Institute for Intercultural Studies and Research Newsletter

October 2008 to December 2008

INTRODUCTION
Happy New Year dear friends! From INESIN and its entire staff, we are pleased to send you many greetings and wish you all the best for the beginning of 2009. We are returning with energy and faith to our activities and are anxious to start new ones. During the next months we hope to live new challenges, and many more moments of sharing and learning. Meanwhile we would like to share with you about our activities during the last weeks of 2008. We are, as always, very grateful for your support in our work.

EDITORIAL
"Closing circles"
Months and years pass by but it is only when we
stop and look behind that we can see the route
we’ve been walking on and all the achievements
we’ve obtained. That is exactly what we had the
chance to do as the staff of INESIN with our annual
evaluation session at the end of October 2008. This
exercise also allowed us to start planning the
coming new year with a clearer mind.

But before this, at the beginning of October, we
welcomed a new colleague, Blaise Obrist, civil
service volunteer from DM-exchange and mission
(Switzerland). He’ll help us with awareness building
workshops on the environment with secondary
school students in the Sierra region. We’re glad to
welcome him and wish him a nice time with us.
In October and November we celebrated 2 sessions
of our training courses (Pastoral Accompaniment in
cases of Domestic Violence and Pastoral Reading
of the Bible), which are important meetings and
were attended by many people in a very successful
way.

November was also a month for making contacts
and public relations with the participation of our
team in meetings like the International Congress of
Liberation Psychology in San Cristóbal, the Annual
Meeting of Peace Builders in Comitán and the
Ecumenical Mayan Indian Theology Meeting in
Sibah’a (Ocosingo).

Finally in December we closed the year with a very
nice picnic with the whole team.

CENTRO ROMERO BORDER – CROSSING EXPERIENCE

Sponsored by Illinois Maya Ministry of the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ

Friday, October 16 - Friday, October 23, 2009

Friday, October 16: Arrive at the Romero Center. Settle at hotel and meet at the center for evening dinner. Leave for home after lunch on Friday, October 23. (Book return flights for 2:30pm or later).

Centro Romero Center for Border Ministries

173 W. Hall Ave

San Ysidro, California 92173

This week long event will center on issues concerning the USA/Mexico border region. The group of 10-15 members and friends of UCC churches in the Illinois Conference will be organized by the Rev. John Buttrick and the Rev. Faye D. B. Buttrick, members of Illinois Maya Ministries.

The purpose of this immersion experience is to be introduced to the complexity of life on the border and to develop a better understanding of the impact of the global economic trends and economic policies on social conditions, health, gender, culture, immigration and labor rights as well as on the environment. There will be opportunities to experience firsthand life in communities like Chilpancingo, Dolores and Colonia Postal, among others in Tijuana. Participants will also meet farm and maquiladora workers, newly arrived migrants from Mexico and Central America and government immigration enforcement officials on both sides of the border.

Faye is an Intentional Interim Minister in the Illinois Conference of the UCC and is on the national boards of the UCC Wider Church Ministries and Common Global Ministries, a partnership of the UCC and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). John recently retired as the Western Association Minister of the Illinois Conference, UCC. Faye has traveled to Chiapas, Mexico and Guatemala. She has volunteered at Humane Borders in Tucson, AZ. John has made several trips to Chiapas, walked the 78 mile desert Migrant Trail from Sasabe, Mexico to Tucson, Arizona, and spent time at one of the Arizona desert camps set up to rescue migrants in distress. Both John and Faye have participated in Borderlinks educational programs out of Tucson, Arizona.

FINANCES

A fee of $450.00 covers pre-immersion reading materials, shuttle from the airport, food, programming and international health insurance.

Lodging will be $27.50+ tax double occupancy (total for seven nights, $192.50+ tax).

$55.00+ tax single occupancy, (total for seven nights, $385+ tax).

Register at the Economy Inn, San Ysidro: 619 / 428 – 6191

Approximate roundtrip airfare to San Diego: (Feb 28): from Peoria, $407, From Chicago, $369 - $413. These rates will probably fluctuate between now and September. You may have your own source for a good fare. We researched Travelosity, Orbitz, and Expedia. Plan to arrive in San Diego between 2 & 4 PM, if possible, on Friday October 16. Book return on Friday October 23, 2:30 or later.

Mail Registration by September 15, 2009 to: Border Experience, Revs Faye and John Buttrick, 1006 N. Maplewood Ave, Peoria, IL 61606

Name:

Address:

Phone & e-mail:

Church affiliation:

Any mobility or dietary issues:

Enclose $450.00 registration fee. Make checks out to Illinois Conference of the UCC.

IMPORTANT ITEMS FOR YOUR PLANNING

+ You must have a valid passport, to be used for our trips to Mexico.

+ As we receive your reservations we shall send e-mails to all registrants so that you may connect with one another if you need a roommate.

+There will be a block of rooms reserved at the Economy Inn, San Ysidro in the name of Centro Romero. To book your lodging phone : 619 / 428 – 6191

+After you have made your flight reservations, e-mail your itinerary to John and Faye so we can coordinate transportation from airport to Centro Romero. It would be helpful if we can all plan to arrive in San Diego between 2 and 4 PM to be picked up by the shuttle. (Return flights on Oct. 23 should be no earlier than 2:30pm)

+There will be an orientation meeting for all participants: Saturday, October 3, 2009

+Questions, more information: John and Faye Buttrick, 309 / 637 – 5749 or buttrickfj1@att.net

Centro Romero is a ministry of Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ and the California-Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ.