Field Report from ¡Caminemos Juntos!

By David Roseberry

There is something awesome happening in Anglican1000. It is out of control!  Yes, that probably is a good thing to say about a movement.  Steve Addison in his book Movements that Change the World, writes that movements grow ‘at the edges’ of the organization and generally not from the center.  That means that a movement will not come from a ‘central headquarters’, but from the outer rims.

This is true of the efforts of Anglican1000 to support Hispanic church planting within the Anglican context in North America.  The vision of Anglican 1000 took hold at the recent convocation of Anglican Hispanic leaders and planters, a kick-start event called Caminemos Juntos (Let us Walk Together).  Approximately 50 leaders, clergy, laity, and a handful of bishops attended the two-day event outside Chicago.

The challenges for reaching the Hispanic population with the Gospel through the Anglican Church are quite complex.  There are first and second and even third generation issues.  There are self-perception challenges within the Hispanic culture itself.  It was clear from the presenters that the Hispanic people in the US and Canada see themselves as a culture and not a race.  Efforts to reach this culture need to be sensitive to a vast number of issues including the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, syncretism, immigration issues, and cultural definitions of family and church.
But make no mistake; ministry to the Hispanic community is an incredible opportunity for the Gospel of Christ.  Take a look at this video to get a sense of what might be possible for the Lord.

Insightful talks came from a number of Hispanic leaders around the country including Archbishop Robert Duncan, Gabe Garcia, Pdre. Alvaro Jinete, Dr. Roberto Miranda, and more.  We heard from people who are ministering among this population.  Some are rectors who have congregations that have started Hispanic works; some are stand-alone churches that minister in a mixed cultures.  Some are start-up house churches from the Greenhouse Movement; and some are new (or soon to be) church plants that have bi-vocational clergy. 
It is clear to me that there is a passion and solid base to see Anglican1000 take hold in the Hispanic Church-planting community.  I took the time to invite the leadership to attend the annual Anglican1000 Summit and give a major report on the work of these initiatives.