Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

            I would like to share my wonderful experiences at the Nuevo Amanecer conference held at the Peachtree Conference Center in Atlanta between June 30^th and July 3^rd, 2008. It was my first time attending the conference provided by the Episcopal Church Latino/Hispanic Ministries. I hope that, as was the case with me, other participants have great stories, new experiences, and contacts to share with members of their congregations.

The excitement started when we arrived at the Atlanta airport - a labyrinth of a place where even frequent flyers get easily lost, corridors turning right and left, and the multitude of travelers rushing here and there.  As soon as we got to the baggage claim area there were Latino Episcopalians from local churches waiting to greet us and direct us to our baggage claim areas and to our rides.  They received us with radiant hospitable smiles bearing colorful Nuevo Amanecer signs.  There joy set the tone for the conference!

From the moment we registered at the Convention Center and until we departed to our respective homes on Thursday I continued to experience friendliness, love, and happiness throughout our group.  There were many effortless opportunities to engage with people from all over the United States and Province IX dioceses.  We talked about our ministries, our congregations, our people, our challenges, and our opportunities.  The Nuevo Amanecer participants visited with one another, we sang, we broke bread together, we danced, and just enjoyed each others company.

Right now my spirit is full of nourishment, thoughts to ponder, and ideas that will help me, and I am sure many other participants, to propagate the Good News.  The most enjoyable moments for me was being reunited with old friends and colleagues in ministry that I had met in different parts of our Communion – men and women who are eager to share their experiences and dreams of the kingdom of God in their spiritual homes.  It was also inspiring and transforming to hear the stories of new laity in the Episcopal Church and from Latino cradle Episcopalians about establishing new Hispanic Ministries in different states and Province IX.  Whenever I spoke to others about my ministries in Salem, MA many brothers and sisters listened attentively, offered their encouragement, understanding, and support for those of us who are doing the “feet on the street ministries” of planting new churches.

The workshops offered had deliberate and powerful messages, they were seedbeds of ideas.  Some of the diverse resources are ready to be implemented in ones own community and they also helped me envision what might work in my own context, including materials that could be used for future presentations.  The workshops included a presentation for participants inquiring about receiving the blessing of being part of the one body of Christ through ordained vocations, models for inviting and bringing un-churched and under-churched people into our congregations, a workshop on immigration reform and how the Episcopal Church advocates for undocumented families living in this country, the mission goals for the millennium and how they apply to alleviate the reality of those living in extreme poverty in Latin America and the countries of the Caribbean, ways for all of us to live more profoundly our prayer and spiritual lives, and ways in which we can invite our communities to contribute through financial stewardship. There were also opportunities for participants to facilitate informal small group discussions led by participants themselves who shared particular interests, those discussions took place after a much needed siesta at dusk!

The food was great! I was constantly surprised by the “picante” in some of the main dishes and tempted greatly by the variety of “postres” that have me dieting right now to avoid the “libritas de sobrepeso”

In the informal small group discussion that I led I was happy to present to several women the mentoring program called Ruth and Naomi. This program invites three generation of women to share their wisdom by sharing with others their spiritual resources and child-rearing skills.

I cannot forget to thank our Presiding Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, for her inspiring presence and participation the first two days of Nuevo Amanecer; for the attendance and participation of other Bishops in the Episcopal Church and Province 9 who were present to support us and to share their thoughts and good humor. Their messages invited us to reflect on justice and unity and encourage us to continue with our different and varied ministries. 

I loved the music, I loved participating in the daily liturgies, and to see and admire in a profound and special way the great work of love, respect, and dedication that our Hispanic Missioner Anthony Guillen and his team of volunteers and organizers of this conference had.  ¡Gracias!    .

Finally and also very important to mention is my gratitude for the kindness and good will of all the employees of the Convention Center. Their hospitality provided us three days in which we felt relaxed, cared for, and safe. 

Thanks to all those persons who made this gathering possible. God bless our Hispanic Ministry and that we continue to grow in faith, love and hope in God through his Son Jesus Christ. I look forward to our next reunion because when we gather together it is easier for us to get ahead in our work, to see our vision more clearly, and to present ways to grow, support one another, share dreams, hopes, and the different ways in which we can serve our beloved communities.   

A very cordial embrace form your sister in Christ,

Ema Rosero-Nordalm

Iglesia de Gracia, Salem, MA.

erosero@bu.edu