Growing Together is CRECIENDO JUNTOS

BURLESON, TEX. – One of our greatest concerns and challenges is retaining young people and integrating them in church leadership. We yearn to have them involved in growing the kingdom of God and fulfilling our mission. Through the Young Adult and Youth Department, the Southwestern Union has launched the Growing Together initiative, in English, in our territory with the help of the North American Division.

CRECIENDO JUNTOS is the Spanish-language Growing Together initiative of the Southwest Union. Together with our five Conferences and Southwestern Adventist University, the Union seeks to foster the growth and development of our young people along with the adult leaders in our churches. At the same time, we seek to train the leadership of our congregations so that they can employ their full potential to impact their communities. We encourage you to participate in this necessary and wonderful initiative!

Forming and developing our young people, together with their adult mentors, in the different areas of leadership in our Spanish- speaking congregations will help to contextualize our needs and the scope of our mission. This allows adults to establish bonds of friendship and mentorship with younger generations, especially second and third generation Hispanics.

CRECIENDO JUNTOS is a two-year program during which Spanish churches are trained and instructed to give opportunity, responsibility and authority to as many young people as possible. Opportunities for integration and participation take place in a familiar environment with understanding, sincere communication, acceptance and camaraderie. This allows for healthy intergenerational growth and, at the same time, facilitates the expansion of the kingdom of God.

We need the leadership of the participating congregation to commit to investing effort and time to see this initiative through as a new direction and generating force of youth leaders integrated in all areas of church ministry so that we may reach more young people who constitute our vanguard until the return of Jesus. For more information visit CreciendoJuntos.org or the Young Adult and Youth Department at MMauk@swuc.org.

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By Osvaldo Rigacci

VP for Multicultural Ministries