Listing of Hispanic Faith Networks

            Below is a listing of fourteen networks of Hispanic churches that have some emphasis on community outreach. These networks were identified in the course of the Hudson Institute’s Faith in Communities office’s research throughout 2003 on behalf of AMEN (the Alianza de Ministerios Evangelicos Nacionales). While most of these networks are “Hispanic owned and operated,” some are not. The latter represent collaborations between a Hispanic network and another non-Hispanic organization. For each network, you will see a brief description (drawn from the network’s website and/or interviews with its leader) and a listing of the principal leaders of these efforts, along with these individuals’ contact information.

LPAC’s Association of Church-based Community Ministries

          The Association of Church-based Community Ministries is a network of over 55 organizations that have received technical assistance from the Latino Pastoral Action Center (LPAC) or want to network with other church-based community ministry leaders. Membership is $25. Members are invited to specifically designed workshops and LPAC’s  annual conference on para-church or church-based community ministry issues.

Ray Rivera, President
(718) 681-2361                 

The Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity

          The Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity (HCPV) is an organization of pastors and ministers with a desire and commitment to minister God’s love, hope, and faith to the Hispanic community in the Delaware Valley and Vicinity. The organization’s aim includes assisting and supporting its membership in ministry by stimulating ministerial communication, cooperation and fellowship, providing leadership, training, spiritual and technical assistance as well as representation before government entities.

          In addition, HCPV seeks to fulfill a vision of "holistic ministry" and improve the quality of life in our communities. Hispanic Clergy will develop and promote community outreach services designed to address spiritual, educational, social and cultural concerns.

Luis Cortes, Founder, Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity
4261 North 5^th Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140.
215-324-0746

Latino Leadership Foundation

          This organization provides specialized training for churches and organizations designed to equip them to engage in effective ministry in the Latino community. Staff and associates provide short or long-term consulting to ministries desiring to engage in more effective outreach or community development in the barrio. The Foundation also assists ministries serving the Latino community to manage government grants received from City, State, or Federal agencies, as well as helping with reporting and administrative duties. The Foundation has launched a 15-month training/leadership development program for a cohort of twelve young pastors/church leaders to encourage their growth as spiritual leaders who can mobilize church-based action for community transformation.

Noel Castellanos, President, Latino Leadership Foundation
1111 N. Wells St.
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 850-1650

Mid-Atlantic Compassion Network

          The mission of the Mid-Atlantic Compassion Network is to link together principal networks that daily serve the poor during their times of crisis.  Its vision is to funnel funds and material goods by informing principal leaders across the mid-Atlantic region on the location of their whereabouts, and assisting them in taking delivery.  The purpose of the Latino Advisory Team within the Network is to focus specifically on networking Hispanic churches within the mid-Atlantic region. This is still a fairly recent effort.

Miguel Dabul,Director, Latino Advisory Team
(757) 480-5411
http://midatlanticcompassionministries.org/latino/

Rafael Guevara,President, Evangelical Association of Hispanic Ministers, Washington, D.C.
Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal 'El Shofar;
(301) 270-0500

          Guevara is President of an interdenominational alliance of Hispanic pastors in the Washington, D.C.area. He is part of the Latino Advisory Team for the mid-Atlantic Compassion Network.

World Vision’s Metro Seattle and Tacoma Hispanic Initiative

          World Vision works closely with a regional alliance of Hispanic pastors called Ministerios Evangelicos Hispanos del Noroeste (MEHN) to meet the needs of the Hispanic community in the Seattle-Tacoma area, which is served by more than 300 Hispanic churches. MEHN itself represents four smaller, local alliances of pastors, from the Seattle-Tacoma area, Yakima, Portland, and Vancouver, B.C. 

Tito Hinojo: Hispanic Ministries Specialist
World Vision Seattle Tacoma
(253) 815-2689
http://www.worldvision.org/8525644B006FF375/0/7701C4BC47A447A888256C0500560D15

(The following two individuals are contacts for two of the four local alliances that comprise MEHN):

Jesus Gutierrez, President, Alianza Evangelica del Noroeste
2819 South 208 Street
Sea Tac, WA 98198
(206) 870-8766       

Enedeo Garza, Past President, Associacion Evangelical delValle de Yakima
12 North J Street
PO Box 126
Toppenish, WA 98948
(509) 961-7124

MEHN also partners with Alianza de Ministerios Evangelicos Nacionales (AMEN) to strengthen and expand its effectiveness in the Northwest.

AMEN (Alianza de Ministerios Evangelicos Nacionales)

          AMEN is a national, multi-denominational faith-based association of evangelical Hispanic leadership. Led by Dr. Jesse Miranda, a professor at Vanguard University in California, AMEN brings years of experience, passion, and vision to help train and mobilize the Hispanic faith community. In Southern California, World Vision and AMEN are working to promote and develop unity among the more than 850 Hispanic churches in the region. 

Dr. Jesse Miranda, President
909-833-6300

AMEN also has regional representatives:

Rev. Rodolfo Carrion
AMEN-Northeast
10 Margo Court
Suffern, N.Y. 10901
917-975-1197

Francisco Colop
(AMEN-Southwest)

International Bible Society
P.O. Box 6447
Austin, TX78762
Work: 512-926-9611
Fax: 512-927-1517

Dr. Luciano Jaramillo
AMEN-Board of Directors
959 N.W. 106th AvenueCircle
Miami, FL 33172
Work: 305-640-1910

Pedro Windsor
AMEN-Board of Directors
3058 West Amitage Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
773-227-4673

World Vision’s La Alianza

          This new network represents Latino churches and leaders of the Southern California area. Over 10 denominations and a number of independent church networks are working to launch this new and exciting network committed to the poor. Its focus is on having a tangible impact on area churches at the local level.  This is in contrast to AMEN's focus, which tends to be more on a national level.

Martin Garcia: Hispanic Ministries Specialist
3055 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1030
Los Angeles, CA 90010

World Vision Los Angeles
(213) 351-1320 x228

Let’s Partner Network/Eleazar Partnerships

          Let’s Partner Network is the vision of HABBM, Inc. (the Hispanic Association for Bi-lingual, Bi-cultural Ministries).   Eleazar Partnerships is the capacity building arm of Let’s Partner Network. Let’s Partner Network is made up of networks of Evangelical churches and ministries found throughout the Greater Los Angeles region.

Requirement for membership is limited:

·         Partner groups must represent a network of five or more churches and/or ministries;

·         The churches or ministries must be Evangelical works committed to community transformation.

Eleazar Partnerships is designed to help networks influence and more effectively impact their local/regional area. Let's Partner networks individuals that have the desire to be effective community agents, but lack financial resources and the know-how to write grants, obtain technical information, and the like.  Let's Partner brings them together to inform them of available resources. Currently, Eleazar is building relationships with other organizations (not just Latino)--churches, faith-based and non-faith based nonprofits--to bring resources to various regions of Southern California.

Lee de Leon, Executive Director, Eleazar Partnerships
4431 Jupiter Drive
Riverside, CA  92505
(909) 343-0733
http://www.letspartner.net

Obras de Amor: The Kingdom Coalition

          Obras de Amor (ODA) is the community development arm of Templo Calvario, Santa Ana, CA. Templo Calvario, pastored by Daniel DeLeon, is the largest Hispanic congregation in the United States.  ODA has a network of over 35 inner city churches committed to outreach work. ODA works primarily with Latino churches referred to as "The Kingdom Coalition.”  Within the Kingdom Coalition they network with 57 churches or affiliates and with some of the largest FBOs (many of which are not Latino), such as the Salvation Army and Community Action Partnerships.

Eric Adams, Director, Obras de Amor
Templo Calvario
2617 W. 5th Street
Santa Ana, CA 92703
(714) 834-9331

Unidos Por Jesucristo

          This is a growing network of Latino churches (primarily independent) in the greater Los Angeles region. Its goal is to unite and better equip Latino leaders and their churches.

Miguel Batz
9307 Washburn Road 224
Downey, CA 90242
(562) 869-4050

Hispanic Christian Church Association of Central Florida

          This network tends to focus primarily on collaborative efforts aimed at evangelistic outreach, although it has engaged in some efforts aimed at providing community servicing programs.

Edgardo Luis Lopez, President, Hispanic Christian Church Association of Florida
P.O. Box 721235
Orlando, FL 32872
(407) 208-0007

Coalition for Hispanic Ministries

          Among Friends churches, CHM is the only organization that links Hispanic groups nationwide and across the continent.  Its emphasis is on leadership training, and some of this relates to community development.

David Byrne, Director, Coalition for Hispanic Ministries
(713) 946-3056
http://www.institutoalma.org/CHM.htm

Intercultural Leadership Network

          Albert Reyes has been networking in the San Antonio area for past 15 years. He is president of the Hispanic Theological School and founder of the Intercultural Leadership network. The Hispanic Theological School is becoming a hub of Hispanic work in the state.

Albert Reyes
8019 S. Pan Am Expressway
San Antonio, TX 78224
(210) 924-4338

Coalition of Latin American Ministers

          This network represents a coalition of 300 churches in Chicago.

Daniel Matos-Real
danielecle@aol.com

Informal Hispanic Evangelical Network in Chicago

Daniel Alvarez
312-932-0732

          Alvarez is a Chicago gatekeeper who meets with Hispanic pastors from 30 different churches on a regular basis. He is highly respected and is a gatekeeper to Chicago’s Hispanic Evangelical community. He is currently working with a group of pastors for fellowship and support; the group has no political agenda.  Alvarez helped to found CASA, the largest Hispanic social service agency in the Chicago.

Ayuda para Enseñar a Jóvenes Habilidades para Escuchar y Comunicarse Efectivamente

(Adaptado de Liderazgo 101: Desarrollando Habilidades de Liderazgo para una Juventud Resistente, Una Guía para el Facilitador por Mariam MacGregor, Youthleadership.com, 2000. Usado con permiso.)

Consejos para Escuchar Activamente

• Use respuestas básicas “exploratorias” como: ”¿Cómo así?” ”¿Dé que manera?” “¿Por qué?” o ”Cuéntame más…”
• Parafrasée el mensaje del expositor y repítaselo de vuelta.
• Reconozca verbalmente que usted entiende los pensamientos y sentimientos de la otra persona.
• Use postura corporal, contacto de ojos y otras técnicas de comunicación no-verbales que envien el mensaje que usted está comprometido con lo que el expositor está diciendo.

“Obstáculos” para Escuchar Activamente

Prácticando: gastar su energía mental en preparar lo que va a decir como respuesta

Juzgando: “tachar” a una persona de estúpida o icompetente y por consiguiente no tomar atención a lo que ella o él está diciendo

Identificando: relatándose a sí mismo todo lo que la persona dice para que la conversación se enfoque en usted

Aconsejando: tratando de resolver un problema o dar consejo sin terminar de escuchar lo que otra persona está diciendo

Condescendiendo: siendo muy rápido en estar en desacuerdo o crear argumento con el orador

Desviando: constantemente cambiando el tema de la conversación

Soñando: “irse” o soñar despierto en vez de enfocarse en lo que el orador está diciendo

Limando asperezas: siendo tan preocupado que es usted muy placentero, agradable y cae tan bien que usted no toma atención realmente a lo que la persona está diciendo

Comunicación no-verbal

La comunicación no-verbal puede ser más poderosa que la comunicación verbal. Puede contradecir o socavar la comunicación verbal. Usted puede darse cuenta qué tan bien está recibiendo una persona su mensaje observando sus “señales” no verbales. Es importante realizar que la comunicación no-verbal es a veces conectada fuertemente a la cultura y género, y que la misma “señal” puede llevar diferentes significados cuando proviene de diferentes personas. Cuando usted no está seguro de los que alguien está comunicando, es siempre mejor pedir aclaración.

Cinco partes de Comunicación no-verbal

Hay cinco “canales” principales para comunicación no-verbal—postura, gestos, contacto visual, expresiones faciales, y cualidades vocales. Los siguientes son algunos ejemplos de tipos de comunicación en cada una de las categorías:

Postura: hombros caídos puede sugerir aburrimiento, reclinarse hacia adelante puede sugerir interés y apertura, etc.

Gestos: puños apretados sugieren enojo, manos temblorosas pueden sugerir nervios

Contacto visual: evadir la mirada puede sugerir inseguridad, ver hacia abajo sugiere vergüenza, ver a los ojos directamente sugiere confianza

Expresiones faciales: aparte de los obvios—sonrisas, ceño fruncido, etc.—las expresiones faciales pueden esconder la verdadera intención del mensaje

Cualidades verbales: levantar el volúmen de la voz puede sugerir enojo, murmurar puede sugerir inseguridad, hablar demasiado despacio y deliberadamente puede comunicar que usted cree que la otra persona no le entiende