Highlight on a Hispanic Congregation

By Jonathan Kindberg

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Fresno, California
Rector: Fr. Antonio Castañeda
ASA: ~800
Address: 4147 E. Dakota Ave., Fresno, CA 93726

Jurisdiction: Diocese of San Joaquin, ACNA

Inicios…Beginnings

The face of Anglicanism in North America is changing. Our Lady of Guadalupe is one example of this sea change. Originally known as Santa Margarita, Our Lady of Guadalupe congregation began about 25 years ago under the leadership of Padre Trino. In 2004 it began meeting in the cathedral of the diocese of San Joaquin and in August of 2008 came under the new leadership of Fr. Antonio Castañeda. At that time Our Lady was a small congregation of about 50 people between a 9AM and a 1PM service. For the first year and a half Fr. Antonio, originally from Pereira, Colombia, says that he simply “observed and listened to the needs of the congregation” without making any changes to the current setup or structure. This was not a passive observation, however. During this time he rolled up his sleeves and intensely invested in the families of the congregation. For a year and a half he took no time off while visiting families, doing home blessings and teaching his small flock the word of God through Bible classes and passionate sermons.

Avivamiento…Awakening

The hard work paid off and the small congregation began to grow. Meanwhile, the time of simple observation was also over and both structural and practical changes were introduced. Grupos pastorales, or home-based small groups, formed as primary tool for discipling of whole family units. Catechesis for the children and youth became a way to draw in young families. Working off a strong base of trust and authority, syncretistic practices related to saints and the Virgin Mary were challenged and the centrality of Christ was preached—this, when seen in light of the church’s name and the prevalent veneration of Mary among Hispanics, wonderfully models the fine line of missional contextualization in Hispanic contexts. Today, less than five years later, Our Lady of Guadalupe averages about 800 attendees on a Sunday. Even more telling than the simple ASA is the number of leaders of the grupos pastorales: 100. Lessons Learned Fr. Antonio speaks of the “importancia de los laicos.” Often in Hispanic congregation there can be a tendency towards clericalism, but Our Lady of Guadalupe has become a place that values laicos, or lay leadership. Fr. Antonio’s vision for the Church in the Hispanic community is one that is truly alive and demonstrates and gives life liturgically, pastorally and through teaching of the Word. Liturgically we need “algo diferente,” something different that is also in line with tradition. Pastorally we need to “estar con ellos en todo,” to be with the people in everything. Pastors can no longer stay in their offices, but must visit the sick in the hospitals, go to the jails, visit people in their homes. Thirdly, there must be a renewed preaching of the word of God among Hispanics, many of whom are unfamiliar with a personal reading of the Bible. Overall, Fr. Antonio speaks of the need for a moving beyond “rutina,” the routine way of doing things and towards “un avivamiento total”: a total awakening both of the Hispanic community and of the Anglican Church in North America. As our country quickly becomes majority minority nation, the two may be more closely related that most of us realize.

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3 Impressions from the ACNA Assembly

By Deacon Jonathan Kindberg

This last week I attended the ACNA’s provincial assembly in Asheville, North Carolina along with Fr. William and Anne Beasley and others from the Chicagoland area. I left from this gathering encouraged by what the Lord has done in these 3 years since the ACNA was formed and by the direction our movement is headed. Three main impressions have stayed with me from those days.

First, I was once again blessed by the breadth of Anglicanism.
I don’t think that at any other denomination I could, in the same day, experience all the following:

• Catch a vision of the glory of God through a world class exposition of the Book of Isaiah by a bishop from Singapore

• Hear Metropolitan Jonah of the Orthodox Church of America tell us we Anglicans are really orthodox (definitely NOT catholic) in our roots and that we should take the filioque clause out of our creed

• Receive Eucharist from the hands of a Rwandan bishop and then healing prayer (in tongues) by a Pentecostal leaning bishop who had several people fall down while receiving prayer (were they being slain in the Spirit?)

• Be challenged by a Baptist plenary speaker (Ed Stetzer) to be on mission as he expanded on Charles Spurgeon’s quote that "every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter."

It was quite a day.

Second, I was blessed by the fellowship with so many kindred spirits from all over North America and the world. One attendee said it was “nice to be around a lot of Anglicans” as there aren’t many in the area she is from. Archbishop Wabukala from Kenya commented on how surprised he was that the assembly was not a time of political process and bickering, but was a wonderful time of fellowship with fellow co-laborers in the Gospel. “Isn’t this what it means to be Anglican?” he said during a panel discussion with various Anglican primates from around the world.

Thirdly, I was so glad that mission was the overarching theme in all the plenaries and workshops as well as in everyone’s hearts I spoke with. Though as Anglicans we have much, much to learn in this area the vision and the desire are there. It is a desire to reach a broken and hurting world with, as the ACNA vision states, “the transforming love of Jesus Christ” through both “sharing and showing” as Ed Stetzer said. This, initiated through the power of the Holy Spirit, is what truly binds us together. Alleluia!

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Picture of Heaven: Maranatha Chapel in Evergreen Park, IL

By Deacon Jonathan Kindberg

For Mission On Our Doorsteps I interviewed Pastor Doug Banks of Maranatha Chapel in Evergreen Park, IL. Maranatha is a fascinating case study of a congregation in touch with it's changing community and that does multi-ethnic ministry excellently. It is, I think, a vision of what the Church will inevitably increasingly look like in North America.

Maranatha Chapel at a Glance:

Vision: One Message/Many Languages

Congregations:
    English: (multi-ethnic: 50% white, 10% African, 15% African American,
       20% Hispanic, 5% Filipino). 150 ASA at 10AM
    Spanish: 125 ASA at 12noon
    Arabic: 60 ASA at 3PM
    Messianic Jewish: 30 ASA on Fridays at 7:30PM

Finances and Leadership:
One budget, one board, one senior pastor, one youth pastor, one worship pastor, one Christian education director, 3 ethnic specific pastors (Spanish, Arabic, Jewish).

Denomination: Assemblies of God

History:
In the year 1999 Maranatha Chapel was looking for a new senior pastor and was considering hiring Doug Banks, a returning Assemblies of God missionary in Mexico. When it was time for a congregational vote Doug told the congregation, “I would like this congregation to reflect the demographics of the community that we live in. If you don’t want to move in this direction don’t vote for me.” Doug received 99% of the vote of the then primarily Caucasian congregation, although there was some fear as to what this new direction for the church would entail.

In speaking with some SIM missionaries who were a part of the congregation he realized the need for some early cross-cultural “wins” to dispel the fears that were present and to help the folks get a taste for multi-cultural ministry. Two events were organized.

The first entailed a multi-church worship service during the Christmas season in which several ethnic congregations joined with Maranatha for a simple one hour service, with each congregation getting 15 minutes to present 2 songs in their own language and then in English to share the significance of Christmas in their own country and culture. A French speaking Haitian, a Hispanic and a Arabic congregation participated. The event was to start at 6PM and at a quarter to 6 the only ones present were the Caucasians from Maranatha who started getting nervous that no one else was going to show up. At five to six the Haitians showed up. At five minutes after six the Arabs showed up and then at 6:15 the Hispanics showed up. After the service there was a potluck and opportunity for everyone to fellowship and get to know each other. The second easy “win” involved partnering with a local organization to welcome Chinese university students by having families in the church adopt them and then invite them to a special church service in which they were prayed for. For many of the Chinese this was their first time in an American home, even though they had been in the US for several years already, and the first time they visited an American church. For the Maranatha members as well as the students it was a powerful experience. Both of these events helped to dispel the fear and clear the path towards becoming a more diverse church.

That year 2001 they began a Spanish speaking service and the next year an Arabic speaking service, less than a year after 9/11.

For a time there was an African service in English, but with an “African flair” but soon these members asked to be integrated to the main English service which they did. The latest addition is a Messianic Jewish Shabbat service on Friday evenings.

How does this congregation handle some of the most common hurdles in doing multi-cultural ministry under the same roof? What have been some of the necessary ingredients and components of this successful model?

Leadership:
“It’s all in the leaders” says Pastor Doug referring to this model of multi-ethnic church. At Maranatha there is one leadership board that is diverse and is comprised of leaders from each of the congregations. Pastor Doug says this was never “mandated” or “forced” but came into being naturally. Doug is the senior pastor for the whole church, while each language specific congregation having a leader. There is also one youth pastor who serves the whole church and one worship pastor who acts as a coach for each of the language specific worship teams. The leadership team meets weekly for prayer, vision and planning. “This model of church is a lot of work and requires a lot of meetings” to keep things flowing smoothly. Maranatha is also unusual in that they have grown their own leaders from within. They have even sent out leaders to help start or lead other congregations. One of the Arab leaders is now in Jordan leading an Arabic church and an early Hispanic leader is now leading a Hispanic congregation in another neighborhood of Chicago.

Finances:
There is one budget for the whole church. “This takes a huge burden off of the congregations and frees them up to focus on their strengths: reaching their own people groups” says Pastor Doug.

Children and Youth:
On Sunday each congregation has its own Sunday school classes led by their own team of leaders and volunteers. The importance of this was an early lesson that Doug learned. Initially there was a caucasian children’s pastor that was leading the Sunday school for each group, but this inhibited the growth and potential of each congregation. Once they were each required to step-up and provide their volunteers and leaders things became much more healthy. On Tuesday evenings (“Mega Ministry Tuesdays”) there is one youth and children’s program that incorporates the students from all of the congregations and those of families that are in the ESL outreach program. Many of the older 2nd generation immigrants from each of the congregations have now begun to migrate over to the English speaking service which has become increasingly multi-ethnic. “At first some of the parents were uncomfortable with this, but we told them ‘it’s the same church’ it’s just a service at a different time.”

Mission/Outreach:
The ESL outreach is a key component of the church and a key way new families are integrated into the various congregations. It also helps the church “keep a pulse on the community” and on what new people groups are moving in, whether Lithuanians, French Speaking Africans or Polish people.

Because of their multicultural ministry Maranatha’s local ministry has had global impact. Chinese doctors coming to their ESL program have returned to China. One of their Arab leaders is now pastoring a church in Jordan.

In reaching out to a local densely Hispanic neighborhood, the Hispanic congregation encountered many Caucasians and English speakers and so now are partnering with the English congregation of Maranatha to reach out. They have made teams of 3 in which each team has a man, a woman and an English speaker.

Balancing Unity and Diversity:
In general Maranatha seems to have done a remarkable job in balancing unity and diversity: unity but not uniformity and diversity but not disparity.

On the “mega-Tuesdays” there is “big synergy” by being all together in the same place and time. Besides the ESL outreach and the youth and children programming there is the International School of Ministry curriculum, a Bible study curriculum that is in 60 different languages. Each congregation has a study on Tuesday nights using this curriculum. “One time a week we are learning the same thing but each in their own language.”

Gifted Cross-Cultural Facilitators:
Key to the Arabic Ministry has been a SIM missionary couple that are gifted in crossing cultures and facilitating connections. Over the years they have acted as a sounding board to Pastor Doug and have helped bridge the Arabic cultural differences and conflicts that have arisen. Though they have never had an official pastoral role they have functioned as “strategic leaders for the whole church” and Arabic ministry in particular.

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Generation Dynamics in Immigrant Churches/Dinámicas Generacionales dentro de Iglesias Inmigrantes

By Deacon Jonathan Kindberg

I remember an English Sunday school class I was leading with Hispanic high-school students, while their parents were in a Spanish service. We were just beginning the book of Mark and were going in turns with each person in the circle reading several verses of a chapter. One student began to read: “The beginning of the good news about Heysoos the Messiah…” pronouncing Jesus’ name as “Heysoos” the anglicized version of the Spanish Jesús. This was both shocking and eye opening to me. Why did he pronounce it that way? First, I realized that this was probably this kids’ first time reading the Bible in English. Although he had grown up going to church, it was all in Spanish (his parent’s language) and so he really hadn’t heard in English (his preferred language) much about Jesus. Second I realized that in many Hispanic families, boys are given the name “Jesús.” Living in the U.S. in an environment dominated by English and English speakers who can’t pronounce names in Spanish very well, Jesús ends up getting pronounced “Hay-soos.” It’s Jesus in Espanglish. This experience awoke me to the tensions and dynamics of the second generation experience.

Daniel Rodriguez, citing the Pew Hispanic Center states, surprisingly, that 62% of all Hispanics/Latinos in the U.S. are native born and that of these only 4% are Spanish dominant.

First generation Hispanics are Hispanics that have immigrated to the United States from another country and prefer their native language and culture. However, when these immigrants have children (second generation Hispanics) they, by the fact of growing up in an English dominant school system and culture prefer English, though they are usually bilingual. By the time the second generation has kids, their kids (third generation Hispanics) are fully integrated into American culture and usually don’t speak Spanish at all. It is not uncommon to find third-generation grandchildren who are unable to speak to their first generation grandparents. This happens across the board and is not unique to Hispanic immigrants. Think of all the Americans who are descended from Swedish, German, and Italian immigrants…how many of them still speak Swedish, German or Italian?

As we think of the future of the Latino church and of the Anglican Church in US in general, reaching second generation Hispanics and doing church in a way that ministers to their unique needs is must. At this year’s Caminemos Juntos gathering in Fresno, CA, we will be talking about how to reach this unique population. We will also have a special session for 2nd generation Hispanic youth and encourage all leaders who are coming to bring with them a youth representative from their church.

Resumen:
Me acuerdo de un estudio bíblico en ingles que yo estaba dirigiendo con un grupo de adolecentes hispanos mientras sus papás estaban en un servicio en español. Estábamos recién empezando a leer juntos el evangelio de San Marcos y me di cuenta de que la mayoría de estos estudiantes, aunque habían estado en la iglesia casi toda sus vidas, no conocían mucho de Jesús y mucho menos habían escuchado de él en ingles. El problema era que ellos habían pertenecido a una iglesia de habla hispana por casi todas sus vidas que hacía todo en español aunque su idioma preferido es el inglés. Estos jóvenes no habían sido discipulados y estaban a punto de desaparecer de la iglesia. Este es el reto generacional en la cual se encuentra la iglesia inmigrante en Norte América. Los hispanos de segunda generación, nacidos en Estados Unidos, prefieren el inglés y muchas veces no pueden leer o entender bien el español. Los cultos y servicios que han sido planeados para sus padres y abuelos (los de primera generación) no son relevantes para ellos. Cuando la segunda generación tiene hijos (tercera generación) estos Hispanos ya no hablan español.

En una encuesta a nivel nacional por el Pew Hispanic Center, se descubrió que 62% de Hispanos en USA son nacidos aquí y de ellos solo 4% prefiere el español. 

Es tiempo que la iglesia latina empiece a darse cuenta de estos cambios. En la conferencia de Caminemos Juntos de este año estaremos hablando de cómo alcanzar la segunda generación de Hispanos que son el futuro de la iglesia. Tendremos también una sesión diseñada especialmente para los jóvenes de segunda generación y animamos a todos los que vienen que traigan a un joven de su iglesia también.

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A Kingdom Abrazo: My Ordination into the Sacred Order of Deacons

By Deacon Jonathan Kindberg

I live a somewhat bipolar existence. About half of my week I am “ministro Jónatan" - I preach in Spanish, play pickup soccer, eat tacos at La Rosita, live in “people time” where the scheduled time for events is flexible, and, except for my lily white skin, I feel Hispanic. The other half of my week I am "Mr. Kindberg,” the Swedish American: I eat mac and cheese, listen to Jazz, and am, as the Germans say überpünktlich or over punctual, often arriving not only on time but early to many of my meetings.

This last Tuesday, May 1st, I was ordained a transitional deacon by the laying on of hands of Archbishop Robert Duncan in a carefully crafted bilingual and bicultural service and my two, usually disconnected, halves came together in what was a rare Kingdom abrazo or embrace. Both my Hispanic parishioners and my white friends and Anglican coworkers were for the first time all in the same room at the same time worshipping the Lord together. It was a beautiful taste of heaven. “Fue Una misa muy bonita,” as many of the Hispanics said afterwards in their usual understated way. “Today heaven and earth meet,” is how Archbishop Bob Duncan put it after pronouncing several parts of the service in Spanish, to the delight of all.

In addition to the multi-cultural and multi-lingual milieu, it was also a multi-congregational event, an ordination into the regional church or “net.” This was displayed visually during communion with clergy and catechists from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nigeria and nearly all the congregations of the net behind the altar raising their hands in worship. Different aspects of the service were led by different leaders from the net.

To top it all off, the reception was a real fiesta. There were cheese and crackers, muffins and huge vats of pozole (a hominy and chicken soup made on special occasions), which some of my parishioners had stayed up late into the night cooking, with a dessert of arroz con leche (rice pudding) to ease and facilitate conversation between people who would usually not encounter each other.

Click here for more photos.

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