Mission Yearbook: Team reflects on first phase of re-imagining Hispanic, Latino and Brazilian ministry

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The Rev. Dan González Ortega serves on the Re- Imagining Coordinating Team and co-moderates the National Hispanic Latino Presbyterian Caucus (Photo by Rosa Miranda).

For six months, dedicated Presbyterians traveled across the United States, including Puerto Rico, working tirelessly to organize and facilitate a series of regional encounters dedicated to Re-Imagining Hispanic, Latino and Brazilian ministry in the PC(USA). The Re-Imagining Coordinating Team then gathered with other church leaders to reflect on that work, which they’ve called “phase one,” and to dream about what’s to come.

The coordinating team is made up of eight PC(USA) teaching elders: the Rev. Marielis Barreto Hernández, the Rev. Edwin Andrade, the Rev. Dan González Ortega, the Rev. Carlos Baladez, the Rev. Marissa Galván Valle, the Rev. Pablo Morataya, the Rev. Jorge Abdala and the Rev. Rosa Miranda.

The team’s work came about in response to action taken by the 226th General Assembly in 2024. The Assembly voted overwhelming in favor of a resolution which called for “a Re-Imagining of Hispanic Latino ministry in the PC(USA)” directing the former Presbyterian Mission Agency and Office of the General Assembly (now jointly known as Presbyterian Life & Witness) to allocate resources and funding toward this purpose.

Recognizing how different ministry needs and realities are depending on geographic, cultural and sociopolitical contexts for various Hispanic, Latino and Brazilian congregations across the denomination, the coordinating team opted to begin its work with a series of smaller regional collaborative “encounters” rather than a single large national gathering.

Despite these contextual differences, organizers knew they needed the opportunity to assess the encounters collectively, identify what needs and hopes rose to the surface more broadly, and then dream together about what the future may hold and what next steps would lead them forward. To this end, a group of 30 remained in Puerto Rico after concluding the regional encounter that took place in Sínodo Boriquén to assess and plan. In addition to the coordinating team, the group included leadership from the National Hispanic Latino Presbyterian Caucus and some participants from each of the regional encounters.

Participants in this evaluative meeting emphasized the importance of remaining focused on Jesus and attentive to the presence of the Holy Spirit throughout the re-imagining process.

“The process of re-imagining ministries invited us to sit around a broad and diverse table, where every voice helped us re-read the words and metaphors of Jesus,” the Rev. Jorge Zijlstra said. “From that shared space, we began to re-think, re-define, and re-design the church and its mission with renewed imagination and hope.”

The Rev. Annie Pantoja noted how the presence of God was deeply felt among the group, strengthening their faith and courage.

“Reimagining is not simply about change, but about faithful responsiveness, seeking where the Spirit is leading and having the courage to follow," Pantoja said.

Community connections have also proven crucial. Andrade said, “strong relationships and the assurance of mutual support were essential to the process."

Andrade went on to say this foundation created a space of hope in the regional encounters, where they have already seen “renewed regional connections, increased willingness to take risks, and greater readiness to mobilize both energy and resources.”

Going forward, the coordinating team sees strengthening this sense of interconnectedness as vital. Participants lifted up a desire to partner more deeply with mid councils and cultivate more opportunities for engagement across regions and across generations.

While the coordinating team does not yet know all the tangible details of how the re-imagining process will unfold in the future, members are clear on their priorities.

Miranda, who also serves Presbyterian Life & Witness as the U.S.-based Global Ecumenical Liaison focused on Hispanic and Brazilian ethnic groups, said the group has made a point all along of keeping the power and ownership for this process in the hands of the individual communities. That will remain essential going forward, Miranda said. She said she's hopeful, as participants in regional encounters have come away from them asking about next steps and making plans for how to bring their learnings to their congregations using the Re-Imagining Tool Kit that was shared at the regional encounters.

Miranda said the team would love to develop cohorts that would allow communities to have trained people on the ground to support their re-imagining process.

Layton Williams Berkes, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Life & Witness (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

James Deweese, Graphic Designer, Media & Publishing, Interpretation & Communications, Presbyterian Life & Witness
Fred Tangeman, Web Manager, Website Ministry, Interpretation & Communications, Presbyterian Life & Witness      

Let us pray:

O God, when enemies surround us, may we offer’ a sacrifice of joy to you. May we truly see the most vulnerable among us and be your healing love to them. Protect and strengthen communities across the earth. Grant them peace. Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for those who love as you loved. Amen.

Using A Season of Preparation to Deepen Communion Understanding

What is A Season of Preparation? This is the time period starting the Sunday of Labor Day weekend and leading up to the World Communion Offering on World Communion Sunday. This time allows your congregation to learn more about the sacrament of communion and is a great time to do some sacrament education for all ages in your congregation. Sacrament Education During A Season of Preparation We have created special resources you can use during A Season of Preparation that help deepen your congregation’s understanding of communion. This year’s resources were prepared by the Rev. Dr. Eileen Lindner, honorably retired, and the Rev. Jon Brown, pastor of Old Bergen Presbyterian Church in New Jersey. Download the Four-Part Series Planning World Communion Sunday Check out the Leader’s Guide for more ideas on how to make this World Communion Sunday a unique experience for your congregation. Remember to include receiving the World Communion Offering as part of your worship service. You can check out our premade worship service featuring Micah 6:8 and the new hymn created for this year by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. Download Leader’s Guide Thank you for generously supporting the World Communion Offering.   If you have any questions, reply to this email or call us at (800) 728-7228, Ext. 5047.

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Mission Yearbook: Pastor examines faithful response to Christian nationalism

The Synod of the Covenant recently offered a webinar on remaining faithful in the face of Christian nationalism. The Rev. Dr. Tony Tian-Ren Lin, a Presbyterian pastor who is trained as a cultural sociologist and is the director of research and the associate director at the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School, led the 105-minute workshop, which can be viewed here.

Lin was born in Taiwan and grew up in Argentina. He has served congregations in New Jersey, Virginia and New York, including his current position as interim pastor at Iglesia Presbiteriana El Buen Vecino in New York.

“We are living in a time most of us thought we’d never be in,” he said. “That’s probably why many of you have taken the time to be here today.”

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The Rev. Dr. Tony Tian-Ren Lin

Lin said he prefers the term “religious nationalism” over “Christian nationalism.” If he were to define the latter, it would be “when religious identity is fused and blended with national identity.”

That’s not always a bad thing, Lin pointed out. “For a long time, to be Mexican was to be Catholic, and that was not a bad thing.” Similarly, being Italian and Catholic “were intertwined as well. It’s not bad. It can be empowering.”

“On the other hand, most of us can think of the horrible things that religious nationalism has done,” he said, including the Crusades.

“At the end of the day, we have to recognize that nations need an idea to hold them together, an idea that makes us a nation,” Lin said. In this nation, for many years that idea was the American Dream, that “people who came here or were brought here had some commitment to meritocracy — if you work hard and follow the rules, you can get ahead.”

For a long time, the idea was the U.S. Constitution, which “was supposed to hold us together, but in the last few decades that also has fallen away,” he said. A Yale colleague made the case it was the idea of the “endless frontier that kept us together.” But when that myth collapsed, “we started building walls and went into protectionism,” Lin said.

“Today we are still looking for the ideology that keeps us together as a nation,” Lin said. “That’s why people grasp for something to hold onto, and that’s why religious nationalism works. It works because we don’t have to dig deeper into ideas like freedom.” While we may grant freedom to certain groups, “we have created oppression for others,” Lin said. “That’s something we don’t like to wrestle with.”

A workshop participant said members of her congregation “are searching for faithful words they can use.”

“I think we [the church] have answers to the questions the world is asking,” Lin said. “We need to be more unapologetically Christian.” Most of our problem with religious nationalism is that “certain groups are taking their theological convictions and making it the law of the land for everybody.”

“Some of the greatest progress for justice in this country came from strong and unapologetic Christian convictions,” he said. The speeches written and delivered by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “were deeply political and thoughtful,” Lin said. During the years before the Civil War, abolitionists “said it was against God’s will to enslave people who were made in the image of God.”

If King’s vision were made into law, “would people be OK with that?” Lin asked. “If Mister Rogers’ version of Christianity were made into public policy, would you support that or would you fight it?”

“Whatever theological conviction you’re fighting for, you should fight for all people” is a notion that describes King’s position, Lin said. “If you believe in a living wage or housing or healthcare or education, you should fight for it all around the world.”

Love and evangelism are the way to go, he said, although the latter can be difficult.

“It’s making disciples, which is very hard. Even the ones Jesus made were messed up,” Lin said. Still, “many of us are here because the love of God transformed us. If you have an inclusive vision of Christianity, you will believe the love of God can transform people.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Kristen Gaydos, Multimedia Producer, Story Ministry, Interpretation & Communications, Presbyterian Life & Witness
Mark Thomson, Manager, Media & Publishing, Interpretation & Communications, Presbyterian Life & Witness

Let us pray:

Dear Lord, help us to look to you for guidance on how best to serve your people. Help us to be courageous as we respond, change and grow. Help us to be faithful as you always are faithful! We thank you in advance for all that you will do in and through us this day. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Card deck features everyday moments of faith for families to share

The Everyday Faith Moments card deck, a set of 60 durable, beautifully designed 4-by-6-inch cards, emerged from the Around the Table initiative of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and was spearheaded by Miatta Wilson, associate for Christian Formation in Presbyterian Life & Witness. The deck is available in both English and Spanish, with free downloadable samplers also accessible through the PC(USA) Store.

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Siblings ask each other questions from the Everyday Faith Moments card deck around the table at their home. 

Each card features an engaging, repeatable faith practice on the front rooted in real-life moments, and a short Bible passage on the back to anchor the practice in Scripture. Cards are organized across four life seasons: 

Ordinary Days — while playing, learning or sharing a meal 

Significant Moments — in times of celebration, change or grief 

Sabbaths — through connection, rest and reflection 

Sacred Celebrations — including Advent, Lent and Baptism.  

Each card is marked with icons for the core faith practices it explores: hospitality, prayer, service, storytelling and retreat. 

Emily Cox, founder and CEO of Comm-Unity Solutions LLC, a communications and graphic design firm that serves churches and nonprofit organizations, served as the project’s designer. She created the cards, box, and tabs and also wrote the Quicksheet for parents and caregivers. 

“As a mom of two, I designed these cards to be fun and whimsical while still being clear and easy to read — no searching for reading glasses required,” said Cox, who was among the first to test the resource with her own family. “I also wanted them to be hard to lose, so I gave them a unique size. Most importantly, I wanted them to invite kids into the experience, allowing them to choose a card themselves and feel engaged from the very beginning.” 

Cox said her family quickly developed a rhythm using the cards at dinnertime, and the experience exceeded her expectations. 

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Karen DeBoer

“Some nights we make it through the entire card, and other nights the very first question sparks a meaningful conversation,” she said. “The beauty of it is that it invites discussions that might not otherwise happen. It goes beyond ‘How was school today?’ and opens space for topics that are important and deep to both kids and adults.” 

One exchange in particular stands out. When Cox’s family used the “Experiencing Change” card at dinner, her 9-year-old son, whom she describes as brilliant and fairly stoic, opened up about the family’s move from Texas to Colorado, which had taken place about a year earlier. 

“He became emotional as he shared how hard it was to leave the only home he had ever known,” Cox said. “With tears in his eyes, he told us about sitting alone in the empty dining room of our old house and praying that God would be with him. In that moment, he found peace. I don’t know that I ever would have heard that story without this prompt, and I am so grateful for the chance to understand him more deeply.” 

Karen DeBoer, a Family and Intergenerational Faith Formation consultant based in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, was the editor for the project and helped shape its direction from the earliest stages of development.

DeBoer worked with a team of contributors chosen to represent a wide range of voices and experience. Writers on the project include Becky D’Angelo-Veitch and the Revs. James M. Potts, Danilie Hilerio, Andy Morgan and Erika Rembert Smith.

“We intentionally included multiple writers to represent diverse voices and experiences,” DeBoer said. “All have a strong background in theology. Each has experience serving the church in a variety of contexts, including church education, working with children and families with children, intergenerational ministry, pastoral ministry and more. All could relate to the assignment — to provide busy households with simple, meaningful practices to nurture faith at home.” 

Potts, associate pastor of Family Life at First Presbyterian Church of Monterey, California, said the cards meet families precisely where their lives are actually happening. 

Potts emphasized how the cards “help families notice that the ordinary moments are already holy. We just need language and permission to see them that way.” 

Resources and How to Order 

Everyday Faith Moments English Card Deck: pcusastore.com/Products/CF1 

Momentos de Fe Cotidiana Spanish Card Deck: pcusastore.com/Products/CF1S 

Free downloadable samplers — featuring one card from each section of the box — are available for both the English and Spanish editions. 

English Sampler (free): pcusastore.com/Products/CF1D 

Spanish Sampler (free): pcusastore.com/Products/CF1SD 

Practical Quicksheets for church leaders and parents on how to integrate the cards into formation ministries and home life are also available at no cost. 

Church Leader Quicksheet: pcusa.org/resource/everyday-faith-moments-cards-church-leader-quicksheet 

Parent Quicksheet: pcusa.org/resource/everyday-faith-moments-cards-parent-quicksheet 

Beth Waltemath, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Life & Witness (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Randy Hobson, Manager of Design & Multimedia, Presbyterian Life & Witness
Richard Copley, Multimedia Producer, Interpretation & Communications, Presbyterian Life & Witness

Let us pray:

Gracious, caregiving God, help us to be ready to care for each other through all the chapters of life. May we see your face in those for whom we care. Help us to remember to care for ourselves, trusting that your grace will guide us. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Youth gather in Texas to learn what it means to be living sanctuaries

On Jan. 1–3 — about 40 young people, mostly middle schoolers from the presbyteries of Tres Ríos, Mission and Palo Duro, gathered at Circle Six Camp in Leonora, Texas. The leadership of the Presbytery of Tres Ríos invited me to serve as the event’s keynote speaker and preacher, and I happily said yes.

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Ruling Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri speaks last month during the Tres Ríos Youth Connection (contributed photo).

We called the event Living Sanctuaries, and together we explored Romans 12 through games, songs, energizers, small groups and art. We wondered together what it means to present ourselves before God as living sacrifices, to be God’s hands and feet in the world, and what it means to be living sanctuaries for others and for ourselves.

I often remind myself that I learn more from young people than they learn from me — and this weekend certainly proved that to be true.

That Saturday, the U.S. military enacted an attack on Venezuela. Our young people were made aware of what was happening, and they understood that because I live in Puerto Rico, I might not be able to get home. The island’s airspace was closed. No one could enter or leave that weekend except the military.

After worship, two young people came up to me to share their concern about my ability to return home. They offered their prayers and words of care, and each handed me a drawing they had created during the Visio Divina sermon we had engaged in earlier that morning.

I was moved — not only by their words and prayers but by what that gesture revealed. At 12, 13, 15 and 16 years old, they understood that global is local, and local is global.

Our young people take their cues from us. It matters how we teach them that we are all in this together — that the way we do church and the way we are church is deeply connected to how we relate to and care for one another. That same Saturday afternoon, they spent time assembling Presbyterian Disaster Assistance hygiene kits. 

Even at that young age, they understood that the way they were being church in Texas could make a difference both locally and globally.

The way I see it, this is the heart of ministry. We pay attention. We tell stories of love, grace and connection. We listen for where the Spirit is already at work, and we join in, offering presence, deep listening, shared space — and, when needed, tangible ways of being the church together.

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A few of the cards youth gave to Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri are pictured with some that Cintrón-Olivieri created (contributed photo).

When we offer concrete ways to live out God’s love, there is a future for the church and for the world. Sometimes that future begins with a group of middle and high schoolers in Texas.

A view from Tres Ríos Presbytery

The Rev. Laurie Barker, the pastoral presbyter for Tres Rios Presbytery, said Tres Rios Youth Connection has a long history, but was interrupted by Covid.

“When I called Vilmarie, I was worried about her coming all the way out to west Texas and there only being 10 kids,” Barker said. “She didn’t hesitate, saying it was worth her time whether we had 10 or 100.”

“One thing about being out here on the edge of civilization is that borders or boundaries, such as those between presbyteries and synods, are rather permeable — even imaginary at times,” Barker said. “Folks out here are used to driving hours to go to school events, doctors and even grocery shopping.”

“This is part of the great value of having an event like Tres Ríos Youth Connection in an area like ours,” Barker said. “Our youth do not have a lot of opportunities that Presbyterians with large cities or even large churches … can provide.”

Barker called Cintrón-Olivieri “such a tremendous leader and model to these kids. Her willingness to share her own fear and anxiety about what happened that weekend in her hometown with the closing of the airspace and the effects of the Venezuelan situation made that current event become truly real for these students.”

So often, youth and others are far removed from events happening across the globe, Barker noted. By “sharing her life and faith with these kids, she created a bond that made all of us look at the situation differently,” Barker said. 

Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri is a PC(USA) ruling elder, educator and Global Ecumenical Liaison serving the Synods Boriquén, Mid-America, South Atlantic and The Sun. She was a Moderator of the 223rd General Assembly (2018).

Mike Ferguson of Presbyterian News Service contributed to this report. (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Beth Waltemath, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Life & Witness
McKenna Britton, Communications, Presbyterian Historical Society, Presbyterian Life & Witness

Let us pray:

Father, thank you for our churches. Please help us to welcome everyone as you would. Holy Spirit, please teach us how to serve together in generations. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Leaders of new worshiping communities are learning in Apprenticeship Program

The 1001 New Worshiping Communities movement is now hosting leaders for its Apprenticeship Program, a nine-month, part-time initiative designed to equip and sustain those called to start new expressions of faith outside the walls of traditional congregations. 

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1001 Apprentice Program

The program, administered through the office of 1001 New Worshiping Communities within Presbyterian Life & Witness, is built around three core pillars: one-on-one coaching, a weekly cohort, and hands-on guidance for launching or growing a new worshiping community. The goal is not simply to train church planters in isolation but to surround them with ongoing relationships and accountability throughout the journey. 

“The trainings, resources, connections, and, most importantly, the community, were very empowering,” said the Rev. Rola Al Ashkar, who leads Iama Embodied Ministries, a conscious community rooted in embodied spirituality, trauma-informed practices and integrative theology in North Central California Presbytery “It was a weekly reminder that I don't have to do it alone, and I miss it every day.” 

Each apprentice is matched with a coach drawn from one of the largest and most diverse networks of trained coaches. Coaches meet regularly with participants to help them navigate roadblocks and identify the next steps tailored to their specific ministry context. 

Every Thursday from September until May, cohort members gather via Zoom, rotating through spiritual direction, conversations with established new worshiping community leaders and dialogical training. For many participants, that weekly rhythm becomes a lifeline. 

“Talking with other new worshiping community leaders who are doing this work brings an immense sense of relief and encouragement because they understand how challenging it is,” said Julie Gvillo, a Reiki master and commissioned pastor through the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy who leads A Place of Grace. She added that the financial support the apprenticeship program provides — including a stipend and coverage of coaching costs — has also offered meaningful relief to leaders who often work without the resources of an established congregation behind them. 

Beyond the weekly video gatherings, the program also brings participants together for in-person retreats, which many describe as transformative. 

“The retreats have been the best part for me, getting to connect with the others in person,” said the Rev. Alicia Vela Anderson from Chicago. “The connection to others has really broadened my imagination for what my ministry could become.” 

The diversity of the cohort itself is frequently cited as one of the program's most formative features. Participants come from a wide range of ministry contexts — from yoga studios to music communities to neighborhood gatherings — reflecting the breadth of what 1001 NWC envisions as the church. 

“To see the wide variety of people involved has been very uplifting — to see the future kingdom of heaven reflected in the hearts and faces of my fellow cohort,” said Steve Zeoli, a filmmaker and founder of Rainmakers Community. “All these caring, thoughtful, wonderful people? An utter joy.” Zeoli’s new worshiping community is one of 32 new worshiping communities supported by the New Church Development Commission of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta. 

The program is led by the Rev. Sara Hayden, director of apprenticeships and leadership cohorts for 1001 NWC and host of the movement’s podcast, “New Way.” Hayden brings firsthand experience to the work of guiding emerging leaders through the complexities of church planting. More than 200 new worshiping community leaders across the country have turned to the program and its cohort network for mutual support and continued training.

Whether a leader is just beginning to discern a call or already gathering a community, the program meets participants where they are — helping them establish vision, develop gathering strategies and set achievable goals. 

For those navigating a ministry that doesn’t fit neatly into conventional church structures, the apprenticeship offers something especially rare: the sense that they are not alone. 

“The reflective work we are encouraged to do is meaningful and inspiring,” Gvillo said. 

Beth Waltemath, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Life & Witness (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Melody Smith, Manager, Story Ministry, Interpretation & Communications, Presbyterian Life & Witness
Layton Williams Berkes, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Life & Witness

Let us pray:

Loving God, you who gave us eternal life, you who shares the power of your love through others, you who amaze us when we expect the worse, help us love as you love us. Amen.