net of min- istries of care and music. People walking through Lima’s Surco neighborhood are drawn in by the hauntingly beautiful traditional Andean music, said the congrega- tion’s pastor, ELCA missionary Dana Nelson. Inside, a folkloric band at Cristo Rey plays the liturgy to traditional Peruvian music, creating a masterpiece with zampoña (pan-pipes), flauta (wooden flute), charango (a small 10-stringed instrument made from an armadillo), bombo (a large sheepskin drum), guitar and palo de lluvia (rainstick). The band calls itself Emanuel, which means God is with us. God’s presence can be seen in many other active, vibrant ministries of the 15 congregations of the 1,110-member Peruvian Lutheran Evangelical Church. Funding through ELCA Global Mission supports not only Nelson’s call to Cristo Rey but also the Peruvian church’s theological education for leaders, its national office, mis- sion outreach and congregational feeding programs. Although the Peruvian church is small, its impact is
} Hunter is a section editor of The Lutheran. 36 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
mighty, thanks to the Spirit and the practice of 1 Corin- thians 12. “The [church] affirms and celebrates the gifts of all members,” Nelson explained. For the group Emanuel, that means “bringing the gift of music,” she added. “It is so important that faith be expressed in one’s own way.”
Peruvian Lutherans strike a chord in their
neighborhood Text by Elizabeth Hunter Photos by Elie Gardner
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