SEBASTIAN AND DANIELA VARGAS: MISSIONARIES FROM CHILE TO CHICAGO

Sebastian and Daniela are Caminemos Juntos missionaries from Santiago, Chile who have felt a special missionary call to minister to Latino immigrant families in the US.

In January of 2020 they will be leaving all behind and relocating their family to Chicago to serve at Iglesia de la Resurrección, a Latino congregation currently meeting on Saturday evenings at the Cathedral, Church of the Resurrection.

They currently attend Iglesia Anglicana Cristo Redentor (Anglican Church of the Redeemer) in Santiago and have been active members of the Anglican Church of Chile for over 20 years. 

Sebastian (44) studied Veterinary medicine and is currently working in sales and Daniela (39) is a qualified special needs teacher. They have been married for 14 years and have three children: Amalia (12), Mateo (9) and Marina (5).

Sebastian and Daniela have a special calling to working with children and youth and strengthening and supporting marriages. They have ministered to families out of their own experiences and firmly believe that only Jesus can make a family flourish. They carry a burden for the restoration of immigrant Latino families, many of whom are struggling due to the stress of relocation and surviving in a new land and sense it to be an urgent matter. They are responsive and motivated leaders who have dedicated their lives and gifts the growth of the church and the glory of Jesus’s name in Chile.

In January 2017 they participated in a weeklong Latino church planting training with Caminemos Juntos in Oak Park and also participated in the Caminemos Juntos conference in Brazil in October of 2017. They have been approved by Bishop Tito Zavala of Chile to serve as missionaries with the Greenhouse Movement and have undergone a discernment and application process with Fr. Jonathan Kindberg and the Caminemos Juntos movement.

To support their ministry click here.

Juntos! Planting Latino Churches: a Testimony from Juarez, Mexico

My name is Marco Antonio Guzmán Pérez and we are currently living and studying in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. This is the testimony of our new church plant which started this year.

One night I was talking with my wife that, if God gave me the opportunity to make a church in Ciudad Juarez, I would call her "La Rodadora" my wife with the eyes of "what is that? He told me, really? ”And I explained the purpose of a roller, which is to roll through the desert and leave its seed to reproduce, I kept watching and he said ok!

Two weeks later in the month of March 2019 my teacher and mentor Jesús Núñez told me: “Think of a name for church, in case the opportunity arises to start a new work.” At that same moment I said: I already have it ! -Let's see? He said very surprised, I replied: "La Rodadora" and the slogan would be, "Leaving the seed of the gospel in the heart of each person" to what he replied - I like it!

Pastor Jesus was coming from a Caminemos Juntos Americas (Walk Together Americas) in Chile. And about a year ago he is Ambassador of Let's Walk Together for Mexico ...

Weeks later we started working together, we had a meeting making the invitation to other Christian people who at that time had nowhere to congregate and the invitation was extended to some neighborhood residents.

I love that despite our shortcomings and weaknesses, God sees our hearts calling us to serve him, I love that my family has always supported me to work getting involved in the ministry, my eldest daughter Camila (13 years old) teaches singing and helps us In the praise group, Sara (11 years old) and Valentina (3 years old) are experts in making friends to attract them to the activities we develop, my wonderful wife who is always by my side supporting everything. And I love that the church has many talents so that together we can do the work.

 We are currently working on the vision as a church, to begin to develop a system that gives us a language and to carry out our goals, motivating the church to grow personally but especially in the spiritual.

We know that God has taken us by the hand and that with him, CAMINEMOS JUNTOS (WE WALK TOGETHER).

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To help us in the mission of planting Latino churches please join our campaign here: www.caminem-juntos.com/juntoscampaign.

Testimony of Gabriela Manríquez / Staff InterVarsity Christian Fellowship

“My time at the Caminemos Juntos Conference was a gift! It was a blessing being able to fellowship with other Latinos from different cities, generations, and backgrounds. I felt moved by the liturgy we had on the first night where we repented as a country for the ways we have treated immigrants. After that, Pastor Keesha and Mimi spoke about letting God into our deepest wounds. They spoke on how God sees us and hears us even when we are terrorized. This deeply related to the experiences we as a Latino community have been experiencing in the last few years but even more in this last month. The day after the conference ended there was a mass shooting where Latinos were targeted. Even though I’m still heartbroken over the reality that we face in this country I was reminded by God of the beauty that the Latino community is and how I actually got to see that first hand at the conference. Latino leaders that truly love Jesus are raising up and renewing their communities. I praise God for the Caminemos Juntos Conference and how I experienced His deep love for my comunidad Latina” Gabriela Manriquez serves as staff InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. She works in the college campuses of South San Diego where she evangelizes, disciples, and develops Latino student leaders to plan and lead bible studies on every corner of the campus.#caminemosjuntos #caminemosjuntosnorteamerica#intervarsitychristianfellowship #gabbymanriquez #testimony#CaminemosJuntosNorthAmerica #testimonio #10years

Experiencing Caminemos Juntos for the First Time

How does it feel to be a white person attending a Caminemos Juntos conference?  I got to experience it in August when I attended the annual North America conference of Caminemos Juntos in Chicago.  I was encouraged to attend by Justin Clifton, who has partnered with Caminemos Juntos many times to write bilingual worship songs in Spanish and English.  I’m really glad I went!

 There can be a lot of barriers to jumping the cultural divide between Latino and Anglo churches here in the United States.  One, of course, is language. I expected to feel a little left out and a bit isolated, being monolingual.  And while there were times when I didn’t follow every joke or maybe I was a step behind in following directions, I’m here to say it was totally worth it.

 Why?  Because I was among brothers and sisters who are stepping out in faith to plant churches, disciple people, and worship the Living God.  You don’t have to be fluent in Spanish to understand “buenos días,” “gracias,” or a big hug.  If you’ve been around the Church, you won’t be lost when the gathering breaks into singing to “Ven Espíritu.”  Apart from these moments that are made clear by context, there were lengthy teachings in Spanish (and some in English, too).  At these times I felt very loved by the conference providing wireless headphones over which a translator was translating the teaching.  I was able to follow the teaching just fine, and this brings me to the second reason it was totally worth it.

 Seeing the Gospel in another cultural context is POWERFUL.  This wasn’t my first time hearing that life-changing message from God that is called the Gospel.  In fact, I’ve heard it much of my life, even devoting my life to sharing it with others when I was 14.  But as I sat listening to Mimi share her story of growing up as a second-generation Latino American, the terror that can accompany that social situation, and how God spoke to her and guided her in those moments, I was brought to tears.  Our God truly is one who cares for the unwelcome.  When we isolate ourselves from those who are unwelcome, the foreigners, the cast-down, we isolate ourselves from an integral part of who God is.

 I also had the opportunity to play in the worship band, led by Jony Gonzalez.  Great news for all the Anglo worship musicians out there.  Worship songs written in Spanish use the same chord symbols and general layouts as ones written in English!  I was immediately able to engage with the times of musical worship by lifting up the music I was creating in praise of Jesus.  Between sets, I’d lean over to the other musicians and ask things like “So.. what does Te Alabaré mean?” “How about volvemos nuestro corazón?”  And since lyrics are sung slower than spoken word, I was able to start learning pronunciations and singing along.

So if you are white and have the opportunity to engage with Caminemos Juntos or the Latino church at large, do it!  Come humbly, ready to meet incredible friends, and to learn new things about God and humankind!

Speaking of the Church, Paul says in Galatians 3, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  Let’s take another step toward being one as the Body of Christ Jesus.

Ryan Maike is a servant of Christ Jesus and serves as the Great Lakes Lakes Regional Director for United Adoration/Adoremos Juntos.

A Litany of Lament and Repentance for Our Treatment of Immigrants and Refugees

The last weeks have seen a dramatic increase in tension even in what has already been an incredibly tense climate for immigrants in the United States. Threats of raids and deportation, rapidly changing and confusing immigration law making it harder to legally enter the country to request asylum, rumors of the ending of all refugee resettlement and the increase of negative rhetoric in the news media has terrorized the immigrant community including those within out Caminemos Juntos family. We are in many ways a persecuted people. And so as the Church, immigrant and non-immigrant, Latino, Black, Asian and White together we cry out to the Lord. We pray, we repent, and we hope knowing the Church has always flourished and multiplied in the midst of persecution.

The following litany has been prepared for use in the opening plenary session of the Caminemos Juntos North America conference, Thursday, August 1st, 2019 in Chicago, IL.

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A Litany of Lament and Repentance for Our Treatment of Immigrants and Refugees

To be used in the opening plenary session of Caminemos Juntos North America, August 1st, 2019, Chicago, IL.  

O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth,        

Have mercy upon us.                                           

Oh Dios el Hijo, Redentor del mundo, [God the Son, Redeemer of the world,]

Ten piedad de nosotros.                                      

O God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the faithful,         

Have mercy upon us.                                           

Oh santo, bendito, y gloriosa Trinidad, un Dios, [holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, one God,]

Ten piedad de nosotros. [Have mercy upon us.]

Officiant: “God created humankind in his own image,    

in the image of God he created them; male and female     

he created them.”[1] But we have, through our thoughts,   

words and deeds, denied the truth that each immigrant      

and refugee is made in your image                                

Pueblo: Lord, have mercy upon us.

Officiant: You said: “Don’t oppress an immigrant.

You know what it’s like to be an immigrant,

because you were immigrants in Egypt”[3]

But we have forgotten the hardships faced

by our ancestors who came to this country

from other lands and we have forgotten that as

a church we are an immigrant people.

Pueblo: Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.

Officiant: You said “When a stranger sojourns

with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.        

You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you         

as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself.”[4]                                                                                                                                      

But we done wrong to the sojourners to this land:           

separating children from parents and husbands               

from wives, limiting opportunities for work                   

and education opportunities and not loving these              

new neighbors as ourselves.                                          

Pueblo: Lord, have mercy upon us.

You said “Go therefore and make disciples of

all nations, baptizing them in the name of the

Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

teaching them to observe all that I have

commanded you.”[5] 

But rather than recognizing your sovereign

disciple-making purposes in the dispersion of

peoples across borders, we have seen

immigrants as a threat. We have failed to

practice Godly hospitality and instead embraced

protectionist nationalism, not submit our ways of

thinking to the authority of your word.

Pueblo: Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.

Officiant: You said that before you will be a great multitude, from every nation, tribe, people               

and language.[6] But we have failed to prepare for  this multicultural and multilingual future.  We have          

not embraced the diversity of gifts and vitality immigrants bring to the Church. We have opposed         

change resisting any giving up of our ways of worship and life.                                                          

Lord, have mercy upon us.                                            

Christ, have mercy upon us.                                   

Lord, have mercy upon us.                                            

Let us pray. Oremos.

A Collect for Refugees and Immigrants          

Heavenly Father,  from whom every family on earth derives its name, have mercy on all those who sojourn in this world. As you sheltered your Son Jesus who fled from the tyranny of Herod, so now provide new homes for all those who flee the violence of this age that they may know the peace of Christ. Grace your people with hearts of welcome and lives of courage through Jesus Christ who lives and   reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.[7]                   

 ------

This litany was modified with permission from and based in part on an article by Matthew Soerens. Contributors include Rev. Jonathan Kindberg, Mimi Guiracocha Bloomer, Rev. Heather Ghormley and Bishop Eric Menees.  

Further Anglican Resources for Praying with and Partnering with Immigrants:

·      Archbishop Emeritus Bob Duncan’s 2015 statement on the establishment of the Anglican Immigrant Initiative: “Immigrants are bringing unprecedented life and growth to the Church.”

 http://anglicanchurch.net/?/main/page/732

·      A Call to Prayer for Immigrants, Refugees, and Government Leaders by Archbishop Foley Beach “I encourage you to …  make a special effort to reach out to refugees and immigrants in your local community.  In these divisive times, we have the opportunity to demonstrate a compassion that builds bridges, and overcomes fear.”

http://www.anglicanchurch.net/?/main/page/1391

·      Anglican Immigrant Initiative: www.anglicanimmigrantinitiative.com

·      “Why You (and Your Church) Should Read Christians at the Border” AMEN blog by Rev. Heather Ghormley

https://anglicanmultiethnic.org/2019/01/10/why-you-and-your-church-should-read-christians-at-the-border/

[1] Genesis 1:27

[2] Exodus 23:9

[3] Exodus 23:9

[4] Leviticus 19:33-34

[5] Matthew 28:19-20

[6] Revelation 7:9

[7] From “A Call to Prayer for Immigrants, Refugees, and Government Leader by Archbishop Foley Beach

GETTING TO KNOW THE FAMILY OF CAMINEMOS JUNTOS: EDDY

"Getting to know the family of Caminemos Juntos" is an interview project that seeks to share testimonies of some of the members of this movement, in order to promote unity and closeness among us, even through distance, and also motivate and inspire others to know a little bit more about what this mission consists of and how God has worked in it and through it.

Name: Eduardo Dávila

Age: 31 years

Nationality: Nicaraguan-American

Profession / occupation: Lay Pastor

Role in Caminemos Juntos: Coordinator of the "New Generation" initiative

Since when are you part of the movement? 2014

How did you connect with Caminemos Juntos?

Pastor Jonathan invited me to the Caminemos Juntos conference. He told me it could be a blessing for me, and it was.

My Latino part was asleep, I was not connected to a Spanish speaking church, and I was one of the few Latinos in Church of the Resurrection. I remember that every time someone noticed this, they asked me if I had talked with Jonathan, until the day came, and I finally met him.

What motivated you to get involved and be part of this work?

I had a very special moment in my first Caminemos Juntos conference ...

I had grown up in a church in Spanish, but my faith, training and studies were developed in English. It was like my faith in Spanish was a boy and my faith in English was more mature.

When I attended the Caminemos Juntos conference I experienced for the first time connection between my life in Spanish, and my faith, ideas and prayers in English. The reconciliation between the two worlds, which I had not experienced before, was culturally and personally healing; that opened my heart to find more about what it means to be a Latino Christian in a place where everything is in English.

The conference was the beginning of the road to understanding what it meant to be a second generation Latino in the United States, and the understanding that I had a lot to offer to the Hispanic and Anglo American community. I could see the importance of what they were doing.

Please tell us how the journey has been during these years, and the role changes you have had since your beginning until now.

I started, in part, because there was a need for administration and organization in the Latino movement, and although I did not have that as my strongest gift, it was something I could do and was willing, so I supported Caminemos Juntos and Resurrección Church in this area.

After a time of service, something typical of the character of Greenhouse happened. Little by little we realized that I had pastoral gifts, and that they were stronger than those of the administration, so I slowly began to have more pastoral responsibilities. That made me feel more fully in the place since I was using my gifts in a better way.

One way I could put into practice my pastoral gifts and the healing experienced in Caminemos Juntos as a second generation of Latino immigrants was through the New Generation initiative which allowed me to serve the Movement's Youth.

I am currently a Lay Pastor, and in my role as a catechist I have been able to represent, serve and support the second generation of immigrants and their families, I am learning a lot about how to be a Pastor and what It means to lead a church.

What has been the most wonderful thing about serving in this movement?

Being part of a global family today, where we encourage each other. The simple fact of being together increases my faith and allows me to see how others also love this family.

Also, I feel that I can identify myself and be Hispanic or American in Caminemos Juntos, in a way that can not be done in the other communities in which I am a part.

In turn, I have loved to serve in El Puente Church and the new lay ministers there, knowing that we are in the same effort, and although we are far away, we have the same mission and identity as Latino Christians.

What has been the most difficult during these years of service?

The lack of leaders and resources. The harvest is great and the workers are few, there is always a need for volunteers and also for people who want to do the work full time, because the congregations and their needs are always many. It has been difficult to not be able to support the churches at a higher level as a result of this.

How do you link your career and your service here in your mission and purpose?

I feel happy because my current career and my ministry are the same. I have studied the Bible and theology in English, specifically the doctrinal part, and also the early Church. All the studies that I have received are very good, in solid and prestigious schools, but everything has been in English, and I think a part of my mission is to bring wisdom and understanding to a population that does not have access to this type of education. And what I am learning is how to communicate it in a way that can be beneficial for them.

In turn, the Anglo-American church can also receive and adopt the virtues and values of the Latino church, and that is something that I can transmit to them and help them to see, thus having a part in this exchange and cultural enrichment.

How do you see yourself serving in the future?

I would like to support the pastors of the churches that are part of Caminemos Juntos and be able to train, teach, pastor and serve them in whatever way they need.

I would like to build a strong ministry for Hispanic youth so that they can develop their faith and find their vocation. Help them to enter more and more into that identity that they have as Latino Americans.

What do you dream for Caminemos Juntos?

More and more churches, workers and workers for the growth of the kingdom of God.

Getting to know the family of Caminemos Juntos: Mimi

"Getting to know the family of Caminemos Juntos" is an interview project that seeks to share testimonies of some of the members of this movement, in order to promote unity and closeness among us, even through distance, and also motivate and inspire others to know a little bit more about what this mission consists of and how God has worked in it and through it.

Name: Mimi Guiracocha Bloomer

Age: 26

Nationality: Ecuadorian-American

Profession / occupation: Nurse

Role in Caminemos Juntos: Treasurer and Coordinator of Special Events

When did you begin with the movement? 2013

How did you connect with Caminemos Juntos?

During my last year at Wheaton College, I went with my friend Zach Stallard to a church fair at the university, and there we met Pastor Jonathan Kindberg and heard from Greenhouse and Church of the Resurrection, he gave us a file to apply for a internship, and Zach decided to do it. After my friend was accepted and began to serve there, I was able to learn more about these ministries and after a while Pastor Jonathan offered me to be officially involved and do an intership as well.

What motivated you to get involved and be part of this work?

The opportunity to serve Latinos through the church. And to be able to integrate my passions, desires and gifts, with my love for Christ, his church, and the Latino people.

Please tell us how the journey has been during these years, and the role changes you have had since your beginning until now.

My role started as "Community Health Evangelism Intern", with the Latino or Spanish-speaking churches in Chicago and suburbs, which at that time were 6 (from Greenhouse), but mainly with New Generation in Church of the Resurrection. I helped to establish a health culture focused on holistic medicine, integrating spirit, mind, soul and body. One way to do this was through the coordination of two health fairs where people could be educated, take cholesterol and sugar tests, be measured and weighed , have their stress levels evaluated, etc.

At the same time, I was supporting the women's ministry, doing Bible study and zumba classes, and I also collaborated with the children's ministry and the worship team.

Another area in which I was involved was Instituto San Pablo, it was a local training for the ministry that took place every one or two months.

After all this I had a break of almost two years, to go to nursing school, and later I gradually returned to collaborate in whatever was necessary, until my current role as Treasurer and Coordinator of Special Events was defined.

What has been the most wonderful thing about serving in this movement?

To have a community of people who are in a similar walk to mine, and who move towards similar destinations. In addition, being part of a global Latino family through Caminemos Juntos, and knowing that I have brothers and sisters around the world.

What has been the most difficult during these years of service?

To find our voice as Caminemos Juntos and be able to be seen and heard.

How do you link your nursing career and your service here in your mission and purpose?

I serve Latino people in my work as a nurse, and I have the language and understanding to interact with them from my Christian heart, I see this as a clear fruit of being part of Caminemos Juntos, and of the growth that I have experienced here.

How do you see yourself serving in the future?

I want to continue with the roles I have now; and also to be able to support with new knowledge through my doctorate, to continue creating culture and systems for the implementation of holistic health. In turn, I want to be an instrument that helps create young Latino leaders.

What do you dream for Caminemos Juntos?

May we grow as a movement, not only outward but also inward, to raise up Latino leaders who can impact the global church.

News from the Anglican Church in Chile

This Sunday the Church of Chile will consecrate and recognize three new bishops who would lead their future Province

 The ceremony will be broadcast live on Facebook Live from the Saint Paul's Cathedral  Valparaíso, temple that celebrates 160 years of history since its construction.

Next Sunday, July 15 at 11:00 a.m., the Ceremony of Consecration and Recognition of Diocesan Bishops of the Anglican Church of Chile will be held. The celebration will take place at the Anglican St. Paul's Cathedral Valparaíso and will be streamed live through its official Facebook page.

At the ceremony, it will also take place the celebration of 160 years since the construction of the temple of Saint Paul's of Valparaiso, which has been declared a Historical Monument and has an important heritage value for the city and the Church in Chile.

At the moment, the Anglican Church of Chile is a diocese that counts on 95 congregations and belongs to South America, but with the aim of promoting its growth and mission, expects to become an independent Anglican Province, territory that would be conformed by four dioceses, which will be administered by four diocesan bishops.

The priests who will be consecrated by laying on hands are the reverends Samuel Morrison for the Diocese of Valparaíso and Enrique Lago for the Diocese of Concepción. While Bishop Abelino Apeleo will be recognized to lead the Diocese of Temuco.

In the case of the Diocese of Santiago, the territory will be administered by the current Diocesan Bishop, Rv. Héctor Zavala, who will also be the Primate of the new Anglican Province of Chile.

It is worth mentioning that the bishops were elected in May by an extraordinary Synod. On this occasion, the Chilean diocese approved the constitution and canons that it would adopt if obtained the approval to become a province. These decisions were ratified later in the month of April by the college of bishops of the Province of South America, during a meeting in Lima-Peru and were informed in an official announcement by the Primate, Archbishop Greg Venables.

In the month of August of this year, the Church of Chile will receive a delegation that will be headed by the President of the Anglican Consultative Council, Archbishop Paul Kwong of

Hong Kong, whose mission will be to determine if the proposed new province meets the requirements to be an Anglican province.

A Reflection on the Caminemos Juntos Conference in Argentina

Leaders from eight congregations from four Provinces (Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Santa Fe and Salta) gathered together from May 31 to June 2, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the fifth annual Caminemos Juntos conference in Latin America. The event took place at the Church of  San Pedro (Flores) and the Church of San Salvador (Belgrano).

The regional event featured the Primate Bishop Greg Venables (who opened the conference and offered a closing benediction), one of the directors of Caminemos Juntos, Jonathan Kindberg from the United States, and United Adoration, a movement of musicians committed to creating new worship songs for the Anglican Church. The conference also featured several workshops and group discussions centered on the building up and strengthening of the growing church.

It had been too long since the different Anglican churches of Argentina had met! It was good to see the Argentinian church mobilized in this way: sharing, enjoying fellowship, worshipping, and praying together, while serving the Lord seeking new directions at this time in the country.

Psalms 133: 1
“How good and pleasant it is  when God’s people live together in unity!”

Six representatives from the new GAFCON Province in Brazil attended (Arlinda, Karyna and Thais Souza, Patrícia Neves, Priscila Carriço and Marcos Antônio), along with Pastor Cristóbal Cerón from Chile, and Pastors Justin Clifton and Sergio Villanueva from the United States, leaders of United Adoration.

Those from Brazil shared their experiences living through the current revival of the Anglican Church in Brazil, and the importance of discipleship, evangelism, intercession, and worship for revival.

At the conference, we prayed for the multiplication of churches, passion and love for the lost in our communities, and for the spreading of the Word of God in schools, at work, and other community centers.

We received excellent teachings, and took time to listen to what God was sharing with us and to what he was calling us and our churches. It was clear: Spread the gospel to the four corners of the world!

Now is the time! The Holy Spirit launched us into our mission in South America. Now we all must roll up our sleeves, and take the first steps so that we may continue walking together, following the direction of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 11: 23-24
“Then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea.”