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world mission
Pastors in Guatemala may not have the graduate-level educational background that their Presbyterian counterparts in the U.S. bring to ministry.But the passion for their calling and the skills they’re demonstrating as they either prepare for or hone their ministry were on display last week at the offices of CEDEPCA, the Protestant Center for Pastoral Studies in Central America, a longtime partner of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
The Presbyterian delegation visiting Israel-Palestine in March took a unique tour of Jerusalem — one that most who visit one of the most holy cities in the world seldom see.
Up against some appalling facts — 119 Guatemalan women each day report a violent attack against them and nearly 62,000 women and girls 19 and under became pregnant during the first six months of 2018, many of them the result of rape — CEDEPCA, a longtime partner of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), was determined to empower girls in a new way.
In our Reformed tradition, Presbyterians recognize that we are a part of a larger body of Christ. But that body doesn’t end at the walls of our church building, our city limits, state lines or national borders. That body encompasses each child of God around the world. Because we all have limitations and are all united in Christ, we believe we are called to mission in partnership because, after all, we are better together.
About 25 Taiwanese pastors and several Guatemalan pastors would be arriving the next day to live together in a big old house at the PC(USA) conference center Montreat in Western North Carolina. I had visited the house shortly after the male collegiate summer staff had vacated. It looked pretty grim, with mildew in the bathrooms and carpets that had seen better days.
So, when I went back to see how the house looked on Sunday afternoon, I was delighted that two folks were just beginning to clean the house.
Drawn to the ruggedness, remoteness and greenness of rural Guatemala, Richard and Debbie Welch have, for the past six years, worked with that country’s indigenous population to build literacy and educational attainment in a country increasingly in the news because of the Trump administration’s concerns over the number of immigrants entering the United States from Central America’s Northern Triangle, which also includes Honduras and El Salvador.
As the Israeli bombing of Gaza continues, the words of B’Tselem Director Hagai El Ad are ringing in the ears of the members of the PC(USA) delegation that visited Israel-Palestine two weeks ago — perpetual occupation and zero international consequences. He has taken that message to the United Nations General Assembly several times, most recently last fall, and delivered the same words to the delegation.
It was dark; our only illumination came from the stars and the faint light of electric candles. Frogs and crickets serenaded us, and it struck me as a beautiful and holy space. The labyrinth was in a small clearing, surrounded by trees, under the open sky, so I stopped and looked up at the stars every so often as I walked.
Fruit trees and agriculture are frequent subjects of metaphors and parables in the Bible. People in Madagascar can relate because, just as in Biblical times, most are subsistence farmers, growing most of their own food. People in Madagascar commonly prepare fields using only spades and hard labor.
In response to a commissioner’s resolution adopted at the 223rd General Assembly in St. Louis (2018), a group of 10 Presbyterian Church (USA) representatives visited Israel-Palestine last week to express concerns for the human rights of the inhabitants of Gaza. The delegation was led by GA 223 co-moderator, Ruling Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri, and director of World Mission the Rev. José Luis Casal.
