Urbana 2000 Webcast
Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2000The Feet Of The Mission Are Changing Color
"The
feet of the mission are changing color. Now they are
not just exclusively white, but there are also blacks, yellow, red and
brown. " Loud cheers followed Diana Barrera's declaration of the role of Hispanic people in God's mission of love to the world. Barrera is the Executive Director of COMHINA, a North American mission mobilization for Hispanics.
Barrera, speaking in Spanish and translated into English, told of God's love and grace that reached her grandparents in an Hispanic church in New York City in 1920. God's love compelled them to serve in Cuba where they planted 27 churches with thousands of members.
Barrera's own family history in a small way mirrors God's work of love among the Hispanic nations. At the turn of the last century, the evangelical church existed in only three Hispanic nations outside of North America - Cuba, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Now, there are evangelical churches in all the 25 Hispanic nations, 6 million believers and a missionary force of more than 4,000 working not only in Latin American countries but among unreached peoples all around the world.
Since the 1980's the churches of Latin America have led this thrust. Challenged by the Latin American church, North American Hispanic churches organized COMHINA in 1993.
Through committees in North American cities, COMHINA mobilizes the members of the more than 2,000 Hispanic churches to intercede for God's work through COMHINA and for the world's unreached peoples.
COMHINA places a special emphasis on reaching the current Hispanic student generation that is characterized by a desire to regain its Latin roots. Seeing God's work among student fills Barrera with confidence. "As we begin this new century, we are with the expectation that God is going to move within the Hispanic church. Not just with the number of people who are going to come to the Lord in North America, but also because God has given us the passion to see the unreached people come to the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
Following Barrera's remarks, the delegates passionately joined the worship band in a Spanish chorus:
Te alabare, oh Senor,
(I will praise you, oh Lord)
Invocare tu santo nombre.
(I will speak of your holy name)
Siempre dare a concocer
(I will always make known)
En los pueblos, tus obras.
(In the towns, your works.)
Grandes Son, grande Son
Grandes Son tus maravillas
(Great are, great are, great are your wonders.)
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