Off to Mexico

I am off to San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, beginning Friday, January 22. I will meet Rev. Paula Bidle and her husband, George Moore, who were mission volunteers in with the Diocese of San Cristobal in the middle 1990s. Together we will be there to represent the Illinois Maya Ministries and Rev. Felix Ortiz-Cotto, Area Executive for Latin American and the Caribbean of the Global Ministries, a partnership between the Disciples of Christ and the United Church of Christ. The specific purpose of our visit is to be present at the 50th Anniversary of Bishop Samuel Ruiz Garcia's elevation to Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church, which took place on January 25, 1960. That is back when John XXIII was Pope! Above is a group photo with Don Samuel Ruiz on January 25, 1997. This delegation was present that January, and were invited to participate in the celebration that year in the Cathedral. We are, L-R, Rev. Jeff Nichols, then Conference Minister of the Illinois Conference United Church of Christ, Rev. Bonnie Beaupre, Chicago Association Minister, Rev. Michelle Prentice-Leslie, Illinois UCC Pastor, Bishop Ruiz, Rev. Juan Saavedra, a Pastor from the California-Nevada Conference of the United Methodist Church, Martha Pierce, Illinois Maya Ministry, Rev. Michael Swartz, Pastor of the Church of Peace United Church of Christ, Rock Island, Illinois.

On the visit this year George, Paula and I intend to visit several partners in the area in addition to attending the celebration for Bishop Ruiz, now retired since 2002. We will visit with SiPaz, an international group working for peace; INESEN, an intercultural institute in the area working to bring about ecumenical understanding, and Melel, a group supporting street children in San Cristobal. We also hope to visit a coffee cooperative that produces organic, bird friendly, fair trade coffee, and one of the pastors and parishes out in a more rural area.

The wonderful element in the experience in the area over these many years is that we have built relationships with some church folks of good will in the area. The faithfulness of the relationships over the years strengthens our mutual ministry.

Please pray for our little travelling group which will be in Mexico this next week or so.