At the end of May, Ascension had the honor of hosting Bishop Guadalupe and Pastor Christian Chavarría from the Salvadoran Lutheran Church. It was a privilege to hear Bishop Guadalupe share the Word with our congregation, and it gave us a strong start to a day of deep spiritual reflection.

In the afternoon, we moved into a time of creative fellowship as Pastor Christian led a community art event. Pastor Christian balances his pastoral work with a busy ministry as an artist. He specializes in painting detailed, colorful crosses in a traditional Salvadoran folk style. His crosses can be found all over the world.

The event was a great success, bringing together more than 160 people from over 20 churches across the Greater Milwaukee area. When Pastor Christian saw the large number of chairs and tables set up for the event, he quietly shared that he was feeling a little nervous, since he had never led an art event for such a large group before. We were able to reassure him that Ascension has hosted many events like this one, making it a great place for cross-cultural connection.

In the end, the whole day was a wonderful success. Both Bishop Guadalupe and Pastor Christian had a great experience at Ascension. There was a real exchange of wisdom and community, where visitors and hosts both learned a lot from each other.

This meaningful visit was a living example of the Covenant Partnership that connects our ministries. Built on intentional relationship, this partnership stands on six key pillars:

• Accompaniment — We agree to walk with each other and Jesus as we develop relationships based on mutuality, vulnerability, empowerment, inclusivity, and sustainability.
• Prayer — We agree to pray for each other on a regular basis, including our weekly worship services.
• Communication — We agree to communicate regularly with our companions, sharing stories from the life of our congregations and ministries.
• Visits — We agree to exchange visits by members and leaders of our congregations and ministries as frequently as possible.
• Education — We agree to seek out information about each other’s country, history, life, and ministry.
• Support — We agree to inform each other about projects within our ministry plan and to invite mutual participation in our mission.

The church is called to walk and learn together, crossing religious, social, and cultural differences. At Synod Assembly devotion that same weekend, Bishop Kitoi of the Lutheran Church of Tanzania spoke to this spirit of unity by asking a powerful question from Amos 3:3: “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” His message was about the importance of looking for unity without asking everyone to live in uniformity.

The visit of our Salvadoran siblings gives us a strong answer: we absolutely can walk together, even when we don’t believe exactly the same things. True fellowship does not require us all to be identical. Instead, coming together across our differences is what makes us stronger — and it gives us a richer, fuller view of God’s diverse kingdom.

Pastor Edwin

(Reprinted from the June 2026 newsletter.)