by Jane DuBose
We’ve all heard the phrase, “the church is not a building,” but we experienced it in the best possible way last Sunday, February 1, when Belmont UMC hosted more than 30 members of Iglesia Metodista Unida Ebenezer.
The West Nashville UMC congregation lost power during the ice storm and was later flooded, making the sanctuary unusable. When Pastor Myriam Cortes began thinking of ways to keep her congregation together, she was drawn to Belmont, one of Ebenezer’s partner churches. “You hear so much at Belmont about what Ebenezer needs, but you don’t get a chance to meet us,” she said.
So, we were able to share hugs, break bread during Communion, open Sunday school classes, pray and laugh together. The bonds the two churches share through language classes and children’s programming got even stronger. Cortes served Communion with Pastor Paul and shared the bi-lingual benediction. “Vaya en paz,” she said – go in peace until we meet again.