Getting Ready to Graduate

Yesterday I took Adriana to buy a dress for graduation.  She needed my assistance because her mother is taking her one day off to attend the graduation and other extended family members were unavailable.  When she asked me, I couldn’t help remembering my own graduation.  All the “cool” girls wore hot pants, which no one saw, of course, under those long robes!  It was, nonetheless, an assertion of identity and independence on a day wrapped in the traditions of the past.  So when she asked me to take her shopping, I knew how important a graduation dress can be.

Adriana is the mother of two small children.  She is also the first girl in her family to graduate from high school.  It has been difficult, but, after the birth of her second child, she was determined to graduate.  She is also clear that she wants to be a nurse and is already registered at the local community college where she will begin her four year program.  Unlike her older siblings, Adriana was born in the United States, so with hard work and determination, nothing stands between her and her dreams.  This is a gift that she does not take for granted.

So, with great anticipation and some trepidation we went shopping, looking for just the right dress in a particular shade of pink.  And even though it is “not this year’s color” we found it!  Then we went to lunch to celebrate.  Next week at graduation, Adriana will confidently step forward (In her pink dress that no one can see) and proudly lead the pledge of allegiance.  And when she does, it will be an assertion of identity and independence as she steps boldly into a new future for herself and her family.

Neighbors and Need

Last Wednesday, as I was getting organized for our Youth Group evening, Maria, one of our ministry coordinators, told me that a member was coming to speak with me.  She had a neighbor whose husband had been arrested and would probably be deported.  The woman in question has four children and the electric company had disconnected her power that very afternoon.  It wasn’t long before they arrived and explained the situation, speaking Spanish with Maria interpreting.  Everyone was clear that the neighbor belonged to another church.  The member who brought her was also clear that she didn’t know the neighbor well.  She didn’t know why the husband had been arrested.  All she knew, and she was adamant about this, was that it was too much for anyone to have four children and no assistance.

We needed to help.

After the problem was clear, we excused ourselves and discussed what we might do to help.  Funds are very limited, but we do have some money that we earned catering a dinner for a diocesan event.  We decided that we would pay a portion of the outstanding electric bill.  Maria said she would assist the neighbor to contact other agencies and our member said she could share her home and appliances until the electricity could be restored.  She would also assist her neighbor to contact her own church for assistance.  Having come to this conclusion, we rejoined the neighbor and offered our assistance.  After many “thank-you!”s, the women left, leaving the older children behind to have supper and play games.

Sometimes it’s hard to appreciate the holiness of moments like these.  There is so much to do, so much need, and so few resources.  It’s so easy to let feelings of impotence and frustration overwhelm the call to sit together in need and wait upon God.   But this is the grace that has been given to us.  And it is through this gift of humility, suffering , challenge, and the company of one another, that together, we are becoming Church.

Homework Club

The intersection of the communities of Grace Church and La Capilla is a special thing--one of the things that drew me to become a member of Grace Episcopal less than a year ago. It's rare for two congregations--separated by miles, languages, and even culture--to share fellowship and ministry, but it is deeply enriching for all of us who are lucky enough to be a part of it.

Lately, my biggest involvement at La Capilla has been the after-school homework club held twice a week at the church. Kids start trickling in after school lets out, and before long, the room is full of activity. Math worksheets, spelling lists, and reading are the most common, but occasionally a big project comes along--last week, Leslie got help with her shadow box project for history class.

Even when they don't have homework, the kids show up anyway. We've been collecting quite a stack of games, from Hi Ho Cherry-Oh for the little ones to spelling, math, and memory games for the big kids.  I have to confess, I got royally crushed in Toy Story Memory the other day by Maite, who has an uncanny knack for spatial recall. While the other kids and I were trying to decide whether or not we had seen that Buzz Lightyear card somewhere on the grid before, she calmly leaned across the table and flipped it over, then found the original, and added both cards to her stack with a satisfied smile. By the end of the game, she was giving us all hints. "That one? Oh, it's over here--somewhere in THIS area"--with a wide sweeping gesture across the cards. For my part, it didn't help. I still lost soundly.

We're having a good time, though--getting to know the kids as their personalities and individual gifts come out more and more. I for one will be a little disappointed when school lets out for the summer--but fall will come soon enough. And in the meantime, we'll have Adventure Club to keep us busy. But those are stories for another day...

We are excited to be sharing the life and ministry of La Capilla.  For me it is a place of challenge, wonder, and change, or in priest talk, a place of grace and transformational blessing!

A continual sense of newness and energy make ministry here fun and wonderful.  This joy sustains us all through the struggles we face, both as individuals and as a community, and fills us with confidence for the unknown way ahead.   But it wasn’t always so. 

The Rev. Ray Oropeza is standing in the center.  

We began ministry in this small community after a failed attempt at a Spanish liturgy at our home church.  It seemed the prudent thing to take church to the people instead of trying to get the people to come to church, especially since there was fifteen miles between.  Our first service was on Palm Sunday four years ago.  The Rev. Ray Oropeza presided.  The service was held in the community hall and setting up for the service took almost as long as the worship itself!  The building was noisy and on occasion the rooms used for children’s ministry would be locked.  It was difficult to get the word out and attendance was small and sporadic.  But Rev. Oropeza had the gift of quiet patience and so week after week he came;  to visit, to listen, to knock on doors, and to celebrate Holy Communion and pray with the people gathered.  Slowly a community of faith began to form.  When he died unexpectedly the following year, a small church mourned his passing.

Since then the church has grown and in the fall of 2011 we were able to move into a building where there is an office, a chapel, a nursery, as well as a meeting and worship space.  It is in the heart of the community so now La Capilla de la Gracia is at work seven days a week.  The ministry administrators, Maria and Ofelia, welcome all who come.  They listen to needs and fears and connect people with the services they are seeking.  They have developed networking partners throughout the valley and sponsor any number of health and education programs for area residents.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays children come for assistance with homework, tutoring, and a general good time with adult volunteers.  A youth program meets every other Wednesday evening for supper, games, art, and religious education.  An adult Bible study meets weekly and classes for sacrament preparation are ongoing.  There is a small food bank.  Slowly, but surely, La Capilla is building community and becoming a place of welcome and peace.

On Sunday the large meeting room becomes a sanctuary for worship at 2 p.m.  This late hour gives those who work in the fields a chance to get needed rest and the priest time to travel.  A small chapel is being developed so that there will be a place set apart to meditate and pray during the week.  We are excited to announce that the bishop will be coming to dedicate the chapel on June 24!

La Capilla is an extension of the community and ministry of Grace Episcopal Church.  Our mission is to be one people worshipping in two languages.  We do ministry with one another, just as we, on occasion, worship with one another.  Both spaces, both ministries, belong to all.  This is especially true with our youth ministries.  Children and youth from both places participate fully together.  We are currently gearing up for Adventure Club.  This names our every other week hiking adventure!  We leave early in the morning on Wednesdays and return in the early afternoon.  (Watch for our great pictures and posts!)  The challenge of hiking the mountains and deserts has a subtle, yet profound effect that overlooks our differences and lets us connect with God and one another in a unique and wonderful way.