December gathering

A group of folks interested in Guatemala mission chatted over soup making (thanks, Soni, Doug, and Mary, for soup-making) about the CHPC-Guatemala partnership.  The group will have two soups (corn chowder and lentil) for the Second Sunday Soup Spectacular this month (December). 

We will have ended receiving close to $2,000 in donations as part of the year-long soup activities.  We are going to ask Ben if he would be willing to try sending $1,000 of this through IENPG this month, with the idea that this would go a small way to funding some of the projects that the presbytery proposed we partner with them on.  The idea continues to be that we do parallel food projects to help generate support for the projects.  Which project or projects would receive our part of the funding for this year would be entirely up to the presbytery.

There with a diversity of perspectives on exactly what the Session decided about our proposal that money be included in the 2019 CHPC budget in case we call a pastor in 2019 and we send a visit team to Guatemala in late 2019 or early 2020 and the pastor is interested in being part of the team.  The Session will likely continue to talk about the budget at its December meeting and at the early January church officer retreat. 

On the rest of the 2020 budget, Session often leaves it up to Outreach Council to figure out how to distribute “benevolences” for the year, as late as February.  Perry reminded folks that he would not be able to “represent” the Guatemala Connection/partnership before Outreach during early 2019, as he will be back teaching night class on Wednesday nights.

Speaking of the retreat, a number of Connection folks will be on that retreat.  With Doug, Ben, and Carrie still here, the group hopes to continue the Second Sunday Soup Spectacular on that second Sunday of January, the retreat Sunday.  Sue Krause should be back contributing a soup or two, and Soni will ask Bruce Ucan if he contribute a soup on that Sunday.  So, Doug, Ben, and Carrie (if one or two or three are available) may be needed to receive and package the soup Sunday before worship (or whenever it is worked out with Sue and Bruce if possible) and then to give it folks after church and accept donations/give change.  These three will also need to be responsible for making labels with ingredients too.

The Guatemala Connection leaned towards asking Perry to write another report for us for the CHPC Annual Report.

The group tried calling Ramiro and Ana.  The circuits might be down or something and we were not able to get through.  The group got word earlier this week that – with his stomach and diabetes – Ramiro is very sick.

Perry

  

P.S.  Soni also said she hopes to disengage Second Sunday Soup Spectacular Sundays from potluck Sundays (in December they are together again).  Soni said January/February should work itself out because CHPC will have the usual potluck in connection with the church annual congregational meeting, and that will be either in late January or very early February (but not a second Sunday).

P.P.S.  Later in the week, Ramiro’s daughter reported by Facebook that his condition had improved, which we hope it true.