2003 Guatemala Partnership Report

At the end of 2003, the partnership among the presbyteries of Western North Carolina, Suchitepequez, and Sur Occidente begins its tenth official year. We give thanks to God for all that has been accomplished in ten years, especially for the growth in relationships and understanding among Presbyterians in Guatemala and the USA.

PEOPLE EXCHANGES: This year has seen a continued trend in increasing visits between the USA and Guatemala.

1. As the partnership has matured, "iglesias hermanadas" have wanted to work together on projects and to visit one another. First Presbyterian Church of Asheville, and First Presbyterian Church of Hickory both sent teams of their members to Guatemala in 2003. Pastors from both churches were on the teams, a significant factor in promoting church-wide involvement in the partnership.
2. PWNC continues to sponsor a delegation of partner churches to visit partners in Guatemala. The delegation of ten people went in the spring of 2003 and visited the following partner churches: El Divino Salvador; El Camino a Canaan in Sur Occidente, and Jesus Fuente de Agua Vida and EbenEzer in Suchitepéquez.
3. Hermano Enrique Lorenzo (Betlehem), Pastor Demetrio Velasquez (Fuente de Vida and Bethel) both representatives for Sur Occidente, and Hermano Angel Vela from Monte Hebron for Suchitepéquez spent a week with their partner church congregations and traveling through the presbytery. We were delighted that both First Presbyterian Church, Hendersonville (Jesus la Luz del Mundo) and Grace Covenant (Jerusalem) were each able to invite two visitors from their partner churches. We hope that Sur Occidente will select representatives from churches that have not had a member visit PWNC yet.
4. The Executive Committee of PWNC went to Guatemala in October 2002, as it has done for the last five years, in October to meet with our counterparts from Suchitepéquez and Sur Occidente. Together, we all evaluate the year ending and prepare for the next year.
5. Four members of the Health Ministries team went to Guatemala early in 2003 to continue their planning with the Jt. Health Committee and the local Health Ministries staff. (These were Dr. Doug Michael, Hermana Trel Lowe, and Hermanos Buzz Durham and Alejandro Cortes.)
6. At the same time, Pastor Susan Rice and Hermana Barbara Hosbein, representatives of the Christian Education Committee, went to Guatemala for workshops with teachers and with youth and to meet with their counterparts. Unfortunately, communication failed in Guatemala. Pastor Susan and Hermana Barbara had an excellent time with a few of the youth from Suchitepéquez Presbytery, but they were disappointed that they weren’t able to meet with others as planned.
7. One major disappointment in 2003 was the cancellation of two women's visit to PWNC. The cancellation was due to the fact that the primary reason for their coming, a women’s conference on domestic violence, was cancelled. It is not clear when and if the women will have a chance to come to PWNC at another time.
8. Three of our members attended a PCUSA meeting for all presbyteries and churches involved in partnerships in Guatemala so that we can establish a network to improve communication and cooperation. We look forward to hearing about a similar encuentro for the Guatemala partners this year and then one with both Guatemalans and us in 2004.
9. The Partnership Task Force has begun 2003 to plan for different kinds of trips to Guatemala, in order to meet a variety of interests and skills. The first "theme" trip is to be held in August 2004, a pilgrimage focused on women's concerns. Other possible trips include explorations of nature and culture.

CHURCH/PROGRAM PARTNERSHIPS:

1. Two new partner church pairs were created:
   Trinity in Hendersonville with Fuente de Vida
   FPC, Newton with El Redentor
2. Partner churches continued to work on projects in conjunction with their Guatemalan brothers and sisters. So far only one pair of churches (Lenoir/Tecojate and Quaker Meadows/Genezereth has reached the second level of project commitments. The Task Force and the Partnership Committees of Suchitepéquez and Sur Occidente will have to plan more clearly what the third stage of partner church projects will entail. We in the Presbytery of WNC also have some concern that many of the projects relate to building churches. We hope to discuss how to make these projects better fit the guidelines the three committees established, including choosing projects that will benefit the communities, not just church members.
3. We have a goal of getting e-mail addresses and telephone numbers of members of every single partner church in Sur Occidente and Suchitepéquez so direct communication is improved.
4. A new aspect of the partnership began in 2003 with the possibility of PWNC churches 'partnering' with the Christian Education or the Health Ministries programs, high priorities of the partnership. A few churches have signed on to this new form of being a partner. This new relationship has the same requirements as the "iglesia hermana" relationships, but will provide a different return in the form of educational materials and speakers. We must do much to improve this kind of partnership.

HEALTH MINISTRIES:

1. The focus of this priority has shifted from health promoter training to community-based projects such as gardens, matters of public hygiene, and nutrition. We recognize that this will mean a reduction in the number of staff in Guatemala (health promoter trainers), but we are very happy that the Jt. Health Committee and diaconia are now collaborating in this training.
2. After some problems, we did receive a $10,000 grant from Mission St. Joseph’s Children’s Fund (formerly the Ruth and Billy Graham Children’s Fund) for the children’s nutrition program.
3. Money is also being collected at Christmas 2003 for four projects related to Health Ministries: children’s nutrition; improved stoves; family gardens; continuing education for health promoters.
4. The committee (and the Presbytery) was very happy to hear that the health promoters have a “cinco centavos” program similar to our 2 Cents a Meal program in PWNC.
5. The Hunger Committee of the Presbytery allocated $10,000 for the health program in 2004, and also at least $7000 to Diaconia for support of the training program it is doing with Sur Occidente, Suchitepéquez and some of the indigenous presbyteries.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION:

1. After a series of workshops for children and youth, the Christian Education priority is floundering. The PWNC CE Committee has almost no one on it now, and it seems that all three committees are unclear, so movement forward has been difficult. One of the tasks of the November 2003 visit will be to clarify needs and goals. Possibilities include (from PWNC's point of view, at least), working with already established groups such as the youth distritos and the Presbiteriales rather than trying to create something new.
2. PWNC continued to provide scholarship money for students the SEP through its Christmas offering. Due to lack of prior information from the seminary and the bad economy in the USA, we haven’t been able to raise as much money for scholarships this year as in the past. There needs to be more information about students in order for us to maintain support for the scholarship program.
3. Some churches continue to send Sunday School kits.

COORDINATION:

1. The PWNC Partnership Committee met approximately 10 times during the past year.
2. In 2003, Edwin Gelista, the second coordinator for the partnership, began his work. He and Hugo Guzman carry on the legwork of the partnership in Guatemala. Some things are going well under their leadership and some issues need to be addressed. Most specifically, we need detailed financial accounts.
3. PWNC had planned to bring Marriette van der Sluijs to Guatemala for an interview with the two committees there so she can be hired as the coordinator in PWNC, but she is unable to come because of health problems.
4. We are extremely pleased that many of the Guatemalan coordinators and committee members now have e-mail. This is improving communication immensely.

EDUCATION:

1. We developed a PowerPoint program that has been presented at a meeting of Presbytery as well in churches.
2. We had a meeting of partner churches in February with about 60 in attendance.
3. Pastor Antonio Otzoy spoke with us in October.

HISPANIC MINISTRY IN PWNC:

1. We have a new Spanish-language church in Hickory.
2. Churches and members of churches in several places in the Presbytery are involved in centers helping Hispanics.
3. One church (West Avenue) has Spanish and English classes once a week, along with a fellowship time, so there is time for Anglos and Hispanics to meet and help each other.

NEW COVENANT: We have been collecting evaluations from the partner churches and individuals who have visited Guatemala in order to help us understand the joys and challenges of, and dreams for the partnership.

All in all, though, 2003 saw a remarkable growth in the partnership. More PWNC churches are sending teams to Guatemala and finding out what an extraordinary experience the partnership offers. Projects keep being proposed and refined and carried out. There is a sense, after ten years, of being brothers and sisters in Christ. We are engaged in a partnership that is indelibly imprinted on all three presbyteries. To God be the Glory!