Vicar: Spanish service meant to span cultures
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Religion/210734/
BENTONVILLE — All Saints ’ Episcopal Church is breaking new ground within the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas. The congregation has started a Spanish worship service, a first for the 56 churches in the diocese.
The service isn’t an outreach effort or an attempt to start a separate congregation. It’s part of the church’s ministry of inclusion, said the Rev. Roger Joslin, the vicar or priest in charge of All Saints’.
“We’ve fostered an attitude of inclusion and acceptance of all types of people and the Spanish service has been part of our plan from the beginning,” Joslin said.
The Rev. Dennis Campbell, canon for congregational development, said the diocese has moved slowly in developing Hispanic ministries, because they recognize the challenges of cross-cultural programs.
“We’ve been looking at it for several years, both in Northwest Arkansas and southwest Little Rock,” Campbell said. “What held us back is we’ve looked around at other dioceses’ attempts and not seen a real good model that would ensure it would be successful.”
Campbell said the goal is inclusion, not simply separate ministries.
“Our desire is to do ministry with the Hispanic community and not to the Hispanic community,” he said.
Campbell is excited about the new service at All Saints’ and hopes the church can serve as a model for other congregations within the diocese.
Joslin began planning for the Spanish service much the same way he started All Saints’ — with legwork. He has been visiting Hispanic businesses, talking with residents and chatting with anyone who will listen about the Spanish service.
Churches of a variety of denominations offer Spanish services or Hispanic ministries in Arkansas, but the degree of inclusiveness varies. Some establish Spanish worship services or separate congregations under the umbrella of the main church. Others start autonomous churches, while still others prefer to integrate Hispanic members into the larger congregation.
Campbell said the Episcopal Church has had varying degrees of success with Hispanic ministries. Some succeed but many do not.
“A lot of that is due to understanding a completely different culture,” he said. “There were a lot of well-meaning people wanting to reach out to a new population but not knowing how.”
Language and cultural differences are often barriers to true inclusion, but Joslin hopes to break down those barriers, and he said parishioners are enthusiastic about the new service.
Some parishioners speak Spanish and Joslin has put them to work helping with the service and with outreach to the Hispanic community. Others in the church are learning the language.
Joslin isn’t quite fluent in Spanish but has accepted the challenge.
“It’s a bold move for me to stand up and preach in a language that’s not mine,” he said. “It’s scary, but fun.”
To prepare for the first public service, parishioners held a few dress rehearsals. They found people to read the lessons and prayers in Spanish, as well as someone to serve as a chalice bearer and offer the bread and wine of the Eucharist in Spanish.
They held the first public service Sunday. The church will offer Sunday worship services in English at 11 a. m. and in Spanish at 12: 45 p. m. An extended “coffee hour” will be held between services to allow members to mingle and get to know one another. A common Sunday School program will be offered for children.
Joslin said the church will create opportunities for English and Spanish-speaking parishioners to worship and socialize. He hopes to eventually offer a bilingual service, too. Members of the vestry, the church’s governing body, will include English- and Spanish-speaking parishioners.
“We’re encouraging crossover,” he said. “We’ll create every opportunity to make sure we are not two congregations, but one congregation with two times of worship [services ]. This is not an outreach or a way to grow the church, but to foster an atmosphere where we can bring the two cultures together.”
Joslin said the church has a welcoming atmosphere that is especially important for the Hispanic community.
“We are especially attuned to the need to welcome Latinos in an environment where they don’t always feel welcome,” he said. “We look at the atmosphere of distrust and disharmony between the two cultures and it’s part of our mission to break down that mistrust.
“ It’s hard to dislike people you sit beside in church.”
Joslin believes the two cultures have much to teach one another and looks forward to seeing change happen.
“This is for all of us. All of our lives are enriched when we experience another culture,” he said. “I want to stand at the altar and see all those faces of God and we’re heading in that direction.” All Saints ’ Episcopal Church meets at Christ the King Lutheran Church, 406 W. Central Ave., Bentonville. Worship services in English is at 11 a. m. Spanish worship services are at 12: 45 p. m. Information is available online at www. allsaintsbentonville. org or by calling (479 ) 426-1561.