From Main Stage to Bible Summit, LHM’s Hispanic Ministries Is Making Connections
LHM’s Hispanic Ministries has been busy connecting with people in various ways in the United States and in Central and South America. In an event sure to have struck a chord with many, Rev. Germán Novelli, director of LHM’s Hispanic Ministries, spoke to attending groups at Endure, 2025’s triennial LCMS National Youth Gathering (NYG), in New Orleans on July 19-23. His topics were immigration and the role of the church in society. As immigration is much in the news, Novelli knew it would be a sensitive and personal subject.
“I was a little nervous about these presentations due to the charged political climate surrounding the issue. That being said, these discussions helped us explore the tension we have in our dual roles as citizens of the earth and as Christians with a biblical outlook,” Novelli says. “We had a great crowd joining our conversation, which we led four times during the NYG. We discussed three main points: the phenomenon of immigration from a biblical perspective and our divine call to love and welcome immigrants; the work of LCMS churches to serve African, Hmong, Latino, and other ethnic ministries within the U.S., and beyond; and the different ways that Christians must act in their daily lives and contexts to love strangers—whoever they are.”
In other developments, new Sentido Latino podcasts have been produced, and the program’s YouTube channel has nearly 40,000 subscribers. Also, podcast hosts Rev. Luciano Vega-Ayala and Deaconess Noemi Guerra will soon record their 400th episode! The website Para el Camino continues to provide daily and seasonal devotions, children’s and adult booklets, and other Christ-centered resources. Recent social media posts share details of talks Novelli gave to students at Word of Life Lutheran School in St. Louis, and First Evangelical Lutheran Church and School in Glencoe, Minnesota.
To celebrate U.S. Hispanic and Latino history and culture, More Amor was chosen as the theme for Hispanic Heritage Month in 2025. Supporting this annual celebration from September 15 to October 15, LHM offered FREE resources: free stickers of hope, PDF downloadable coloring pages, kids’ booklets Preciosos ante Sus ojos (“Precious in His Sight”), ¡Amo mi vecindario! (“I Love My Neighborhood”), and the topical booklet, Perdonar es … dar y recibir (“Forgiveness Is for Giving”). “For those wanting to support Hispanic Ministries, T-shirts with ‘More Amor’ are available for purchase,” says LHM’s Social Media Specialist Christina López-Robin.
In the Project Connect booklet area, the translation and adaptation of two new English booklets have been completed. One is Perdonar como he sido perdonado (“Forgiving As We Have Been Forgiven”) by the Rev. Dr. Chad Lakies, LHM’s vice president of Ministry Engagement. The other is Re-comenzando con la oración (“Getting Re-Started with Prayer”) by Dr. Kari Vo, LHM’s theological writer. In the future, both booklets will be welcome additions to the growing library of topical texts available to Spanish speakers.
On June 26–29, 2025, Novelli and López-Robin spoke on LHM’s international ministries at the well-attended Lutheran Women in Mission (LWML) Convention in Omaha, Nebraska. In September, Novelli promoted LHM’s resources and programs at the orientation for new Hispanic students at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. And he also spoke at the Back to the Bible Summit: Empowering Your Church Through Scripture, organized by Lutheran Bible Translators.
“This was an amazing experience,” Novelli says. “We discussed the role of the Bible in our personal contexts, church life, and in discipleship. The Scripture is what we have in common: we may have different worship styles, hymns, prayers, leadership, and missional approach, but we have one Word, one faith, and one Lord. It is God’s Word: the treasure we all share in common and the universal language of the church.”