HELLO MY FRIENDS AND PARTNERS IN MINISTRY!!!!Again we are here to update you about the activities of our Hispanic Ministry in North Central, Iowa.
Iam your brother in Christ, the Rev. Bien Acosta. It is a pleasure for me to share with you all what God is doing trough our ministry in favor of Hispanic immigrant workers in all North Central, Iowa.
THE ARTICLE OF THE MONTH:
Sometime ago I was engaged on a rally of visits with different presbyterian congregations to speak about our Ministry. After finishing a powerpoint presentation and the answering of a lot of questions I was ready to leave back to Ft. Dodge. When I was putting all the equipments in the trunk of my car a member of that session that had followed me to the parking lot came up with this question:
-"Do you really believe that a church should help illegal aliens?"
That question did not surprised me because I had already been asked on the same manner several times in different places.
Other people with scarse vision think that is a risk for the church to engage in the evangelization of Hispanic immigrant workers, they think that it may bring legal problems, other think that their sanctuaries may be vandalized by Hispanic (as it has been suggested to me)
Iam really surprised of how much ignorance is shown by some church's leader on this particular.
Hispanic are generally deeply religious, some of them are supertitious, and even the worst of them would never cause any harm or damage to a religious temple or sanctuary.
In order to be conservatives, we want our congregations to stay as they were in the past and as they are today (Which is the same thing because it has never grown)We want a family club and defending our privacity we do not want newcomers in church. That's why we are having worrying statitics about descreasing congregations.
There is not such thing as a "private church" or "My church" as many may say when referring to their local congregations. and I ask:
Who can claim to be the owner and head of the church? I think that you already have the answer to this question. ( see: Matthew 16:18) ( See; the book of order G-1.0100)
Many people do not realize that some of this immigrants were already Protestant Christian believers, registered in Christian protestant congregations back in Latin America, some people here ignore that the most of them claim to be Roman Catholic and most of them have been baptized and confirmed in that church and it is surprising the knowledge they have about high liturgy.
I'd like to refer to the catholicity of the church as an essential "sine qua non" characteristic of its nature. To be One and Catholic takes to accept and celebrate its diversity and multiculturality under one Lord and Father of all creature, one faith, one Spirit and one baptism.
The principle of inclusiveness in G-5.0103 states that:
"The congregation shall welcome all persons who respond in trust and obedience to God's grace in Jesus Christ and desire to become part of the membership and ministry of his church. No person shall be denied membership because of race, ethnic origin, wordly condition, or any other reason not related to profession of faith. Each member must seek the grace of openness in extending the fellowship of Christ to all person (G-9.0104) Failure to do so constitutes a rejection of Christ himself and causes scandal to the gospel"
I can not understand how some people are willing to hear and accept the formula for invitation to the celebration of Holy Communion when the minister says:
"They will come from East and West, North and South and sit at table in the kingdom of God"
And when that happens they do not feel very comfortable with "Illegals around the church"
We should go back and review our personal understanding of the kingdom of God and of the Church.
SOME INFORMATIONS ABOUT OUR ACTIVITIES DURING JULY 2008
Sunday July 6th
39 Hispanic adults and 15 children attended to the 10:30 am service that sunday in Fort Dodge.I preached and gave communion to the attendants. At evening it was rainning but 10 adults and 3 children attended to Clarion service
Tuesday 08
I delivered a dinning room table and six chairs to a Hispanic family in town. They have been regular attenders in church for months. Another hispanic family received from our ministry a bed and a drawer that day.
Wednesday 9th
We had a meeting n the morning to talk about a program of activities for 2009 after that I worked in the next Sunday bulletin and in the written material for a bible study group. in the afternoon, I went to Clarion and contacted 30 new Hispanic people. I presented each one of them with a copie of the new testament as wells as a flyer with information about our sunday services in Ft Dodge and Clarion. Then I made my regular visits. That day I ran out of copies of the New Testament.
July 10th
I spent the day in the ministry office in Fort Dodge. At evening we started a series of lessons for church membership. 7 adult attended ( 7:00 pm)
Friday 11th
Finished the bulletins and sermon for Sunday service. then at 6:oo pm went to Eagle Grove to start a bible study group in a particular hispanic home.
Sunday 13th
The attendance in Ft. Dodge was 24 adults and 10 children. in the evening service in clarion, the attendance was 10 adults and 5 children.
wednesday 16th
We had a Hispanic Ministry comittee meeting at Clarion church.
( 2:30 pm)
Thursday 17
At the office all morning. There was a call from a church attender living in Eagle Grove regarding to her concern about her brother in prison. Somebody called her to inform that he had a heart attack, as she did not speak English she was not able to call hospitals and prison that why she was requesting our help, I inmediately started calling to differents hospitals and clinics in Iowa City and finally the University hospital informed that he was ok and back to prison. We got al the information about him and she was able to write and send a letter for him after years of not having seen him. Then he communicated back via phone with his family and the parents and sisters are happy now.
Friday 18
We had the prayer and bible study meeting in that home and the prayers were to give thanks for the opportunity provided of to hear from their relative in prison and because he was well and alive.
Sunday 20th
We had our regular 10:30am service at Fort Dodge chapel the attendance was 24 adults and 7 children. the new pastor, the Rev. Jeff Faulkner Martins, honored us with his presence in the service.At evening we had our regular service in Clarion. the attendance to the service was 10 adults and 2 children.
Tuesday 22nd
I went to the planning meeting at FPchurch . then to the staff meeting. in the afternoon I visited with some people in Clarion. I got a phone call from a woman in Clarion requesting some furnitures. I visited with her and talked about that. I came back home around 8:00 pm.
Wednesday 23
At 9:00 pm I went to the bookstore to pick up some boxes of copies of the spanish New Testament ( Reina- Valera version) which is the standard version in Spanish. I printed a new flyer with informations about our ministry to be attached to each copy before its distribution.
Friday 25
3 new Hispanic families were contacted in Fort Dodge. the head of the largest family actually is working in a certain store in Fort Dodge where I see him very often.He is interested in coming to church on Sundays with his family.
Sunday 27
32 adults and 15 children attended in Fort Dodge in the 10:30 am service
Tuesday 29
I attended to planning meeting ( 11:00 am) and thed staff meeting at 1:00 pm in both meetings the emphasis was about inserting hispanic Ministry activities in the general working plan of First Presbyterian Church.
Wednesday 30
I went to Belmond to visit with pastor Claudio Valdéz the representative of Hispanic Ministry of the Reform church in America and help him in some issues pertaining to their ministry.Then, I went back to Clarion.
ABOUT A SOUTHERN STYLE CAMP SUNDAY MEETING:
On sunday August 3rd there was a Sunday camp meeting at Dolliver Park. The whole congregation in Fort Church was there for a communion service under the trees. everybody came bringing their chairs, very sun it looked pretty much like old times revival meetings, cars were sourrounding the place and a huge congregation both Americans and a few Hispanic celebrated and participated together. Take a look to the photographs b elow:
There was time for fellowship after service.
This is part of the Hispanic church members who attended to the camp meeting. 26 Hispanic in total attended the event.
SOME NEWS:
On August 23rd we will go out with Hispanic and American kids for entertainement. FPCHURCH Christian Education Director will be leading the activity. It will be in some place near Fort Dodge. After the activity, we will have a school supplies giveaway for kids.
BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES GIVEAWAY.
With the help and cooperation of Fort Dodge First Presbyterian Church members and with some funds provided by our Ministry, School supplies were given to children coming from Hispanic and/or Hispanic-American families.
On saturday, August 23rd and Sunday 24th, Our Ministry presented every child connected with our Hispanic Congregation with a school backpack filled with supplies according to the age and grade of every receiver.
The strategy and distribution was in charge of Brenda Vasquez and My wife, Marianella Acosta. On saturday we took kids to another church in town where there was a lot of fun and game for children. We were there from 3:00 to 6:00 PM and then we came back to the chapel for the distribution.
Next Sunday morning we made some more distribution to other children in Sunday School. Take a look at these pictures
BRENDA AND MARIANELLA IN OUR OFFICE AT FORT DODGE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH PREPARING THE DONATIONS.
We went out with the kids to participate in games and a lot of fun in another church in town
After the games, we came back to our church and presented kids with backpacks and school supplies.
On sunday morning after Sunday school Hispanic kids received school supplies.
Middle school students got som supplies too.
OUR MINISTRY IN THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY.
Preaching to Hispanic on a social celebration on Saturday, September 6 at eve.
The parents of Isabel and her little brother wanted to dedicate their children's lives to the Lord
in the presence of relatives and friends.
Blessing Christopher, the baby of the family.
September is the month of independence in some countrie in Latin America.
Last Sunday September 14th 2008 We had a celebration of the indepence days of
Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. All together. this was a very particular and emotive celebration. We brought the flag of each nation together and projected on big screen videos about the history of these nations and the national anthem video rendering. there were tear and a lot of emotions of the participants. Previously I had delivered a sermon on spiritual freedom based on the gospel of john chapter 8: 31-36 and the illustrations used were historical situations familiar to each nationality represented there. After the service, we had fellowship serving food of every country represented there.
What a wonderful experience is to serve God's children coming from different lattittudes!
Brenda and Marianella organizing the school supplies giveaway.
No comments:
Post a Comment