On November 6, 2024, Hispanic Latino pastors from across Greater New Jersey gathered for the first time since COVID. They worshiped together, laughed together, ate together, and reflected on the progress they had made toward strengthening Hispanic Latino ministries in Greater New Jersey.
The Rev. Eunice Vega Perez, District Superintendent for the Skylands District, shared her vision for the day: “The dream for this day was to come together as Latinos from the GNJ Annual Conference to return to the table, dream together, and plan and strategize for the future of our ministries in local churches and leadership, both laity and clergy.”
The first part of the retreat focused on storytelling and remembering. On the first day, pastors reconnected with past goals, identified areas needing renewed energy and attention, but, more importantly, celebrated the progress made toward those goals. The Rev. Dr. Lydia Munoz, Executive Director for the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry, led the reflection, helping participants acknowledge where ministries had fallen short and where progress had been made. The honest sharing, and the process of remembering together both the sorrow and the joy, was deeply meaningful.
The Rev. Lyssette Perez, pastor of Oasis UMC and Salem UMC, spoke about the impact of the retreat: “This brings hope. Every time you bring a group together, it brings hope and new energy. Because we need it. We’re a connectional church, and if we’re not together, everyone will do things individually, and we won’t find support in each other. Especially today, as we have received news of the new leadership in the United States… We have a new president who lacks a vision for the diversity of our country—a country that is diverse and should be paying attention to the poor, the immigrant, and those who are marginalized, especially those who are different from the dominant race. This is meaningful.”
The Rev. Isabel Quezada, pastor of El Macias and Christ UMC in Fair Haven, spoke about the joy she experienced from both the connection with colleagues and the open, honest reflection. For her, “Latino pastors coming together and being able to openly talk about what didn’t work, what can be improved, and what else we can do” was a hope-filled exercise.
Over and over, other pastors and leaders echoed that sentiment. It was good to gather, to reflect, and to notice and celebrate all they had accomplished together since the goals were set. Over the past 10-15 years, programs like SELAH (the Hispanic Latino lay leadership academy) and Ninos Para Cristo (the Hispanic Latino camping ministry held at the Pinelands Center) had borne real fruit.
For those gathered in the room, it was easy to quite literally see the fruits of their labor—for the fruit sat among them. The Rev. Geraldo Oviedo attended the retreat for the first time. Rev. Oviedo is a licensed local pastor, serving in his first appointment. His call to ministry was nurtured and developed through SELAH—the lay leadership academy born out of the last round of goal setting and dreaming. Rev. Pedro Pillot received his call to ministry at Ninos Para Cristo.
SELAH, Ninos Para Cristo, and Walk to Emmaus had developed and nurtured both lay leadership and a new generation of disciples. The immigration clinics held in the past had a real impact on the communities they served.
After completing the work of looking back, the participants went out to eat—connecting with each other as friends, as well as colleagues. For Rev. McWilliam Colon, that was the most meaningful part of the retreat. He shared, “After the meeting, when we went out to dinner, we were no longer pastors; we were just hanging out as friends, loving each other.”
On the last day of the retreat, participants gathered for worship, which ended with a moment of silence. It was during that moment
of silence that the Rev. Pedro Cesar Miyares, pastor of Simpson UMC and President of the Committee for Hispanic Latino Ministries, wanted to carry forward with him. He shared, “The final moment of the meeting, when we took a minute of silence to reflect on what we’ve done, was a very meaningful moment for us. It makes us reflect on what we can do in the future.”
The Rev. Miyares, the current chair of the Latino Committee, is looking forward to a bright future. “It was beautiful for us to talk about the history of the ministry in the past, and also about our life in ministry right now. No matter the problems we face, the solution is what we are looking for. We must look together for solutions to the problems we have.”
No matter the problems we face, we most look together for the solutions. The pastors departed from the retreat resolved to look together for the solutions to the problems the Hispanic Latino community is facing. Since the retreat they’ve had two follow up meetings to clarify goals and identify next steps. May the Spirit of God bless and inspire, as the ministers of God continue to proclaim and embody the gospel of Jesus Christ to communities who need a word of hope, now more than ever.