Costa Rican Pastor
Hopes To Strengthen Ties With Fremont Church
By Tammy Real-McKeighan/Fremont Tribune
The Rev. Sergio Talero is bringing a little
bit of Costa Rica to Nebraska. As pastor of
Sola Fe Lutheran Church in Costa Rica,
Talero is working to fortify ties between
his church and its sister congregation -
Salem Lutheran Church in Fremont.
Talero came to Fremont on Jan. 20 for a
six-week stay during which he hopes to
improve his English, learn more about
American customs, take part in church
activities and strengthen connections with
local and area Lutheran colleges.
Salem members have been working to develop a
relationship with their neighbors to south
for some time now.
“Our church has sent members on mission
trips four times since 2005 and we’re going
on our next trip in January 2011,” said
member Sharon Carlson of Fremont.
But not every Salem member can go to Sola Fe
so having Talero come to Fremont helps
introduce the local congregation to the
church there, she said.
The Revs. Heidi Michelsen and Marco Ruiz
started the Sola Fe and Pavas churches, both
of which are in San José, Costa Rica. Sola
Fe has about 50 members and Pavas, 60.
The churches are comprised of Nicaraguans
and Costa Ricans.
Talero has served at both churches for eight
years and has led Sola Fe for the past two.
He said the congregation includes people
ages 3 or 4 to 40. It’s a young congregation
with many children, because families there
are large.
The church includes first generation
Nicaraguan immigrants and refugees, who
years ago fled from the Sandinistas and war
in their country for a better life in Costa
Rica. But since life in their country had
been so hard, they had emotional and family
problems when they came to Costa Rica,
Talero said.
The Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans have not
gotten along well. Michelsen has said
Nicaraguans are looked down upon in schools
and stores.
Talero said, however, that the churches are
working to help strengthen the members’
faith in God and improve relations between
the Nicaraguans and Costa Ricans.
Salem is trying to help Sola Fe purchase
land so the church and homes can be moved
out of the barrio, where the people live as
squatters. The people then could build their
own homes outside of that area.
Michelsen has been working to start a
cottage industry, whereby women would learn
skills so they could earn money to help
support their families.
She also is in charge of a women’s program
through the Latin America Council of
Churches. The program works to increase
women participation in churches and
addresses issues such as HIV, violence
against women and gender equality. Karys
Sequeira is a youth leader who broaches
these subjects with the young people and
encourages girls to stay in school so they
can get better jobs.
A plan also is in place for a prison
ministry.
Besides these endeavors, the churches also
are working to show the people a different
face of Christ. Most people in the Latin
American countries see Christ portrayed as
dying on the cross — the image of suffering,
Talero said.
Unlike believers in American and European
countries, they’re not as likely to see a
happier Jesus pictured with children and
women or shown as a friend. The churches are
trying to help the Latin American believers
see that picture of Christ as well. They’re
also working to promote the idea that all
believers are important and each one has a
role in helping spread the Gospel, Talero
said.
During his stay in Fremont, Talero will
shadow different staff members at Salem and
attend various church meetings. He will
visit English Language Learners classes at
Washington and Linden elementary schools,
attend a couple of musicals and preach at
the Feb. 28 worship services at Salem. He
also will work on ties with Midland Lutheran
and Dana colleges with the possibility of
having students there spending time at Sola
Fe during their interterm sessions, Carlson
said.
Since coming to Nebraska, Talero, who left
85-degree temperatures in his country, was
amazed at all the snow he’s seen in Fremont
and was too cold to pose near an ice-covered
tree for a photograph. But the pastor
definitely enjoyed a steak he ate here.
While in the Fremont area, Talero hopes to
learn many things and meet many people.
“His being here and learning our customs and
food will help him interact with people from
here who go to Costa Rica,” Carlson said.
Talero leaves to return to Costa Rica on
Feb. 28.
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