Costa Rica

Field Office Information

C&MA Field Entry in 1975

Field Director:

Mailing Address:

Apartado 195-2020
San Jose, COSTA RICA

Phone:

011-506-253-3923

Email:

crfanberg@racsa.co.cr

Website:

National Church

The Christian and Missionary Alliance of Costa Rica: 4 organized churches, 1 unorganized group, 6 ordained ministers, 612 baptized members, and 2,120 inclusive members

Team Initiatives

• N/A

Praxis Communities Cultivate Authentic Faith

2008-03-11 09:20:37.0

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Christian and Missionary Alliance has launched a new program that offers young adults the opportunity to experience cross-cultural missions firsthand. Praxis is a network of C&MA ministry sites with the same purpose: to develop a generation of leaders who can impact the world by living out authentic faith. The program focuses on three core values: spiritual formation, service, and community. It aims at cultivating a missions-centered lifestyle while building into young adults the Alliance DNA of deeper spiritual life and missions.

As part of the Global Ventures family of programs, Praxis is for people between the ages of 19 and 31, who are willing to invest six months to a year at a Praxis Community in the United States or overseas. The main purpose of the program is to "strategically connect with young adults in Alliance congregations who desire to serve cross-culturally but don’t know where to start," said Doug Bortner, northeast regional representative for Candidate Development.

Current Praxis locations include Mexico, Costa Rica, the Middle East, Gabon, and Portland, Oregon. Faith and character will be formed within the context of community as participants engage in Christ's mission. "The program will take participants outside their comfort zones and expand their worldviews," said Bortner.

Through Praxis, Alliance leaders will have the opportunity to invest in the lives of young adults through mentoring and coaching. "Through these relationships, they will be able to discern and discover who God made them to be," said Bortner.

Praxis is not for believers who already have committed to overseas ministry. “It is more for those who are not sure what the missionary call looks like but who want to invest their lives in something that counts,” said Bortner. "Participants will come back ready to plug into churches or other areas of ministry. They will be more engaged, whatever the venue, whether it’s the local church or overseas."

For more information, visit www.cmalliance.org/serve/praxis.

The Alliance is a fellowship of evangelical believers joined together in local churches, dedicated to fulfilling Christ's command to make disciples of all nations. The Alliance has a thoroughly evangelical doctrinal statement and encourages believers from diverse backgrounds and theological traditions to unite to complete Christ's Great Commission.

CONTACT:

Becky Gorton, Global Ventures Office

The Christian and Missionary Alliance

719-265-2037

Fax: 719-599-8234

E-mail: global-ventures@cmalliance.org

Web: www.cmalliance.org/serve/praxis

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Demographics

Population

Population--4,016,173 Infant mortality rate--9.9/1,000 Life expectancy--76.8

Capital City

San José (1,527,300) pop.

Geography

Slightly larger than Vermont and New Hampshire combined, Costa Rica (19,730 sq. mi.) has rich agricultural land, lowlands, and an interior plateau.

Languages

Spanish (official), English

Ethnicity/Race

White/Mestizo--94%; Black--3%; Amerindian--1%; Chinese--1%; other--1%

Economy

Per capita income--$9,600 Inflation--11.5% Unemployment--6.6% Literacy rate--96% (2003 est.)

Government/Political Climate

Democratic republic. The standard of living is relatively high, and land ownership is widespread.

Religion

Roman Catholic--76.3%; Evangelical--13.7%; Jehovah’s Witness--1.3%; other Protestant--0.7%; other--4.8%; none--3.2%