wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Conference of Hispanic Presbyterian men may shed light,

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ECUNET.ORG>]

Note #8872 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

05445
Aug. 25, 2005

Church of the future

Conference of Hispanic Presbyterian men
may shed light, heat on 'frozen chosen'

by Evan Silverstein

LOUISVILLE - Transforming the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) into an inclusive
multicultural denomination will be the focus of the second National Triennial
Assembly of Hispanos-Latinos Presbyterian Men, which kicks off Friday in
Miami, FL.

	With 360 people already pre-registered, the three-day event is
expected to be the largest Hispanic gathering in the denomination since 2002.
A broad cross-section of national Hispanic Presbyterian leadership is
expected to turnout along with leaders from partner churches in Central and
Latin America.

	The official assembly theme is "Transformed and Renewed to Serve,"
inspired by the New Testament Book of Romans.

	The theme reflects the goal of the Hispanos-Latinos Presbyterian Men
to respond to the challenges of an increasingly diverse society in becoming a
multicultural church, said the Rev. Jose Luis Casal, moderator of the
Hispanos-Latinos Presbyterian Men.

	"The new day in the multicultural church we dream is not far away,"
Casal said. "The Hispanos-Latinos Presbyterian Men, the youngest organization
within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), is knocking on the doors to help in
the transformation of the 'frozen chosen.'"

	Rick Ufford-Chase, moderator of the PC(USA)'s 216th General Assembly
and the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, the denomination's stated clerk, will serve
as keynote speakers. 

	Spanish, English and Portuguese will be the official languages of the
event. 

	Casal said worship and workshops would be conducted in these
languages as a symbol of the organization's multicultural commitment. Plenary
presentations will be conducted in Spanish but with English translation,
Casal said.

	He said attendance at the conference could reach close to 400
participants, making it the largest Hispanic event in the PC(USA) since
September 2002, when 430 people gathered at the first National Assembly of
Hispano-Latinos Presbyterian Men in Las Vegas, NV. 

	Casal said the PC(USA) has an estimated 320 Hispanic or multicultural
congregations and fellowships representing some 40,000 members. The
denomination's Synod of Puerto Rico, which includes 79 Presbyterian churches,
is entirely Hispanic, he said.

	Casal said that many presbyteries and synods across the PC(USA) are
interested in developing Hispanic and multicultural churches.
 
	"I believe we have momentum right now," said the Cuban-born Casal,
who is also executive presbyter for Tres Rios Presbytery. "Not only for
Hispanos-Latinos Presbyterian Men but I would say for all the different
cultures we have in the Presbyterian Church. I think that the multicultural
tendency or trend of the denomination in the last five or six years has been
crucial in this." 

	Among the national Hispanic Presbyterian leaders expected at the
event are the Rev. Amy Méndez, Hispanic coordinator for the Presbytery of
Denver; the Rev. Lemuel García-Arroyo, associate executive for multicultural
ministries for the Synod of the Sun; and the Rev. Héctor Rodríguez, the
PC(USA)'s associate for Hispanic congregational enhancement in the National
Ministries Division.

	Fifteen church leaders from Cuba, Columbia, Costa Rica and Mexico are
included on the guest list, along with representatives of other ecumenical
organizations such as the Association of Presbyterian and Reformed Churches
of Latin America.

	The delegation from Cuba will have two representatives, including the
Rev. Hector Mendez, moderator of the Iglesia Presbiteriana Reformada en Cuba,
and member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches.

	There will be two representatives from Costa Rica: Santos Espinosa
and Juan Carlos Medrano, the president and the vice president respectively of
the Iglesia Evangelica Presbiteriana de Costa Rica. 

	The church in Mexico is sending six representatives, among them the
Rev. Jorge Alvarado, moderator of the Synod of the Northwest of Iglesia
Nacional Presbiteriana de Mexico. 

	The delegation form Colombia will have five representatives, among
them the Rev. David Illidge, moderator and stated clerk of the Presbiterio
Central. 

	Also expected at the conference is Carmen Rodriguez-Rubert, president
of the Alliance of Presbyterian and Reformed Churches in Latin America and
the Caribbean. 

	Ricardo Moreno, the Hispanic national coordinator of Bread for the
World, and the Rev. Osvaldo García, director of international marketing of
the Lockman Bible Foundation, are also expected. The foundation is donating
400 Bibles to the event, one for each participant.

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