CPTNet
Bagota: Colombian Pastor Works Under Threat
February 9, 2001

(see close of article for specific prayer request)

"There are not many places I can talk about this. It has been good to share
it with you." These were the words a Colombian Mennonite Pastor working
under death threats offered to members of the recently arrived Colombia
project of Christian Peacemaker Team.

Pastor Islandes Losada and leaders in the Church he pastors in
Bogot� met with CPTers Janet Shoemaker and Duane Ediger to tell their
story for the world to know.

As part of his pastoral work, Losada has attempted to provide alternatives
to young people who, because of harsh economic realities, are easily tempted
to join an armed group. Losada also works with a program being developed by
the Mennonite church in Colombia called Sanctuaries of Peace, the purpose of
which is to seek spiritual and social recovery for people "affected by the
material and spiritual warfare" in Colombia.

In his role with Sanctuaries of Peace, Losada has received people who want
to end their participation in an armed group--most typically the guerrillas.
He has offered them counsel and spiritual orientation, and in some cases has
given them assistance to travel to other places within or outside Colombia.
This has led to his being viewed with suspicion by different armed players
at different times. A couple of years ago, he was compelled to meet with
representatives of a guerrilla group. They left the meeting convinced that
his actions were consistent with the Gospel motivations he claimed.
For most of the past year, up to the present, Losada has been receiving
threats in various forms. Though he does not know their source, he does not
believe it to be the guerrillas this time.

Losada has undertaken his work with Sanctuaries of Peace--in addition to
fulfilling the pastoral duties of an active and growing congregation--on a
personal level, in order to avoid the church becoming a target of those who
take exception to this work. He does not speak about this work on Sunday
mornings, and has tried to keep the threats--which have been directed only
at him--from affecting his family.

But in the past few weeks other church members have witnessed incidents
targeting Pastor Losada. Although those close to him have had some
knowledge of the tensions springing from this work, until his meeting with
CPT last week, he had not shared fully--even with other leaders in his
congregation--about the threats against his life.

Among the most recent threats are a funeral notice tacked to the door of his
home and a pair of armed men attempting to intercept him as he approached
the church on foot. Even as voices in the church urge him to leave the
country, Losada claims to hear God's voice promising protection and
accompaniment as he continues his pastoral ministry.

"The conflict here is at least as worthy of organizing, advocacy and
solidarity as conflicts in Central America were during the 1980s," said
Ediger. CPT's Colombia Project is a faith-based effort to reduce violence
through listening, education, accompaniment and nonviolent direct action
toward justice.

Prayer request
Please pray:
-for Colombian Mennoniet Pastor Islandes Losada, who is receiving threats
for working with those stepping away from armed participation in the war;
-for his family;
-for his congregation;
-for all pastors and Christians seeking to be faithful witnesses to justice
and peace in this difficult situation;
-for the Sanctuaries of Peace Program;
Letters of support and encouragement may be sent to Pastor Losada at
islandeslos [at] hotmail [dot] com.
Christian Peacemaker Teams is a program of Brethren, Quaker and Mennonite
Churches. CPT P. O. Box 6508 Chicago, IL 60680 tel. 312-455-1199 FAX
312-432-1213, E-Mail cpt [at] igc [dot] org?Subject=Re:%20Bagota:%20Colombian%20Pastor%20Works%20Under%20Threat&In-Reply-To=<981762927 [at] MennoLink [dot] org> WEB www.cpt.org