June 5 – 12, 2012
Kirkwood UCC is prayerfully engaging in a new kind of action and study which will involve many of us in learning about a culture and community very different from our own, where a people’s faith and courage have been tested by gross inequality, political oppression, ethnic suppression, governmental violence and extreme poverty. A small group of our members will travel next June to this newly hopeful and truly beautiful nation, where a fledgling democracy struggles toward the social and economic welfare and peace that have for so long eluded its people. We encourage all of our members to join in the adventure of learning throughout the year, as we share opportunities for book studies, conversations and events that will engage our minds and hearts in deeper understanding of the people of Guatemala. So why Guatemala? Here are 10 good reasons for our interest. Perhaps you can think of more:
- Guatemala is one of the most beautiful natural environments in the world.
- In Guatemala, the stories of Christian people acting courageously to confront the powers of evil represent a powerful witness for us all.
- The experiences of Guatemalans who have been forced to leave their homeland to support their families will help us understand more clearly and compassionately the human situation of immigrant workers in our own country.
- Between 900,000 and 1.3 million persons of Guatemalan origin reside within the United States. They are our neighbors. Many are citizens. Some are undocumented, living in fear.
- The economy of Guatemala is important to the overall economic and social welfare of all of us in the western hemisphere.
- Our own government, beginning in the 1950’s, was complicit in the support of the brutal power of military tyrants who conducted a reign of terror against the people of Guatemala for over 40 years.
- Learning about the unique form that Christianity has taken in Guatemala and other Latin American countries provides a new, broader perspective for our own Christian faith.
- The art, culture and architecture of the Mayan people, both ancient and modern, presents a fascinating and challenging worldview that can help us grow in our own understanding of our world.
- The nations of the western hemisphere are no longer isolated from one another. Ours is a shared destiny.
- Guatemala’s troubled past does not have to define its future; the political sins of our own government do not have to define our future; seeking the truth about the past and listening for God’s message to us in it is how we approach the future that belongs to God.
Seven members of KUCC have committed to going to Guatemala in June 2012
If you are interested in joining them or have questions about the trip, talk to Betsy Happel, Judy Kamper, Barb Biedenstein, Theresa Goetz, Jessie Cook, Evelyn Appel or Karen Kaul.
