Nazarene leaders meet with Peruvian Congress

Lima, Peru

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Over a year ago, Extreme Nazarene Ministries invited Nick Vujicic, a man born without arms or legs, to be the headline speaker for Love Extreme 2010 in Arequipa, Peru. Soon after Vujicic accepted the invitation, the leadership of the Church of the Nazarene in Peru asked Extreme to book Vujicic in four additional appearances in Lima, Trujillo, Chiclayo, and Piura, Peru, in the days following Love Extreme. All the parties agreed and plans were set for a five-city 'Nick V - Life Without Limits' tour for June 19-24, 2010.
 
As the date for the events approached and as the nationwide promotion efforts in the streets, over the radio waves, and on TV gathered attention, people in high places began to take notice and something unexpected happened. Peru's sitting president, Alan Garcia, made an official request to meet Vujicic personally at the Presidential Palace in Lima. Then, another unexpected thing happened. The Church of the Nazarene in Peru received an official invitation by the Congress of Peru to come and speak for two hours in the National Congressional Building to an exclusive body of 200 people. This body included several congressmen, the president of the National Bank of Peru, several influential staff members of the administration, most of the key evangelical leaders of Peru, and a press corp.

The theme of the congressional conference was on the life of Vujicic and how his presence and message was going to affect the lives of so many Peruvians in such a positive way. The meeting took place on Saturday, June 12. The nationally televised conference kicked off with a short clip of Vujicic sharing his testimony of growing up with frequent thoughts and attempts at suicide, but eventually arriving at the knowledge that through his disability, God had given him a very powerful gift to encourage millions to overcome life's challenges.

Next, Pastor Oscar Medina, president of the Nazarene Association, greeted the crowd and Pastor Rimarachin, field director of Peru, preached on hope and faith. At the conclusion of the meeting, a swarm of reporters with cameras and dictation recorders surrounded the representatives of the Church of the Nazarene. The impromptu press interviews and photographs lasted for approximately 30 minutes before the crowd finally began to disperse. Eventually, the Nazarene leaders were able to slip away to gather their thoughts and shake off the shock of the historic events of the morning.
 
Never before has the Church of the Nazarene been invited to speak before Peruvian Congress. Never before has a special guest of the Church of the Nazarene been invited to the Presidential Palace for a personal visit with the president. While attention from elected officials isn't the goal, it is confirming what those at Extreme have thought from the beginning; that Vujicic's presence in Peru will be the inspiration needed to bring thousands of people into a relationship with Jesus Christ. The Church of the Nazarene in Peru believes that the impact of these events will be felt for generations to come. If Love Extreme 2010 accomplishes its goals, anything the church does from this point on in Peru will be measured by this historic moment.

Follow-up Note: Love Extreme 2010 was considered a great success, drawing 10,000 participants. Approximately 1,000 accepted Christ. To read about and see photos from this event, click here.

For photos from the Congress meeting, click here.
--Extreme Nazarene Ministries

 

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