News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Mike Silva preaches before a crowd of thousands in Panama. photo provided
Most Sundays, Mike Silva is in the pulpit at Sisters Community Church.
Last month, from March 20-28, he was in La Chorrera, Panama, providing services to the impoverished of the community and preaching to some 70,000 in an evangelical festival.
That's the work Mike Silva International has done since 1994, in countries around the globe. Silva is Portuguese and Spanish-speaking, so the ministry focuses on countries where one of those is the common language.
The ministry offers training and educational services, particularly for businesses; medical aid; food and clothing distribution; and fresh water projects; along with large-scale evangelical festivals that feature regionally popular music acts with free admission. There's a big "kids zone," making the festivals appealing to families.
The festivals draw huge crowds, Silva notes with a grin, "because we're the biggest circus in town."
His daughter Jenna, who is director of development for Mike Silva International, notes that the music is a major draw.
"They just can't believe they're going to hear their favorite artist for free," she said.
Jenna notes that poverty is dire and endemic in the places where Mike Silva International works.
"Life is hard in these places," she said. "The needs are so tremendous that we want to cover as much ground, do as much as we possibly can."
Offering hope is the key element in the spiritual component of the festivals, including sermons by Silva.
"That's the message," Silva says. "That the message of the Bible is a message of hope. We talk about felt needs of people and how I believe the answer is in the Bible. It's not in religion. I'm not a religious person. I believe in the Bible and that's it."
Silva's ministry is funded through business and individual contributions from across the United States. Many companies donate clothing.
"Nike has given us boxes and boxes of Nike shoes, Nike clothes," Jenna noted.
All those who participate in the twice-annual trips are volunteers who raise funds to cover their travel expenses.
The next trip is scheduled to go to Nicaragua in November and will, for the first time, include volunteers from Sisters.
For more information visit www.mikesilva.org.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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