Tuesday conversation

A group of Crescent Hill folks got together Tuesday evening and called Pastor Gerardo, pastor of the Arca de Noe church in El Estor. Gerardo reported that the Estoreño Presbytery has supported two new churches/churches information – the San Jorge and El Chupon churches – to build new buildings (both apparently since the mission team visited there just two months ago – and both apparently now needing cement for floors). The Arca de Noe church has itself added to its building – in the two years between the two Crescent Hill mission team visits to El Estor – and has been raising money to retire a debt.

Pastor Gerardo’s report that the presbytery has also purchased land in the El Estor area to build a seminary, partly so that, when people visit from outlying churches like the Monte Sinai and Livingston churches, they can stay, sleep, and eat there triggered an interesting discussion. Carlos recalled problems that arose when a presbytery in another part of the country tried to do something similar. Ellen was even tougher, asking what Jesus did when he taught and whether he built any buildings. It seemed that we all listened to each other respectfully.

Gerardo said that folks in the churches have been studying the Acts 2 Pentecost passages and some will get together to share thoughts and feelings about the passages. We hope to learn a little about the substance of that discussion. Gerardo said they might come up with a next scripture for scripture study at that time.

Gerardo repeated thanks he conveyed in an e-mail message for hard-copy photos they received from Crescent Hill a couple of weeks ago, when a PC(USA) World Mission staffer at the Guatemalan version of the General Assembly meeting handed them to Gerardo. But Gerardo did not know whether Rene, the young man with the computer with whom Gerardo works, had not yet received the digital photo of Crescent Hill’s Pentecost Sunday service that I had e-mail-attached to Rene (partly as an experiment to see whether they can get attachments.)

(Incidentally, I thanked Stan Devoogd, the World Mission staffer, in person today. I also told Roger Marriott, a PC(USA) mission worker helped organizing the Amigos de K’ekchi, that I had passed on his e-mail message and e-mail address to someone interested in representing Crescent Hill (Soni) on the Amigos steering committee, which he said had not met (by conference call) yet. I also wished Roger and Gloria – on their way back to Guatemala shortly – safe travels.)

Gerardo and we spent the early parts of the conversation talking a bit about the General Assembly meeting and who won what office. Apparently, those assembled spent a fair amount of time discussing election process issues and the people who won were – like usual – Ladinos, not indigenous people.

Gerardo mentioned in passing and this sparked an interesting discussion among the Crescent Hill folks later. Ellen and Carlos said it’s counterintuitive for Guatemalans to do open theological exploration – like Ellen recalls trying to guide them into – since Guatemalans aren’t used to asking questions and exploring issues. They’re used to people telling them what to do and things being black and white. Ellen recalled introducing the issue of infant baptism (which many Guatemalan evangelicals associate with Catholicism) in an exploratory way with folks in one presbytery. Without this kind of introduction and exploration, dialogue can break down - as in a different Guatemala presbytery, which is currently split down the middle, with those militantly for infant baptism aligned against those against infant baptism.

Gerardo said he was very touched to hear that we are plowing ahead with plans for a vigil and fast to coincide with the start of the presbytery’s annual meeting, on the weekend of September 9-20. He said they were praying for Crescent Hill church regularly. He seemed eager to report on goings on in the presbytery, as well as willing to engage in some dialogue about their construction plans. Ellen and Carlos stressed the importance of theological education, and it seemed that the Estoreño folks – with their own construction-heavy approach – were acknowledging that by focusing some of that energy on seminary development.

Later Ellen made one more point to us. Having been considering the Robert Wuthnow “Boundless Faith” argument, Ellen said Wuthnow may have sold congregations like ours short by simply saying that international mission travel and follow-up would probably only involve five or so people per congregation, and – as important as that was, particularly for the U.S. people involved – congregations couldn’t expect any more to be involved. Not only – as I pointed out – are there a swirling mix of more than a dozen people – involved in Guatemala partnerships trips and planning – at Crescent Hill. But also – said Ellen – the congregation as a whole has been occasionally and fleetingly involved, and we hope to help widen this congregational engagement.

(On books, Ellen again called for giving Crescent Hill folks opportunities to learn more about Guatemalan history and culture. One way to do that would, Ellen said, be to develop a very short reading of books about Guatemala that some Crescent Hill folks who might never travel to Guatemala might be eager to read.)

Speaking of the congregation: One issue we did not cover at either of these two gatherings is the messages that folks from the congregation left for Estoreño folks at two services in May. Lowell gathered those materials up and Ana is to paraphrase and translate them into Spanish, so Ellen can transmit them to Rene and Gerardo. Also speaking of the congregation, I brought to the gathering more pieces of Guatemala partnership displays for the Narthex and Gathering Room. And Ellen brought translations into English of Carlos’ e-mail to Gerardo and Gerardo’s e-mail to Ellen about Pentecost Sunday and other issues, which are slated to become a Crescent Hill newsletter article.

The group retired a little late, many to reassemble Wednesday for the Looking for Lilith fund-raiser.

-- Perry