Lifeline
in
El Salvador
After
several years of planning and waiting on the Lord,
Lifeline’s church ministry expanded to El Salvador in 2004.
Jose Rodriguez, a minister with much church planting
experience, joined Lifeline to begin a church in Santa Tecla,
an area located in the southwestern part of San Salvador,
the capital of El Savlador. Lives are changing and
additional churches have been started in surrounding
regions.
The
ministry in El Salvador is different in nature than
Lifeline’s ministries in Haiti and Honduras. The focus
group is middle class inhabitants of the city. This target
group, when reached, will be challenged to reach out to the
less fortunate in their society.
Historical Overview of El
Salvador
In 1525, the Spanish conquered El Salvador. In 1821 El Salvador, along
with other Central American countries, declared their
independence from Spain. A federation of Central American
states was formed until it was dissolved in 1838.
Revolutions and civil wars broke out against the various
dictators and wars between neighboring countries. In 1992,
a treaty was signed to bring political and military reforms,
which ended a 12-year civil war. Natural disasters then
plagued the country: in 1998 Hurricane Mitch devastated the
country, in the winter of 2001 major earthquakes struck and
in the summer of 2001 a severe drought decimated the
country’s crops. In 2005, El Salvador approved a free trade
agreement (CAFTA) with the U.S.
Religion in El Salvador
The
majority of the population consider themselves Catholic
although most are not actively involved. There are a
growing number of evangelical Protestants throughout El
Salvador.
Facts &
Figures
Population
6.8 million
people
Capital
San
Salvador
Language
Spanish
Currency
U.S. Dollar
Illiteracy
rate 20%
Unemployment
rate
6.5%
(Official
rate, but there is much underemployment)
Population
Below Poverty Line 36%
Life
Expectancy Average 71 years old
