TLDR: We will not put limits on God, in Hispanic ministries, or in anything.
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”1
On Sunday, my family and I went to dinner with some of our closest friends. As is our custom, Grace and I sat in her closet as I fashioned her hair into a neat braid while we discussed the events of the day. Many of you know that Grace is in a Spanish Immersion Program at her school; she loves the language as well as studying the countries where Spanish is spoken. As part of her program, Grace is encouraged to have as much time with Hispanic cultures as possible: she watches shows and listens to music in Spanish; including Fr. Pinzon’s radio station! I told her about Fr. Pinzon coming to the church; she is so excited to meet him. My nine (almost ten year old) daughter told me how she wants to support his ministry. Grace thinks we need to reach out to more people in the community and particularly Spanish speakers. From this young girl’s perspective, we have a good amount to learn from everyone in the world, regardless of language.
This conversation filled my heart with joy, because “Our mission is to unite all people with the Love of God.” I recognize that some people are worried about our Hispanic Ministry and may feel uneasy to approach Fr. Pinzon about something that seems new and different. However, the church has been planning this ministry for two years. When I interviewed with St. Dunstan’s, Fr. Roldan told me there would be a Spanish Service starting during my curacy and that he hoped to start an after school program. He never mentioned cutting programs, only adding ministry, and to his credit that is exactly what we are doing at St. Dunstan’s with Fr. Pinzon coming onboard as Associate Rector (using funds donated specifically for his ministry).
Fr. Pinzon is taking leadership of English speaking events (he is chaplain to Street of Shoppes) at the same time that he is in the community bringing members to this church. If by some miracle I brought fifteen families to St. Dunstan’s, I would probably receive chocolate, flowers, and praise from around the Diocese. Fr. Pinzon began by bringing fifteen families to our church; they have been placed on a waiting list that he and Fr. Roldan are building as they prepare worship and programs for this ministry. That is almost unheard of, even in the Diocese of Texas. For his part, Fr. Roldan is both supporting this ministry by helping with the planning, committees, and outreach as well as continuing his regular pastoral duties. There is rarely a day when Fr. Roldan does not meet with at least one parishioner. In addition to the Hispanic Ministry, he has added two Bible Studies.
I am not going to pretend that this change is easy; it will require hard work on the parts of all of us, regardless of language. Some of the change is awkward: I am rather terrible with languages in general, however, I want to support this Hispanic Ministry in any way possible. As such, Duolingo and I will be getting reacquainted. I won’t always use the correct words (in Spanish or English) or speak soon enough in the face of discouraging remarks.2 Believe me, I recognize that it is uncomfortable to stand up when someone is overly critical of other cultures, yet getting to know others is like any new habit it will take practice. God’s love demands that I try.
Friends, love is not limited. It is for all God’s people: those regardless of language or culture. God’s love wants to reach out to each of us and if we open our hearts to more people our hearts will simply grow.
God is calling us to this Hispanic ministry, it is time for all of us to stand united with this and say how important it is for the entire church. We cannot love each other if we ignore and
walk away from hurtful comments: history tells us that this is how trouble brews. Loving others means breaking bread with them and sitting with them.
The truth of the matter is that Grace is right, all people deserve God’s love. She wrote a few words for me that she said during our conversation:
Leo en un libro “Si odios a odias tu corazon no tiene suficiente espacio para el amor.” Y el amor es muy importante.Tienes que amar a otros para amar Dios. Dios necesita que amemos a otros.
In English it reads: I read in a book “If you hate others your heart does not have enough room for love.” And love is very important. You have to love others to love God. God needs us
to love others.
My family and I are committed to serving the God of Love.
1 Joshua 24:15 KJV - this just came up in the daily office lectionary.
2 Some remarks are obvious using slurs, most of the racist remarks I have heard are what is called a microaggression: they refer to referencing someone’s accent, language, or ability based on their life I cannot find a physical copy, however, a professor at Columbia University published this book on the topic: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Microaggressions_in_Everyday_Life/jyzcuvgTaIMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA8&printsec=frontcover
