Vamos a Coban! To talk about God’s Call.

This past weekend, the ILAG had a Pastor’s Conference over in Coban in order to have two days of theology/ bible classes for the leaders. 9 people were able to attend… 3 women and 6 men. Padre Horacio went around the room on Saturday morning saying the qualifications of each (what each one of us were bringing with us) and his hope for all of us. The two newest members were Francisco and Selso… from the parishes in Santa Elena 20 de Octubre and Aurora 8 de Octubre… and Padre Horacio hopes that both can continue to study and be Diaconal leaders if not more in their communities. Selso was recently elected President of the parish in Aurora 8 de Octubre when they realized that while Pantaleon has leadership skills he does not feel called to study theology and lead the congregation spiritually. About me, Padre Horacio said that I have more preparation in theology than he himself has. (I lack experience, especially here in Guatemala, but my preparation is appreciated and respected.) Padre Jose Antonio has an interesting history; he was not the immediate leader of La Esmerelda’s parish but was the one who was diligent in his studies and was the first to be ordained; he is a quiet man who is well respected when he speaks. He also spoke about Esther, Diego and Marcelina, all three of which live in the City… that they had received years of classes. He would like to ordain Marcelina.

We began with a service and teaching sermon lead by Padre Horacio and filled with good theology, and those of you who know me know that theology is important to me. Our texts were Exodus 24:4-8; 1 Corinthians 11:26-30, Psalm 51 and Matthew 26:17-30… texts about Communion… Padre Horacio talked about that Communion is a sacrament not a sacrifice that we are performing, that Christ’s death was once, unique for all time and for all, he discussed how Christ meant it when he said “This is my body”… and then he talked about why it is important that we receive communion and why saying that people we are living together but not officially married is not a reason not to Commune. For one, why not get married… for another reason, take, eat and drink because Communion is for the forgiveness of sins. He compared it to being hungry for lunch… out of need… the same way with Communion… we are hungry and thirsty for the justice and mercy of God. It was exciting to hear him teach this because I have been concerned about why many of the members do not Commune… I understand if they are not baptized but did not understand why if they were in a common law relationship… it is old Catholic piety… and Padre Horacio has slowly tried to break down the barriers around the table!

The majority of the class was about Calling. We split into two groups to study the verse 1 Corinthians 4:1 and then later split up again to study Romans 1:1-7. All participated, Marcelina presented the finding of her group to the class and Padre Jose Antonio presented my group’s finding. Padre Horacio stated that all those who were here at this meeting (and others such as Ricardo) have been set apart, called by God to preach and teach the Gospel.

This weekend was beneficial for me on several points. Padre Horacio seems to know how to help his leaders and through them the parishes grow and develop both as a church and socially. In my time here he has directly addressed the role of women, pushing the status quo that women are below men, and elevating women as important not only in their homes but in the church. He does this in his sermons, preaching about how men should walk behind their wives so that they can pick them up should they fall… in his teaching, that men should marry their spouses, yes in order in part to give security to the woman and family, but also that not being married is not a reason to not commune... he also does this by placing women in leadership positions. Esther is ordained and has been, among her other roles, the person responsible for the worship life of the parish in El Mirador for over a year now… and with her there, and myself as well these last 6 months, and with the outreach that Padre Horacio does… the church is growing.

The Holy Spirit is loose in this church, the ILAG… and it has been a privilege to see the boundaries explode. Yes there are areas were growth still needs to happen… a female pastor would not be accepted in the rural areas, they are still very conservative and very Catholic… but in the City they are ready… it is exciting to see. Padre Horacio before was more strict on issues of women and has become more open over the years with these examples concerning women… but time and the Gospel changes people as well as churches. Work with women is just one example of how this church is stretching it members and its leaders… but as a women this is one issue that I notice. One of the keys however is that others allow for people to change and grow as well… and support them as they move out and forward. Please keep the ILAG, its leaders, and its members in your prayers.