Funding Appeal Underway

The Illinois Maya Ministry is conducting its annual funding appeal at this time.  We have received about $2,800.00 in donations already.  Thank you to faithful friends of this ministry in Chiapas, Mexico and Guatemala.

The main use of the funds received is to support our partners, particularly INESIN in Chiapas, and ACG in Guatemala.  We also use this to support a partnership of IMM and SiPaz!

If you wish to contribute make the check payable to: "Illinois Conference UCC."  Write "IMM" in the memo line.  Send the check to: Rev. Michelle Prentice-Leslie, 1221 Clearwater Drive, Yorkville, IL 60560.

Thank you.

Report from Denise - continued

This photo was taken in Morelia, a Zapatista caracol (which I always liken to a county seat).  We're standing in front of the Office for Good Government.  The Zapatista leaders were inside discussing how they would answer the questions we brought - all young, mostly women, many of whom speak only their indigenous languages (there were language groups present - so the meeting was quarto-lingual (is that a word?!), with Spanish sometimes serving as the common language).  When we met with them after a long wait, we were quite impressed with the way leadership was shared among the group, especially the way women and those with no facility in Spanish were encouraged to take a substantial role in the conversation.  There they were, putting their slogan into action right before our delighted eyes:  creating a world were all worlds fit.  In the UCC we talk (and sometimes even practice!) a good game of multi-culturalism.  We could take lessons from the Zapatistas in this!

Rev. Denise Griebler reports from Chiapas

(One of the partners of IMM and of Global Ministries is SiPaz.  Denise Griebler represents IMM on the Board of Directors of SiPaz.  Travel for this international board is expensive, and thus they meet intensively once each year in San Cristobal de Las Casas.  Here is Denise's report of that meeting.)

Chiapas Report

August 14 – 21 I was in Chiapas, Mexico for the annual SiPaz (International Service for Peace) board meeting. It’s always a privilege to accompany this amazingly faithful organization as they accompany communities and processes working toward establishing a true and lasting peace in Southern Mexico. NAFTA and the various other free-trade agreements combined with organized crime, the war on drugs, impunity and government corruption are enough to overwhelm. But SiPaz just keeps plugging along to defend human rights, educate toward peace, support people’s efforts to organize and have a say over their own lives and communities.

We were blessed to go to the countryside to visit with a Zapatista community – indigenous Mayan folk who are staking their claim to define, organize and govern themselves. It was inspiring to see women who speak only their indigenous language of Tzeltal emerging as leaders of the community. There are about 371,000 people in Chiapas who speak this language. Many speak no Spanish. And it's just one of the Mayan language groups in Chiapas!  80% of the people who live in Chiapas are Mayan, which is to say, Native American, indigenous, 1st Nations.  Everyone else is an immigrant!

After the interview with the community leaders, they invited us to have lunch with them – a cup of thick sweet rice water called “atole”. We felt so honored to share a meal and informal conversation with these people who say that what they are working for is a world where all worlds fit. I like that. The big mining companies who want what’s beneath their land do not. I pray the Zapatistas hold their ground.

The rest of the week was solid meetings back in San Cristobal de las Casas. We engaged in analysis of the current situation and strategized about how our little organization has and could make a difference on behalf of human rights

and peace. We committed to goals for this year. SiPaz board members are from France, Costa Rica, Germany, Colombia, Holland, Switzerland and the US.

- Denise

SiPaz Board

Critical Analysis

When the IMM delegation was in San Cristobal de Las Casas in May 2012 for the 15th Anniversary celebration of INESIN the group also made visits to other partners in town.  One of those long time partners is SiPaz.  SiPaz is an international NGO working for peace, and it was also established in the 1990s.

In the photo above Marina Pages, director of SiPaz,  presents a critical analysis of the situation in Chiapas.  Her presence at INESIN illustrates the network of groups who have slightly different missions and who at the same time work in harmony to address the needs in Chiapas.

SiPaz is a partner with IMM and INESIN, and also with Global Ministries.  While Felix Ortiz Cotto was present for the celebration at INESIN he was also able to meet with representatives of SiPaz to find ways that they could work together in the future.  The various groups together form a critical presence for positive effort.

Delegation Opportunities!

Immersion Education for Religious Leaders of All Faiths: October  17-19, 2010

This BorderLinks delegation is a two-day immersion experience, connecting clergy and leaders of all faiths with the daily realities and stories of their immigrant neighbors.  The delegation will assist religious leaders in understanding the immigrant experience in Chicago and the surrounding area.  Participants will return home with practical resources and insights to engage their congregants around the divisive issue of immigration.  Intentional reflection time will focus on appropriate and caring ways to accompany a congregation confronting this timely issue.  For a brochure with more detailed information, click on the attachment here.

Youth and Young Adult Delegation to Chiapas:  December 27, 2010-January 5, 2011, "Building Peace in Chiapas."

Only five more slots open!  Youth and young adults will learn the strength and courage of the Chiapan people, how our partner organizations work on a daily basis to build a lasting peace, and how life in Chiapas affects the immigration crisis in the United States. Present work project includes building a structure for the distribution of Western and folkloric medicines to be distributed to the rural poor.  To see the brochure and a fuller description of the delegation click here or contact Rev. Mike Mulberry.

SiPaz Report-Rev. Griebler's Report from Chiapas

Dear Ones - I'm home safe from Chiapas. There's surely a piece of my heart that lives in Latin America. It was good to be there even for a little while. And it was a short little whirlwind trip. I was there for a board meeting of SiPaz (International Service for Peace) and to meet with Congregational and Disciple of Christ pastors from Northern Mexico who were visiting Chiapas and our mission partners at IMM and Global Ministries invitation.

Lots of meetings, including one with all 14 cabinet ministers from the state of Chiapas. Had to wonder why the governor wanted his entire cabinet to spend the day with SiPaz? Perhaps to portray an image of concern for human rights. Too bad the reality says different. Most of my meetings were with the board of SiPaz, this incredible little international coalition that provides critical presence, reliable information and works to build a culture of peace in Chiapas. Which is still one of those strategic places where you can measure the social temperature of world.

The conflict in Chiapas smolders still. Where the movement for autonomy among the indigenous people is strongest (the Northern Zone – which is where the ancient Mayan site Palenque is located) the military and paramilitaries have increased their presence. The Protestant churches are fanning the flames once again, pastors preaching that Zapistasta supporters and communities are devil-possessed. And that the devil must be driven out. Not that the churches are causing the conflict – it’s rooted in issues around land and power and access to strategic resources. Not surprisingly, expulsions are on the rise and fear grows that the situation is ripe for more Acteal-type massacres. (Back in 1997 paramilitaries killed 47 people who were gathered in a church praying for peace in the town of Acteal. The victims were members of Las Abejas, a group committed to active non-voilence that supports the Zapatistas’s goals, if not always their means. Many of the victims were women - 4 were pregnant - and children. The killing spree took place over 5 hours. A military installation was just a football field's length away, but no one came to intervene and stop the killing. Which leaves one to presume that the military chose not to respond and so is complicit in the crime.) SiPaz is one of the groups that works to lessen tensions and to actively build a culture of peace. I’d say we’ll be in business for a while.

See, there's oil in them there hills. And quite a lot. And uranium, fresh water (think hydro-electric dams), rich bio-diversity of cloud forest, rain forest and jungle(think pharmaceuticals), natural beauty & Mayan cultural sites (think eco-tourism). The Mexican government and the trans-national corporations are interested in clearing out most of the indigenous communities to make way for development. This is what the trade agreements from NAFTA to CAFTA to Plan Pueblo Panama are all about. Phase 1 is an Indian removal project to be sure. Of course, some co-operative indigenous communities will be allowed to remain and make a show of their authentic Mayan culture for the tourists. The Zapatista autonomous communities aren't planning on co-operating with the various free trade agreements. At the very least they will not just roll over. They want to have a say, now and into the future. Their resistance - which has taken the form of active non-violence - is more than admirable - really courageous, creative and inspirational.

If you or your congregation would like to see pictures or hear more about this, just ask and I will be happy to talk with you or even a group that’s interested. I can be reached at St. Michael's United Church of Christ, 630/231-0687.