Pastoral care in a growing student church

Name: Mike and Esther Terry
Location: La Plata, Argentina

Imagine… you were brought up on a farm on the pampa in Argentina. In a Christian family, secure in a close-knit community. Everyone was thrilled when you were offered a place at university. For the first time you left home to travel 1,000 miles to the provincial capital city on the coast. Studies started at a fast pace. The lecturers laughed at your beliefs. It was hard to sort all the new things city and university life threw at you. Suddenly you felt very alone.

'New students have to make huge leaps very quickly,' says Mike Terry, who with his wife, Esther, pastors a church in La Plata. 'We help the students to settle in and adapt to the major lifestyle changes.' He continues,

'Our aim is to strengthen their faith, to succeed with their studies, and come out of university as qualified believers.'

Support for students
La Plata is host to 100,000 students, a sixth of the population - yet there are no Christian Unions, and Mike and Esther's church, the Centro Cristiano de la Unión, is the only one dedicated to student work.

On Sunday evenings they hold 'themed' services, tackling subjects like loneliness, friendship, or coping with failure, using a range of media. Son, Danny, a graphic designer, helps with the presentation. 'We call it a charla, a chat,' says Mike, 'with contemporary-style worship, and we keep it to a strict 90 minutes.

Mike was ordained in 1976. He does most of the teaching although up to six people will work on the content to get it just right. The result is that some 100 students pack in, inviting their friends along, and sometimes their lecturers.

Esther is involved in the organisation of the church and some teaching. House group leaders receive training in pastoral care, and church members are nurtured through to maturity.

Through their previous sphere of ministry in the rural areas Mike and Esther know a number of the students' parents, and are getting good feedback.

A bold vision
The Terrys started the church with Argentinian Christians who had seen the need and were already providing student accommodation. They have now purchased the building they were renting and their vision is to develop a multi-purpose centre offering students cheap food, a library, medical assistance, legal aid, counselling and advice.

Latin Link knows Mike and Esther Terry are fulfilling a need not being met elsewhere. We commend them to you as long-standing, trusted members of Latin Link who are supporting an Argentinian church.

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