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No. 30 August 2012
In this issue:
Goodbye, Emily
Growth steady
‘Births’ list
Honduras meets
CWUWho
VBS opens eyes
Studying LWW
Mary’s necklaces
On the road
New coordinator
A cord of three
Thanks, donors
Synods survive
Call to action
I am water …
a four-member team that effectively
advocated for the overture, which said
the Living Waters for the World mission
would not have been possible without
synod leadership and support.
Typical of booth visitors was Caro-
lyn Winfrey Gillette, composer of the
hymn, “Once a Woman Seeking Water,”
dedicated to LWW. Very aware of our
mission, she stopped by to share her
story and get an update.
Thanks to those who supported the
booth this year: Pierce Buford, Kathy
and Jerry Vaughan, Ralph and Stephanie
Young, and Wil Howie. Pittsburgh-based
volunteers included Rick and Pat Jacobs,
Dorenda Lease, Chris Robbins, and Betsy
and Alan Hohlfelder.
Ralph Young, an elder in First Presbyterian
Church of Paducah, Ky., is a CWU-103 lead
instructor, leader of the Design Sub-Team, and
Network and Sustainability Services Coordinator.
By RALPH YOUNG
LWW welcomed hundreds of visitors
to our booth at the Presbyterian Church
(USA) General Assembly in Pittsburgh,
Pa., in July. Many thanked us for the
Vacation Bible School (VBS) materials
published last year.
LWW has sold over 200 VBS programs
during the first half of this year and raised
over $9,500 throughVBS offerings. Many
churches have said that they intend to use
the VBS materials to get a LWWmission
program started in their church.
The LWW booth was next door to the
booth pro-
moting a solar power mission similar to
the LWW water-based mission.
The LWW booth also served as the
headquarters for the GA overture oppos-
ing a movement to dissolve synods. LWW
Executive Director Wil Howie served on
Hymn composer Carolyn
Winfrey Gillette visited
LWW’s GA booth and talked
with Wil Howie.
PC(USA) Assembly booth packs ’em in
By TRACY KING-ORTEGA
MANAGUA -- A buzz of
excitement filled the room.
About 30 Living Waters for the
World (LWW) water purifica-
tion system operators were
gathering together for the first
time here.
The LWW— a ministry of
the Synod of Living Waters —
“Operators’ Encounter” was
organized by representatives
of the Council of Protestant
Churches of Nicaragua (CE-
PAD), Accion Medica Cristiana
(AMC), Presbyterian Disaster
Assistance (PDA) and the Pres-
byterian Church (U.S.A.).
Over the past couple years,
as more PC(USA) congregations
are showing interest in install-
ing LWW water purification
systems in Nicaragua, CEPAD,
AMC and LWW have begun the
process of forming an in-coun-
try coordinating network for
the water systems called LWW-
NICANET.
The network’s vision over
the next three years is to pro-
mote the sustainability of LWW
water projects while at the same
time strengthening the capacity
of its members.
Beyond serving as a liaison
for communication between
partners, communities and
LWW, the network believes
it can contribute a unique
perspective on the already
important work that LWW
is doing in Nicaragua, one of
the poorest countries in Latin
America.
Because the new network
is based in-country, local
partners can contribute by
staying informed about na-
tional water laws and health
department regulation of the
LWW water systems.
The network has also been
working on selection criteria
for potential installation sites
to then be able to help match
U.S. partners with local com-
munities as potential system
Nicaraguan operators gather, first time
operating partners.
Through its development
work, CEPAD understands how
essential water is and what a
difference access to clean water
can make for the health of a
community.
Though water projects are
not per se part of CEPAD’s
development strategy, the col-
laboration with LWW allows the
installation of water purifica-
tion systems that are sustainable
and promote further partner-
ship.
Tracy King-Ortega, regional liaison
for Central America for Presbyterian
World Mission, wrote this article for
Presbyterian News Service.
