The Hispanic Harvest
in the USA
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
Born Bogotá, Colombia
Roman Catholic
upbringing
 Moved to Miami in 1979
 Born again through the
ministry of a PCA church
 Planted two PCA Hispanic
churches
 Serving with Mission to
North America since 2011

Develop Leaders

Plant Churches

Nurture Existing
Churches

Producing Spanish
language training
resources
 Recruiting potential
leaders
 Encouraging committed
candidates during their
ministry preparation
 Placing trained leaders
into suitable
opportunities
 Organizing relevant
training events
 Offering Gospel
centered mentoring
and coaching
 Resourcing
 Vision casting
 Consulting
 Assessment of
potential church
planters
“If you’re in a multicultural
environment, there will be a
moment when you feel at
home, and then there will be a
moment where you feel like,
‘Where am I?’ ”
“It can’t be that one group
always feels not at home and
one group feels completely
at home.”
Bil Mooney-McCoy

To gain a better
understanding
Hispanic culture.

To discuss ideas
of how to build
bridges to
Hispanics.
Hispanics are actually
not a single race but a
mixture of many races
and ethnicities and
different levels of
assimilation into U.S.
culture.
There are 18 Latin
Countries in South
and Central America
and each has
differences in culture
and language.
 First Generation
 1.5 Generation
 Second Generation(+)
 Foreign born
 Immigrated to the USA
as an adult
 Strong family ties to
their country of origin
 Speaks mostly Spanish
 Trying to figure out the
“system” in the USA
 Existential Question:
Where am I?
 Foreign born
 Immigrated to the
USA as a child
 Bilingual and
bicultural
 Understands the
“system”
 Existential question:
Where do I belong?
 US born
 English proficient
 May not speak any
Spanish
 Strong family ties in
the USA
 Existential question:
Who am I?
 Religious people
 Family oriented
people
 Celebratory
people
 Passionate people
 Roman Catholic
• Part of who you are
(culture).
 Most educated in
Catholic schools
 Prominence of Mary
 Biblically illiterate
 No idea of how the
church works
(priesthood of
believers, giving, etc)
 Family is the primary
support system
 The needs of the
family are placed
ahead of individual
concerns
 Prominence of the
mother
 Prevalent machismo
 Decision making as a
unit
 Trust “confianza”
driven
 Love
▪
▪
▪
▪
“fiestas”
Quinceañera
Mothers Day
Día del niño
Cinco de Mayo
 Many holidays
 Work to live vs. live
to work
 Hospitality
 High emotional
displays
 Bright colors
 Spontaneous
 Closer personal
space
 Present time
perspective; relaxed
about time and
punctuality
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Greet visitors (not just pass
the bulletin)
Have the greeters stay in the
back of the church until the
time for the sermon
Have the bulletins in English
and Spanish
Have the church web site in
English and Spanish
Signs in English and Spanish
Weekly Communion
Include a Spanish word (ie:
bienvenidos) when
welcoming the congregation
 Sing a few Spanish language
songs (provide translation for
all songs)
 Have food after every service
(include Hispanic foods like
empanadas, pasteles…)
 Invite people who visit more
than once to your home

Jan:
 Three Kings day – include a
rosca de reyes
Feb:
 Dia del amor y la amistad
Mar:
 Ash Wednesday –
Cauresma
 Semana santa – Easter
week
April :
 Dia del niño
May:
 5 de Mayo
 Dia de las madres
June:
 Special Back to school
prayer service
July :
 4th of July
Sept:
 Hispanic Heritage month
Nov:
 Thanksgiving
Dec:
 Posada
 Novena de Aguinaldo
 Parranda
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Big celebration when you
baptize a baby
Big celebration for
Quinceañeras
Monthly special events to
celebrate birthdays –
include piñata
Regular time for
testimonies during the
service
Father and son soccer
tournaments
 Financial peace classes
 Cross cultural marriage
seminars
 Men’s & women’s retreats
 Interest based small
groups
 Special services to pray for
the sick and anoint with oil

Work with teachers and
principals at your church to
host a community
education lecture “how to
support your kids in
school”.
 Develop tutoring program
 Join Latin associations in
your city
 Soccer clinics
 Soccer/ foosball
tournaments
 Citizenship Classes

Art classes
Dominos tournament
Salsa classes
Cinco de Mayo cookout
ESL/SSL
Guitar classes
Sponsor a marriage
conference
 Hispanic Heritage month
events
 Children's summer camp
 Plaza Comunitaria
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