Community Partner Feature: Pastor Gustavo Diaz

What is your current professional role? Please tell us a little bit about Capilla del Rey.

I am the administrative pastor at Capilla del Rey. I manage the day-to-day operations of the church in order for our senior pastor to have time to devote to prayer, scripture and ministering to our congregation. At Capilla del Rey we always tell people that we are a church for the whole family and we live by that. Our children’s, youth’s, men’s, and women’s ministries all work in tandem to minister to the family as a unit. We strive to bring families closer together by bringing them closer to Christ as we minister to their individual needs. As pastors, preachers, and Sunday school teachers, we are trained to minister to our community’s spiritual and emotional needs, but we realize that our community also has physical needs.

As we strive to make people spiritually healthy, we also want them to be physically healthy. That is why we are so happy to partner with UM every year for the health fair. The service UM provides for our community is so important. Every year we hear from people that they had never been to a dermatologist, gotten screened for cancer, or spoken to a mental health professional until they got that care at the UM health fair. One would think that because we are in Kendall, everyone is affl uent and well taken care of, but the truth is that the need in our community is great. Right up until the COVID-19 pandemic we hosted a cafeteria for elderly folk. One hundred elderly people coming here everyday to socialize and eat lunch. For many of them that was their only healthy meal of the day. For others it was the only time they ever got to leave their house or even speak to anyone outside their household.

How was your experience as the key community partner for the West Kendall Health Fair?

We love hosting the West Kendall Health Fair. We have hosted the fair for three years now and it has been a wonderful experience. The students that organize the event are kind, understanding of our limitations, and so hard working that it is honestly a joy to work with them. We are forever grateful to Dr. Andres Lopez, a member of our church and UM Miller School of Medicine graduate who is the person that originally contacted us about hosting the West Kendall Health Fair.

The team leaders every year have been exceptional. Dr. Nicole Cruz who directed the fair in 2019, Rick Lin in 2020 and Ankit Shah in 2021. Their attention to detail, preparedness, and ability to lead their team made all the difference. Their energy and enthusiasm were unending. Their passion and positive attitude were contagious. Everything was run by us to make sure we were comfortable with what would be happening. Great care was taken at all times to protect our property. Clear goals were set, schedules were met, and the fairs ran great.

But having said all that, I must add that the greatest joy was from seeing all the good done for the community. Every year we hear dozens of testimonies about how the fair impacted patients’ lives; some going as far as saying that the fair saved their lives. A member of our church had been experiencing discomfort and dizziness and found out at the fair that his blood sugar was high. He was able to get treatment and bring his sugar levels under control. A woman in our church had been feeling pain in her bones. The bone density scanner showed bone loss. She took this to her primary care physician and is getting treatment. There are dozens of stories like this that I know of. I can only imagine how many more that I do not know of. For us, partnering with UM for the health fair has been an enormous blessing. One we hope to continue.

How has DOCS impacted the West Kendall community? Why do you think it’s important for students to get involved with the community?

After the health fair, some of the top comments I hear from people are “UM cares” or “the students care” or “the doctors care.” People appreciate the effort, and they are grateful for it. The health fair does not just help people get medical attention; it uplifts their faith. Because it lets them know that they are not forgotten and that someone cares enough to reach out to them. The DOCS program comes into West Kendall and spreads all that kindness. You are having a deeper impact in the lives of hundreds of people. I know because I get to speak to them afterwards and hear their stories.

“Being a pastor is my great privilege. And in a way, I believe, it is like being a doctor. I tend to people in need and help heal their hurt. But sometimes it feels like I live in a bubble. I am constantly surrounded by friends, family, and fellow church members who share my same ideals and faith. Therefore, every so often, I have to step outside of that bubble and go meet the rest of the community. The ones that do not come to me, but nonetheless need my help. That is another way in which doctors and pastors are similar. There are some people who will make it to the hospital or to the clinic. But there are a whole host of people who, for one reason or another, will not make there. They suffer in silence until someone comes to them to help.”

- Pastor Gustavo Diaz