IV. Antecedents

In 1978, the Maya Quiche Presbytery, after reflecting upon socio-economic problems of the country and the fulfillment of its mission, agreed to initiate Christian Service, which was named "Evangelical Committee for Service and Support - Maya Quiche (CESSMAQ)".

CESSMAQ created the means by which the Maya Quiche Presbytery could take to the most excluded and poor, the good news of the Kingdom of God.

CESSMAQ is the expression of faith and the good works of the Maya Quiche Presbytery, and service to the most needy.

To solidify its mission, CESSMAQ implements processes of technical training, socioeconomic and biblical-theological, also providing counseling, human, and financial resources.

Fundamentally, we work with poor indigenous communities in extreme poverty, promoting and facilitating integral development, intellectual, physical and spiritual, with a vision of the total realization, essential to men and women created in God's image.

Our methodology promotes participative processes, self-management, with Christian principals and values.

By means that the benefactors and their families might satisfy their vital needs present such as nutritional, housing, health, study, education, culture, formation of biblical-theological, etc. Anticipate short term needs like savings, social security and nutritional, environmental and community development and strengthen a culture of peace.

The present plan has as its basis, the experience and qualitative and quantitative results obtained over years of work, and the groups of men and women from the communities that have benefited and testify how CESSMAQ has changed their lives.

The processes of change are slow and require steadfast love for our neighbor, since poverty, marginalization, discrimination and violence that Guatemala suffers, are products of an imposed structural system, each day, the rich get richer and poor get poorer. The alienation that results from accommodation to that system or from paternalism, which is rooted in the minds of many, is a heavy obstacle that needs to be overcome so that little by little changes can be strengthened.

This plan seeks to strengthen, deepen and secure the processes initiated in the communities worked in for the past eight years and which are in the process of resolution. In new communities, initiating the process of self-managed development, is the compelling call for CESSMAQ.