Santa Cruz al Salvador is celebrating thirty years of accompaniment with communities in rural El Salvador with a special event at the Watsonville Public House on Saturday September 21 from 2-4 pm. The Watsonville Public House is a nonprofit, community brewery and an outreach of the Presbyterian Church that is run by minister/brewmaster, Robby Olson. It is also dog friendly!
We will also have a special guest, Joseph Russ, a Presbyterian Mission Worker living in El Salvador and studying migration in the Northern Triangle of Central America. Our delegations have really enjoyed meeting with Joseph in El Salvador the last couple of years and learning about his mission to create a plan for immigration that works for everyone. A $30 ticket to this special event will include the purchase of a glass of beer, wine, cider or sparkling water and lots of delicious hors d’oeuvres.
Tickets may be purchased in several ways:
- From a Board Member at your church
- By sending payment to
- Marian Langdon, 220 Horizon Way, Aptos CA 95003
OR - Chad Bell, PO Box 66224, Scotts Valley CA 95067
- Marian Langdon, 220 Horizon Way, Aptos CA 95003
- Online
- At the door.
Tickets purchased online or by mailing payment will be held for you at the event.
Select “Thirtry Years Fundraiser” as the Purpose.
At a recent Santa Cruz al Salvador Board retreat, we asked Kent Madsen to share some memories from those early trips to El Salvador. Guillermo Ungo now has electricity, water supplied to homes, some paved streets, more vehicles, and a school which enrolls students through high school. While much has changed, it continues to be a challenge for students to receive a quality education in rural communities and the government does little to provide basics such as composting latrines and water in homes. More than a third of homes in rural communities do not yet have water piped to their homes and most that do only have running water a few hours a week to fill their pilas or barrels. There is growing concern for human rights and environmental abuses and while this is not specifically our mission, we will continue to spend time on our November 18-26 El Salvador delegation studying these issues and understanding the current reality in El Salvador.
Proceeds from the Thirty Years and Counting! event will be designated for water and latrine projects in our communities, primarily El Pilar.
As a ministry of over thirty years, Santa Cruz al Salvador recognizes that we need to look at our work with fresh eyes each year to make sure our work of Building Relationships for Better Lives remains effective and relevant. At the same time, we also recognize the special opportunity that God has given us and our member churches through the trusting relationships that we have built over our many years of faithful visits and accompaniment. What an opportunity we have to show His great kindness, compassion and love to these communities and friends in need!