The largest part of the March 2007 Session meeting was spent discussing the proposed process for decision-making on the future of TPPC relationships with Jinocuao and the Kairos Association. The information on this site is taken from a Church Life article giving background on where TPPC is now and what the decision making process agreed to by Session entails.
This page gives background information on Jinucuao and where TPPC finds itself today.
The next page gives details of the Jinocuao committee's discernment process.
The third page lays out the process by which the Session will make its decision.
Finally, the fourth page discusses what will happen with the rest of the SWAC budget.
A document outlining the proposal Session adopted in its March meeting is available on this website in PDF format.
A quick background.
Since 1991 one of TPPC's Social Witness and Action
(our term for mission) ministries has been a "sister parish" relationship with a church
in the village of Jinocuao, Nicaragua.
(Note: The church functions as a community organization and center not just a place of worship.)
At first this was under the auspices of a group called Sister Parish. Later, after changes in that group, TPPC and Jinocuao joined the Kairos Association (Kairos) newly set up by former Sister Parish staff.
Kairos is an association of US based churches and their sister faith communities in Nicaragua. Joining Kairos meant having its staff (Ellen Hendricks and Luis Aguerra - referred to as AKF) lead delegations to and from Jinocuao and facilitate communication between TPPC and Jinocuao. We also supported AKF doing education, community building and assistance programs with the whole group of Nicaraguan faith communities (including Jinocuao) and to a lesser extent with US churches that were part of Kairos. AKF organized relief for the Nicaraguan communities in emergency situations, and periodically brought together all of the Kairos participating churches/communities.
Our arrangement was to contribute (along with the other US churches) a portion of the Kairos budget. That's where our mission money has been going. Not directly to Jinocuao.
Last summer things changed in Nicaragua.
During a lengthy discussion that included TPPC, the erosion of the working relationship between Jinocuao and AKF became evident.
As a result Jinocuao no longer participates in the Kairos Association and AKF no longer works with Jinocuao.
This requires TPPC to make several decisions:
Kairos has expanded its mission recently and is running retreats and educational programs as well as facilitating sister parish relationships. There are options as to how TPPC might be a member not involving the level of financial commitment we have carried in recent years.
Reflecting this state of affairs, as explained at the Annual Congregational Meeting, Session approved a total amount for the 2007 SWAC budget but has left the amount that had been allocated to Kairos uncommitted pending a decision about how to go forward.
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