wfn.org | Hispanic/Latina Presbyterian women celebrate third 'encuentro'

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org>]

Note #6782 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

07-August-2001
01266

Hispanic/Latina Presbyterian women celebrate third 'encuentro'

400 attend San Antonio event

by Sharon Dunne

SAN ANTONIO - Gathered under the theme "Be strong! Your God is here to save
you!" (Isaiah 35:3-4), more than 400 Hispanic/Latina Presbyterian women,
including a group from Brazil and representing different regions of the
United States and Puerto Rico, celebrated  their Third National Conference
(Encuentro III) at Trinity University, in San Antonio, Texas, July 13-15.

Participants came from 44 presbyteries, among them 15 that had never before
participated in Encuentro - such as Plains & Peeks, Southern Kansas,
Giddings-Lovejoy and Coastal Carolina - confirming the growing Hispanic
presence in all corners of the United States. The Brazilian delegation
included Susana M. Renner, who serves as director for the Women's Department
at the Alliance of Presbyterian and Reformed Churches in Latin America
(AIPRAL).

In addition, there was a wide representation from staff in the presbyteries,
synods, General Assembly (GA) and seminaries, including the following from
GA: Mary Elva Smith, Associate Director, Women's Ministries Program Area
(WMPA); Annie Wu King, WMPA Coordinator for Staff in the Synods; the Rev.
Unzu Lee, Associate for Leadership Development for Presbyterian Women (PW);
the Rev. Helen Locklear, Associate Director for Racial Ethnic Ministries;
the Rev. Jaime Delgado, Associate for Curriculum Development; and the Rev.
Hictor Rodrmguez, Associate for Hispanic Congregational Development.

Encuentro is a triennial conference, and it is the only national event
conducted in Spanish to promote the spiritual growth and professional
development of Hispanic/Latina women, including lay members, seminarians,
lay pastors and clergy.

"By healing a bent over woman precisely on the Sabbath [Luke 13:10-17],
Jesus sets aside a religious tradition that had become and empty and
dehumanizing practice in order to favor an afflicted person, and in so doing
he calls all of us - men  and women - to do the same today," said the Rev.
Magdalena I. Garcma, managing editor for !Exito! newspaper, the
Spanish-language weekly of the Chicago Tribune. Garcia, a member of Chicago
Presbytery, served as keynote speaker for the opening plenary.

"Through this and other similar acts of healing, Jesus gives us permission
to abandon all denigratory traditions that continue bending over women and
peoples," she added.

This year's Encuentro had three new components: a group of young,
high-school-age women who participated in an all-day workshop on vocations
led by Evelyn Hwang, Associate, Resourcing Committees on Preparation for
Ministry; the first official gathering of Hispanic/Latina women seminarians,
lay pastors and clergy; and a ceremony honoring three women mentos: Angela
G. (Angie) Abrego, for her extensive work with Hispanic ministries in Texas,
as well as on racial justice and women's issues at the national level; Ana
Inis (Nanmn) Braulio-Corchado, Ph.D., for her multiple contributions to the
life of the church in Puerto Rico and the United States, as synod executive,
educator and lay leader; and, posthumously, the Rev. Idalisa Fernandez for
her pioneering work as theologian and pastor in Cuba and the United States
with the Methodist Church and Presbyterian Church.

Highlighting the weekend was a Bible study led by the Rev. Edda
Cuba-Villanueva, a member of the Boriquin Synod in Puerto Rico and associate
professor of Religion and Ethics at the Interamerican University in Puerto
Rico, who invited participants to follow in the footsteps of Esther,
"questioning the motivations of those in power, affirming their personal
identity as Hispanic/Latina women, assuming responsibility and discovering
God's presence in their midst."

The Encuentro also included several workshops on topics that concern women -
such as immigration issues, domestic violence and the stewardship of time -
and others that are essential for congregational development - such as
evangelism and the peaceful resolution of conflict. In addition, a resource
center provided free-distribution and for-sale materials for leadership
development, including the presentation of the book Toward a Liberating
Faith: Introduction to Mujerista Theology, written by the Rev. Magdalena I.
Garcma and published by the Women's Ministries Program Area, with the author
being available for book signings.

Encuentro is also the triennial assembly of the National Association of
Hispanic/Latina Presbyterian Women (NAH/LPW), which was founded in 1998 and
this year approved its first bylaws. In addition, during a business session
held on  July 15, the following officers were unanimously elected to direct
the work of the NAH/LPW during the next three years: the Rev. Carmen
Rosario-Reyes, Synod of the Northeast, moderator; Margarita Reyes, Synod of
Southern California & Hawaii, vice-moderator; Patricia Lspez, Synod of the
Pacific, secretary; Sandra Gsmez, Synod of South Atlantic, treasurer; and
Rev. Reyna Mairena, Synod of the Sun, spiritual coordinator.

The weekend culminated with a worship service and the Lord's Supper, during
which Mairena in her sermon shared part of her faith journey as a woman, and
urged women to "strengthen their knees through a life of prayer and to put
their hand and feet at the service of God through praise, the proclamation
of the Gospel and works of justice and peace." Afterwards, Garcma
commissioned the new officers, charging them to "serve God, the Church and
this women's organization in particular with energy, intelligence,
imagination and love."

The Planning Committee for Encuentro III included the following members:
Florence Vargas, Synod of Puerto Rico, moderator; Rosy Aja-Muqoz, Synod of
South Atlantic; Hilda Cuadra, Synod of Southern California & Hawaii;
Esperanza Guajardo, Synod of the Sun; the Rev. Aleida Jernigan, Synod of the
Northwest; Silvia Velazquez, Synod of the Pacific; the Rev. Elisabel Ruiz
Quirss, theologian in residence; Esther Carvalhaes, representing the
Brazilian churches in the US; and Yolanda S. Hernandez, staff, Women's
Ministries Program Area.

The Encuentro was funded by several entities within the Presbyterian Church
(USA). Two special offerings were collected during the event. One will be
used to establish a scholarship fund to honor the Rev. Idalisa Fernandez and
to support Hispanic/Latina women who wish to attend training events such as
Encuentro. The other offering will be shared in equal parts, as in past
events, by the NAH/LPW and a ministry designated by the keynote speaker,
which this year will be the Foundation for the Adoption of Our Children, in
Quito, Ecuador.

As in previous years, the Third National Encuentro will serve as a
springboard for a series of regional encuentros which will be carried out by
the leaders and participants in their respective synods next year.

For more information, contact the Women's Ministries Program Area of the
Presbyterian Church (USA) at 1-888-728-7228, ext. 5361; Spanish speakers can
call 1-877-551-5336.
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