Christmas 2004

At one point Jesus asked his disciples if the Son of Man will find faith on earth when he returns (Lk. 18:8). During this past year, my students and I have explored the question of what it means, in the biblical sense, to have faith as we’ve worked through theological courses on the history of salvation, ecological spirituality, and health. In the Gospels we find that on several occasions Jesus declares that a person has been healed because of his or her faith. Yet none of the people healed uttered the pat phrases that are often identified as signs of faith in the evangelical churches here. Instead, these persons, such as the woman who suffered the flow of blood for twelve years (Lk. 8:42b-48), refused to believe that God’s will for them was illness and isolation. They reached out for wholeness.

As this year ends, I’d like to share with you the stories of some of the people whose faith has inspired me during this year. Juana Herlinda Yac Salanic joined the CEDEPCA group in Pachaj for the course on ecological spirituality. Several years ago, Juana Herlinda became concerned about the deforestation of the hills and mountains around her home. Pachaj means “place of the pines” in K’iche’, but the pines were disappearing. Juana Herlinda, with other folks from the community, organized the Chico Mendez Project to reforest the area. She did what she felt was right, even though the Presbyterian Church to which she belongs didn’t teach about Christian responsibility for God’s creation. In the CEDEPCA course she discovered that, indeed, God desires that we care for the earth.

Romero Morales, another member of the Pachaj community, has also inspired me. Romero’s family has long struggled for justice in the community. His father, a leader in the labor union at the local textile factory, was assassinated in 1984. Romero is the lead bilingual teacher at the local public school. Due largely to Romero’s efforts, the school in Pachaj has been recognized as one of six schools in the country that are doing bilingual education well. Romero received his second university degree in November, a degree in mathematics to accompany his degree in bilingual education. Though he is searching, Romero has not found a church community to help him link his service to his community and the preservation of his culture with worshipping God and following Jesus.

Another person who inspires me is Idalma Soto, one of the women on the governing council of the women’s organization of Occidente Presbytery. Idalma lives in the community of Huitan, where she not only is active in her church but also serves on the school board. Idalma has a profound prayer life and she is a wonderful worship leader. Though she was long separated from her alcoholic and abusive husband, I know she prayed for him every day until he died this year. She knew God’s will for him was wholeness. The church to which Idalma belongs has long struggled without a full-time pastor. Idalma dreams of being a pastor, yet this presbytery has been unwilling to recognize women’s gifts for pastoral ministry. Idalma has announced her intention to study theology next year. She knows her call to serve comes from God and she has faith that the church here will recognize her call.

In the Frankfurt airport in August, on my way back from Ghana, where I served as an interpreter/translator for the 24th General Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, I met the Reverend Dr. Mitri Raheb, the pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. Dr. Raheb, who is also the director of the International Center of Bethlehem, is known to many in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as he has served both as a mission partner in residence and with the Peacemaking Program. He was an ecumenical observer at the 2004 General Assembly, where he urged the commissioners to translate the long-standing opposition of the PC(USA) to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories into action. The Assembly responded by voting to begin a process to selectively divest from companies that profit from the Israeli occupation.

In our brief encounter, Dr. Raheb told me of a program of the International Center of Bethlehem that brings together young people from Palestine and Guatemala with Native American and African American youth from the United States. The first encounter of this healing-through-arts program, known as ARK, brought together 36 youth in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala, in 2003. The Palestinian youth, though they live under military occupation, had never experienced the kind of extreme poverty that is daily reality for many young people in Guatemala. The second encounter took place last summer in Minneapolis. These young people, who all experience marginalization and discrimination, come together to learn from one another and to dream together of a different future for themselves and others. Surely this is faith that can link the pain of one people to other peoples in other places so that together we might work for a better world.

This year, as we greet the Babe in Bethlehem, may we find our faith renewed and recommit ourselves to living toward God’s will for the world, peace with justice, wherever in God’s world we find ourselves.

Blessings,

Karla
For all of us

The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 62

CEDEPCA’s emergency need

Last week thieves stole ten of CEDEPCA’s eleven computers. You can help us replace these machines that are vital to our work. Individuals may send contributions to: Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Individual Remittance Processing, PO Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700. Write the title and the ECO number on the subject line of the check (ECO# 864600 – CEDEPCA General Fund). Also put this information in your cover letter. Churches should use their normal receiving sites. Please send a copy of the cover letter to the Latin America and Caribbean Office, Worldwide Ministries Division, Presbyterian Church (USA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202-1396. Or click the button below to give online.