Choose to Celebrate in Christ

Choose to Celebrate in Christ

by Elaine Reimers, Adult Ministry Director

Culture. When we refer to someone’s culture, what do we mean? Are we referring to the food they eat, the music they listen to, or the way they dance to their favorite music? Maybe their religious beliefs? What comes to mind when you think about a person´s culture? Is it the country they´re from, the language they speak, the type of work they do, or the car they drive? Do you find people from different places to be scary and mysterious? Or, do you perceive them as being pleasant and interesting? Deep down, do you have doubts and concerns about your neighbors from different places? If you answered yes, you are not alone! I believe that most (if not all) people experience an initial feeling of discomfort when meeting someone from a foreign place. Some might argue, ¨How would we even begin to get to know someone so different than us? We have nothing in common!¨ 

Mission Adelante´s slogan is ¨Loving people from all places,¨ and our zealous team works diligently and thoughtfully to provide spaces where people from all places (and all ages) can come together and feel loved, valued, and accepted for who they are. We believe that God´s image is reflected uniquely and beautifully in diverse human cultures, and by embracing our cultural differences, we celebrate each other´s culture and worship Jesus as Lord freely and joyfully within different cultural contexts. Ultimately, I believe the hope in celebrating the diverse cultures in our community is that this intentional and genuine expression of Godly love might spark the curiosity of the unbeliever, uplift the broken in spirit, and reclaim the wayward. After all, if not for the love and Spirit of Christ dwelling in us, how do we find it within ourselves to love our neighbor with such a pure and selfless love? There is something different about Jesus followers- we ¨are the salt and the light of the Earth¨ (read Matthew 5:13-16), and others see and feel this through every act of selflessness and compassion we shower on them! After exposure to this type of love, many wonder what drives us to do what we do, and this curiosity often leads us directly into our mission: to make disciples by serving, sharing life, and sharing Jesus with people from all places in a natural and transformative way.


Although our doubts and concerns are valid, let´s not get so overwhelmed by them that we forget to live, and most importantly, let´s not forget that we are called to love our neighbor. Directly after Jesus´ command in Matthew 22 to ¨love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (v. 37), comes His second command ¨like¨ the first (v. 39): ¨Love your neighbor as yourself.¨ I do not intend to make the journey of loving our neighbor seem simple and easy, because I have learned on my journey that it´s rarely either of the two. But Jesus. Jesus makes all things possible, and He alone can bridge the gaps!


Loving our neighbor can be very challenging at times since we will seldom be prompted by the Holy Spirit to serve and share life with them in the exact way that we imagined or desired to. It´s normal for it to feel awkward. Sometimes we might embarrass ourselves as we get to know a new person and their culture; but if we just show up when and where we feel God is calling us, we have done our part and He will take care of the rest. Almost inevitably, God will leave us in awe of His endless and reckless love for all people from all places if we give the friendships time to manifest. I encourage you to spend some time in prayer asking God to unearth any fears, doubts, and concerns about our immigrant community that you may have buried inside, and then ask Him to use them for His glory. Bridging the gap between cultures will not happen overnight. But if each of us takes the time to recognize that it´s a crucial part of achieving peace in our communities and worldwide, and if we prayerfully approach a role in the advocacy of celebrating others´ cultures, it´s likely we will see individual and community transformation follow over the years to come!

Be part of our programs!

Summer is here! We’d love to include you in some of the excitement during our summer trimester!

  • Come and See Nights: July 14, 15, 16, 17

    • Visit one of our programs and get a first-hand look at how you could make an impact as a volunteer. Learn more at missionadelante.org/serve

  • Summer Arts Camp: July 21-24