It is 2024! ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

As we begin, we already know that this year will be among one of the most consequential years both in our denomination as we wrestle with the kind of church God is calling us to be and across the globe as several countries including the US hold elections. All of this has the potential to bring up all kinds of uncertainty and anxiety around our future, our safety and the ability to actually be in community with one another.

Turning the corner into February and the celebration of Black History Month, the collective stories of our African-American siblings remind us that we have been in adverse and weary times before and they have the power to bring us hope once again.  In fact the gift of African American Spirituals is that they embody the stories of the Bible. These songs are from a community that learned the power of reading scripture in a way that turned the religion given to them baked in white supremacy, to a story inherent with themes of liberation, hope and freedom. Many oppressed people around the globe have learned to not only see themselves within the stories of the sacred text, but have also understood that they have agency to write themselves into these stories by acting on their own God given self-determination, sacredness and liberation.

When I was a little girl, my first grade teacher shared an album by the Fisk Jubilee Singers and their rendition of the spiritual, “Walk Together Children” with the class. I was transfixed by the harmony and by what seemed to me as though the singers were actually marching together as they were singing. It was in my head all day, and as I walked home I fixed my steps to its rhythm.  My teacher explained to us the history of this song and how spirituals were used to encourage, speak to and send messages to communities especially as a way to tell each other when was a good to plan their escape from slavery. Unlike today, we teachers actually did speak about the evils of slavery and racism back in my day.  Later, I learned that the original Fisk Jubilee Singers introduced ‘slave songs’ to the world in 1871 and were instrumental in preserving this unique American musical tradition known today as Negro spirituals.

According to work and research done on the African American Lectionary a collaborative project of The African American Pulpit and The American Baptist College of Nashville, “Walk Together Children” urges unity of purpose and reminds singers and listeners of the promise of a better day to come. As is the case with a number of spirituals, “Walk Together Children” offers layered meaning and emphasizes the coming reward. During slavery, the song was a joyful reminder of freedom and celebration to come, not only in Heaven, but also in earthly promised lands, including free states and territories. During the first “Freedom’s Eve,” with Abolition just hours away, and even in today’s African American congregations, “Walk Together Children” is a celebration of the victories already won and a promise of triumphs to come. “Camp Meetings” as referenced in the song, were church meetings, and indeed, the first Freedom’s Eve Watch Night services were a coming to pass of the promise of the Great Camp Meeting in the Promised Land—in this case, the newly freed states. This spiritual’s significance has continually evolved as congregations and freedom activists have altered the words and chorus to suit the moment and the movement.  “Walk Together Children” is a here and yet to come song, much like the way Jesus proclaimed that the kindom of God is among us.

This spiritual also served to call for unity in purpose and solidarity in one common purpose; freedom. It still reminds us that our strength lies in our ability to walk together, to hold each other up and to be in commitment to struggle together because we understand what Lilla Watson has reminded us, “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” At the National Plan we call it “acompañamiento” and it is the ability to walk alongside each other while one holds the melody the other holds the accompaniment and create a beautiful song.  In this season that we are living in, seeking and becoming reacquainted with spirituals just might be the source of strength we need to make it to that great meeting in Charlotte, NC.  May we walk together to the promise of mutuality, walk together to our sacredness and importance, walk together as followers of Jesus not only committed to making disciples, but walking together to the great camp meeting we create together!

Walk Together Children!

Rev. Dr. Lydia E Muñoz

Executive Director

CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH

We are collaborating with our partners at the General Commission on Religion and Race and The AfroLatine Theology Project to offer a virtual showing of Faith in Blackness.  The screening will be free followed by a discussion led by the documentary’s director and producer and moderated by the National Plan and GCORR.  Save the Date: Feb 29th 8pm EST/7 central/5pm Pac

To attend you must register in advance in order to secure the link.  

Estaremos colaborando con nuestros colegas de la Comisión General de Religión y Raza y el Proyecto de Teología AfroLatina para ofrecer una muestra virtual del documental Faith in Blackness (Fe en la Negritud). La proyección será gratuita seguida de un dialogo dirigido por el director y productor del documental y moderado por el Plan Nacional y GCORR. Para asistir es necesario registrarse previamente para poder asegurar el enlace.

Orden de San Lucas

Unete a nosotros para nuestra primera reunion organizadora del Capitulo Hispano/Latino de la Orden de San Lucas. No hay inscripción simplemente unete con el enlace.

¡Celebramos! Let’s Celebrate!

We celebrate with the Tenn/Western Kentucky Conference as they celebrated the first chartered congregation of their new annual conference area this past December.  We are especially excited because this chartered congregation is Iglesia Metodista Unida Ebenezer and their amazing pastor, Rev. Myriam Cortes.  Pastor Cortes credits the National Plan for this achievement as she has been diligent in training laity to develop ministries and communities of faith throughout the neighborhood with the National Plan’s lay missionary training, proving again that it is a congregational development model.

Celebramos con la conferencia de Tenn/WKentucky y la capitulación de la Iglesia Metodista Unida Ebenezer y su pastora, Rev. Myriam Cortes.  Esta es la primera capitulación que celebra esta nueva conferencia, y la pastora Myriam ha sido diligente en desarrollando sus laicos con los entrenamientos de misioneros laicos del Plan Nacional porque es un modelo para el desarrollo congregacional.

We continue our celebration with the North Carolina Annual Conference and Bishop Connie Shelton as they continue to be committed to the growth and development of Hispanic/Latino ministry in North Carolina with the National Plan.  It is incredibly affirming to the work of the Plan when annual conferences welcome us with open arms and open hearts as together we explore ways to expand the kindom of God.

We celebrate the appointment Noé Gabriel López as Associate Superintendent with Focus on Urban Ministry in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.  Pastor Gabe is also collaborating with the National Plan to write curriculum for Bilingual Public Theology.

¡En la Lucha! In the Struggle!

Together with MARCHA (Metodistas Asociados Representando la Causa Hispano Americano) and our partners at the General Board of Church and Society and our courageous congresswoman, Rep. Delia Ramirez we continue to make our mark among our political leaders.  Right now when we are in the midst of negotiations about the border, we know we are talking about real lives and real children of God. You can see Rep. Ramirez read our joint statement below.

We will continue to make our voice heard and so can you by getting involved.  Here is how you can through our friends at GBCS:

Celebramos el trabajo monumental de nuestra Hna. y compañera, Alma W. Perez cariñosamente conocida como Almita! Este recurso es vital para el ministerio de cuidado congregacional.  Ya esta disponible. Siga el enclace para mas informacion y para ordenar su copia ya.

Coming Soon! ¡Llegando Pronto!

A New Lay Missioner Track for Bicultural Public Theology Communities of Faith

We are in the writing stage with our team of bilingual/bicultural practitioners of new curriculum as announced at our Entre Nos conference in October 2023 for a new lay missioner track that trains laity who identify as not only bilingual but bicultural, 2nd, 3rd or more generation Latinx.  This training will follow the same lay missioner model of SEE - DISCERN - ACT but with an emphasis on public theology and witness. Our partners at Discipleship Ministries will help us have this final product launched in the fall 2024.

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Estamos muy contentos de anunciar que el Plan Nacional contratará al Dr. Pedro Zavala por su trabajo fundamental en las traducciones y contextualización de los Diarios de Carlos Wesley.  El Dr. Zavala nos honra con su trabajo con un Bachillers Licenciado en Filosofía por la Universidad Pontificia de

México; Maestro

´

Grado. Estudios Latinoamericanos (énfasis en

Filosofía y teología latinoamericanas); Doctor. latinoamericano

Estudios (énfasis en filosofía y teología latinoamericana)

en la UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México).

Académico. Más de 16 años de experiencia en el Tecnológico de

Monterrey (ITESM), Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana

(UCSJ), Comunidad Teológica de México (CTM), Universidad

Nacional y a Distancia de México (UNADM), Seminario Metodista

Dr. Gonzalo Báez Camargo, Preparatoria Del Valle. Académico

Decano. Seminario Metodista, Dr. Gonzalo Báez Camargo (2013-

2019). Presidente. Consejo editorial de CUPSA. Casa Unida de

Publicaciones de la Iglesia Metodista de México (2017-2022).

Editor y traductor (Eng-Spa). CUPSA, GBGM, UMC. Nacionalmente

aclamado escritor por la novela 'All In, Sinatra,

' (Mauricio Achar-

Premio Penguin Random House, 2018). Columnista. Contra Réplica

Diario. Escritor (freelance) para la revista Rolling Stone, Playboy

Revista, La Jornada y Publimetro

(Periódico). Lector especializado (filosofía y teología),

Universidad de Costa Rica. Lector especializado (filosofía y

teología), CIALC (Centro de Estudios Latinoamericanos y Caribeños

Estudios), UNAM. Miembro. Consejo editorial. Christus, Revista de

Teología y Ciencias Humanas, Universidad Iberoamericana

(Jesuitas). Autor. 4ª edición del Diccionario histórico de

Metodismo. Princeton, Estados Unidos.

Este trabajo y el modulo de estudio que acompañara este trabajo estara disponible en Julio 2024.

Recursos para la Adoración