Colonia/Uruguay. The New Apostolic Church owns a recreational park in La Caballada near the Uruguayan city of Colonia. It is often used for youth events on the weekends. Every year on 1 May, a number of barbecue stations are built up for a popular national meal known as an “asado” – this is what people in this part of South America call a neighbourhood party around the grill. The objective of this event was to invite the neighbours to a cheerful fellowship and associate other good things with their shared food and drink. Already in the previous year, the asado stirred great interest in the neighbourhood (we reported).

It was that time of year again on 1 May: barbecue season was open. All interested parties from around the neighbourhood were invited. In the course of the day, some 7,000 people joined in the event—amounting to approximately one third of the 20,000 people who make the city of Colonia their home. The meat was prepared carefully over the grill in accordance with rules prescribed by national tradition, making the event an especially close fellowship. At the end of the day, a total of 12,000 US dollars remained, part of which was earmarked for humanitarian projects. This year, for example, some of the funds were used to purchase a medical device that allows pathology tests to be performed during surgical operations. The local youth work of the church is also to be supported by the proceeds.

For more information on the New Apostolic Church in South America, please visit the website www.inasud.org