RICHMOND, Va. — In the spring of 2004, Latino pastors and church leaders in Virginia gathered at Sandston Baptist Church in Richmond’s eastern suburbs for the first Encuentro de Pastores y Lideres de las Iglesias Bautistas de Virginia. The event — sponsored by five Baptist organizations in the state — was a key factor in the development the following fall of the Latino Network of Virginia Baptists, today one of the primary mediums for Latino ministry in the Commonwealth.
Those five organizations — the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, Woman’s Missionary Union of Virginia, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond and the John Leland Center for Theological Studies — continue to assist the network as it carries out its work.
Virginia Baptist pastors and church leaders at a recent Ecuentro participated in worship services during the annual event.
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“The Latino Network is a unique partnership seeking to advance the Kingdom of God among Latinos in Virginia,” says Daniel Carro, the network’s convener.
Carro, a native Argentinian, lives in Northern Virginia, where he also coordinates Latino ministries for the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and teaches at the Leland Center in Falls Church. In August, he will be nominated as a vice president of the Baptist World Alliance, representing the Union of Baptists in Latin America.
Also assisting with the Latino Network are Greg and Sue Smith, who help coordinate Latino ministry for both the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and the CBF of Virginia. The Smiths, based in Fredericksburg, also coordinate LUCHA Ministries, which also works with Latinos.
Carro said the Latino Network has four goals:
• Promote training opportunities and resources for Latino congregations and leaders;
• Develop a collaborative force among Baptists in Virginia to address the identified needs of Latino communities;
• Foster a sense of familia that bridges cultural diversity among Baptists in Virginia; and
• Establish a communication network among Baptists in Virginia committed to serving Latino communities.
“In everything, the Latino Network seeks to promote the work of both Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking congregations in Virginia,” says Carro. “We also stress to English-speaking congregations the importance of adopting a multi-cultural mentality which fosters a sense of hospitality toward and outreach among their Latino neighbors. To this end, many of our events and much of our promotion targets the tri-lingual and tri-cultural Spanish, Portuguese and English contexts.”
Two key events each year closely identified with the network are the Ecuentro, which continues to draw large numbers of church leaders, and a pastors and families retreat. The Ecuentro, held each spring, offers worship experiences and training seminars. The retreat, held each summer at CrossRoads Camp and Conference Center in Lowesville, Va., provides respite for pastors and their families.
Other partners helping in the Latino Network’s task are the Northern Virginia Latinos Pastors Fellowship; the Hispanic Catalyst Missionaries of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board’s courageous churches team; the Latin American Mission Project of the Dover, Richmond and Middle District Baptist associations; and the West Virginia Baptist Convention.
Once each quarter the Latino Network publishes its newsletter as an insert in the Religious Herald.