Churches Spreading the Message of Love

 

Spanish Language Challenge

At the start of 2016, the Conference Committee on Hispanic/Latino Ministries gave a challenge to all the local churches in the Michigan Area to plan and run a Who is Our Neighbor? Spanish Language Study at their church.  The study is a six-week study for learning Spanish as Church Hospitality. So far, six churches are participating in the challenge. The goal is for at least 10 churches to participate.

These are the churches that have accepted the challenge:
St. Paul UMC: Ludington
Hartford UMC
Marysville UMC
Trinity UMC-Grand Rapids
St. Johns First UMC
Christ UMC- Traverse City

Centro Familiar Cristiano United Methodist Church

In 2016, we will say good-bye to El Buen Pastor United Methodist Church, which has been the only Hispanic/Latino Church in the Detroit Conference for the past 30+ years. While it is hard to say good-bye to this church, the grief is limited in the joy that a new church has started at the same location. The Conference Committee on Hispanic/Latino Ministries supported the start of a New Hispanic/Latino Church in Detroit, Michigan. The church started on February 1, 2016, which is located at the former El Buen Pastor United Methodist Church in Detroit. Services are on Saturday nights and during the week there is a food pantry, immigration legal services, Bible Studies, Craft classes, and guitar lessons as well as special meals. The church is also planning on having a children and youth program this summer.



The Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Charles Boayue, making the announcement of the of the approval of the new church on February 6, 2015.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

St. Johns First United Methodist Church

 St. Johns First United Methodist Church has a Neighbor’s Ministry that is a ministry with the Latino dairy farm workers in the area. The ministry provides English as a Second Language Classes, translation, transportation, and other community services. The church also has a monthly Spanish Language service and a yearly Cinco de Mayo Celebration that the community members help plan and organize. 

The church was in the Conference newsletter recently because of what they did this year for Ash Wednesday. They did what they describe as a Reserve Drive-Through imposition of ashes. Instead of people coming to the church to get ashes, the church went out to community to give ashes at the local dairy farms. According to the article, “Ellen, (Rev. Ellen Zienert is the pastor of the church), and four members of the congregation indeed drove out into the Clinton County countryside traveling a circuit of 75 miles. On the course of their six and half hour journey, they visited ten farms and shared ashes with 26 people (ten more than attended the worship service in the church that same evening).” During the visits to the farms, there was a short liturgy in Spanish that the members of the congregations had learned beforehand, everyone present said the Lord’s Prayer together, and one of the visiting members job was to bless everyone at the end saying Dios te bendiga, God Bless You.  The church plans on doing going out again next year, and possibility having two teams, instead of one, so they can serve 20 sites. At the end of the article, Rev. Ellen Zienert shares advice for other churches with Hispanic/Latino neighbors, she says, “Don’t be afraid! Just look around you with different eyes.”

Words Do Hurt

Recently, I came across an article about my father and his journey to become a teacher. My father, Elias Chapa, is Mexican-American. He was born in Texas and grew up in Pontiac, Michigan. The article describes that my father wanted to become a teacher ever since third grade, when he was inspired by his teacher, Mrs. Pond. However, when he told his high-school counselor about his dream, he wasn’t met with encouraging feedback. The counselor told him, “Why don’t you go to work in the factory making cars like the rest of your kind.” This makes me very sad to hear that my father faced this kind of discrimination, but today, my family and I are facing this kind of discrimination. My husband, Jorge Luna-Cruz who is Mexican, and indigenous, faces more discrimination sadly then I do because he is an immigrant, has an accent, and has darker colored skin. I am hurt when I go to a store and he is immediately approached to see if he “needs anything”.  I am hurt when he is not always welcomed at churches.

 

My husband, my son, and my father.

I tell you all of this because I am hurt by the discrimination that is being promoted by the current rhetoric coming from the political scene lately. This hurts me, my family, immigrants, and the world. Sadly, I don’t just see this kind of discrimination just in the political scene, but in the church as well. I hear about people being discriminated because of their accent or because they are an immigrant and come from a different culture. I see discrimination against women and young people in the church. This hurts me as well and it hurts the church.   

The scripture reading Isaiah 55 was shared with me today as part of a devotion. One verse in the chapter that stood out to me was verse 11, “In the same way, my words leave my mouth, and they don’t come back without results. My words make the things happen that I want to happen. They succeed in doing what I send them to do (ERV).” The verse is describing how positive results will come from positive, fruitful, loving, encouraging words. But it could also mean that hurt could come from hateful and destructive discriminatory words. That is what the current rhetoric is doing. It is hurting people. Not just Mexicans, not just immigrants, but all of us, because it is spreading and fostering hate. We need to watch the words we say, what we say about people, what we spread and foster.

So, through our words let us foster love. For lent, I am sharing a podcast each week from the  Latino NPR USA and then posing questions at the end of the week for people to ponder after listening to the podcast. This week’s podcast is called Sticks and Stones. The link is, http://www.npr.org/programs/latino-usa/467370741/sticks-stones. I haven’t listened to it yet. But I will be listening to it with the mindset that words do hurt and they hurt us all. How can we foster love and relationship building, instead of hate and discrimination?  How can we change what we say? Let us all ponder this together.

Seven Things I Learned on Maternity Leave that Can Apply to Ministry

1.  Your world will be turned upside down: When I first started as a missionary, I went to a quadrennial training, the theme was Living the United Methodist Way: Turning Worlds Upside Down. I never fully understood what it meant to have your world turned upside down until having a child. Talk about having everything you know be shaken up. You are living in a transformed world. Your life now is about your child and taking care of him. Your child is exploring a whole new world and he is taking you on the ride. There are things that are unknown, scary, and fun and you are there to guide him. He also has his needs that you need to take care of. His priorities are your priorities. 

I imagine this is the same for new Christians or for people joining the church. When new people join the church, the church is transformed and turned upside down. The newbies come with their needs and priorities, they come to explore. Will you be there to guide them, to take care of their needs? Are you ready for your world to be turned upside down?  

2.  What is on your radar?: When I became a parent, when I had my son, Victor, I started noticing other parents. When I went outside into the community, I started noticing other parents with strollers, carriers, and diaper bags. My husband started noticing parents as well. One late night when he went to Meijer, he saw a young couple with their baby, buying diapers. He told me that the young couple looked tired and was probably at the store because the baby wouldn’t sleep. Before, I didn’t notice the parents, nor the families. Now, that I am a parent, it is on my radar and I notice them everywhere.

 

What is on your radar? When it comes to ministry at your church? Who are you serving? Who are you not serving? Sometimes we have to make adjustments to expand our radar and see what we were not seeing before, maybe we are not seeing the college people that live around the church, the people that take the bus around the corner of the church, nor the immigrants in our community. Maybe they are not on our radar, but what if they were?

 

3. Ask for help: In both the parenting class and the birth class that my husband and I took before having our baby, the instructor told us, ask for help, or if someone offers help, accept it. After having, Victor, we needed help, and gladly accepted it. My mother and sister would help with washing dishes and making meals. My father came over to play with and hold Victor. We asked for help and gladly accepted it when someone offered. Corny as it sounds, it really does take a village to raise a child.

Do you ask for help in your ministry? At your church? Do you let others lend a hand? Sometimes people want to serve and are looking for ways to help! Ask them for help! It takes a team to do ministry.

 

4. Trust other people: This goes along with asking people for help. As a new mother, I learned that I have to trust other people to be able to care for my son. I have to learn that others can take care of him too.

Again, in ministry, we have to trust that others can do the ministry too! We have to let go of control sometimes and let others take over.

 

5. Things take time: I have learned that as a parent some things take time, like putting a baby to bed. Sometimes it takes going back two, three, four times before Victor finally falls asleep. Sometimes, it just takes one time.

 

It takes time to develop ministries. When it comes to ministry, you have to try something sometimes again and again before it works, every time making adjustments. You have to be patience and persistent. You can’t give up even though sometimes you feel like giving up. People are relying on you not to.

 

6. Find the humor in things: Being a parent is stressful and you have to find the humor in things because that is the only way you will make it through the day sometimes. My husband is good at finding the humor in things and making jokes. Sometimes you just have to laugh.

Ministry can also be stressful. Things don’t always go as you plan. Do you find the humor in things? Do you laugh in your ministry?

 

7. Have fun: Parenting can also be fun! It can be fun to play and enjoy life with your little one. Our family has had lots of fun. We have gone to the zoo and the museum.

Developing ministry can be fun. It doesn’t have to be serious all the time. Do you have fun in your ministry? Do you help others enjoy life?

A Christmas Message

Network of Leaders of Hispanic/Latino Ministries Christmas Message,

Last Friday, as the information about the tragedy in Newtown was becoming clearer, I went to the Friday night bible study as part of the Alfa y Omega Comunidad de Fe (Alpha and Omega Faith Community) at First United Methodist Church of Lincoln Park. I help with childcare for the bible study. There is one family that comes most Fridays that brings four out of their six children to the bible study.

On Friday, the church was having a No Buy Christmas Bazaar, where people could come and “shop” for gifts for their family. The children wanted to “shop” for their parents, so we gave each of them a bag and they ended up picking out gifts for their family and friends.

Once they had their gifts, they wanted to wrap them so I spent the rest of the time helping the children wrap their gifts. The parents were surprised to see what they had done, and the parents told the children that they should put the gifts under the Christmas tree. I hope that the opportunity to give gifts to their family and friends brings them much joy this Christmas. I know picking them out and wrapping them did.  

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Christ child, let us celebrate all the children that God brings to us. I want to thank you for all the ways that you have shared God’s love and joy with these children. Be it through tutoring programs, like Leap into Learning, Christmas Toy Give-Aways, Summer Olympics, ESL Childcare, End of the Semester Parties, Posadas, Vacation Bible School, or providing legal services to them and/or their parents.

Let us continue to share God’s love and joy with God’s children. In the beginning of the new year, I will share with you some new ideas to continue this valuable ministry and ministry with youth and young adults. I hope that you will join with me in this endeavor or encourage others to join in. Thank you for all you do to serve the Hispanic/Latino community, especially the children.

 ¡Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año!

Sonya Luna

30 years old

This is a post I wrote before I turned 30 years old that I didn't post, but would like to post now:

Jesus started his ministry when he was thirty years old. How many of us think that by 30 we need to have already built a perfect home, career, and family for ourselves. I look at famous people in the news that are my age and sometimes I want to be like them.  I don't want to be like those famous people because they are wealthy and well known, I want to be like them because to me they have figured everything out. They know what they want to do with their lives and they are doing it.

Jesus started his ministry at 30 years old.

What was he doing before then? Why did he start his ministry at 30 years old?
Maybe because the time wasn't right. In some things I am not patient. I don't like to wait for things to happen. I like to do things right away. And when things don't happen the way I like, I look back and say well, maybe the time wasn't right for that to happen.

Jesus was probably the same way. He probably wanted to start his ministry right away. But maybe the time wasn't right and Jesus had to wait. Maybe Jesus was learning and observing and building the foundation for his ministry, and then when the time was right Jesus started his ministry.

I am about to turn 30 and I am ready.
Are you ready. Have you be struggling to find your path?
Have you been waiting to start? Have you been lost? Say, yes, and Jesus will lead you because Jesus is ready for you.

Día Internacional de Mujeres

Día Internacional de Mujeres

Te damos gracias, Dios, por todas las mujeres.

Las madres, las hermanas, las sobrinas, las tías, las primas, las jóvenes, las niñas, las abuelas, las maestras, las pastoras, las amigas, las madrinas, las suegras, las hijas, las cuñadas, las nueras

Te damos gracias por María la mama de Jesús Cristo y el sacrificio que nos hizo.

Recordamos al dolor que María cargaba de perder a su hijo y recordamos al dolor que muchas mujeres cargan aquí en nuestras comunidades y en el mundo.
Ayúdalas Dios que su carga no sea tan pesada.

Dios te damos gracias por las mujeres que nos guían, nos cuidan, nos ensenan y nos aman. Dios te damos gracias y bendícelas o Dios.

Out of Our Comfort Zones

Matthew 4:1
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit, into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Matthew 4:1

How do you think Jesus felt when he was called to go into the wilderness? How do you think Jesus felt when he was led by the Spirit out of his comfort zone and into the unknown?

How do you feel when you are called out of your comfort zone into the unknown? When I was called to be a missionary three years ago, I was nervous. I was worried that I did not have all the leadership experience that I imagined a missionary needed to have. I was worried that people were not going to accept me as a missionary because I had not been a leader for that long in the church. I was being called into the wilderness and I did not know what was going to happen and I was nervous.

But God has been there for me during this wilderness time. God has given me the tools I need to make it through the difficult times and I am glad that I followed the Holy Spirit’s call. I am glad that I have become a missionary because I have grown both spiritually and personally. Like Jesus, I have been tempted. I have been tempted to give up and to say, “I do not want to be a missionary anymore.” I have been tempted to go back to my comfort zone and go back to the ways things were before I was a missionary. But God has been there for me to help me deal with those temptations and the Holy Spirit continues to lead me out of my comfort zone and into the wilderness.

How is the Holy Spirit leading you out of your comfort zone and into the wilderness this season of Lent?

Prayer- Thank you Lord for your example that shows, us as we leave our comfort zones and go into the wilderness, that God will give us the strength and tools we need in order to deal with temptations. Amen.