A letter from Philip and Bacilia Beisswenger in Guatemala
September 2012
Peace to you, and greetings from Guatemala!
A two-day “summit” took place in the city of Cobán this past week to address the scarcity of theological education opportunities for the Q’eqchi’ presbyteries of the Guatemalan Presbyterian Church (IENPG).
Participants at the “summit” meeting about theological education
Most Q’eqchi’ pastors are farmers who receive very little, if any, salary from their churches. Yet Q’eqchi’ presbyteries are a fast-growing part of the IENPG, spreading in rural villages where the idea of elder authority resonates with their culture. This growth is happening despite the lack of adequate pastoral training.
The Q’eqchi’, like other indigenous groups in Guatemala, have historically been marginalized by language, culture and politics. For years civil war displaced and terrorized them. Today they’re afflicted by drug traffickers, and foreign agribusiness and mining companies exploit their land. Seventy-five percent of the indigenous live in poverty. Fewer than 10 percent have access to adequate health care. Half of adults are illiterate and don’t speak Spanish, and a fourth of the indigenous children aren’t in school. On average, indigenous workers receive half the wages of non-indigenous Ladinos for the same work.
The theological education summit included 26 representatives from the IENPG, the Presbyterian Seminary, La Patria Norte school, and the Q’eqchi’ presbyteries. I attended as a PC(USA) mission co-worker. Here are examples of comments that the Q’eqchi’ pastors made:
“We have no money for bus fares and other expenses, and some of us struggle to read and write.”
“If classes are all in Spanish, some of our pastors won’t understand and they won’t come.”
“For us, travel for training means less time in our fields to tend crops so we can feed our families.”
“We need a better sense of our Presbyterian roots, our identity as a Protestant church.”
“Our young people are getting ahead with degrees of every sort. As pastors, we should be leaders in education, but we’re stuck behind.”
The plot of land purchased for a new La Patria Norte campus and Cobán’s first Presbyterian congregation.
Participants at the summit agreed to a degree program in the Q’eqchi’ language, tailored to needs of pastors with limited formal education, in synch with the Reformed tradition and coordinated by the seminary. It’s slated to begin in January 2013 on the campus of La Patria Norte in Cobán. The IENPG, the seminary and La Patria Norte will provide teachers, materials, room and board. Q’eqchi’ presbyteries will raise funds for transportation costs. Students will be expected to fulfill course requirements and, in turn, provide training for other pastors in their home presbyteries.
During the summit we also visited five acres of land that have recently been purchased in Cobán for a new La Patria Norte campus, training center, and the city’s first Presbyterian congregation. Cobán is the commercial and cultural hub of the central highlands, with a mixture of Ladino and Q’eqchi’ inhabitants. At the five-acre site prayers of dedication were offered in Q’eqchi’, Spanish and English.
Thank you for your prayers and support for this kind of advance in God’s mission, and thanks to God for the partnership opportunities that it opens up for us.
Blessings and grace to you,
Philip Beisswenger
PS. The Guatemala Mission Network will be meeting in Guatemala City Jan. 31-Feb. 1. Please mark these dates and be on the lookout for more details.
The 2012 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 6
