Global Mission Prayer Partners Update

Thank you Global Missions Prayer Partners! 

Each month we share prayer support for one of our Global Mission Partners. May prayer partners are matched with Mark and Jenny Bent/Hare and the folks they work with in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. (Mark works in Haiti with the Farmer Cooperatives and Jenny works in the Dominican Republic with a community health program.)

Jonathan is praying for Mark and the success of his Yard Garden Program; Susie is praying for Jenny and the health clinic and her ministries of reconciliation; Susan is praying for Cindy and the work she does to keep food local in Haiti; Flori is praying for Herve, his family and the sustainability of their garden; Anna is praying for Ricot and his masonry work and teachings; Melissa is praying for Lucien and his furniture making and gardens.

In June, our prayer partners will be with our Guatemala Partnership, our sister church, Iglesia Jerusalem.

Guatemala Missionary Learning Events

"Lunch and Learn" with Presbyterian Missionaries to Guatemala

You are invited to hear a presentation by Mission Co-Workers, Sandi and Brian Thompson-Royer. A light luncheon will follow.

Wednesday, April 27 | 

11:30 AM | 

New Hope Presbyterian Church

Hosted by The Presbyterian Women of New Hope. RSVP for luncheon to Susan Maveety at 828-768-5475 by April 22.

Thursday, April 28 | 11:30 AM | Black Mountain Presbyterian Church

Hosted by The Presbytery of WNC - PW Coordinating Team. RSVP for luncheon to Mimi Michael at 828-465-0335 or email her.

Global Mission Prayer Partners

Thank you Global Mission Prayer Partners!

Each month we share prayer support for one of our Global Mission Partners. Prayer partners may choose to pray on a regular schedule-weekly or daily. The prayers can be for specific personal needs, as well as for the church and community. 

April prayer partners are matched with women participating in the Guatemala Microloan Project:

• Karen is praying for the success of the Presbyterian Women's Guatemala Microloan Project.
• Donald is praying for Maria with her business of selling propane and pure water.
• Kelly's family is praying for Cristina, Lesvia, and Claudia's family business raising chickens, growing bananas, and making and selling tortillas.
• Erskine and Nan are praying for the success of Amalia's sewing business.
• Flori, Ted, Collier and Charlie are praying for Lesbia's bicycle tire business.
• Cathy and Jim are praying for Monica's home-based business selling clothing and home furnishings.

The Guatemala Microloan Project is a joint project between the Presbyterian Women from the Suc

hitepéquez and Sur Occidente Presbyteries in Guatemala and the Presbyterian Women of the Western North Carolina Presbytery.  https://www.facebook.com/guatemala.microloans/.

Christmas Eve at Jerusalem Church

Here are some photos from the Christmas Eve church service at Jerusalem Church. Enjoy!

Social Media Help Wanted for Women's Microloan Program

Social Media Help Wanted

Presbyterian Women (PW) of Western North Carolina has started a robust Women's Microloan Program in Guatemala. They are seeking someone to help with social media coaching to better tell the Microloan story and broadcast its Good News.  Specifically-they need help in establishing Facebook presence-scheduling regular posts and suggestions on establishing stronger internet presence to convey the microloan story. For more information please contact Barbara Mclean.  Join with Presbyterian Women in their work in Guatemala empowering women through microloans.

New Pastor at Iglesia Jerusalem

Hector Rabanales has been named pastor at Iglesia Jerusalem starting January 1, 2016.  Interim Pastor Julio Perez will be serving another church.

The Rabanales family hosted Mary Berg and Lee Smith for our summer delegation visit.  We were all very fond of the whole family:  Hector, Lisbeth, and children William, Alejandra, Sarita.   Keep the pastors, their families, and the IJ congregation in your prayers.

Sarita, Pastor Hector, Liseth, Alejandra, William Rabanales

Real Life Guatemala Stories and Dinner, Sunday, October 11, 5:00 - 7:00 PM

Real Life Guatemala Stories and Dinner, Sunday, October 11, 5:00 - 7:00 PM

All ages are invited to dinner and stories about the people and activities our GCPC delegation encountered in Guatemala this summer.  We are eager to share what we experienced and hope to entice you to get involved in some way with this important and interesting partnership ministry.

Dinner menu:  burritos, salad, rice, black beans.  Donations to cover the cost of the food will be gratefully accepted.  

Although reservations for the dinner are not needed, reservations for child care must be made by October 4.  To enroll in child care, email Nancy Quick (nquick@gcpcusa.org) the names and ages of your children.

(Note re. food for children in child care.  You can either bring your child's dinner or take them a plate of the Guatemalan food.)

(Note re. children attending children's choirs.  At 5:00, take them to choir and come to dinner.  At 6:00, pick them up them from choir and either bring them to the dinner or take them to child care.  You can either bring your child's dinner or give them a plate of Guatemalan food.)

Guatemala Scholarship Drive: Deadline October 4

GUATEMALA SCHOLARSHIP DRIVE FOR 2016 SCHOOL YEAR

Here at GCPC we are proud of our outreach programs in local and global communities alike.  One of the biggest outreach programs we participate in is the Scholarship Program in Coatepeque, Guatemala.  During our recent visit, the members of the Guatemala Team witnessed the tremendous impact the Scholarship Program has on so many lives in Guatemala.

By donating to the Scholarship Fund, you have changed the outcome for real children and families.  The economic plight of the residents of the Western Highlands of Guatemala is not entirely unlike that of the residents of our own area: because of historical and geographical influences, escaping poverty there is harder than it is in most places.  The Scholarship Program eliminates one of the many challenges that block children from opportunity: the high cost of books and uniforms.  Like here, in Guatemala, staying in school is one of the most influential things a child can do to escape poverty.

By participating in the Scholarship Program you are helping a child obtain an education that would ordinarily be out of reach. There are over 30 Scholarship recipients of all ages and attend various schools in the Coatepeque area.  Most of them are children of families of our sister church, Iglesia Jerusalem. What impact does participating in the Scholarship Program have?  That child is able to attend school instead of working in the fields, selling firewood, or working at a tortilla factory.  Scholarship students are able to attend school, graduate, and qualify for a job that will make more money for them and their family - a bank teller for example.  Helping families escape poverty creates strength in the community.  It is well known to social scientists and laypeople alike that building the strength of communities is what it takes to defeat poverty on a global scale.

Thank you, GCPC people, for your generous donations to the Scholarship Fund in the past.  We have seen the difference your resources have made and would like for you to consider donating again  The academic year in Guatemala begins in January 2016.  Because of this scheduling, the deadline for donations is October 4, 2015!

Please scan the next page for further information on specific Scholarship students and how scholarships have changed their lives.

You can make you check out to GCPC and write “Guatemala Scholarship” on the memo line.

Any amount is welcome; it only takes $180 for a full scholarship.

Shalom,

The GCPC Guatemala Partnership Committee

 

On our visit to Iglesia Jerusalem in Coatepeque in July of 2015, we found the Partnership Scholarship students to be a uniformly bright, healthy, and happy group.  The scholarship obviously sets these kids and young adults apart from the general populace. 

I present to you Nestor.  He lives with his family in a community that is an hour bus ride from Coatepeque.  From the stories that he related to team members, we found that his experience is typical of the cycle of poverty that is prevalent among the rural indigenous population.  It includes disabled and missing family members, abusive step-parents in a rural setting not conducive to advancement, to say the least.  He is a Scholarship student and a deacon in IJ  His story looks promising, but he still has a long way to go.  Growing up in a very rural area, he did not acquire personal and foundation-level skills that help with life in a more urban setting.  The Torres family tries to find work for him in their thriving hardware store.

 

 This is Thelma.  She is pictured with Lucille Mullen of GCPC.  Thelma has been a Scholarship student for three years.  As a student, she is making great strides toward becoming ready for a job in the higher paying vocations.  We heard from her directly that if not for the support of the Scholarship, Marta Angel, and IJ that her life was going to repeat the cycle of poverty that she was born into.

 

 

 During our visits to families of La Union, a small, impoverished outskirt of Coatepeque, we observed many of the more common avocations for children who do not go to school: hard labor in the tortilla factories like the one shown below, and other dangerous, low wage jobs which perpetuate a cycle of poverty.  Children are often required to work because one or more of the wage earner parents is injured or disabled from dangerous work.  The Scholarship helps to break this cycle of poverty.

Report on GCPC Delegation Visit to Jerusalem Church, Summer 2015

A fourteen-person delegation represented Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church on a visit to Jerusalem Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Coatepeque, Guatemala, June 23 – July 3, 2015.  Included in the fourteen were four families visiting the partner church for the first time:  Pam and Tadd Clarkson and daughter Hannah, Chris Hartbarger and daughter Colleen, Elizabeth and Matt Mullen and daughter Luci and son Simon, married couple Mary Berg and Lee Smith.  Buzz Durham, Lloyd Horton, and Lynne Meacham were co-leaders. (Carolyn Horton helped plan and organize the trip, but did not travel.)

A main objective was building relationships between Jerusalem Church members and Grace Covenant members as we lived and worshipped together and shared our lives and faith stories.   We had hoped to help with construction of the church building, but they were not yet ready to break ground.

Activities:

--Worshipped with Jerusalem Church on Sunday morning and two Wednesday evenings.  Our group participated with songs in Spanish; Tadd Clarkson delivered the Sunday sermon in Spanish.

--Presented GCPC children’s banner to Sunday school and had Jerusalem Church children make artwork for a banner for GCPC children.

--Held workshop on vegetable gardening in containers for thirty church health promoters from Suroccidente Presbytery.   The health promotors liked the idea of raising food for the family in small spaces, using free readily-available materials for the soil mix, elevation of tire gardens on benches, recycling of tires.  Several health promotors shared their knowledge of organic gardening and pest control techniques.

--Heard presentation of church building plans by their architect and discussed design, function, materials, and staging with architect and Session members.  Some final decisions need to be made before construction can begin on phase 1 (classroom/parsonage).   Pastor Julio and the Session led a “dedication of the first stone” devotional with us at the building site.

--Shared ministry ideas with Session members, for example, how to allocate scarce resources to the many people with needs, collaboration with other churches and community ministries.

--Shared ministry ideas with Deacons,  made pastoral visits to church members in outlying areas of La Unión and La Aurora,  bought and bagged food staples for widows and elderly people the Deacons help support, toured Fundabien Rehabilitation Center.

--Visited Community of Love youth center financed by Compassion International and administered by Jerusalem Church; watched and performed in student show of songs and dances; met teachers and toured the facility, which provides after-school enrichment, tutoring, and classes in keyboarding, sewing, and carpentry.  They would like to add classes in computer-repair, but this depends on government approval and acquisition of computers.

--Met scholarship students and parents, who thanked Grace Covenant donors with touching words and handmade gifts.   Discussed program with Jerusalem Church Partnership Committee.

--Met Jerusalem Church Health Promotor and heard report of health needs and activities.

Needs identified:

1.  Continue praying for Jerusalem Church families, session, deacons, pastor, pastoral search committee, building committee, partnership committee, scholarship students; prayer for Guatemala during September elections.

2.  Scholarship student support.  Continue annual scholarships for primary and secondary education, plus:

--Food assistance, vitamins, parasite medications, clean water.

--Funds for short-term vocational education in addition to regular program

--Funds for university study

3.  Building project, phase 1, classrooms.  Financial assistance, hands-on help with construction.

4.  Deacon’s Fund support.

--Widows/widowers food provisions

--Parkinson’s medications for an individual

--Financial help for individuals

5.  Community of Love

-- Computer lab, computer repair class.  Donate used laptop computers.  The Guatemalan government must issue a permit for the class.

--Typing/keyboarding class.  They have been using typewriters, but need to shift to computers with operating system in Spanish.

6.  Anti-gang ministry of Pastor José Sánchez, Iglesia Ebenezer, Las Mercedes, Colomba, GT.

Email:  allankenny.sv@gmail.com

Phone:  51897272, 57953118

--Elizabeth Mullen to share his information with her friend who works with Play for Peace.

--Other ways to assist? Contact foundations, churches, etc.

--Victor Solano of IJ made the contact.

7.  Cookbook with recipes from Jerusalem Church and GCPC members for fundraiser.

8.  Story Corps -type ministry, exchange of stories, especially stories related to migration.

 

The fourteen people in the delegation are very grateful for the support of Grace Covenant and we appreciate the chance to be your representatives to our partner church.  We hope to share more of our experiences at a whole-church event soon.  We join the people of Jerusalem Church in saying “God bless you”.

Report prepared by Lynne Meacham, August 20, 2015

August 23: Guatemala Partnership Gathering

Guatemala Partnership Gathering

Sunday, August 23rd at Grace Covenant PC in Asheville

 2pm – 4pm.

FOCUS OF MEETING:  EDUCATION

This year we have all been asked to spend time in Prayer and Discernment in determining God’s will for the Guatemala Partnership.  

At this meeting we will spend time looking at past Successes and Difficulties, and the Future of Education as it relates to partnership.

Updates on Education will be given on the following:

•      Mission Campaign

•      Presbytery Scholarships for Higher Education         

•      Libros Para Niños or “Books for Children” program

Do not miss this chance to become better informed on what new is happening in the area of education in the partnership and to find answers to questions your church might have.

Mark your calendar now for the August 23^rd or 30^th Gathering.

Light refreshments will be served.

We look forward to seeing you there.

 
 

REMINDER:  Scholarship Money is due to the presbytery office by October 15