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Cuando observamos nuestro campo misionero en el Norte de Georgia, podemos ver nuevos vecinos de todo el mundo mudándose a nuestros vecindarios con la esperanza de encontrar un lugar donde puedan ser bienvenidos. Es en ese instante cuando el reúmen de todos los mandamientos resuena claramente una vez más: 'Amen a su prójimo como a sí mismo.'
"Toda la población dentro de los límites de la conferencia ha continuado creciendo, al igual que la población Hispano/Latino. En 2008 hay más de 605.499 Hispanos/Latinos viviendo dentro de los límites de la conferencia. Los Hispanos/Latinos son más del 8.8% de la población y se espera que crezcan entre el 2008 y el 2013 para llegar a ser el 11% de la población total.
"Mientras nuestra conferencia continúa creciendo en membresía, también hemos crecido en el número de iglesias que están recibiendo a sus vecinos Hispanos/Latinos.
"Al principio del año 2008 la Conferencia Georgia Norte tiene 23 ministerios con Latinos que ofrecen ministerios comunitarios, así como estudios bíblicos, cultos de adoración, y consejería. Algunos de los ministerios comunitarios que se ofrecen son: classes de Inglés, classesde GED classes, clases de computación, programas de tareas dirigidas, servicios de salud, etc. Estos ministerios son ofrecidos en Español y en Portugués.
"El Comité Hispano de Desarrollo de Iglesias ha hecho de la capacitación una prioridad, y ha ofrecido capacitación para pastores y laicos en diferentes áreas tales como predicación, cuidado pastora, dones espirituales, liturgia y educación cristiana.
"Los jóvenes Hispanos/Latinos son parte vital del ministerio de estas congregaciones, y se ofrecen oportunidades para que ellos crezcan en su fe en su experiencia crítica de crecer entre dos culturas y two cultures.
"Celebramos que al final del año 2009 hay 1,725 miembros Hispanos/Latinos en la Conferencia Georgia Norte.
"El pasado mes de mayo, con el apoyo de la Junta General de Discipulado, se ofreció el Módulo I del Programa de Capacitación para Misioneros Laicos y Pastores/Mentores del Plan Nacional para Ministerios Hispanos/Latinos en tres idiomas: Español, Inglés y Portugués. Este programa enseña estrategias efectivas para alcanzar a los Hispanos/Latinos.
"Como iglesia, nos enfrentamos al desafío de las nuevas poblaciones que no sabemos cómo alcanzar. Pero aún así caminamos humildemente y en fe encontrando nuevas maneras de sobreponernos al temor, y con amor y audacia compartimos efectivamente a Cristo con nuestros vecinos Hispanos/Latinos..."
Dr. Juan Quintanilla,
Director Asociado, Oficina de Desarrollo de Iglesias
Rev. Ash McEuen
Chair, Comité Hispano de Desarrollo de Iglesias
United Methodist Church's Stand on immigration issue
Who are the Hispanic/Latinos?
It is a great error to assume homogeneity among Hispanics. Hispanic/Latinos have diverse origins. Hispanics come from more than 21 different countries. While there is much that Latino culture shares in common, the diversity of origin means there is also great cultural diversity that ministry emphases must take into consideration.
The label Hispanic was created by the US Federal Government in 1970 in an attempt to provide a common denominator to a large, but disparate, population. The term is not used in everyday parlance by Latinos, although most people understand its intent. Hispanics are not a racial category and may, in fact, be of many-usually mixed-race backgrounds. While each of the Hispanic subgroups in the US has its own distinctiveness, there are a number of commonalities which serve to unite the larger group: the common colonization experience under Spain, the stress on the importance of a large, extended family, the cultivation of personal relationships and alliances, definitions of honor and respect, the distrust of government in general, stratifications based on class and occupation and the adherence, generally, to the same religious identification. Sources: www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov
What label should I use? Hispanic or Latino?
Although the terms Latino and Hispanic have been used interchangeably for decades, experts who have studied their meanings say the words trace the original bloodlines of Spanish speakers to different populations in opposite parts of the world. Hispanics derive from the mostly white Iberian Peninsula that includes Spain and Portugal, while Latinos are descended from the brown indigenous Indians of the Americas south of the United States and in the Caribbean, conquered by Spain centuries ago. Latino-Hispanic is an ethnic category in which people can be of any race. They are white, like the Mexican American boxer Oscar de la Hoya, and black. They can also be Ameri-Indian and Asian. A great many are mixtures of several races. More than 90 % of those who said they are of "some other race" on the 2000 Census identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino. A survey of the community conducted last year by the Pew Hispanic Center of Washington found that nearly all people from Spanish-speaking backgrounds identify themselves primarily by their place of national origin. When asked to describe the wider community, more than half, 53 percent, said both Hispanic and Latino define them. A substantial but smaller group, 34 percent, favored the term Hispanic. The smallest group, 13 percent, said they preferred Latino. The term Hispanic was given prominence by the Nixon administration more than 30 years ago when it was added to the census questionnaire in 1970.
By the 1980 Census, Hispanic had become fixed as the official government term. It appeared not only on census forms, but also on all other federal, state and municipal applications for employment, general assistance and school enrollment. Excerpts from the article "Latinos or Hispanics? A Debate About Identity ," by Darryl Fears. For more news, or to subscribe to the newspaper, please visit http://www.washingtonpost.com. © Copyright 2003, The Washington Post
Are All Latinos Mexican?
No. Mexicans make about 66% of the Latino population in the United States. 14% of Latinos are from Latin America, 9% are from Puerto Rico, and 4% are from Cuba. (Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 2001)
As a demonstration of sensibility and respect, it is advisable to ask Latinos how they identify themselves, instead of making assumptions that can be wrong and offensive.
Are Most Latinos Catholics?
In the Hispanic world, religion has traditionally played a significant role in daily activity. More than 90% of the Spanish-speaking world is Roman Catholic. In recent years, other faith denominations have experienced growth within the U.S. Hispanic community. The church influences family life and community affairs, giving spiritual meaning to the Hispanic culture. Each local community celebrates its patron saint's day with greater importance and ceremony than individuals do for personal birthdays. As in other parts of the world, traces of the religions of the Indians and African-Americans of Latin America are found in the Catholicism that Hispanics practice. "Understanding the Hispanic Culture," by Ann W. Clutter and Rubén D Nieto. Ohio State University, Family and Consumer Sciences.
Do Latinos All Speak Spanish?
The majority of people from countries in Central and South America speak Spanish. People from Brazil speak Portuguese. There are people from Central and South America who speak indigenous languages. The Spanish spoken in Central and South America is the same language. There are differences in regional accents, regionalisms and colloquial speech. However, most Spanish-speaking can understand each other.
Pew Hispanic Center (Articles of diverse Hispanic/Latino experiences in America)
Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate by Matthew Soerens and Jenny Hwang. Downers Grove, IL (2009) IVP Books. ISBN 978-0-8308-3359-7
Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible by M. Daniel Carroll R. Grand Rapids, MI (2008) Baker Academic. ISBN 978-0-8010-3566-1
Jeanni Treviño-Teddlie. Pentecost Journey, A Planning Guide for Hispanic Ministries. Video and Workbook. Nashville, TN: Discipleship Resources. 1999. ISBN: 0-88177-268-2
This resource is designed to help congregations fulfill Christ’s mandate to make disciples, with a particular focus on helping local churches understand issues related to developing ministry with Hispanics. The guiding principle is the vision of Pentecost in which the uniqueness of the Hispanic cultures is affirmed as ministry is developed.
González, Juan. Harvest of Empire, A History of Latinos in America. New York: Penguin Books, 2000. ISBN 0-670-86720-0
Juan González is a columnist with New York’s Daily News, and the winner of a 1998 George Polk journalism award. He was named one of the nation’s one hundred most influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business. He was born in Puerto Rico and was raised in a New York City housing project.
“A serious, significant contribution to understanding who the Hispanics of the United States are and where they come from.” The New York Times Book Review.
“Required reading, not simply for Latinos, but for everyone.” The Kansas City Star.
Novas, Himilce. Everything You Need to Know About Latino History. A revised edition. New York: Penguin Putman Inc., 1998. ISBN 0-452-27991-7
Himilce Novas summarizes the history of Latinos in the United States in a way that makes the book easy to read by the average reader. The author presents data and views from different perspectives and answers common questions that might be present in the reader’s mind. She relates past history and events to current situation of Hispanic/Latinos in the United States. This book gives a valuable background to the present situation of Latinos in the United States and is recommended as an introductory reading for someone who is interested in the history of Latinos in the United States but who has limited previous knowledge on the topic and/or limited time.