By Deacon Susan Lindberg Haley, Chair of ProGente Connections Board of Directors
Five years ago, a group of Christians from various faith traditions and various countries began meeting together to talk about ways we could join with each other to do God’s work and create a little bit of God’s kingdom here in MetroWest. Our specific vision - Working together, we will create a new kind of multicultural and ecumenical community based on mutual respect and service - grew out of months of conversation. From that vision, ProGente Connections was born.
ProGente Connections is a unique organization. It gives people from different countries the opportunity to get to know each other, to learn each other’s language and culture, to pray and to laugh with each other. Through our work together, we get to see all that we have in common - love of family; committed faith in God; respect for those who are different from us; the value of a good education for our children; the desire for our children to grow and prosper.
Then, there are the concrete activities of ProGente Connections which impact individual lives everyday - children learn Portuguese and Brazilian culture; adults learn English and local culture; teachers and young adults have opportunities to grow in their professional development; advocacy efforts are expanding; and, soon, practical how-to workshops will be offered.
It gives me great joy to be part of ProGente Connections. Through all the hard work of the teachers, volunteers, parents, children, individuals, staff and Board members, this is an organization of people who serve each other out of their love for each other and their love for God. This is an organization that makes a difference in the world.