eNewsletter

Gratitude, Growth, and an Invitation:
Updates from the Guatemala-Petén Partnership

The Guatemala-Petén Partnership Task Force is deeply grateful for the generosity of the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee. Through the May Presbytery Meeting offering, you gave $1,176.00 — a gift that joins the $10,639 already received from churches and individuals across our Presbytery since our last appeal. Together, these funds support a constellation of ministries: school scholarships, pastor-to-pastor support for eleven clergy who receive little or no income from their congregations, medicines for our upcoming health clinic trip in April 2027, and leadership and training for pastors and elders throughout the region.

Ten Years of Scholarships — and a Generation Transformed

Perhaps no ministry better illustrates the long arc of transformation than our scholarship program. For ten years, the Task Force has funded educational opportunities for students from the churches of the Q'eqchi' Presbytery of the Petén in Guatemala such as Juana Priscilia Sub Choc. While elementary education is now universal and free — a meaningful change since our partnership began — study at the básico (middle school) and diversificado (high school) carries real costs: uniforms, books, supplies, computer fees, etc., totaling approximately 3,000 quetzales ($400) per student each year.

We began with five students. This year, we are proud to support thirty, with hopes of funding thirty-three in 2027. A decade in, we are witnessing the fruit: graduates are taking clerical and retail positions that were simply unavailable to the children of farm laborers a generation ago. Some are continuing into higher education — most often in health-care fields — sponsored by Middle Tennessee Presbyterians.

For a region that offers limited economic opportunity for educated Q'eqchi' people, the hunger for learning among our partners is a source of profound encouragement. It bodes well for the future of the Q'eqchi' people and for the enduring strength of our partnership.

Abner Chun: A Living Example

One name represents this hope with particular clarity. Abner Chun (center in picture) who is now a nurse. Abner was the very first student to receive a scholarship through this program. Abner now serves as the Secretary of the Q'eqchi' Presbytery of the Petén and today acts as a vital liaison between the Q'eqchi' Presbytery and the PMT. Abner's story is your story, too: a direct line from your faithful giving to a transformed life and a strengthened partnership.

An Urgent Need: Emergency Food Appeal

Since our May Presbytery Meeting, we have received a distressing report. All eleven communities within our partner Presbyterian churches are facing compounding hardships — prolonged drought, shortages of staple foods like corn and beans, rising vegetable prices, and the strain of high fuel costs. The need is immediate, and the Task Force is responding.

If you were unable to give at our May meeting but feel called to help our partner churches through this crisis, we invite you to give now through the Presbytery website. Simply use the memo line "Emergency Food Appeal" — or designate your gift to any of our active ministries.

Thank you for your continued partnership in the gospel. What God is doing through your generosity in the Petén is real, lasting, and growing.

In Christ, John Hilley Chair, Guatemala-Petén Partnership Task Force Presbytery of Middle Tennessee

Liberty Hill Community Clean-Up

On June 6, the Liberty Hill Church (Wilson Co.) will hold their annual roadway cleanup on the several miles of Liberty Hill Road bordering their property. Then, in the afternoon, in their pavilion, they will hold a cookout for the church and for the neighbors they met during the day!

Hudnut-Beumler Receives Excellence Award

General Assembly Preview Video

Ruling Elder Communion Training - July 11th

It can be challenging for congregations without pastoral leadership to find a minister of Word and Sacrament to preside at the Lord’s Supper. As a way of providing care, the presbytery can train and authorize Ruling Elders to preside at the Lord’s Supper. The training covers the theology of the Lord’s Supper using Scripture, the Book of Confessions, Directory for Worship, a service for the Lord’s Supper, and a practice time for ruling elders to break bread and bless the cup.

The next training will be led by Rev. Sally Hughes on July 11 from 10:00am to Noon at Glen Leven Presbyterian Church, 3906 Franklin Pike, Nashville.

The registration deadline for this event is Friday, July 10. To register, sara_hughes@bellsouth.net. Packets of materials will be provided to participants.

Board of Pensions Assistance Programs

Member of Synod of Living Waters Stands for GA Co-Moderator
The Rev. Rebecca Luter and the Rev. Chris Peters will stand for Co-Moderators of the 227th General Assembly. Peters is the Senior Pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lincoln, Nebraska. Luter is the head pastor at Farmington Presbyterian Church in Germantown, Tennessee. She’s a graduate of Leadership Germantown, has served on the local hospital’s community board, and was appointed to the Germantown Municipal School Board in 2018. She’s been Moderator of the Presbytery of the Mid-South and has been a commissioner to the Synod of Living Waters and General Assembly. They join three other pairs who have announced their candidacy.

June 28 - July 2
227th General Assembly in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

July 11
Communion Training for Elders

August 6
Presbytery Meeting at Bellevue

September 21-25
Mediation Training

September 26
Small Church Conference at Univ. of the South

November 7
Presbytery Meeting at First, Franklin

Currently, these are the job opportunities available within the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee.

Manager of Operations and Facilities Second Presbyterian Church, Nashville

Operations and Communications Coordinator, Presbytery of Middle Tennessee

Part-Time Office Administrator, Historic Franklin Presbyterian Church, Franklin 

Youth Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia

Director of Children's Ministry, Second Presbyterian Church, Nashville