Part I: Accompaniment
Accompaniment seems like a great place to begin to explore current mission work at St. Thomas, as well as ELCA efforts around the world and through synods. The 2013 ELCA Global Mission Gathering Document on Accompaniment (“Global Mission Document”) invites readers to consider accompaniment as a way to better understand the “why” and “how” of mission and to look at the subject in a new way.
Walking with other Christians, in solidarity, while sharing the love of God and doing God’s work together is one way the ELCA defines accompaniment. By studying the Global Mission Document, we learn that instead of showing up and talking to people, we talk with them and we listen a lot. We work toward justice rather than give charity and we offer compassion and empathy instead of pity. The Global Mission Document encourages us to strive to recognize interdependence in our relationships, value mutual decision making and autonomy and embrace local cultures. The idea is that working with and among others, we can rebuild relationships and correct imbalances that have developed over time. We can work toward sustainability for ourselves and our partners and we begin to understand that our stories are not in competition for God’s attention but that we are reconciled within God’s story with the help of grace.
St. Thomas is currently in two relationships that provide all of us the opportunity to experience accompaniment. We are linked with Sister Parish, Iglesia Santo Domingo de Guzman, Chichipate, Parish of San Pedro, El Estor, Izabal, Guatemala and we are partners in ministry with Lutheran Church of the Living Waters, Cherokee, North Carolina.
Sister Parish Accompaniment
St Thomas has maintained a Sister Parish relationship in Guatemala since the early 90’s. Sister Parish is an organization that links churches in the United States with faith-based communities in Central America. We travel as peacemakers, and find joy and hope in being one with Christ. This enhances our faith and expands our vision of relationship in the world. Together with the members of Iglesia Santo Domingo de Guaman in Chichipate, we have enjoyed both North/South and South/North visits. These experiences bless us with “direct person to person contact, with delegates living in each other’s homes and sharing each other’s realities”. To learn more about Sister Parish please go to their website, www.sisterparish.org.
The people in our Sister Parish in Chichipate, Guatemala live in a delicate balance with nature and a nearby Russian-owned mining company. The mining company has been brutal with our people in that they are forcing them off their land by burning homes and crops in the adjacent village. The mining company wants the land in order to store large equipment, and the government is turning a blind eye. They violently displace families with no interest in helping them replace what they have lost. Our delegations have twice met with the Guatemalan American Embassy’s Human Rights Ambassador to discuss our concerns. Prior to our trip in 2010 there had been a massacre of people trying to attend a peace rally addressing the issue of displacement. When Lyle and Suzanne and our Sister Parish leaders met with the Ambassador, he visited the village within a couple of weeks, and at that time the aggression ceased.
During our last visit we learned that another displacement was planned the week of our visit. It did not happen. They of course knew that we were visiting, and our presence may have helped to deter the displacement. With our upcoming South/North delegation, there will be many opportunities for members of St. Thomas to participate. We our collecting money for their travel expenses and will be looking for hosts families and volunteers to help with programming when they are here. We all can participate by listening to their story. Our accompaniment and our prayers matter a great deal, and this is one important reason to continue our relationship with these beautiful people.
Accompaniment seems like a great place to begin to explore current mission work at St. Thomas, as well as ELCA efforts around the world and through synods. The 2013 ELCA Global Mission Gathering Document on Accompaniment (“Global Mission Document”) invites readers to consider accompaniment as a way to better understand the “why” and “how” of mission and to look at the subject in a new way.
Walking with other Christians, in solidarity, while sharing the love of God and doing God’s work together is one way the ELCA defines accompaniment. By studying the Global Mission Document, we learn that instead of showing up and talking to people, we talk with them and we listen a lot. We work toward justice rather than give charity and we offer compassion and empathy instead of pity. The Global Mission Document encourages us to strive to recognize interdependence in our relationships, value mutual decision making and autonomy and embrace local cultures. The idea is that working with and among others, we can rebuild relationships and correct imbalances that have developed over time. We can work toward sustainability for ourselves and our partners and we begin to understand that our stories are not in competition for God’s attention but that we are reconciled within God’s story with the help of grace.
St. Thomas is currently in two relationships that provide all of us the opportunity to experience accompaniment. We are linked with Sister Parish, Iglesia Santo Domingo de Guzman, Chichipate, Parish of San Pedro, El Estor, Izabal, Guatemala and we are partners in ministry with Lutheran Church of the Living Waters, Cherokee, North Carolina.
Sister Parish Accompaniment
St Thomas has maintained a Sister Parish relationship in Guatemala since the early 90’s. Sister Parish is an organization that links churches in the United States with faith-based communities in Central America. We travel as peacemakers, and find joy and hope in being one with Christ. This enhances our faith and expands our vision of relationship in the world. Together with the members of Iglesia Santo Domingo de Guaman in Chichipate, we have enjoyed both North/South and South/North visits. These experiences bless us with “direct person to person contact, with delegates living in each other’s homes and sharing each other’s realities”. To learn more about Sister Parish please go to their website, www.sisterparish.org.
The people in our Sister Parish in Chichipate, Guatemala live in a delicate balance with nature and a nearby Russian-owned mining company. The mining company has been brutal with our people in that they are forcing them off their land by burning homes and crops in the adjacent village. The mining company wants the land in order to store large equipment, and the government is turning a blind eye. They violently displace families with no interest in helping them replace what they have lost. Our delegations have twice met with the Guatemalan American Embassy’s Human Rights Ambassador to discuss our concerns. Prior to our trip in 2010 there had been a massacre of people trying to attend a peace rally addressing the issue of displacement. When Lyle and Suzanne and our Sister Parish leaders met with the Ambassador, he visited the village within a couple of weeks, and at that time the aggression ceased.
During our last visit we learned that another displacement was planned the week of our visit. It did not happen. They of course knew that we were visiting, and our presence may have helped to deter the displacement. With our upcoming South/North delegation, there will be many opportunities for members of St. Thomas to participate. We our collecting money for their travel expenses and will be looking for hosts families and volunteers to help with programming when they are here. We all can participate by listening to their story. Our accompaniment and our prayers matter a great deal, and this is one important reason to continue our relationship with these beautiful people.
