By Greg Yee, Superintendent, PacNWC
We are half way through Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15). It’s a month that invites us to join in celebrating Latin American cultures and contributions to our country. It reminds us of the immensity of God’s image that can only begin to be captured in any one of us, but more completely through the mosaic of different cultures and ethnicities. These are moments for us to continue the vital posture of a learner and grow as a mission movement.
Within the conference we particularly celebrate this month with our Mission Friends at Iglesia Lationoamericana (Bellevue), Iglesia Esperanza Viva (Sumner), Pacto de Gracia (Olympia), Iglesia Creekside (Redmond), Bethany Español (Mount Vernon), Renew’s Spanish language outreach (Lynnwood), other church partnerships we’re connected to, and so many others throughout the PacNWC. We are a beautiful family!
In my personal journey, though I had a Puerto Rican neighbor growing up, I didn’t have significant connections to Latino/as until my work in the Pacific Southwest Conference. Those were precious years, that deeply shaped me, and became part of what I wanted to bring to the PacNWC.
I have so many fond memories of journeying with our Latino/a pastors, people, and churches. I will always hold dear the deep sense of family I was invited into. My heart quickens when I think of worshipping in Spanish (I only took 4 years of German). I remember with joy the generational discipleship, baptisms, evangelism passion, and community outreaches. It was an honor to join the 2006 clergy-led march in Los Angeles with a million participants as we prayed for President Bush’s immigration reform to pass (it didn’t).
I also remember being with Pastor Kurt Notehelfer (now at Faith, Sumner) and 40 other Covenant leaders on Capitol Hill around the same season as the march. How beautiful it was for African Americans, Caucasians, Latino/as, and Asian Americans to join together to visit Congresspeople and advocate for sensible reform. It was an incredible picture of working in solidarity that will always stick with me.
Being Chinese American compels me to steward well my own story rooted in our country’s Chinese Exclusion Act fueled by Yellow Peril. We have not learned well from our past, and we are repeating it now with another group. Our Latino/a colleagues in the conference disciple me as my frustration with current immigration policies is checked by their abiding prayerful faith and hope. We are truly better together.
There is also much to celebrate in the successes and contributions of Latino/as in our country. They are also a rapidly growing population representing 18% of the U.S. population with over 60 million people. As we look at the ethnic minorities in WA, OR, and ID, Latino/as make up the largest numbers 13.0%, 13.4%, and 12.8% respectively. They are second largest in MT (4.1%) behind Native Peoples. This is part of our mission. These are our neighbors.
You remember Mark Twain’s famous quote that reminds us to get out of our own bubbles?
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.
Mark Twain
And you remember Paul’s quote too, from Colossians 3:11:
In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
Colossians 3:11
Many of our clergy have joined a cohort to learn more about racial righteousness and are interacting around these resources.
- The film Delores
- Olivia Graziano’s short film about our southern border (6 min)
- Interview with Rev. Dr. Robert Chao Romero author of Brown Church with our Dir. of Racial Righteousness Dominique Gilliard
- Other verses about immigrants/refugees
- The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Read it imaginatively and engage your senses. Identify who you are in the story. What is God saying to you?
Let’s celebrate. Let’s love our neighbors. Let’s keep learning.
Dios les bendiga! God bless you, dear friends.