The Latin Evangelical Alliance’s (AEL) Children’s Commission, in partnership with the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) Children’s Network, hosted the webinar “Together for the Next Generation” on July 14. The event was part of the WEA’s global webinar series aimed at strengthening collaboration among Christian leaders serving children, youth and families around the world.
Focused on Latin America, the webinar brought together evangelical leaders and representatives from churches, ministries and national alliances to share experiences, build relationships and explore ways to work together more effectively in discipling and caring for children.
Alan Charter and Josué Collins opened the event by welcoming participants and outlining the purpose of the webinar series, which is designed to encourage collaboration based on the WEA’s Commitment Declaration for Children and Families.
The Rev. Juan Cruz Cellammare, president of the Latin Evangelical Alliance, also addressed attendees, commending the AEL Children’s Commission and the WEA for creating opportunities for learning and partnership while highlighting the work churches and Christian organizations are doing to serve children throughout Latin America.
A key part of the webinar focused on the three pillars of collaboration, presented by Marcos Oszurko. He explained that these principles have guided the Latin Evangelical Alliance’s work since its 2022 General Assembly in the Dominican Republic. The three priorities include sharing ministry resources, establishing national children’s and youth commissions, and building stronger partnerships with other Christian ministries and organizations to expand their impact.
Elizabeth Serrano of Venezuela illustrated the first pillar by sharing how exchanging ministry resources has strengthened children’s ministry in her country. The Rev. Marcos Vergara, coordinator of the AEL Children’s Commission, then described the formation of Uruguay’s National Children’s Commission in partnership with the Evangelical Alliance of Uruguay (CREU), an AEL member alliance. He explained how the initiative brought pastors and ministry leaders together to develop a coordinated strategy for reaching and discipling children, particularly in communities with limited resources.
The webinar also highlighted the importance of collaboration between ministries. Josué Collins encouraged Christian organizations to strengthen partnerships across ministries, while Valery Gill of Brazil presented InCommon Insights, a collaborative research initiative involving multiple organizations working together in several countries to better serve children.
In his closing remarks, Oszurko said the three pillars have already helped strengthen cooperation among evangelical alliances, churches and ministries across Latin America, leading to greater impact for children and families.
Vergara noted that the AEL and the WEA share a common vision for strengthening ministry to children and families. He also emphasized the opportunity for two-way collaboration, with resources, experience and leadership being shared not only from other regions to Latin America but also from Latin America to churches and ministries around the world, including those serving growing Latino communities in Europe, the Middle East and beyond.
He added that the Latin Evangelical Alliance will continue encouraging collaboration among national evangelical alliances and partner ministries to maximize their collective impact for children. He concluded by reminding participants that both the AEL and the WEA seek to remain faithful to God’s leading, listening to the global Church and working together to fulfill Christ’s command to make disciples of all nations.
The webinar concluded with remarks from Menchit Wong, who invited participants to the next event in the series, scheduled for September, which will focus on “Caring for Vulnerable Children.” The gathering closed with prayer for children, families and churches serving in the regions represented.
Originally published by Latin Evangelical Alliance
