Multilingual worship brings renewal at 1001 New Worshiping Communities National Gathering
Voices in many languages join together in rest, reflection and spiritual connection
ESTES PARK, Colorado — At the 1001 New Worshiping Communities National Gathering held Oct. 13–16 in Estes Park, Colorado, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) celebrated a rich tapestry of multicultural and multilingual worship. With over 150 attendees, including 20 who primarily spoke Spanish and many others who were multilingual, the gathering embodied the denomination’s commitment to inclusivity and innovation in spiritual leadership.
Tuesday evening’s worship was a powerful moment of connection and vulnerability, led by Pastor Marlucia Damaceno Crispim, a commissioned lay pastor serving Iglesia El Buen Pastor, an immigrant congregation in Atlanta. Preaching on Matthew 11 and Psalm 46, Crispim spoke passionately about the exhaustion felt by pastors and community leaders, especially within immigrant churches. Her sermon emphasized the deep need for rest among those who serve tirelessly and resonated deeply with people at all levels of translation.
The Rev. Sara Hayden, associate for apprenticeships for 1001 NWC, said Crispim’s sermon asked important questions of discernment for leaders of new worshiping communities who often balance many jobs alongside their ministries. After the service, Hayden, who speaks both English and Spanish, recalled an important line from Crispim’s sermon: "The Lord, the Creator of heaven and Earth, invites us to come and rest for a little while ... the question for us is, how much is 'a little' and is the 'little' you've been resting enough?"
The Rev. Laura Beth Buchleiter from Indianapolis reflected, “It was incredibly powerful to watch a majority community be the receivers of the translation. Meaning didn’t quite matter, as much as we like to think it does sometimes.”
To ensure accessibility, simultaneous translation services were provided by Stephanie Vasquez, manager of the PC(USA)’s Global Language Resources. Vasquez distributed more than 70 headsets, allowing worshipers to hear Crispim’s message in English. Vasquez’s work is foundational to many national PC(USA) events, where she often coordinates with local interpreters to provide real-time translation. Her presence and dedication made it possible for attendees to experience worship across linguistic boundaries.
Reflecting on the experience, the Rev. Nikki Collins, manager of 1001 New Worshiping Communities, noted the subversive power of shifting voice and authority. “It was just the shift of voice and power and the experience of watching people who are always so comfortable in all of our spaces have to figure out something new.” This reversal of roles — where English speakers became the ones receiving translation — created a moment of humility and shared humanity.
Wednesday morning’s worship continued the theme of embodied grace and spiritual renewal. Led by pastors who had immigrated from Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the service was both a multicultural celebration and a call to understand rest in many contexts.
According to the Rev. Princeton Abaraoha, intercultural congregational associate for the PC(USA), many of Wednesday’s worship leaders would remain in Estes Park through the weekend for the African Presbyterian Leaders Alliance conference, deepening their connections and shared mission and extending their experience of respite in the glory of the Rocky Mountains.
The Rev. Gilo Agwa, who leads a new worshiping community in Stillwater, Minnesota, preached on Mark 6:31 and Luke 6:12–13. He spoke candidly about the relentless pace of life in immigrant communities, where rest is often elusive. “In my church, 75% of members cannot attend worship on the same Sunday. … People sleep in the church during worship service. It’s not because the worship service is boring, but it’s because there is no rest. They are tired.” His sermon was a heartfelt plea for Sabbath as resistance — a spiritual act of reclaiming dignity and wholeness.
Translation also occurred in the process of hearing the good news, not just through words but also through the body. The multicultural forms of music on Wednesday morning made the embodiment of worship palpable. Gina Brown from The Faith Studio in Atlanta said, “I wasn’t able to stand and sit like everyone else. … I just closed my eyes and decided to worship that way and connected with the Spirit.”
The Rev. Rola Al Ashkar, leader of Їama Embodied Ministries in Sacramento, California, added, “I feel at home, feeling welcomed and accepted in a place that doesn’t think I’m weird for moving my body [and] ccepting feeling good in the body as a form of worship.”
Together, these moments of multilingual proclamation, embodied worship, and shared rest painted a picture of a church that is learning to listen deeply — to the Spirit, to one another and to the diverse voices that make up its body. The gathering was not just a conference; it was a living testimony to the transformative power of inclusion, rest and renewal.
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