Last month I had the opportunity to talk with two Latino Lutheran pastors. One of them serves here in the midwest and the other pastor serves in El Salvador. They both wanted to share the experiences of their local ministries and to learn about the work we are doing as a multicultural community of faith here at Ascension, Waukesha.
The pastor here in the United States shared her experience. And let me tell you, her experience is completely different from mine and her story is very sad. A community of English-speaking people decided to open the doors to a Latino ministry. For many years within the building, God was worshiped in two languages, but separately. The Latino ministry was recognized as part of the church, but in reality, the Latino ministry was seen as an outside organization. The Spanish-speaking members of the church did not have the right to vote, nor to have representation in the council. There were never any bilingual worship services or multicultural events.
When I have the opportunity to share the multicultural story of Ascension, I refrain from telling my story because it is not my story. It is the story of how Ascension has embraced the new arrivals. How Ascension has walked through these years in a multicultural environment. How in Ascension there is no separation of sheep. We are one flock that listens to what the good shepherd tells us to continue walking and rising together. When I finished sharing the story of Ascension with the pastor, the pastor said, “Everything Ascension has done, we didn’t do it. Ascension is a great example for everyone else.”
The Salvadoran pastor visited Milwaukee at the end of April. I had the opportunity to spend a day with him. He accompanied me to SOPHIA’s event and he was present at Kathy Hahn’s funeral and burial. He saw the Latino ministry sanctuary. It was the day before the Sunday of the Good Shepherd, he also heard the story of how Ascension has walked as a flock, with sheep that share, walk, work and enjoy together in an environment filled with many multicultural traditions. All the things we do as a church caught his attention, but there were two things that he believes he has in mind to put into practice in his community in El Salvador. The first is the garden of ashes; he is a pastor who advocates for the care of the environment and fights for community rights. He believes the Salvadoran Lutheran church should have a memorial garden to carry out the burial of ashes. The second was the alfombras. In Central America, this is a Holy Week tradition that takes place in the streets of the city. He said that there is no church in all of Latin America that puts alfombras inside the sanctuary. He believes that Ascension is the first church to do so in history. He said that he will take that idea to his community in El Salvador to see if it is possible to realize it using the same teaching that we use in Ascension. Holy Week does not end on Good Friday, there is resurrection! Christ is risen! Hallelujah!
These two stories are not the only ones. Last month, I also spoke with other Latino ministry leaders and English-speaking people with partnerships in El Salvador from other churches who would like to make alfombras in their communities.
Brothers and sisters, all these things that have happened, are happening and will continue to happen in our community of faith, are possible only through the work that God is already doing in the hearts of this flock called Ascension. Let the Good Shepherd continue to guide us in caring for this multicultural flock that has been entrusted to us, sharing our experiences and the story of love, joy, hope, peace and faith with other sheep outside our walls and even outside our borders.
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
(Ephesians 4.2-6)
Pastor Edwin