FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Cuál es tu lucha?
That question — What is your struggle? — is what motivated the creation of LUCHA Ministries six years ago to work with Latinos in the Fredericksburg area.
Lucha means “struggle” in English and LUCHA is an acronym for Latinos Unidos por Cristo en Hermandad y Apoyo, or Latinos United through Christ in Solidarity and Support.
Greg Smith, who with his wife, Sue, is among several LUCHA coordinators, says LUCHA Ministries exists because of the cultural, linguistic, economic, legal and religious struggles the Latino community in Virginia faces. In many cases, he says, social services organizations, government agencies and religious groups are ill-prepared to respond adequately to Latinos’ needs.
“Many times [meeting needs] means working with Latinos to develop networks of solidarity and empowerment within the community itself,” says Smith. “At other times it means providing for basic human needs as these needs arise. It also means speaking with a united and strong voice on behalf of Latinos by helping the larger English-speaking community better understand the problems many face. At all times, it means walking alongside Latinos in their daily life struggles in the name of Jesus Christ.”
LUCHA Ministries provides a variety of services for the Latino and non-Latino communities. Among them are:
• School supplies distribution. School supplies collected throughout the summer are distributed to needy Latino families for the fall semester.
• Spiritual outreach and counseling services. LUCHA Ministries conducts special ecumenical worship events and provides Bibles and Christian literature. It also offers pastoral counseling as well as counseling from a social work perspective for individuals, families, and couples.
• Translation services for area social service agencies, schools, businesses, and churches.
• Congregational support. LUCHA partners with local churches, both Spanish- and English-speaking, in outreach efforts among Latinos.
• Hispanic Heritage Month. From Sept. 15–Oct. 15, LUCHA Ministries celebrates Latino culture and the contributions Latinos have made to U.S. society.
• Special seasonal events. LUCHA Ministries sponsors Advent and Easter events, including a Latino community-wide Christmas party with gift-sharing, piñatas, posadas, and more; and an Easter Egg Hunt party for Latino children and their families.
• Training seminars. LUCHA Ministries offers Latino cultural awareness conferences for the non-Latino community.
• Latino youth ministry. LUCHA Ministries outreach to youth cultivates a “3-D” perspective, encouraging Latino youth to grow in personal dignity, spiritual dignity and Latino cultural dignity. Through lock-ins, weekly and special activities, studies, and camp participation, youth learn to take pride in who they are, the lands they and their parents come from and their Christian faith.
The Smiths are supported by both the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia, as well as churches in the Fredericksburg area.