reat akes G L Latino Dreams by Ben Tobias with Earl Mills
R
ecently Global Reach Director Ben Tobias sat down with Dr. Earl Mills (pictured at right), Director of the Great Lakes Conference, to ask him about the growing partnership with Latino Ministries.
1. What’s happening in the relationship between the Great Lakes Conference and Latino Ministries? There’s been a long-term goal (at least since Earl became Director) of developing Latino outreach, but until now not much has happened. Now is the time. The Great Lakes Conference has quite a few areas where Latinos have settled, either permanently or in semi-permanent migrant camps, and the Lord has commanded us to love our neighbors. Latinos are under-reached. There are many ways churches can reach out, either in solo efforts, in partnership with others, or by welcoming a Latino congregation to share a building. Facilities are usually available at different times of the day. Quarterly joint worship services are a delight. The Acostas (pictured at left) were introduced to the Conference at the Annual Conference in June, and they shared their story of how they’ve come to connect with the CGGC, and what God has done through their ministry in the USA and in various Spanish-speaking countries. The Acostas use their unique knowledge of Latino/Hispanic culture in order to provide expert guidance for churches in starting Latino outreach. Since Annual Conference, some churches are already expressing interest in hearing more.
12 September/October 2021
