Funding possibilities

Three possibilities for partnership-related money transfers:

Disaster recovery: In late September Estoreño Presbytery set to Crescent Hill an information sheet on local problems that have resulted from Guatemala storms: expensive corn, broken up fields, damage to church buildings, and flagging giving. No doubt the global economic crisis and the barely functioning national government are also factors there. After some time Crescent Hill found that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) has been in contact with partners in Guatemala (including CEDEPCA, where Karla Koll, Dennis Smith, and Delia Leal have worked) who are surveying needs the PDA is focused on the summer storm Agatha, and, to a lesser extent, the volcano eruption. But the partners are apparently aware other storms have struck. We have been trying to put these partners and our partners in contact with each other. There is only about $2,000 in PDA’s special Guatemala storm relief account – raised since this summer – but PDA will likely plow some of its general fund money into Guatemala storm relief also. But PDA also suggested Crescent Hill church contribute money to the Guatemala storm relief fund. They asked us not to designate funds for Estoreño/Izabal relief. There was no explicit quid pro quo – but if we gave money, that couldn’t help but encourage them to focus more attention on the area . . .

E-mail exchanges and phone conversations have generated several ideas about raising some money to contribute, either through PDA and its partners or three other means: a special offering during worship, a fund-raiser, or allocation of existing money (Guatemala mission partnership funds?). Folks who have shared these ideas have been very enthusiastic about helping our partners recover from disasters. (The church Outreach Council has already recommended any remaining 2010 funds in three church accounts it has some say over go towards Guatemala storm relief.)

Folks involved in Guatemala mission have also received new information about the theological education project. Two of the Presbyterian mission co-workers Crescent Hill church worked with earlier this year have been working the Amigos de K’eckhi (a collection of U.S. congregations and presbyteries partnered with Q’eqichi’-speaking Guatemalan presbyteries), the national evangelical Presbyterian church in Guatemala, and the Presbyterian seminary there to develop a theological training program for Q’eqchi’-speaking Presbyterian pastoral leaders. This past April there was a gathering in Coban to plan for the program. No Crescent Hill people participated, but the church did send money so that two Estoreño representatives – Pastor Pablo and Pastor José Sub – could participate. This past week Crescent Hill folks received a request from folks involved in this program. They made a case for the program – Q’eqchi’-speaking pastors have on average been through third grade in school. They also reported the cost for a year of the program ($10,000) and asked for contributions. We have had questions about the program, and we have not really ascertained the level of interest on the part of Estoreño partners in it. Nothing about participating in this program appeared in the informes the partners gave the Crescent Hill mission team in July. Nevertheless, Crescent Hill has been broadly interested in theological reflection.

Finally, for almost a year Crescent Hill’s Estoreño partners and Crescent Hill folks have been talking about Q’eqchi’-language Christian education materials they’ve prepared that they were looking for money to reproduce. Partners were not able to bring sample materials to Coban in July. This month, however, Ellen is visiting Guatemala and is set to retrieve a copy of the materials from the national church office in Guatemala City, where partners left these materials a couple of months ago. (Ellen will also leave a signed Spanish-language copy of the partnership agreement between Crescent Hill and the presbytery.)

It may be, if we’re going to help out with disaster relief, we may want to do this relatively soon. A program we’re thinking of having in January might address this issue of gift giving in mission relationships.

-- Perry