A Brief History of Emanuel Lutheran Church – Sorá

The beginning of the Lutheran work in Sora is directly related to the start of the Lutheran mission to the Spanish-speaking in Panama. In 1980, Rev. Merrell Wetzstein (R.I.P.) was assigned as a missionary of the Lutheran Church-Missouri SYNOD (LCMS) to Panama, to start a mission among the Panamanian people.

One of his first contacts in the new Lutheran mission was with the parents of Marta Vega Peterson, who were residents in Sora. Marta had become a Christian and gave the names of her parents to Rev. Wetzstein so he could make a pastoral visit to them and share the Gospel. Sr. Onofre, an active member and Sra. Máxima (who died in 1996), were the first confirmed Lutherans in the new mission in Sora. Pastor Wetzstein fell in love with the town of Sora that at that time was considered an area of difficult access. There was no permanent road, but the pastor continued visiting the town and bringing together the people interested in hearing the Gospel.

Between 1980-1995, a small congregation was formed that met irregularly in the home of the Vegas (Marta’s parents) and was attended to by Pastor Wetzstein among his many other responsibilities.

 In 1997, Marta Peterson began a “Little Bible School” (Escuelita) for children of the town in the home of her father to provide them with Bible education. She taught lessons from the Bible, taught them how to use the Bible, and they sang songs and did handicrafts related to the Bible lessons. She had the help of some young ladies (Yolanda, Librada, Vanesa, Damaris) and a couple of mothers. The group grew rapidly to more than 40 children, who got together every Saturday in addition to having special programs for Christmas, Mother’s Day, and other important holidays. The “Escuelita Biblica de Sora” was the name given by the children and due to the growth, they moved to a property purchased by Marta to have more room. The group kept growing rapidly with support from the Bible Society of Panama that gave them Bibles for the children and other materials to use. Marta had the idea to plant a new congregation by working through the children to reach their families.

 In 1999, Rev. Dan McMiller was assigned as a missionary to Panama, and he became interested in the Escuelita after he learned that several parents wanted to have Bible studies and confirmation classes. He started giving confirmation classes to youth and adults that were interested in forming a new Lutheran congregation. Bob Gamble, the administrator of the LCMS mission came to Sora unannounced one day to see the Escuelita. He was so impressed that he determined to find a way to support the ministry. The church was built thanks to several donations obtained by the mission and a lot of local volunteer work.  

Emanuel Lutheran Church was born “officially” on Sept. 29, 2001, with the dedication of the chapel and confirmation of 12 new young members. Since then, the congregation has gathered regularly to conduct worship services, share the Lord’s supper and hold special events in conjunction with the Escuelita Biblica, which has become an important evangelism arm of the church.

Ken served the congregation until December 2016, when Rev. Alejandro Lopez of Valparaiso, Chile, answered our call with the blessing of the IELCHI. He, his wife, Laura, and daughters Martina and Emilia, arrived in Sora on Dec. 29, 2016. Since that time, he has been serving the congregation, Laura has been working with the Escuelita Biblica, and they have been integrating into the community.