written by Jarrett Meek, Executive Director
What happens when the "us and them" mentality of service gives way to a new "we" where friendship is genuine and serving is done side by side? Amazing things! On Saturday night the Lord put an exclamation point on the last 18 months of hard work that Mission Adelante's Latino ministry has done toward developing a new multicultural leadership team. This leadership team, called EQUIPOS, is made up of several sub-teams and is an integrated mix of leaders who are emerging from within our own community. This shift from "us serving them", to "we're all serving together" has created a beautiful sense of community and a new "we"!
On Saturday evening, the events team spread their wings as they hosted our annual Christmas party for the first time. Cynthia Acosta, from Mexico, led the team, and the party took on a uniquely Latino feel. Community members, English students, and volunteers brought food, and the buffet line was filled with delicious dishes. The Mexican folkloric dance group, "Fiesta Mexicana" performed for an hour, showing off spectacularly colored dresses and beautifully choreographed dances from different regions in Mexico. The evening continued with awards for our Kids Adelante and ESL participants. And, just when everybody thought things were winding down, Jaime Soriano, our very own DJ, put on the Latin dance music, and a dance party emerged that included Cuban Salsa music and even a line dance done to the Spanish version of Achy Breaky Heart.
Besides being the funnest party our Latino ministry has ever hosted, it embodied many of our core values. We celebrated culture, relationships were interdependent, community leaders were empowered, and we did it together in the name of Jesus!
