January 2026 2nd Mile Giving Partner

Companion Synods

A new year is upon us ... welcome to 2026. As we start this new calendar year,

our Social Ministry team again is inviting members and friends of ASLC to learn about,

celebrate, and support various ministry partners during 2026 in our Second Mile Giving

program. Each month of this year, we will lift up and learn about a different partner,

which is bringing work and the good news of Jesus Christ to others, through their various networks.

In January, the Second Mile Giving program ministry partner is Companion

Synods. Sometimes these are also known as Sister Synods, and our own Sierra Pacific

Synod refers to these as “Partner Synods”. The Companion Synods that ASLC are

celebrating and lifting up this month are Rwanda, El Salvador, Taiwan, and South

Dakota.

In this article, we will explore a little about the Synod in El Salvador (Salvadoran

Lutheran Church, or Iglesia Luterana Salvadoreña). In the 1950s, the Lutheran

Church Missouri Synod began doing missionary work in El Salvador. The son of one of

these missionary pastors befriended Medardo Gómez, who had been studying to be a

Catholic priest. Medardo became interested in the Lutheran Church, subsequently attended and graduated from a Lutheran seminary in Mexico City. Rev. Medardo Gómez soon started Resurrection Lutheran Church in El Salvador. By 1985, other Lutheran Churches had been founded, and the Salvadoran Lutheran Church (Iglesia Luterana Salvadoreña) was founded, with Rev. Medardo Gómez as the

bishop.

Bishop Gomez served for 40 years, retiring in January 2025. Rev. Guadalupe

Cortés was elected and installed as bishop of Salvadorean Lutheran Churches in

February 2025. Today in El Salvador there are approximately 200 Lutheran faith

communities and churches with 15,500 members. They continue to proclaim the good

news of Jesus Christ and their hallmark is advocating for justice.

In January we are celebrating the work of all of our Companion Synods. Please

join us in supporting these Lutheran Church bodies in prayer, and financial support, as

you are able.