| Hispanic
Church
Iglesia
Hispana Evangelica
100 E. Cornelia
Street, Darlington, WI 53530 608-776-3335
Westview and several other churches have
joined hands to establish and help support Iglesia Hispana
Evangelica, a Spanish-speaking congregation in
Darlington, Wisconsin, which is about 25 miles from Platteville.
This town and outlying area boasts of over 600 Hispanics and
thus it is our endeavor to sponsor an evangelical ministry to
this minority population.
A feature in the Dubuque, Iowa Telegraph
Herald.
| Pastor Mario and Maurina
Cordero are vitally involved in Lafayette County and beyond
and have quickly earned the respect and appreciation of
the community and its leaders. This growing church sponsors
English language classes regularly that are open to all.
The members have already established a reputation for their
"Mexican Food Fests" conducted occassionally during
warm weather. |
|
Pastor Mario and Maurina share in producing
limited Spanish language programming and music on WJTY, a local
Christian radio station in Lancaster, Wisconsin. The couple
has a son, Joel--their "little ambassodor" and a new
Daughter.
|
A feature in the Dubuque,
Iowa Telegraph Herald.
The
Word: In Spanish
Evangelical Hispanics share worship in former Darlington Baptist
church
A former Baptist church building in Darlington has become the
home for evangelical Hispanics who have settled in southwestern
Wisconsin. The church is no longer the same inside or out. The
bright white and blue exterior of the Iglesia Hispana Evangelica
dominates a hillock along Darlington's main street and beckons
to visitors. Inside, a simple sanctuary can hold 150 people
in front of a plain altar. Large banners hang down the side
walls heralding in Spanish, "Eternal father," "God
is strong," "Admirable" and "Counselor."
For years the Word of God was proclaimed in English from the
church altar. Now that same message is affirmed in Spanish.
For more than three years, a small group of Hispanics, mostly
from Mexico, have worshipped under the guidance of Pastor Mario
Cordero and his wife, Maurina.
Originally the body held services in the Pleasantview Primitive
Methodist church, rural Belmont. In December 2002, the congregation
moved into the present location. "They gave us a good price,"
said Cordero of the Baptist congregation that vacated his church
after building a new one on the edge of town.
A number of other congregations, mostly Primitive Methodists,
helped their Hispanic brethren buy the building and continue
to support the tiny church. "It is frustrating for Spanish
speakers in an English-only church. We thought it was important
to give this nucleus of Spanish-speakers a Gospel-preaching
church, ministered in their own language" said the Rev.
Paul Glendenning, pastor of Westview Methodist Church, a Primitive
Methodist congregation in Platteville, and Superintendent of
the Western District of the Primitive Methodist Conference.
Cordero was invited from Mexico City by several evangelical
churches in Dubuque to minister to Hispanics in those churches.
At about the same time, the primary employer for most of the
area's Hispanic families, Smithfield Foods, closed its Dubuque
meatpacking plant and the majority of those families left to
seek jobs elsewhere.
Cordero then learned about the growing Hispanic population in
the Darlington area and local evangelical congregations offered
to support a church to serve them.
The first worship services were tiny - six people - but the
church
has grown to about 25 regular attendees with double that number
for special services and events.
Members also come from Monroe and Hazel Green to worship and
three families have formed a satellite congregation in Boscobel.
Pastor Mario expects his church to grow as the Hispanic population
around Darlington increases. He hopes to attract newcomers with
the message of God's hope he preaches weekly from the pulpit.
"The three most important things are repentance, being
active in
Christ's way, in church and daily life, and giving testimony
to others," Cordero said. "It's working, because before
you would find some of these people in the bars, but now they
are in church. This is the reason."
Diane Pearce acts as the church's official treasurer and its
unofficial interpreter. The Platteville woman is fluent in Spanish
from her days as a Primitive Methodist missionary in Guatemala
and has been a member of the congregation since its inception.
She sets store by the evangelical message, whether it is proclaimed
in English or through Spanish language and culture.
Telegraph Herald, 10/29/2005 by MARY NEVANS-PEDERSON
Copyright 2005 Telegraph Herald
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