Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors:
Embracing our Hispanic/Latino Brothers & Sisters
by Edwin Santos

The challenge and claim that God places before us this day, if we would be true to the gospel, is to find ways for people to encounter one another with respect and in peace. God is present among us when we seek to extend the realm of God and make it inclusive of others. The Christian story at its heart is the story of God who came to dwell among us so that we might become God's own people.

There are three steps leaders can take to begin fulfilling the gospel vision of multicultural ministry.

1. Listen
Jesus began many of his interactions with others by listening. We need to listen to those voices in our churches and our communities that are not usually heard and those to whom we have not listened in the past. This listening is an active listening. It is listening to understand the perspective of the other person. It is listening to the culture, tradition, music, style of worship, dance, history, struggles, needs, wants, dreams, and desires behind the words. It is listening to people who may be angry with us and listening to people who may falsely or justly accuse us of intolerance. It is listening with open hearts and open minds.

2. Recognize Each Person as a Child of God
Because of the conditions in which Hispanic people enter the United States, their self-esteem may be low. Many come because of the poor conditions in their country. People from Venezuela and Colombia are escaping war, violence, drug trade, and slavery. Some Hispanics come looking for work to support their families in their homeland. When Hispanics come to this country, their perception of "The American Dream" frequently includes owning a house and a car, having a good job with a good salary, and having many material possessions. They measure their "success" against those they see around them and the people in our churches. For many, the lack of education and differences in language mean they will never measure up to this ideal of success. This influences their self-esteem and their view of being worthy of God's love and care.

Our ministry in this reality is to help redefine "success" — to measure worth in God's terms, not in human terms. We must teach in a way that helps people learn and discover who God created and called them to be. Success and self-esteem are measured by obedience to God, not by collecting material possessions. Emphasizing how God sees each one as a precious child builds self-esteem.

3. Learn from One Another
God expects us to give our time, our knowledge, our lives, our leadership skills, and ourselves to fulfill the gospel vision. Many of the stories from the gospels involve sharing a meal. Hispanics/Latinos also love to celebrate over a meal, usually in the form of a party with good music and dance. Family and friends unite over a table of good food. Churches interested in reaching out to other cultures can invite "the others" to sit down with them at a shared table over shared food.

Don't be afraid to open your hearts and doors to people different from you. Tell your stories, your victories, and your challenges. Share your fears, hopes, and dreams. You will probably discover that you and "the others" have many of the same stories, fears, hopes, and dreams. Share your knowledge, experience, and expertise; in other words, equip them for ministry.

Finally, share authority and leadership. Invite Hispanic/Latino people to lead in worship, teach small groups, and join in outreach and mission. The true Kingdom of God is one in which worship, leadership, authority, responsibility, and accountability are all shared.

Power & Authority
The words power and authority have different meanings in different cultures. We can begin to understand what authority means when we answer the question: "What do others need to know about my culture to be included in the community?"

Authority is defined differently in the Hispanic/Latino community than in other communities. Hispanics/Latinos believe strongly in a co-parenting authority shared between parents and godparents, called compadrazgo. Children are taught to call their godparents padrino and madrina, which are special titles derived from the Spanish words for father and mother. This contrasts with other cultures in which godparent is largely a ceremonial title. In Hispanic/Latino culture, authority is defined in collectivity from the community instead of in an individualistic approach.

Assimilation & Acculturation
Assimilation and acculturation are very important concepts to know and understand when talking about multiculturalism. Acculturation occurs when one culture is modified by adapting or borrowing traits from another culture. Assimilation occurs when people are absorbed into another culture.

Assimilation is resisted in the Hispanic/Latino community because Hispanic/Latino families have a very strong respect for the language, culture, heritage, traditions, symbols, rites, history, and practices that form their culture. Hispanics/Latinos are called "deep" communicators, because their way of life and communication style reflect a commitment to the deep roots handed down through generations. Hispanics/Latinos don't want to lose their cultural identity.

Hispanics/Latinos are better able to tolerate acculturation or cultural integration. Cultural integration allows them to maintain cultural values and goals while learning and adapting some values and practices of the mainstream culture.

The ideal situation is for members of different cultures to coexist and enrich one another. A peaceful, mutually beneficial relationship means that cultures do not have to fight to keep their identities because everyone respects one another's traditions and culture.

Edwin Santos (esantos@gbod.org) is the Director of Leadership Formation in the Office of Hispanic/Latino Ministries at the General Board of Discipleship.

What is the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry?
The National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry is the first coordinated and comprehensive effort of The United Methodist Church to focus on the development and strengthening of Hispanic/Latino ministries. Some of the ministries the Plan seeks to support are:

• Developing new faith communities and congregations and strengthening existing ones
• Developing community ministries
• Developing leaders
• Preparing and distributing Spanish-language resources
• Providing information and resources for non-Hispanic/Latino congregations in ministry with Hispanic/Latino communities.

Program development and resourcing is done through the regular denominational channels of general agencies and annual conferences. This plan is a resource for the whole church for mission and ministry.

What is the Difference Between Hispanic, Latino, and Latina?
Latino refers to all people whose cultural heritage is Latin American and who may speak Spanish, Portuguese, and/or French. Latina refers to a girl or woman whose cultural heritage is Latin American. Hispanic refers only to Spanish-speaking Latinos.

Where are Most Hispanic People in the U.S. From?
Approximately sixty percent of people who identify themselves as Hispanic were born in the United States. Of those born in other countries, about twenty-six percent were born in Mexico, five percent were born in Central American countries other than Mexico, 2.5 percent were born in Cuba, 3.6 percent were born in South America, 2.4 percent were born in other places including the Dominican Republic, and less than 1 percent were born in Puerto Rico. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are about 40,425,000 Hispanic people in the United States.

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