Fear. A hindrance to a True Multi-Cultural Ministry

I remember when I was in High School my high school multi cultural ministry went on a mission trip to Tijuana Mexico to work at an orphanage. The goal was to help begin a construction project for an existing orphanage that had outgrown their facility. I remember being terrified! Seriously, growing up my dad would periodically want to travel to Mexico to visit his family and he would want to take me and my sister, but my mom wouldn’t let him because she was afraid that they wouldn’t let us back in the states. I mean when I was younger I looked like a little Mexican kid. You could see my dad in me and my sister. So when I was in High School and my mom let me go on this mission trip with my church, my mind had been conditioned to believe, I might not come back! This might be the end of my world! As crazy of an experience as these trips have been in my life, as uncomfortable as they were, God allowed me to be a part of something that was so much bigger than myself. He wanted me to be and I have grown to understand just how much He stretches and teaches us when we are willing to leave our comfort zone. To be finally step out as a ‘stranger” in a multi-cultural world

Obviously, the Mexican government let me back into the states. What we began to do in 1998 was to move 90 young kids from an orphanage in Tijuana that really could only house 30. I mean these kids were sleeping 3 to a twin sized bed. The beds were stacked three on top of each other in a bunk bed style. the orphanage was an old house that had been converted and built upon until the only room 90 kids had to safely play in was an area outside of their house the size of a half basketball court. God has been so good in my life, giving me the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself that in 2006 I took my last trip to this orphanage as a construction worker. Now as a youth pastor, on a yearly basis taking 20 plus kids into Rosarito Mexico, where we had moved the orphanage to, the campus we were building opened and now 120 orphans had clean water, safe room situations, soccer fields to play on an 7 acres of land to expand through. I think of that an wonder what if I stayed In my comfort zone. What if I didn’t allow God to work through me? I wouldn’t have experienced what he would have wanted me to. I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to see his heart in the world.

I don’t just use this example to promote multi-cultural ministry, cross youth ministry between Anglos and Hispanics, but I’ll take it if it will get your attention. All cultures need the love of Christ and not just those who are in poverty, but also the ones in your own back yard. Take the time and effort to involve and love and include all cultures in your youth ministry. It might be difficult, but it is biblical and the right thing to do

Emerging Church and Multi Cultural Ministry

Our church is named “Village”.

I was thinking about that name the other day and I couldn’t help but think of how cool it was, and I know there were specific reasons for calling it what it is called way back when the dinosaurs and our great grandparents roamed the earth but it has been beautiful for me to hear how far this church has come because of its desire to have a heart like Christ. Then I started thinking about the vision of Village and its youth ministry, and I thought, wow God has brought me to a place that still has so far to go but dreams about being place that is so much bigger than most places even imagine, and I get excited. “Village, a place where Christ connects with the world because his truth is taught there; Village, a place where failure connects with Grace because people met Jesus there; Village, a place where emptiness connects with fullness because people met Jesus there; Village, a place where gifts connect with opportunity because they want to be more like Jesus there; and finally, Village, where cultures connect in unity (multi cultural ministry!) because people have embodied the kingdom of heaven there.”

The vision of Gods kingdom in Heaven is found in Revelation 7

9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

Bottom line 1: Heaven is a multi-cultural place.


Also, take a look at the high priestly prayer of Jesus found in John 17.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Bottom line 2: We are called to love one another regardless of our culture. That is the “Emerging Church”.

Jesus was coming to a moment in his life where he was about to be led to the cross to die stopped and prayed for three things. The first thing was that his death would glorify God, the second thing was for his disciples and the third thing was that all believers who came to him through his disciples, which remember he prayed three times, that we would all be one.

And finally, that he promised that if we would become one, and that there was no guarantee that we would but if we did then two things would happen 1. people would know that he was sent by God, and 2. they would know that God loves them like he has loved us

Please consider that ‘One’ does not mean just people that look like us, but all people regardless of culture and ethnicity. It has been very difficult, but we are trying to put out a true multi cultural ministry that embodies this