Tim and Darren with children at Iglesia De Rey Divina
Last year, a team from Albany Presbytery met with the Executive Committee of the Mam Presbytery in Guatemala and decided it was high time we deepen the connections in our partnership. Together, we decided to establish prayer partnerships between our congregations and theirs. Over this past year, Rev. Tim Coombs has worked to create the pairings. Unfortunately, most Mam churches don’t have an online presence, at least not yet, so Tim and Darren Gundrum (CRE) traveled to the Mam Presbytery for a week of visiting churches and promoting the prayer network. We met with elders and pastors, took lots of pictures, and encouraged them to get on Facebook.
As we toured the churches, here are a few impressions made on us:
Iglesia de Las Barrancas land cleared for their new sanctuary
In a time when Albany Presbytery’s churches are struggling to maintain their membership, it was a joy to learn that nearly all the churches we met on our recent trip to the Mam Presbytery are growing. Not only are the churches growing in membership but they have either begun or are planning building projects.
Jerusalem church parking garage construction
Either they have immediate plans to rebuild their sanctuaries, they may be building new parking garages, or they are working to purchase land for additional parking. The land is at a premium in the area of the Mam Presbytery, so most churches need to be built up, with parking under the sanctuary and education rooms built on the roof above that. This is true of both urban and rural congregations.
Pastor Micaela at Iglesia Jehova es Mi Amiga
The other joy Darren Gundrum and I experienced was that the role of women is expanding. Several Mam churches now have women elders, and one church, Jehová es Mi Pastor, in Buena Vista San Juan, Ostuncalco, now has a woman pastor, Micheala. No doubt, the witness of Albany Presbytery’s women pastors has played a role in this transformation.
The Mam are joy-filled people who have known adversity and have come out the other side hopeful and filled with faith.
After our formal meeting times there was always a more relaxed time to eat and share with one another about our families. Though nearly everyone I met was for the first time, I will long remember them. We joked, laughed, and shared about our families. The children are darling and I wanted to hug them all.
Speakers on the roof of Iglesia Jesus es mi fiel
Mam churches proclaim their worship for the neighborhoods to hear.
All churches have full bands with brass, percussion, and keyboards providing their music. Also, every church has large speakers to fill their sanctuaries with sound. The louder the better it seemed to us. Many churches had speakers on their roofs and pointed speakers out their windows! Worship is for everyone.
Finally, more Mam churches are seeking prayer partners with Albany Presbytery congregations.
Currently, fourteen (14) of our churches have engaged in prayer partner relationships, and unfortunately, a few of these don’t seem to be making the most of the opportunity. Darren and I know of at least two to three Mam churches that want to engage with us as soon as possible. Please, talk with your session about becoming a prayer partner with a Mam church. At a minimum, you only need to lift the church up in Sunday worship. Beyond that, we hope that a channel of communication will be established between the prayer partner churches.
Also, our Guatemala Task Force is planning a group trip to the Mam presbytery this fall.
This will be the perfect opportunity for someone in your congregation to deepen your relationship with your Mam congregation. Help provide your congregation with a global connection that is gratifying and full of potential. Plus, we could all use a little more prayer in our lives.
Keep up to date and learn more on the Guatemala Partnership Task Force page.
