Prayer vigil

The 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Saturday, March 24 prayer vigil is a wonderful opportunity for you to have a specific place and time to devote to prayer—a traditional Lenten discipline. Each station of this vigil will represent key mission projects, in which our congregation is engaged. You will be able to visit each of the “stations” to learn more about these mission projects and to pray specifically for them. We hope this offers you some space in a peaceful, quiet setting for prayer and reflection.

- Gena’s Tree (and partners La Casita, Coalition for the Homeless, Wayside Christian Mission, Bellewood Presbyterian Homes for Children, United Crescent Hill Ministries, Center for Women and Families)
- United Crescent Hill Ministries
- Habitat for Humanity
- French Ministry
- Eco-Justice Worship
- Joint English Language Learners Teaching Ministry
- Leake Memorial Community Garden and Garden Camp
- Mid-Kentucky Presbytery
- Appalachian Activities
- Coalition of Immokalee Workers
- Fair Trade Efforts
- International Mission Workers
Christi Boyd, Jeff Boyd, Nancy Collins, Amanda Craft, Jo Ella Holman, Amy Wadsworth, and David Wigger
- Guatemala Mission Partnership

God, Lift up for your blessing our brothers and sisters of [organization/ project name] and the many people You touch through their work. In this time of political conflict, economic difficulty, and spiritual hunger, help us set into motion Your vision of a partnership between them and us that builds Your Kingdom in Louisville, across the country, and all over the world. In the name of Your Son, Jesus, we pray. Amen.

St. Patrick's Day week gathering

Crescent Hill folks interested in the Guatemala mission partnership will gather at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, March 12, at 1741 Frankfort Avenue (the old James Lees Memorial Presbyterian Church) to talk about: the late-March vigil and mission trip lunch, the trip itself, and additional communication with Guatemalan partners. Everyone is welcome.

March prayers

This month Crescent Hill church will pray with and for our Guatemalan partners:

- On Sunday, March 4, and during the week thereafter: El Buen Samaritano church in El Estor’s Nuevo Amanacer neighborhood, and members, deacons, and elders

-On Sunday, March 11, and during the week thereafter: Estoreño Presbytery Presbyterian Women organization, President Maria Coc Tial, and other officers.

-On Sunday, March 18, and during the week thereafter: Estoreño Presbytery youth and young adult organization, President Roderico Sacul Tiul, and other officers.

-On Sunday, March 25, and during the week thereafter: Q’eqchi’ Estoreño, Izabal Presbytery Executive Committee, President Gerardo Pop Ich, and other officers.

-On Sunday, April 2, and during the week thereafter: Peniel church in Boqueron, Pastor Pablo Sacul, and members, deacons, and elders.

Possible summer 2012 mission trip

Learning new ways to be Christian, deepening our spiritual life, and engaging in transcontinental mission are three core elements of the three-year-old partnership between Crescent Hill church and eastern Guatemala’s Q’eqchi’ Estoreño Izabal Presbytery. Visits, prayer support, exchange of news, and joint or parallel Bible study and theological reflection, as well as a couple of Guatemala building improvement projects, have been important partnership activities. Spanish-language worship, Spanish-language Bible study, a Spanish class, an English language learners teaching ministry, and prayer vigils have been local Crescent Hill activities that have emerged as extensions of Guatemala partnership activities.

In summer 2009 a Crescent Hill mission team visited most of the congregations that form the Estoreño Presbytery and helped construct a partnership covenant that the Estoreño Presbytery executive committee and the Crescent Hill session subsequently approved. The covenant called for a 2012 review of the partnership. Although Crescent Hill and Estoreño representatives have gathered twice outside of the Guatemalans’ home area since then, no Crescent Hill representatives have visited Izabal since 2009. A possible Crescent Hill Guatemala mission trip would offer invaluable opportunities for: (1) formal review of the partnership: (2) discussions about possible shared mission efforts and Bible study; (3) visits to Estoreño congregations that Crescent Hill folks have not visited before; and (4) formation of the first intergenerational Crescent Hill Guatemala mission team since 2009.

Estoreño and Crescent Hill representatives have been discussing possible July trip dates. The task force might allocate some of the existing partnership funds to the trip, supplemented by contributions by the team members and additional fund-raising, which the task force asks the Outreach Council and session to bless. The task force will put on a Sunday lunchtime educational program about the trip, in advance, to widen interest and possible participation. In addition, the task force will keep Crescent Hill folks updated about trip plans and the actual trip through the partnership blog and Facebook, and return to share with the congregation via the newsletter and a special themed worship service.

-Perry

Guatemala mission lunch

Excited to meet representatives of CHPC’s partner presbytery in Guatemala in December and want to know more about the partnership and an opportunity to visit Guatemala? Stop by Fellowship Hall after worship on Sunday, March 25, for a light lunch, update on the partnership, and information about an intergenerational summer 2012 Guatemala mission trip, probably in July. Pray for the Guatemala presbytery as part of the Saturday, March 24, prayer vigil too, and make it a Guatemala mission weekend!

Lenten prayer vigil

During Lent this year, we are having a prayer vigil in the sanctuary on Saturday, March 24, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. This will be a wonderful opportunity for you to have a specific place and time to devote to prayer—a traditional Lenten discipline. Prayer is the basis of our relationship with God. It also helps us understand ourselves better and find ways to meet the needs of others in the same way that Jesus did.

Our vigil will include a dozen or more areas where church members will have set up “stations” depicting key mission projects that our congregation is engaged in. For example, a station will include the Gena Tree which serves as a collection spot for donations for The Coalition for the Homeless, The Center for Women and Families and LaCasita.

Other areas will focus on United Crescent Hill Ministries, the French Ministry, mission co-workers and Youth Adult Volunteer Program (YAV), the youth and adult mission trips to Appalachia, and our John Leake Garden and Garden Camp Project.

You will be able to visit each of the “stations” to learn more about these mission projects and to pray specifically for them. There also will be a station where you may choose, silently or in writing, to make known your own needs or areas of growth you would like to see within our congregation. You can come anytime during the four-hour time period and stay as long or as short a time as you would like. This peaceful, quiet time can also be a wonderful opportunity for you just to have some time to sit in a pew and reflect and meditate.

The idea for the vigil came from CHPC’s Guatemalan Task Force. Prayer vigils are a common spiritual practice in Guatemala and as a part of our partnership with the Q’eqchi’ Estoreno, Izabal Presbytery we have committed ourselves to trying to learn more about this practice modeled so well by our partners. Because we have so many wonderful mission partnerships within our congregation, we wanted to have this chance to pray for all of them.

If you would like to help with any of the plans for the vigil, please contact Soni Castleberry by at sonic573@insightbb.com or 417-6481.

-Soni

Late February gathering notes

Half a dozen plus Crescent Hill folks interested in the Guatemala mission partnership gathered on Presidents’ Day Monday to talk about upcoming partnership activities. Perry reviewed plans for a Saturday, March 24 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. prayer vigil in the sanctuary, with a prayer service at 12 noon. A subgroup had discussed this in an earlier meeting. Perry explained that Crescent Hill folks involved in various local and international ministries were being asked to develop “stations” that vigil participants would circle around to in the sanctuary. Jane suggested the “stations” be left up for the following day’s Sunday worship.

The group went back over a phone conversation between Gerardo and Carlos at the previous meeting, earlier in the month. Carlos clarified that he interpreted Gerardo as going ahead and sending the six months’ worth of the communications budget.

The group talked about the possible summer 2012 Guatemala mission trip at some length. The second week of July was targeted as a possible week. This is a good week for some people, and not for others (including Pastor Jane). Half a dozen or so people there seemed somewhat interested in going on such a trip. The group discussed the possibility of using PresGov for transportation only on the trip. There was also some discussion of what Gerardo had indicated the Estoreño Presbytery folks might be interested in terms of activities, including: (1) hearing more about PC(USA) history; (2) a building improvement project for Pastor Mario’s Esperanza church; (3) workshops with presbytery-wide groups for women and for youth and young adults; and (4) partnership review discussions. Pastor Jane suggested the group might try to work with Looking for Lilith for workshops with women (and perhaps others). Perry said he hoped to do more outreach for the trip with non-Crescent Hill groups, particularly groups that were involved in the Estoreño representatives’ December 2011 group. Doug pitched for Edge Ministries as one possible other group to be involved. Perry said he was also inquiring about Ellen’s availability to participate in the trip. Jane underlined the importance of having some Spanish speakers on the trip.

The group decided on after-Sunday worship during the same weekend as the vigil (Sunday, March 25) as a time to have a light lunch discussion about the trip, to let people know more about the partnership and possibilities for the trip. Eva and Jane volunteered to bring fruit, Nora volunteered to make tortillas, Doug and Stephanie volunteered to make bean soup, and Peter and Perry volunteered to make rice. The program for that lunch and the dates of the trip (which would presumably be selected before Guatemala weekend lite) were left somewhat up in the air, when the group’s leadership empowered to make some decisions, perhaps after checking with folks by e-mail.
The group also talked about asking for session’s approval to go ahead with the trip and do fund-raising for it at the session’s end-of-the-month meeting, and to follow up by checking in with Outreach Council about the trip. (The group has also been in touch with Kate about the interest and availability of Youth Team and youth for the trip.) There was some discussion about the extent of need for fund-raising.

There was also some discussion about the theological education and Christian education initiatives of the presbytery and others in PC(USA) and IENPG and the possibility of having a PC(USA) young adult volunteer sent to Izabal to work with our partners.

The group did not try to call Gerardo.

The group heard about Karla Koll’s health issues, Amanda Craft’s upcoming birthday, Carlos’ acceptance into a residency program, and the run of Jennifer’s play over the next two weeks.

The group agreed to gather next three weeks later, again at 5:30 p.m., on Monday, March 12, back at 1741 Frankfort Avenue (James Lees).

-Perry