Hispanic Ministry in the Pacific Northwest

By Charles Frerichs

Hispanics are the most swiftly growing ethnic group in America . Over the last decade, the Hispanic population in the U.S. has increased by 58%. In Washington, over 40,000 people now speak Spanish as a first language. In Oregon, Hispanics have jumped from 3.1 to 6.8 % of the population. Returning to Othello, Washington, after 33 years as missionaries in Peru, Jean and I felt a great burden for the Hispanic population of the Pacific Northwest.

Because most of our support comes from churches in the Pacific Northwest, we witnessed the rapid growth of the Hispanic population and observed very little being done to take the gospel message to Hispanics. Who is reaching these people? The Roman Catholic Church already has strong ties to the Hispanic community, and Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses are both reaching out. But Baptist and other evangelical churches have not yet seen the urgency.

It is our desire to instigate outreach targeted to Hispanics among Baptist churches. Many small communities in eastern Washington State now have a 50% or greater Hispanic population. Yet, when we visit churches in the area, we find few Hispanics attending the services.

Spanish-speaking people form a culture within American culture. We need to reach out to these people and to do so, we need to understand their culture and speak their language. Many adult Hispanics in the Pacific Northwest have little contact with English, because they work in fields where they do not need to speak it. While some may wish to learn English in order to connect with other aspects of American culture, many prefer to attend church activities where they can share Latin food with their families and speak Spanish. They yearn to attend worship services conducted in Spanish, with vibrant Latin music. Spanish is their heart-language, and the gospel message should be contextualized in their language and culture, just as it would be on a mission field abroad.

How are we going to reach these people with the gospel? The Hispanic emphasis on family means that many prefer to stay home rather than go out to church, and so we are setting up home Bible studies. We can reach those who need to learn English by teaching ESL programs. Our vision is to help churches start Bible studies in Spanish and multi-ethnic worship services.

We are excited about the beginning of our Hispanic ministry. The members of First Baptist Church in Quincy, Washington have made their building available for Spanish worship services and have brought in a Peruvian man to head their Hispanic outreach program. They now have a small group of Hispanic people attending services

Othello, Connell, Grandview, and Walla Walla are among the neighboring communities in Central Washington which have asked for our help in establishing outreach targeted to Hispanics. We have also been contacted by Treasure Valley in Idaho and other regions in Washington. We need your prayers and willing coworkers who speak Spanish and understand the Latin culture. We look forward to seeing the Lord's work in this mission field within North America.