Seminary Students: Register Now for Upcoming GTUS Classes

Now is the time to register for one or more of the upcoming Graduate Theological Urban Studies courses. Details follow:

Restoring Urban Communities – Prof. Mary Nelson, May 4-5, 11-12, 18-19 (Fridays 1-9pm; Saturdays 9-5pm). This course is an introduction to principles and practices of church-based community development. The relationships between biblical faith and development practice are explored through site visits, as well as an overview of the resources and leadership skills necessary for effective community development. (3 semester hours)

Cross Cultural Ministry Intensive – Prof. Cynthia Milsap, June 4-8, 11-15 (9am-5pm). Using the city as a laboratory, this two-week intensive provides practical theology for ministry, while engaging the early church's struggle with cultural barriers. Students are encouraged to respect and appreciate differing world-views.  (3 semester hours)

Summer Urban Ministry Internship (starts with Cross-Cultural Ministry Intensive, June 4-8). The Urban Internship is a neighborhood classroom, where seminarians learn urban realities and issues through first-hand experience. Internship is a place for the student's gifts and calling to be tested, where specific professional skills are developed and personal growth is facilitated through learning how to care and be cared for.

Des Moines, IA: The City Church and Its Challenges

Des Moines – in the middle of Iowa – boasts an abundance of affordable housing, one of the nation's shortest commuting times (average 19 minutes) and an increasingly diverse population.  

Taking On Gritty Urban Issues – Des Moines Area Religious Council

(Rev. Forrest Harms is Executive Director of the Des Moines Area Religious Council [DMARC], an interfaith organization which responds to human needs in ways that individual congregations cannot. DMARC also provides a context for interfaith dialogue, support, education, fellowship and serving as a liaison between member congregations and the greater Des Moines community.)

Q. - Forrest, how many churches make up the Des Moines Area Religious Council?

Right now, about 145 churches comprise the Des Moines Area Religious Council. From them, we develop our mission and our understanding of our work in the community. And about 40 percent of the quantifiable support of DMARC comes through our member congregations.

Q. - In addition to current programs, are there other programs in which DMARC should be involved?

We’ve been trying to develop our work in the whole area of inter-faith activities. We have done some good things, but one of the key missions of an organization like DMARC is to provide opportunities for people of widely-divergent faith traditions to rub shoulders with one another, as opposed to simply learning about other faiths from hearsay or an academic setting.

Our direct services have a long history. We’ve been doing food pantries for over 30 years. But we need to focus on the inter-relatedness of people in communities that are so often isolated by faith, culture and economics. In the last 15 years, we’ve seen a real influx of Hispanics, Sudanese, Bosnians and Hmong people. We need to get beyond our stereotypes and do far more in terms of cultural understandings.

Q. - Forrest, illustrate some of the best that you see in Des Moines’ civic community.

1993 was the year of the flood. The City of Des Moines was without a water system for three weeks, and the whole infrastructure nearly ground to a halt. This universal need united people who did not normally sit at the table together: business, government, nonprofit and faith. We were all confronted with the need to work with one another.

That spirit continues today in a business community that is very concerned about the quality of life in Des Moines. We have lots of business people who exemplify what it is to be a person of faith. Des Moines has a working partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation under their program called “Making Connections.” That program has brought us the understanding that significant growth and change comes from the grass-roots. It’s not imposed from the top down. It’s significant when we invite people from changing neighborhoods to be at the table in terms of developing the change. More and more, we have agencies that are recognizing the importance of building self-sustaining structures within our communities.

Q. - How would you describe the involvement of individual Christians in Des Moines?

In the last 15 years, Christians have become much more involved with the gritty social issues. Several years ago, the evangelical community started the Good Samaritan Urban Ministry, developing transitional housing for women and children who needed stable housing. That was a major commitment on their part, and a shift in their perception of missions.

About 10 years ago, a group of clergy here in Des Moines developed an organization called AMOS (A Metropolitan Organization Strategy). It’s now expanded throughout central Iowa as A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy, but they’ve kept the name of AMOS – the prophet who decried the wealthy who had no concern for the poor. AMOS has made great strides in terms of advocacy on behalf of the poor. This is all driven by the faith community.

DMARC has a partnership with the Des Moines Public Schools in which we encourage people to volunteer an hour or two each week in tutoring underperforming children. How can we expect anything positive if the child at 4^th grade is beginning to fall behind their grade level? By the time they’re 16, that child will say, “I’m done.” This is one way a simple response can head off a potential educational crisis.

Q. - In what areas do Des Moines’ churches need to catch up to speed?

Economic disparities and immigration issues are all big issues here in Iowa. They’re even bigger issues in rural Iowa. How do you put those nice Bible stories into practice when the need for the Good Samaritan is right here? We’ve still got too much of a stridency against the immigrant. There’s still a built-in feeling that immigrants are stealing jobs and opportunities and living off the welfare of Polk County. We need to ask ourselves, “To what degree is that really an urban myth?”

Q. - Tell us your best hopes for what can happen in Des Moines, through the faith community and other communities?

I’d like to see Greater Des Moines become a real community, as opposed to pockets of wealth and influence over against the economically limited and deprived areas. I would like to see a unified government. We waste a lot of resources with city and county agencies duplicating functions. There have been some efforts to arrive at a unified approach, but we’ll have to overcome those self-centered interests that ask, “What do I have to give up?”

Hope Ministries’ Bethel Mission – Offering Hope for the City’s Needy

(Rev. Peter Mueller is a chaplain at Hope Ministries’ Bethel Mission, an emergency shelter for homeless men on Des Moines’ near north side. Bethel Mission is part of Hope Ministries’ larger network offering care, shelter, emergency aid and spiritual transformation to Des Moines’ homeless and hungry people.)

Q. – Rev. Mueller, how long has Bethel Mission been in business?

Close to 90 years old, though this facility has been here since only 1986. Bethel Mission and Door of Faith Mission (a long-term recovery center on the city’s south side) merged in July of 2000 to become Hope Ministries. When they combined, this facility began providing the rescue, shelter and emergency services while the other men’s facility focuses on long-term rehabilitation and recovery. Our purpose remains the same: feed, clothe and shelter along with providing the comfort, dignity and worth needed to meet spiritual needs.

Q. - Tell us how God keeps working in men’s lives at Hope Ministries.

One guy named Jeff came into our emergency shelter stoned on meth-amphetamine. He checked in and went through our orientation process. He went to one of our chapels, gave his heart to the Lord and became a Christian. Jeff then enrolled in our Journey of Hope recovery program, graduated eight months later and is now a part of our ministry team here at Bethel Mission. He brings a lot of compassion and understanding to his work, and he’s doing a great job.

Q. - What’s the state of homelessness in Des Moines?

Homelessness has doubled in Des Moines in the last ten years. There’s always going to be mental illness, addictions and alcoholism on the streets. Our mission is to reach out to them and provide a “hand up” verses a “hand out” through our unique continuum of care program. All we can do is keep inviting each person in the door and working with them – one at a time with the goal of placing the hope of Christ in their life.

Q. - Is there a need to expand your programs and services?

We are committed to being a comprehensive ministry to the homeless and hungry here in the central Iowa mission field. We’ve remodeled this facility and we’ve built a new long-term recovery center. We’ve also expanded our services to the fastest growing segment of homeless – single mothers with children. Our Hope Family Center provides a long-term residential and life-recovery program.

Q. - What’s your relationship with the City of Des Moines, or the Police Department?

They understand that we’re trying to help. City Hall likes the fact that we’re located where we are, offering our services to Des Moines’ homeless and needy populations. The neighborhoods also realize that our Bethel Mission facility is helping these men because we offer rules and a structured lifestyle. Hope Ministries is helping this city.

Cottage Grove Presbyterian Emerges as Sudanese Community Center

(Dr. David Madsen is Pastor of Cottage Grove Presbyterian Church, an old Des Moines congregation that has ministered to thousands of Sudanese refugees in the past decade. Mr. James Kueth, a Sudanese refugee is an elder at the church and Dr. Roberta Victor leads CROSS Ministries, a direct aid program operating out of the church.)

Q. - Pastor Madsen, tell us how Sudanese people first came to your church.

When Sudanese refugees first came to Des Moines (in the early 1990s), they were sponsored by the Roman Catholic archdiocese and worshipped at St. Ambrose Cathedral downtown. James Kueth and some of his Sudanese countrymen went to the refugee coordinator and said, “We appreciate your hospitality, but you know we are Presbyterians by background.” She called me to ask if the Sudanese men would be welcome here. I said, “Sure,” and the next day James and about nine others arrived here at Cottage Grove Presbyterian. We were off and running.

We began reading Scripture in both Nuer (one of the Sudanese tribal languages) and English. Initially we just had Sudanese men. As the years went by, wives and other family members started coming, as well as people from other tribes. Our ministry started expanding. People from the Mabaan tribe came and we started having a separate worship service for them. Then we also started an Arabic service. Almost everybody in Sudan speaks their own tribal language, and then Arabic (the official national language) as well.

Q. - Do you use the Presbyterian liturgy, or is worship free-flowing?

Evangelists emerge within the Sudanese community as people come with a gift for preaching and leading worship. The community acknowledges them as Evangelists. Each tribal group, each service has its own evangelist leading worship. Because we’re the only Arabic-speaking service here in Des Moines, Sudanese people from a wide variety of backgrounds and places come our way. People may worship at two different places, or they may be switching their worship place so they can worship in Arabic.

Q. - Pastor Madsen, what happens to your role as preacher and worship leader?

I lead the English service as I always have. Sometimes I preach at the Mabaan service, but not every Sunday. For the Arabic service, a Sudanese minister who is on our Presbytery staff sometimes does the preaching. Other evangelists preach as well. Now when it comes to pastoral care, I’m still the Pastor. But Roberta Victor (CROSS Ministries) does a lot of counseling and pastoral care as well. Three-quarters of our worshipping community is Sudanese!

Q. - Roberta (Roberta Victor), describe CROSS Ministries and the needs it meets in your community.

Each week, numerous homeless and low-income families (non-Sudanese) come our way. We provide rent and utility assistance for these families. During our 30 years of operation, we’ve been assisted by many different funding sources, including our Des Moines Presbytery. At last count, we had over 6,000 homeless people in metro Des Moines. In addition to financial assistance, we have a personal hygiene pantry providing shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes and deodorant – items that enable people to prepare for work. On weekends we have many Sudanese families coming in for a variety of activities. And that’s where contacts have developed leading to my counseling and art therapy work.

Q. - James (James Kueth), what are some of the economic struggles facing Sudanese refugees?

When we first came to Des Moines, we were happy with any kind of job. Not many employers gave our people a chance. Though we may have had skills from back home, we could only earn $6 or $7 per hour here. Gradually, we got better jobs as cashiers in stores. Hospital jobs (housekeeping and patient care) have been some of the best for our community. Some of our people have become Certified Medical Assistants and are now working at Des Moines’ largest hospitals. But not many of us have yet entered the professional ranks.

Many Sudanese people have graduated from programs at Des Moines Area Community College, and even gone on to earn degrees at Iowa State or Drake University. The set-back has come once after they earn their degree. What can they do with it when economic blockades still exist?

Q. - Pastor Madsen, why do you think those blockades exist?

There may be an assumption here in Des Moines that hiring a Sudanese person will require more training for the job. But when job interviews take place and people are actually hired, some very positive things take place. Companies that have hired Sudanese refugees have hired again and again.

Q. - How large is Des Moines’ Sudanese community?

It’s hard to tell. Our worship services number about 100 Sudanese people here each Sunday. But our total outreach touches at least 3,000 people. Often, I do funerals for Sudanese families whose loved ones have died back in Africa. At times like these, the greater Sudanese community turns out here. We’ve really become a Sudanese Community Center – a cultural center. This coming Saturday, there’s a birthday party within the Mabaan community for children that were born a year ago. The inter-tribal council will meet here. On Sunday, a portion of the Dinka people who live in Iowa will be here. In advance of such events, somebody will go out to a farm and slaughter a goat or a lamb. The meat is packed in garbage bags and hauled here to the church. People will spend the whole night here in our kitchen: cutting, preparing and cooking the meat for a large feast.

Q. - How do you see the future for Cottage Grove Presbyterian Church? Will you be a church, Sudanese cultural center or even something more than that?

Community events in America are often separated from the church in a way that they are not in the Sudanese community. What may be a community event, has at least a religious component to it. To say that we’re a Sudanese community center isn’t similar to calling us a senior center or something like that. We’re definitely Cottage Grove Presbyterian Church and worship is still the most important thing that we do. Everything else grows out of the worship. But the line is blurred between religious community and secular community.

One has to understand that Sudanese society is a collectivist society. Decisions are not made autocratically by one person. They are talked out by large groups of Sudanese leaders. Time is not a commodity in Sudanese society. You don’t waste, spend or save time. Prayers are a Sudanese community activity here. I, as an individual, can’t say, “Okay, we’re going to follow my game plan.” If I’m going to be a part of this, then I’m going to approach time the same collectivist way. I’m not going to get mad or angry if we don’t start a meeting on time. As an American, I once found myself wanting to speed the decision-making process up by dividing people into sub-groups, to then report back. I’ve leaned better! I’ll never do that again!

(The Greater Des Moines Partnership serves the three-county Des Moines region through economic and community development efforts. Its functions include that of a chamber of commerce and many individual economic development units. Alba Perez is the Partnership’s Diversity Development Director and Amanda Carstens Steward serves as Media and Marketing Director.)

Q. - How did this diversity initiative originate? From the Partnership, or did you invent it?

(Alba) There was a need to address a growing and diverse population in the Des Moines area dating back from the 1970s. Gov. Robert Ray had opened Iowa to refugees from Southeast Asia ( Vietnam and Laos ). Since then we’ve had increases in the Sudanese and Bosnian communities, but our largest increase has been in the Latino community. In one decade, the Latino population has increased by more than 150 percent! Also, our African-American community is growing and becoming very entrepreneurial. From 1990 – 2000 the increase was over 150%.

Q. - Are the big companies (Principal Financial, Wells Fargo) welcoming newcomers, or are you working with smaller, start-up companies?

(Alba) It’s a mix. Our membership is very diverse in size and industry type. We have representation from the large financial service and insurance companies right along with nonprofits and small, minority-owned businesses. Even the Iowa National Guard is represented. It’s very diverse.

Q. – How large a Hmong community exists here in Iowa?

(Alba) It’s the second largest in the country (next to Minneapolis). I think a lot of that has to do with the spirit of Iowans, and the spirit of our former Governor, Robert Ray. He called President Carter (at that time) and said, “We will open our arms to the Southeast Asian community.” Iowa has also proved to be a great place to live, and news of that has spread by word of mouth.

Q. – Des Moines needs more workers for the future. Are young people leaving, older people dying, or what?

(Amanda) It’s part of a national trend. Baby Boomers are reaching an age where they will soon be retiring. We’re trying to look ahead and be proactive. We’re going to need more workers in and around Des Moines. The Greater Des Moines Partnership has developed a Workforce Initiative to determine what future needs will be and recruit new workers, or re-train other workers to meet the needs of our employers. Many of our employers are demanding college graduates for their jobs – now and in the future. 

Q. – Are people still coming from smaller Iowa towns to Des Moines?

(Amanda) There’s a mix. Some people are coming to Des Moines from far away – either coast. They’re tired of those rat races and they want the quality of life we offer here. Other people are now commuting to Des Moines from Iowa towns like Osceola and Adair, but choosing to still live in their small towns and taking their dollars back home.

(Alba) Some people coming to Des Moines are returning Iowans who are tired of the rat race elsewhere, and want to enjoy the great quality of life here. They no longer want to spend two hours on a freeway each day. Our average commute here is 19 minutes. People are choosing to live a different type of lifestyle.

Q. – Describe what quality of life means for people in Des Moines?

(Alba) It includes things like accessible neighborhoods, affordable homes and safe streets. A typical home in Des Moines would have a nice little yard in which to plant flowers. You can buy more house for your money.

(Amanda) Young adults are sometimes surprised that they can jumpstart their careers here, just as in larger cities. We have a good public education system for our families as well. People can own more of a home here than other places. We’re also seeing more housing downtown, more infill. Some people are actually giving up their cars and moving downtown where they work. Des Moines’ East Village (close by the capitol) is filled with new designers and shops.

Q. – What about the arts community? Is it growing as well?

(Alba) Bravo, our arts initiative, started here at the Greater Des Moines Partnership and since its establishment and first round of funding has provided support to large and small art entities.  Under several 28-E agreements with city governments, a portion of hotel and motel taxes are invested in Des Moines performing arts and culture. Bravo offers both large and small start-up grants to drama clubs, dance troops and visual arts organizations. It’s become a source for the growth of arts and culture in our city.

Q. – Are there specific arts initiatives that are related to diversity issues in Des Moines?

(Alba) Some examples are: The Iowa Asian Alliance has the Asian Festival in May of every year. Latino Heritage Festival is held each September and attracts more than 35,000 people. “I’ll Make Me a World in Iowa,” our African-American festival, draws a significant crowd each January. Gateway Dancers is a multicultural dance company featuring African, Caribbean and Spanish dance.

Q. – Describe the Latino community here in Des Moines, including its size and impact.

(Alba) We’ve used the figure of approximately 25,000 Latinos in greater Des Moines and approximately 85,000 in the state.  Most people are of Mexican descent in their mid-20s to early-30s. The Latino community is highly entrepreneurial! About three years ago members of the former Iowa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce began talking with us, and out of that ALIANZA, the Latino Business Association, an affiliate of the Greater Des Moines Partnership was formed. ALIANZA is about 50 members strong. There are two Spanish radio stations in Des Moines and print media as well. A Latino business corridor now exists in Des Moines along East Grand Avenue.

Q. – How are relations among Des Moines’ various people peoples?

(Alba) I don’t sense any great barriers existing in Des Moines. In the business world, we really don’t have any tensions to speak of. Everyone wants to do well at work and at raising their family. Our young professionals groups are really drawing a very international crowd. In fact, with our young generation of professionals, the concept of diversity is different; they grew up in a more diverse era.

Q. – Is Des Moines as diverse as any other place its size? What’s special here?

(Alba) We’re diverse in relation to our size. I see no tension among our diverse people groups: organizers of the Asian, Latino and African-American festivals are sitting at the same table helping each other improve their efforts. I don’t know how much of that goes on in other cities I like to think that we have a harmonious city. Some other cities are just too big, and too tension-filled, for that to happen. We have ethnic, racial and cultural differences here in Des Moines. But we also have different ways of thinking; plurality in faiths, diversity in all aspects drives innovation.

Plymouth Congregational Church: Voice and Conscience for Metro Des Moines

(Rev. David Ruhe is Senior Minister of Plymouth Congregational Church UCC. Founded in 1857, Plymouth Congregational has been instrumental in numerous civic and progressive causes throughout its history.)

Q. - Pastor Ruhe, how do you characterize the ministry of Plymouth Congregational here in its community?

Though we’re located near Drake University (on Des Moines’ west side) Plymouth really draws from the whole metropolitan area. Our members come from north in Ankeny, south in Indianola, west to Waukee; we even have some folks who drive down each week from Ames. Plymouth has been a metropolitan church for a long time.

Q. - Would it be fair to say that Plymouth is one of the two or three most prominent churches in Des Moines?

I’m not sure about that number, but we’re certainly an historic church. Plymouth has been here for 150 years, and we’ve been at our present location since 1926. We’ve made a very conscious decision to stay in our community and not flee to the suburbs. Consequently, we’ve invested in things that make our buildings here viable, like our double-deck parking structure.

Q. - Tell us a bit more what’s happening here at Plymouth Congregational.

In our United Church of Christ we’ve had an advertising slogan that “God is Still Speaking!” That resonated really powerfully with the folks here at Plymouth because there’s very much a sense of the newness of the presence of God’s Spirit, in us and among us. In 1993, just before I came here as Senior Pastor, the Church Council declared this to be an open and affirming congregation. So we’ve been living with that reality for 14 years now, and it’s done just wonderful things for the life of the church. A lot of Christianity seems to be scratching each other’s eyes out over issues of sexuality, and that’s kind of a non-issue for us. We’ve moved on from that and really fully integrated gays and lesbians into the life of the church, including positions of leadership. Sexuality may be the hot-button issue in the culture as far as religion goes, but it isn’t for us.

Also, as a result of that, people have sought out this church. The fear was that we’d become a single-issue church, skewed to some extreme. And of course, that’s not what’s happened at all. People who value tolerance, openness and diversity have found Plymouth Congregational to be a very lively and growing congregation.

Q. - Is that reflective of some new spirit blowing in Des Moines?

You know, if it were more typical in Des Moines as a whole, it might not feel like such a special thing here. I wish we would get to the point (and I fully anticipate we’ll get there) where this will be just no big deal, like so many other social issues over time. From time to time, we in the United Church of Christ have been “early to truth telling.” This feels like an issue where we’ve been early to truth telling.

The “God is Still Speaking” campaign has been kind of a way for us to really feel that we’re living into a tradition that has an arc into the future that’s very exciting. Plymouth has always been very engaged in the community in various kinds of ways. It has that tradition going back to its earliest times with the Underground Railroad, Women’s Suffrage and various kinds of issues. Stoddard Lang, our Senior Minister during World War II, was a pacifist. It’s remarkable, and he took profound criticism for his position. We have some of that heritage, and yet we’re also this big, plodding institution.

While the mainline churches in a lot of places have been imploding, this is a church that has very much held its own. While we’re not growing dramatically, we do maintain about 3,000 members –pretty respectable in our own right.

Q. - Given its size and resources, what can Plymouth Congregational do in terms of outreach to the entire city or service to this community?

The thing that I feel the best about is our role in AMOS: an IAF-affiliated Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy. It’s something very different for this part of the world. It’s going to involve a lot of different congregations as it helps gain power for people of faith. I had some experience with an IAF organization in Omaha before I came here, so I have been able to be part of AMOS since its inception, and Plymouth Congregational has invested in that in a very significant way. At this point, getting other people involved in AMOS is more important than my own personal involvement. The tough thing is simply getting people to grasp the concept of organizing. It’s not about this issue or that issue; it’s about putting a mechanism in place whereby justice-related issues will continue to surface, as a way of enriching our public life.

It’s an exciting process and it’s been a wonderful thing for us to learn. And it’s been very different thing for this congregation because we have some of the people who end up on the other side of the table when it comes to organizing and community actions. AMOS has managed to get the two major health care systems in Des Moines (Mercy and Iowa Health Systems) to charge uninsured people at the same rate they charge people who do have health insurance. That was a difference of millions of dollars each year. With that, we’ve gained a foothold and have the potential to go on and do more.

Q. - Any other outreach that is particularly important here at Plymouth?

We get involved in any kind of outreach that you can imagine. We have a full-time staff person (our Minister of Discipleship) whose complete portfolio is to get people involved in living out their faith in the community. We’ve been involved in building houses from scratch. Government has bailed when it comes to providing low-income housing for poor people. Other entities have had to take up the slack. Our own housing ministry aims at a very specific market: rental housing for people who are below the poverty line. We also provide services related to housing to help these people get on their feet. It’s a comprehensive way of working with families.

Q. - Plymouth Congregational is well established in a nice community. But how do you view the state of churches citywide in Des Moines?

Churches are kind of following the whole doughnut imagery of what’s happening with the metro area. Resources are moving toward the suburbs, leaving the city with a depleted tax base to fend for itself. Tremendous people and financial resources have left. If you plant yourself in the right place, it’s quite easy to start a new congregation in Des Moines western suburbs. While a number of churches continue to carry on significant city ministry, but all the city churches feel the reality that I’m describing.

Q. - How would you describe relations between city hall and the church community?

The relationship is two-fold. The city looks to the churches to pick up the slack for social programs that they are abandoning. And the reality is that the City of Des Moines is under tremendous financial distress. The other thing is that they look on the churches as being a significant block of untaxed real estate. So there are any number of folk who think, “How can we begin to get some money out of the churches?

Q. - What’s your prayer for what Plymouth Congregational (or other churches) could do for Des Moines?

The biggest issue that we all have to deal with is some kind of a regional government. We need to recognize that we’re all in this together. And that’s part of the reason why I’m so invested in AMOS (Affiliated Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy), an organization that crosses all kinds of lines: political, religious and geographic to address an issue like that. Unless and until we recognize that we are in significant ways all one community, we’re not going to be able to solve these problems. But if we can succeed in establishing some sort of regional government, we could actually have a pretty good run at making this a much better place to live.

Des Moines’ Latino Community: Numbers and Impact Keep on Growing

(Rev. Kevin Cameron is pastor of Our Lady of the Americas Parish on Des Moines’ near east side. Two older churches, Visitation and St. Peter’s, combined their efforts in 2004 as the new Our Lady of the Americas Parish, serving the vast majority of Des Moines’ sprawling Latino population.)

Kevin, give us a picture of Our Lady of the Americas Church.

Currently, in our parish we have about 1,600 families. You multiply that out by the average family size, and we have a lot of souls coming to this church. We have four Masses each weekend and one Communion Service in English.  I celebrate all of the Masses.  One Mass is in English, one Mass is Bilingual and the other two are in Spanish.  Our parishioners are about 85 percent Hispanic.  The Visitation Worship Center has a history of being the welcoming space to Des Moines’ Hispanic people.

There’s been some difficulty in adjusting over the years. For Visitation Parish, this merger meant having to go to the St. Peter’s location for an English Mass. Some folks left and went to other parishes. The St. Peter’s Worship Center had been on the verge of closing because of the decreasing number of families.  But then greater numbers of Hispanic people came to St. Peter’s, which resulted in some sadness and hard feelings. Welcoming immigrants was emotionally challenging.

How has the Hispanic population grown in Greater Des Moines over the past 10 years?

The 2000 Census showed that the Hispanic population in Iowa had grown 140 percent over the previous decade. Over the last 10 years in this parish, we went from a majority English-speaking people to a clear majority of Spanish-speaking people.

What resources do you need from the Des Moines Diocese to better do your job?

We’ve been having some conversations with the Diocese on these very things. We’d ultimately like to have all our parishioners worshipping at one site. We have a “one site” committee formed that’s looking at the demographics and the real estate options. Right now, especially during the Christmas holidays and Holy Week, there’s just “no room in the inn.”

There’s a big question in the Des Moines area regarding Our Lady of the Americas . Everyone recognizes that we are doing more than any other parish when it comes to Hispanic ministry. Does the diocese want to maintain this place as the hub? If so, we’re going to need some more help in terms of staff. But if this parish is not going to be a hub, how are we going to equip every parish in Des Moines with bilingual clergy, Masses and programs?

What other kinds of resources does the parish have available for the Hispanic community?

The HOLA Center (Hispanic Outreach and Legal Assistance) is connected to, though not owned by Our Lady of the Americas Parish. It’s located in the St. Peter’s School building, right next to the St. Peter’s Worship Center. They provide a free legal clinic where people can come for consultation. Two Hispanic police officers are available for people to speak with in confidence, day or night. Visiting nurses are well-represented at the HOLA Center, helping people with food stamps or getting the medical care that they need. Wells Fargo Bank representatives are there helping people get tax ID numbers for bank accounts.  Employee and Family Resources provides counseling and social work.  Catholic Charities sends a bilingual counselor as well.

What are some of the big things that Our Lady of the Americas does each year?

The big thing that we do is the Festival of Our Lady of Guadalupe prior to Christmas. We start a novena from December 3^rd to the 11^th, with rosaries, prayers, Masses, confessions, singing and dancing. The 11^th is the vigil starting at 5 pm – more dancing, singing, prayers, confessions and food. At about 10 pm we start a procession going over to St. Peter’s. Last year over 700 people marched the two-mile distance to meet another 900 people already there. At midnight, we have the Mass starting December 12^thwith lots of singing and dancing – it’s beautiful! Then there are Masses throughout the day. Guadalupe is our big festival each year.

Kevin, where did your own passion for Hispanic ministry come from?

While my name is Scottish, and I was raised here in Des Moines, I have more family in Mexico than I do in the United States . I get there to visit them about once a year. I took a lot of Spanish in high school and then more during my seminary days in Rome. When I was first ordained, the Bishop of Des Moines said that he wanted me to get into full-time Hispanic ministry after my three-year tenure at St. Pius X Parish was completed. But it really wasn’t until 1995 that I got deeply involved in Hispanic ministry. I’ve always been interested in the culture and the language, but now my passion for Hispanic people has grown.

How is Hispanic ministry growing? Will it be main-streamed, or does it have a special future of its own?

It’s hard to say, partly because of the conversation in Congress about changes to our immigration laws. Then there’s the notion of putting up an “impenetrable” wall along the U.S. / Mexico border. We don’t know how either of those changes could affect the influx of Hispanic people. The talk of a “guest-worker” program would theoretically help a good number of people already here. As long as the rural Latin American countries remain as impoverished as they are, people will keep coming our way.

How are Des Moines’ Hispanics doing economically?

If you have documents allowing you to work, you can get a better job. If you don’t, you’re stuck with some pretty difficult jobs and you have to keep everything secret. We have an outreach here at our parish to people who really need money or food. The majority of folks who come to our door are not Hispanic. Hispanics tend not to look for government support or handouts at all. They go to their families. Most of the Hispanics that are here desire to work and send as much money as possible back home to their families. The number one source of income for the nation of El Salvador is money sent from Salvadorans here in the United States . In some Mexican states, the same reality is true.