Dear Seminary Community,
I invite us to come together in celebrating Hispanic Heritage month, which began on Sept. 15. For our sisters and brothers in the Seminary community who are Latinx, we celebrate you and are committed to you and your voice beyond the focused Heritage month. For those of us who are non-Hispanic, I encourage us to embody one of the marks of a healthy multicultural communion in being purposeful about knowing the history of our Latinx family as it intersects with other racial/ethnic groups.
Pastora Juana Nesta will lead a community discussion on the documentary Dolores (below) on Friday, October 9th from 3:30-5pm (CST). Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83290048369
Rev. Nesta is the President of ALIPE (Asociación Latina de la Iglesia del Pacto Evangélico)—one of the associations who make up our ECC Mosaic Commission. Pastora Juana made this video introducing Heritage month and added the following words for us:
Remember that Latinos are part of the tapestry of God, therefore WE are family not acquaintances. Celebrating Latino Heritage Month means that as people with voice, power and influence in our churches your desire should be to:
Learn the true history of the Latino community
Value what Latinos bring to the table
Share the power!
… and not just in September.
University Dean Liza Ann Acosta also sends her words in this video of invitation and support! She is also leading a book discussion on the book War Against All Puerto Ricans on Wednesday, October 14th from 3:45pm-5pm (CST). Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86727972309
As the NPTS community seeks to live out what the ECC Mosaic Commission calls “Purposeful Narrative,” Professor Belmonte Stephens has suggested the following titles:
- Latino Americans, a six-piece documentary covering Latino history
- Dolores a documentary on civil-rights activist Dolores Huerta
- Cesar Chavez, a film on civil-rights activist Cesar Chavez
- Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America by Juan González
- The God Who Sees: Immigrants, the Bible, and the Journey to Belong by Karen González
- Hermanas: Deepening Our Identity and Growing Our Influence by Kohn, Vega Quiñones, Garza Robinson
- Latina Evangélicas: A Theological Survey from the Margins by Martell, Maldonado Pérez, Conde-Frazier
- The Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/o Social Justice, Theology, and Identity by Robert Chao Romero
- War Against All Puerto Ricans, by Nelson Denis
Best, Dean Michelle