SA国际传媒 Newsroom
Loving God, Serving People
Becoming a 鈥榳elcoming church鈥�
When Grace Lutheran Church was searching for a pastor, its members knew they wanted someone who could minister to their congregation and also reach out among the growing Hispanic community in their south-side Milwaukee, Wis., community. That person was Germ谩n Novelli Jr.
Nearly 3,000 miles away in Venezuela, Novelli was already serving The Lutheran Church of Venezuela (ILV), helping the pastor in his home church and taking classes at nearby Instituto Teol贸gico Juan de Frias in Caracas. He also completed a summer term at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wis., in 2009.
In 2011, he moved to Milwaukee, where he supported a variety of Hispanic ministries in Wisconsin, including that of Grace Lutheran. That same year, he began SA国际传媒鈥檚 Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) Program, a four-year distance pastoral formation program. In 2012, he officially received his SMP vicarage, which enabled him to serve at Grace Lutheran while taking classes in the four-year program. It also was during this time that he met and married the love of his life, Lucia.
His SMP training helped him to not only become a pastor, but one who could serve The Lutheran Church鈥擬issouri Synod (LCMS) in the United States. His native language, Spanish, may have been the same language as the people he was encountering, but it was a different world in his new home. Culture, he said, always goes beyond language.
鈥淲e have the same God, we hold the same belief and we honor the same Lutheran Confessions, but the way we do church and the way we are the church is different because it responds to the culture in which we are living,鈥� Novelli said.
鈥淪ome of the things that were brought to the table as I was starting my ministry at Grace Lutheran were questions such as 鈥楢re we becoming a Mexican church?鈥� and 鈥楢re we becoming a Hispanic church?鈥� And I said, 鈥楴o, we have to become a welcoming church.鈥欌��
Numerous generations of Latinos, including 1.5 and 2.0 generations who primarily speak English, attend Grace Lutheran, as do many first-generation immigrants who only speak Spanish.
Grace Lutheran intentionally creates an environment where all feel welcome, regardless of a person鈥檚 ability to speak English, Novelli said. The church provides devices that offer live translations of the service for those who only speak Spanish. And Novelli says the church includes Latin American hymns and Bible readings in Spanish throughout its services to create a welcoming atmosphere for all.
In addition to generations of immigrants, there also are a number of blended families in his church 鈥� presenting another unique ministry context. Novelli recalls one blended family in particular where the wife was from Mexico and the husband had a German/Irish background. He officiated their wedding and baptized their children.
鈥淭heir kids look Hispanic, but they don鈥檛 speak Spanish,鈥� Novelli said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 like soccer. They prefer American football.鈥�
The family caused him to reflect on the early days of the LCMS. 鈥淎s a church, we have to see our own history,鈥� Novelli said. 鈥淎t some point, our church was thoroughly German, and the language spoken in our worship services was German, because that was the language of our forefathers. But the kids began to speak English and that became the norm.鈥�
After completing the SMP Program in 2014, Novelli wanted to learn more about serving in Hispanic ministry in the United States, so he pursued classes through the Seminary鈥檚 Center for Hispanic Studies (CHS), which are taught in Spanish. 鈥淭he professors that lead CHS have such good experience, and they know how to teach theology,鈥� Novelli said. He received his certification for general ministry through CHS in 2018, while also earning a Master of Arts (M.A.) in theology taught in Spanish.
Today, in addition to his busy pastoral duties, Novelli serves as a Student Recruitment Ambassador (SRA) for the Seminary, building relationships with prospective students and helping them discern whether ministry and the Seminary could be part of their future.
鈥淪ometimes we see ministry as a sacrifice, as a burden,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd yes, it鈥檚 filled with challenges. Sometimes it breaks your heart to see your people, your flock, suffering and dealing with sin and dealing with the cause of sin or the results of this fallen world. But it is beautiful to bring the balm of the Gospel to people. It鈥檚 beautiful to bring the Gospel to all nations, 鈥榢nowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain鈥� (1 Cor. 15:58 ESV).鈥�
The commission to bring the Gospel to the world belongs to us, the church, Novelli said. 鈥淚f you love people and if you want to serve people, there鈥檚 nothing more powerful than being or becoming a full-time church worker. God can do great things through us, His servants!鈥�