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African American church embraces Hispanic neighbors


[SLIDESHOW=42335,42336]LA PUENTE, Calif. (BP) — At the end of a Black History Month-themed service at St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church, pastor Anthony Dockery rose to tell about his recent mission trip to El Salvador.

The mission team had served in the hometown of Jose Rivas, one of the pastors at St. Stephen. Beyond “good morning” and “God bless you,” Dockery had relied on Rivas for Spanish translation while in the Central American country.

The African American congregation enthusiastically applauded the news that 500 people came to the party hosted by St. Stephen in El Salvador.

Nationally, denominations and church networks are looking to bridge the gap between Anglo and African American churches. But in La Puente, Calif., about 20 miles east of Los Angeles, St. Stephen finds itself bridging African American and Hispanic communities.

St. Stephen, a 4,000-member church with a 51-year history, has seen La Puente change dramatically. Years ago, the neighborhood surrounding St. Stephen was primarily African American. Latino residents now account for 85 percent of the city’s population, with African Americans at less than 2 percent, according to the U.S. Census.

Longtime church members have moved further into the Inland Empire region east of Los Angeles, Dockery says, yet many remain loyal to St. Stephen and commute back on Sunday mornings.

Still, it’s not certain that younger generations will continue the practice, Dockery says, noting, “It’s important for the church to be relevant to its community as well.”

Seeking to reach its transitioning neighborhood, St. Stephen has welcomed Rivas as its Spanish-language minister.

A native of El Salvador, Rivas came to La Puente to establish a new church, and St. Stephen volunteered its space to his congregation. In December 2013, however, the Spanish-language ministry decided to merge with St. Stephen’s existing community rather than start from scratch.

“Their way of doing ministry aligned with what we wanted to do with our Spanish church,” Rivas explains. “St. Stephen has a tremendous program in leadership and Christian education.”

About 100 people now attend a Spanish-language service while the predominantly African American English speakers are in Sunday School classes.

The Spanish speakers have their own adult Sunday School, using the Spanish edition of the Bible Studies for Life curriculum from LifeWay Christian Resources. Children and English-speaking young people are incorporated into the English Sunday School.

While services remain separate due to language, other activities, such as the basketball league and church picnics, are for everybody, Rivas says.

One of his challenges is making sure the wider community knows that the historically African American church has a Spanish-speaking ministry.

St. Stephen reaches out to the local community through a food bank and a block party where people can access donated clothing and basic medical services. Since the Spanish ministry began, more Hispanics have started attending the event which Rivas describes as “a blessing to the church.”

St. Stephen’s approach to reaching its community is similar to how Rivas started an outreach in his hometown in El Salvador. He and his sister brought cake on a visit seven years ago and invited neighbors to come to a “birthday party.” Sixty kids came.

The next year, they repeated the party and spread the invitation further, with 300-plus kids on hand. At that point, they started to organize Bible study classes and establish a church.

Dockery and two African American women from St. Stephen accompanied Rivas’ most recent mission team last year. The congregation at St. Stephen donated 243 backpacks to the town’s children.

Whether in El Salvador or their own backyard, missionary work “has united us more in serving God,” Rivas says. “We believe church is to serve the families, obviously starting at home in our Jerusalem, which is here in La Puente.

“Whenever you bring races together like this, it’s God’s power,” Dockery says. “Love indeed conquers all.”

    About the Author

  • Megan Sweas

    Megan Sweas is a freelance journalist in Los Angeles. This story first appeared in the Winter issue of Facts & Trends [URL=http://factsandtrends.net]http://factsandtrends.net[/URL], published by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.

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