Saul and Pilar UK Events

Saul and Pilar are in the UK from March 6th - 17th

More details of their schedule involving trips to Kent, Gloucester, Nottingham, Manchester, Oxford, London - are found in an older post.
Email us! for further information or to ask if they can make a trip to your own church or venue..

If you miss them this time - they are back from October 10th until November 3rd 2009...so.....please

The Vision of Armonia

Many false impressions about Armonía exist.  It is not just a charity, though part of it is.  It is not just the Cruzes’ ministry, though that would be true too.  It is actually not just a community of Christians, though this is closer. 

So what is it?  It is so difficult to define because Armonía has a vision that constantly reacts to its context.  The best written description is nothing compared to a visit, where ‘armonía’ can be seen, touched, smelt and even tasted.  However, despite being so intangible, so difficult to define neatly, so messy and dynamic, it rests on some simple and radical Christian principles:  in short, Armonía seeks to express amongst the poor:

1~ Jesus’ compassion for the needy.  Years ago, Jesus started His ministry in the darkest place: Galilee, the land of the Gentiles – known for being a dark and unspiritual place where people were either too poor to partake fully in Jewish religious rituals or too spiritually dead to care.  Jesus did not begin in Jerusalem but instead He went “teaching … preaching … and healing every disease and sickness” (Mt 4:23).  He turned the preconceptions of the day upside down (much to the disgust of the religious experts) as he reached out in compassion.  Now that he is no longer physically present, his disciples (Christians) are called to be his feet, his hands and his face in this needy world (Matt 9:35-10:1).  In response to this call, Armonía seeks to express Jesus’ compassion for the needy.

2~ The responsible, transforming power of the Integral Mission.  Jesus’ compassion was not just spiritual, nor was it restricted to the physical realm.  He taught God-fearers, he preached to those who did not know God and he healed those who came to him.  As our perfectly balanced example of mission, we see in him the need for a combination of physical and spiritual restoration.  Saúl Cruz often teaches from Lausanne Covenant, which urges Christians to consider Evangelization; “the whole church taking the whole gospel to the whole world”.  Tim Chester summarises the concept eloquently in his book Good News to the Poor: “though evangelism and social action are distinct activities they inseparable in always supporting the central aim of proclamation”.  This ‘Integral Mission’ is a transforming power in people’s lives.

3~ Lives lived as disciples of Christ whilst also making disciples.  The commitment to the responsible, transforming power of the Integral Mission requires dedicated, sacrificial disciples of Christ.  People seeking Christian transformation must bear many burdens gladly as they fight to live out their faith publicly and distinctively.  It is one of the most obvious things to those who visit and makes an immeasurable impact on those who live alongside it – just read Veronica’s story in the Thanksgiving 2008 newsletter.

4~ The life of a balanced Christian ministry.  All the above is rolled into a ministry.  Sr. Saúl and Sra. Pilar have been given a great vision and they do a considerable volume of the work required to achieve it.  But it is not fully contingent on them.  Instead, community members become actively involved in the ministry as they are taught to read the Bible for themselves and together discover and live the balanced vision of Armonía in their own lives.

Maybe the fact that the surface seems untidy, complex, or sometimes confusing has led to so many misunderstandings about the Armonía’s work.  But look closely enough and the transforming, compassionate power of the Integral Mission cannot be missed and should not be ignored.  Together, we can transform poverty into life.