• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • BUSINESS
  • SCIENCE
  • LIFESTYLE
  • TECH
How a Latino congregation in California found itself at the center of ELCA’s racial reckoning

How a Latino congregation in California found itself at the center of ELCA’s racial reckoning

August 11, 2022
Benson Hill Announces Preliminary Unaudited 2022 Results and … – Business Wire

iSun Inc. Wins Two New Solar Projects Valued at $4.9 Million in Maine – Business Wire

March 29, 2023
Benson Hill Announces Preliminary Unaudited 2022 Results and … – Business Wire

Redwire Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 … – Business Wire

March 29, 2023
2023 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game: Photos and recap

2023 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game: Photos and recap

March 29, 2023
Kylie Jenner Rocks Crop Top & Leggings During Workout Routine: Video – Hollywood Life

Kylie Jenner Rocks Crop Top & Leggings During Workout Routine: Video – Hollywood Life

March 29, 2023
Tips To Cut Costs On Training Development

Tips To Cut Costs On Training Development

March 29, 2023
Target Announces Spring Designer Collection With RHODE, Fe Noel, and Agua Bendita – Target Spring Designer Collection 2023

Target Announces Spring Designer Collection With RHODE, Fe Noel, and Agua Bendita – Target Spring Designer Collection 2023

March 29, 2023
The BEST Twice Baked Potatoes

The BEST Twice Baked Potatoes

March 29, 2023
Vaccination Could Reduce Risk of Long COVID, Study Shows

Bias, Lack of Access Make Long COVID Worse for Patients of Color

March 29, 2023
Even in Ancient Times, Soldiers Wrote Messages on Ammunition

Even in Ancient Times, Soldiers Wrote Messages on Ammunition

March 29, 2023
Benson Hill Announces Preliminary Unaudited 2022 Results and … – Business Wire

Ault Alliance’s Subsidiary, BitNile Inc., Collaborates with Core … – Business Wire

March 29, 2023
Religious attendance dips slightly after pandemic

Religious attendance dips slightly after pandemic

March 29, 2023
The King of Prussia Mall

The King of Prussia Mall

March 29, 2023
  • Home
  • News
    • PRESS RELEASE
  • Shop
  • BUSINESS
    • CRYPTO
    • ECONOMY
    • FINANCE
    • MARKET
    • MONEY
  • TECH
    • APPS
    • GADGET
    • MOBILE
    • SCIENCE
  • SOCIAL MEDIA
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS & THEATER
    • GAMING
    • GAMBLING
    • MOVIE
    • MUSIC
    • SHOWS
    • SPORTS
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CELEBRITY
    • CULTURE
    • Education
    • FASHION
    • FOOD
    • HEALTH
    • HISTORY
    • Nature
    • Religion
    • Shopping
    • TRAVEL
  • REAL ESTATE
  • Blog
  • Classifieds
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Religion

How a Latino congregation in California found itself at the center of ELCA’s racial reckoning

by Minnesota Digital News
August 11, 2022
in Religion
0
How a Latino congregation in California found itself at the center of ELCA’s racial reckoning
491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


STOCKTON, Calif. (RNS) — A joyous celebration honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe was well underway at Misión Latina Luterana last December when the Rev. Megan Rohrer, then-bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod, announced to the Latino congregation that its pastor, the Rev. Nelson Rabell-González, had been fired.

After a few moments of confused chaos, the parishioners walked out, carrying their statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe with them. “The Virgin goes toward the front!” a woman advised as they left the sanctuary.

Rohrer — who had made history months before by being elected the first transgender bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United States’ largest Lutheran denomination— stood by and watched the congregants leave. One parishioner asked the bishop, “Do you know what you’re doing?”

“We’re a community under the same faith,” another woman said. “If they don’t respect this special day, what else can we expect?” the woman was heard saying in live video of the service.


RELATED: Why the largest US Lutheran denomination apologized to a Latino congregation


Eight months later, the 100 or so members of Misión Latina Luterana — now renamed Iglesia Luterana Santa María Peregrina — find themselves at the center of a racial reckoning in the ELCA, one of the nation’s least diverse denominations. 

Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, left, speaks during the ELCA Churchwide Assembly at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 9, 2022. RNS photo by Emily McFarlan Miller

Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, left, delivers an apology to members of Iglesia Luterana Santa María Peregrina during the ELCA Churchwide Assembly at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 9, 2022. RNS photo by Emily McFarlan Miller

Rohrer’s insensitivity in choosing to remove Rabell-González on Our Lady of Guadalupe’s feast day — a high point of Mexican Christianity — followed by the ham-handed handling of the aftermath by denominational leaders, “exposed the depth of systemic racism that we wrestle with as a church and in society,” said ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton in an apology delivered Tuesday (Aug. 9) at the denomination’s triennial meeting in Columbus, Ohio.

Leaders of the denomination, which is 96% white, say they’re striving toward “becoming a multiethnic and multicultural church” as they grapple with the disruption.

What was truly demeaning, congregants told Religion News Service in a visit to the church last month, is that they were never taken into account. If church leaders truly felt their pastor posed a threat, why weren’t they properly informed about anything? 

And though the congregation walked out after Rohrer’s announcement on Dec. 12, its members say they were the ones who were eventually abandoned. With Rabell-González’s firing, the congregation lost its funding and support from the denomination.

Bertha and Tony Castro, congregants of Iglesia Luterana Santa María Peregrina, listen to an apology during the ELCA Churchwide Assembly at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. RNS photo by Emily McFarlan Miller

Bertha and Tony Castro, congregants of Iglesia Luterana Santa María Peregrina, listen to an apology during the ELCA Churchwide Assembly at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 9, 2022. RNS photo by Emily McFarlan Miller

“They kicked us out of the church that day and they forgot about us,” Bertha Castro, of Iglesia Luterana Santa María Peregrina, told RNS in late July. “They left us with no one.”

Rohrer, who has since resigned as bishop, fired Rabell-González after receiving “continual communications of verbal harassment and retaliatory actions” by the pastor, which he has denied. “The severity of the situation required immediate action to safeguard the Latinx community,” according to the statement from the Sierra Pacific Synod.

Now, Bishop Claire Burkat, who has stepped in as interim bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod, has promised the congregation an investigation into the circumstances of Rabell-González’s removal and an opportunity for the pastor to publicly address the complaints against him. The congregation will also participate in the investigation.

Rabell-González is asking to be reinstated to the ELCA roster “after a thorough and just investigation has been completed.” 


RELATED: ELCA presiding bishop releases report examining removal of Latino pastor by Bishop Rohrer


Many members of Iglesia Luterana Santa María Peregrina have been with Rabell-González since about 2019, when he led another church in the nearby city of Lodi. 

Jovita Torres began driving from her home in Stockton to Lodi for services about two years ago, after years of worshipping at a Roman Catholic Church that she and her husband didn’t find fulfilling. She recalled a time when she tried to organize outreach efforts at the parish to benefit victims of an earthquake in Morelos, Mexico, only to be scolded by the priest as “opportunistic.”

“We thought we were a part of the church,” she said.

Carlos Navarro, another congregant, made finding a new neighborhood parish a main goal after moving to Stockton from Oakland, where his Catholic parish was “very united.” He hoped to find something similar. Instead, he was dismayed when he said many of the area Christian churches he visited would immediately ask him for money.

His wife heard about Rabell-González’s congregation. “When I entered their church, everyone received me. Welcome, they said.”

The Rev. Nelson Rabell-González, right, pastor of Iglesia Luterana Santa María Peregrina, leads service on July 24, 2022, at First Congregational Church in Stockton, California. RNS photo by Alejandra Molina

The Rev. Nelson Rabell-González, right, pastor of Iglesia Luterana Santa María Peregrina, leads service on July 24, 2022, at First Congregational Church in Stockton, California. RNS photo by Alejandra Molina

On a recent Sunday in late July, dozens of the church’s members attended a noon service in a meeting room at the First Congregational Church in Stockton. A small statue of Our Virgin of Guadalupe was placed prominently. Tamales and doughnuts were on hand.

At the service, Rabell-González focused on the Lord’s Prayer and challenged parishioners to not center themselves and their needs when they’re praying.

“When you’re crying for justice, for equality, for health, for economic prosperity, for the bread of every day, don’t forget to ask for your brothers and sisters, for other countries in the world,” Rabell-González said.

“It’s important to connect yourself to the rest of the world,” he said.

As Rabell-González petitioned for prayers, congregants prayed for immigrants and migrant workers, for peace in Ukraine and Central America. Rabell-González’s wife asked that they pray for “justice within the church of God.”

“We understand that, although God is the center of the church, its leaders are humans and they make mistakes,” she said.

The Rev. Nelson Rabell-González, center, pastor of Iglesia Luterana Santa María Peregrina, speaks to youth on July 24, 2022, at First Congregational Church in Stockton, California. RNS photo by Alejandra Molina

The Rev. Nelson Rabell-González, center, pastor of Iglesia Luterana Santa María Peregrina, speaks to youth on July 24, 2022, at First Congregational Church in Stockton, California. RNS photo by Alejandra Molina



Source link

Share196Tweet123Share49
Minnesota Digital News

Minnesota Digital News

Saint Paul
◉
12°
Sunny
6:58 am7:35 pm CDT
Feels like: 3°F
Wind: 7mph WNW
Humidity: 68%
Pressure: 30.45"Hg
UV index: 0
ThuFriSatSun
41/37°F
41/23°F
37/25°F
52/34°F
Weather forecast Saint Paul, Minnesota ▸
Benson Hill Announces Preliminary Unaudited 2022 Results and … – Business Wire
PRESS RELEASE

iSun Inc. Wins Two New Solar Projects Valued at $4.9 Million in Maine – Business Wire

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
Benson Hill Announces Preliminary Unaudited 2022 Results and … – Business Wire
PRESS RELEASE

Redwire Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 … – Business Wire

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
2023 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game: Photos and recap
SPORTS

2023 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game: Photos and recap

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
Kylie Jenner Rocks Crop Top & Leggings During Workout Routine: Video – Hollywood Life
CELEBRITY

Kylie Jenner Rocks Crop Top & Leggings During Workout Routine: Video – Hollywood Life

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
Tips To Cut Costs On Training Development
Education

Tips To Cut Costs On Training Development

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
Target Announces Spring Designer Collection With RHODE, Fe Noel, and Agua Bendita – Target Spring Designer Collection 2023
FASHION

Target Announces Spring Designer Collection With RHODE, Fe Noel, and Agua Bendita – Target Spring Designer Collection 2023

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
The BEST Twice Baked Potatoes
FOOD

The BEST Twice Baked Potatoes

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
Vaccination Could Reduce Risk of Long COVID, Study Shows
HEALTH

Bias, Lack of Access Make Long COVID Worse for Patients of Color

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
Even in Ancient Times, Soldiers Wrote Messages on Ammunition
HISTORY

Even in Ancient Times, Soldiers Wrote Messages on Ammunition

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
Benson Hill Announces Preliminary Unaudited 2022 Results and … – Business Wire
PRESS RELEASE

Ault Alliance’s Subsidiary, BitNile Inc., Collaborates with Core … – Business Wire

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
Religious attendance dips slightly after pandemic
Religion

Religious attendance dips slightly after pandemic

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
The King of Prussia Mall
Shopping

The King of Prussia Mall

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak: pause more powerful A.I.
BUSINESS

Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak: pause more powerful A.I.

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
Elon Musk and top AI researchers call for pause on ‘giant AI experiments’
TECH

Elon Musk and top AI researchers call for pause on ‘giant AI experiments’

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
Amazon Has Thousands of Trendy Spring Skirts— These Are the 15 We Love
ENTERTAINMENT

Amazon Has Thousands of Trendy Spring Skirts— These Are the 15 We Love

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
Making $100K in 18 Months with “Misfit” Medium-Term Rentals
REAL ESTATE

Making $100K in 18 Months with “Misfit” Medium-Term Rentals

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
DOJ Appeals NAR Win In Probe Of Commission, Pocket Listing Rules
SCIENCE

DOJ Appeals NAR Win In Probe Of Commission, Pocket Listing Rules

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
Over 100k Realme C55 units moved within 5 hours of its first sale in India
MOBILE

Over 100k Realme C55 units moved within 5 hours of its first sale in India

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
Benson Hill Announces Preliminary Unaudited 2022 Results and … – Business Wire
PRESS RELEASE

Micron Technology, Inc. Reports Results for the Second Quarter of … – Micron Investor Relations

by Minnesota Digital News
March 29, 2023
Minnesota Digital News

Copyright © 2023 Minnesota Digital News

Navigate Site

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright Notice
  • Anti Spam Policy
  • Medical Disclaimer
  • DMCA Compliance
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Social Media Disclaimer
  • Amazon Affiliate disclaimer

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • PRESS RELEASE
  • Shop
  • BUSINESS
    • CRYPTO
    • ECONOMY
    • FINANCE
    • MARKET
    • MONEY
  • TECH
    • APPS
    • GADGET
    • MOBILE
    • SCIENCE
  • SOCIAL MEDIA
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS & THEATER
    • GAMING
    • GAMBLING
    • MOVIE
    • MUSIC
    • SHOWS
    • SPORTS
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CELEBRITY
    • CULTURE
    • Education
    • FASHION
    • FOOD
    • HEALTH
    • HISTORY
    • Nature
    • Religion
    • Shopping
    • TRAVEL
  • REAL ESTATE
  • Blog
  • Classifieds

Copyright © 2023 Minnesota Digital News