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BISHOP'S OFFICE

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

We live in a demanding season, when economic inequities, immigration struggles, and social divisions weigh heavily upon our nation and our churches. Yet the Spirit calls us not into despair but into deeper discipleship. Paul reminds us in Galatians 3:28 (NRSVA) “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus”. This vision of unity is not an abstract idea but a summons: the Church is called to live as a community of justice, mercy, and beloved-ness.

Hispanic Heritage Month, observed nationally from September 15 to October 15, is more than a cultural commemoration. It is a theological invitation to recognize how the Spirit of God speaks through Hispanic/Latinx sisters and brothers in Christ. Their worship, their family-centered faith, and their resilient hope testify to a God who is faithful even in adversity. As the psalmist declares, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150:6).

Here in Ohio, Hispanic/Latinx communities are our neighbors in the fields, the schools, the factories, and the pews. They are a vital and growing part of Ohio even though they comprise only 4.4% of the State’s population. From farm towns in Northwest Ohio to vibrant neighborhoods in Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton, and Cincinnati, Latinx families enrich our communities with culture, labor, and faith. At the same time, they carry heavy burdens: rising housing costs, inadequate healthcare, unjust wages, and the constant anxiety of immigration uncertainty. These are not only political concerns; they are gospel concerns. To follow Christ faithfully in Ohio is to see these struggles as part of our shared discipleship.

Hispanic theologians teach us that solidarity is not charity but kinship. Justo L. González reminds us that the Church’s identity is incomplete without the contributions of Latinx communities, whose stories of struggle and hope mirror the biblical narratives of exile and exodus. Ada María Isasi-Díaz, in her mujerista theology, reminds us that lo cotidiano – the daily lives of Hispanic women and families – is where God’s Spirit most powerfully moves. These voices invite us to see Ohio’s Hispanic neighbors not as outsiders to be helped but as co-creators of God’s future among us.

So, what does this mean for us as the Church in Ohio? It means partnership. It means local congregations opening their doors and hearts to build real relationships with immigrant families. It means bilingual worship where voices are lifted together in praise. It means partnering with local schools, advocacy groups, and community centers to strengthen families and neighborhoods. It means offering ministries of food security, legal assistance, sanctuary, and voter education so that our neighbors know the Church as a place of refuge and empowerment. We pray and hope to start many new Hispanic United Methodist communities in Ohio Land.

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in Ohio is to enter more deeply into the mystery of God’s kingdom – where many become one and where justice and mercy kiss. It is to hear the gospel’s call not to settle for silence or indifference but to walk in solidarity and beloved community. May we, the Church of Jesus Christ in Ohio, awaken to this calling so that our witness may shine with the light of the gospel and our lives may bear the fruit of God’s kingdom – on earth as it is in heaven.