September Guatemalan Connection gathering notes

About ten people gathered and shared thoughts about partnership engagement/ outreach/education/involvement of the congregation with Estoreño Presbytery mission, and future Guatemala visits.  Follow-up activities after the summertime 2016 visit – the July service that visit team members led, the early August Food for Thought lunch/presentation the early August St. Joe’s parking cars fund-raiser – were discussed, as well as concerns heard from CHPC folks about the some aspects of the visit, including the expense.

The group talked about possibly sending the Presbytery about $1,500 (as soon as possible):  $1,000 for 2016 theological education, $250 for pre-registration for new participants (including some women) in 2017 theological education, and $250 for the presbytery’s PW organization for visiting of female church leaders across the presbytery or pastoral needs of women and families in the presbytery.  The group also talked about the possibility of sending one or two people to the January Guatemala Mission Network gathering in Guatemala City and one or two women to the Estoreño Presbytery PW gathering in April 2017.  Possible expenses associated with this – in addition to flights – would be registration (which includes food and lodging) for the network meeting, and – likely either way – registration for probably two Estoreño Presbytery leaders and their travel expenses.

Pastor Jane reported that there might be as much as $4,000 total in the two CHPC Guatemalan mission accounts, but that some money ought to be kept in the account that rolls over for future benevolence or visits (either one way or the other).

The group asked Perry to check with Presbytery leaders – who are set to meet in a couple of weeks – to see if those were still plausible activities, to make sure we would receive reports back, and to find if the Presbytery would like to send a couple of representatives to the Mission Network gathering and to double check the dates for the presbytery PW gathering.  Also important to know are the deadline for pre-registering new people for 2017 theological education and for the network gathering.

There was also some discussion about some additional joint activities and/or adoption/adaptation of Q’eqchi’ Estoreño spiritual practices:  prayer vigils, fasting, joint prayer (World Communion Sunday?).

Ben and Jane expressed interest in attending the Network gathering.  Perry asked about some long-time or relatively new Guatemalan Connection folks – including some people who have not yet been able to been on CHPC visits to Guatemala or have only done so once (such as Elisabeth, Cara Bridgman, Mary Love, Carrie Bridgman, or – mentioned later – Megan McCarty) (or possibly Eva or Andrea or Claudia or Kate) – as possible women’s meeting participants (along with possibly Jane, Soni, or Stephanie).

The group is slated to meet next at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 8.