April 8 meeting

Soni, Carlos, and the six members of the spring 2009 Guatemala mission team met at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, to plan for a special April 26 Sunday worship service focused on the Guatemala mission partnership. Elena proposed that the gifts we received and the gifts we gave during the mission team’s Estoreño Presbytery visit be a theme of the service.

Elements of the service we discussed were:

- Call to Worship – a few sounds from the African version of the marimba that Rowell (Lowell) had brought in – by Benjamin

- Greetings - including greetings from Estoreño presbytery leaders – as videotaped by Ben and as projected by Perry (elder of the week?)

- Prelude – piece from Pastor Raul’s music CD

- Call to Worship, Prayer of Confession, and Pardon – all by Carlos

- Passing of the Peace – in Q’equchi’ – led by Pedro (John 20:26 – last four words?)

- Message – 2-3 minutes each – by Juanita, Raul (Lowell), Lucas, Benjamin, Elena, and Soni

- Song: “The Lakeshore Song”- Prayers of the People - led off with silent montage of photos of Estoreño Presbytery people and places – with photos by Benjamin and Perry – projected by Perry

- And then prayer – with prayer request cards and spoken thanksgivings and prayer concerns – all led by Raul

- Offering – video with audio of Estoreño church leaders playing the marimba – shot by Benjamin and projected by Perry – or a piece from Elena’s marimba music CD

- Song:: “Unidas Unidas” (Elena or Carlos are looking for the words and music)- Prayer of Thanksgiving – by Perry

- Song: “Song of Hope” (in Spanish and English?)- Blessing - Juanita

Although no Crescent Hill folks will apparently be able to go to the Amigos de K’ekchi event – on the same weekend as the worship service in Spokane – closer to home in Cincinnati in October will be a PC(USA) mission conference that may also include a Guatemala mission network gathering.

Elena shared the book “The Art of Political Murder” and Pedro cited his receipt of the book “Seeing and Being Seen: The Q’eqchi’ Maya of Livingston, Guatemala, and Beyond.”

-- Perry