Encuentros Latinx Podcast

Encuentro 20: Marcelino Rivera ”Again, my message will be: live your authentic life.”

Attention ministers seeking a new calling. Faith Community United Church of Christ in Bensenville, Illinois seeks a settled, full-time pastor. They’re looking for a leader who speaks strong English and Spanish with a considerable knowledge of both cultures to bridge between current and future members and their ever-changing community. Visit the congregation’s website at www.faithcommunityucc.com. Find this opportunity listing at oppsearch.ucc.org/id/4775. 

My guest today is Marcelino Rivera, whose formation in a community focused on sharing and welcoming shaped him into a minister who extends that welcome to those who’ve been forgotten by the church. We talk about some of the limitations of the term Latinx, Latinidad in the UCC, and how the Pulse nightclub shooting changed his ministry. Fun fact: he had an encuentro of his own with Elliot Page and we chat a bit about that encuentro in this encuentro. It’s encuentroception here on the podcast, so let’s get right into it.

Racism toolkit: https://www.ucc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/RACISM-TOOLKIT-2021.pdf

LGBTQ+ toolkit: https://www.ucc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/LGBTQ-TOOLKIT-2021.pdf

You can find the video feed and other Encuentros Latinx videos on the UCC's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6VgfHt6zEy6fiX4DkjRjuH3Rly3wyeV3

Email the podcast at encuentroslatinxs@gmail.com

Encuentro 19: Lisbeth Rivera ”The religion I believe in is explicit about the role of justice”

Welcome, beautiful listeners, to Encuentros Latinx in 2022. Do you like science fiction and fantasy? Do you want to support new and emerging Black and Latinx authors? Well, you’ll be pleased to know that I have a fantasy short story slated to be published in a young adult Latinx anthology called Where Monsters Lurk and Magic Hides. This is one of three anthologies being published by Bee Infinite Publishing, a Black-owned indie publisher. There’s a Kickstarter running right through January 22 to make these books possible with a wide range of donation levels. This is not only your way of pre-ordering these books, but it’s also an opportunity to support marginalized writers that face an uphill battle with a publishing industry dominated by whiteness. Find Bee Infinite Publishing on Instagram and Twitter to learn more about this campaign and thank you for any donation or spreading of the word you do.

Link to the Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/94423297/bee-infinite-publishings-2022-bipoc-anthology-projects/description

You will be blessed to know that the holidays are not over here at Encuentros Latinx. My guest Lisbeth Melendez Rivera tells us all about the months long winter holidays she remembers celebrating in Puerto Rico. Then, we get into one of the most nuanced and in-depth discussions of the term Latinx that I’ve had the pleasure of having on this show.

Email the podcast at encuentroslatinxs@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UCCEncuentrosLatinx/?ref=py_c

Encuentro 18: Storm Miguel Florez ”Collective liberation became my spirituality”

Encuentros Latinx is wrapping up yet another wonderful year with Posadas Navideñas on December 15th at 5pm eastern, 4pm central, and 2pm pacific. Join us yet again on Zoom for music and fellowship.

 

I have neglected to mention that this podcast now has a video feed sometimes! You can find those videos and videos of other Encuentros Latinx work on the United Church of Christ’s YouTube channel. We have a whole playlist dedicated to our stuff. You might especially want to check out the video of today’s episode because my guest is sharing a video clip from his latest documentary.

 

Who is this guest? It’s none other than Storm Miguel Florez, the man behind all the editing of every Encuentros Latinx episode! He has so much to share about his experience with gender and sexuality, growing up in a time period and culture where it was just not accepted, yet still finding people who shaped him and helped him grow into identities that break binaries. He also tells us about his film work and other creative stuff he does, so again you will absolutely want to stick around to the end and go check out the video episode on YouTube.

You can find the video feed and other Encuentros Latinx videos on the UCC's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6VgfHt6zEy6fiX4DkjRjuH3Rly3wyeV3

Email the podcast at encuentroslatinxs@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UCCEncuentrosLatinx/?ref=py_c

Register for Posadas Navideñas: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfZgv7EgZgQbfGtnbhenj-q16cXdDOwoZv0dqLxaUycvtwVDQ/viewform

Encuentro 17: Unlearning Racism and Homophobia Using Storytelling Toolkits

We are breaking our usual format this month and bringing you a panel episode with the Encuentros Latinx Advisory Committee demonstrating our racism and LGBTQ+ toolkits. Both resources are available for download and use in your own congregation.

Racism toolkit: https://www.ucc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/RACISM-TOOLKIT-2021.pdf

LGBTQ+ toolkit: https://www.ucc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/LGBTQ-TOOLKIT-2021.pdf

You can find the video feed and other Encuentros Latinx videos on the UCC's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6VgfHt6zEy6fiX4DkjRjuH3Rly3wyeV3

Email the podcast at encuentroslatinxs@gmail.com

Encuentro 16: Josue Perea ”We need terminology that unites us”

My guest today is Josue Perea and in the spirit of the Halloween season, we start off with a discussion about death and mortality with a little help from some beloved sci-fi series. Then, Josue shares his own experience of the term Latinx and Afrolatinidad, and ties it all into his pastoral work. Just a friendly reminder that Encuentros Latinx has a racism toolkit that you can download for free and use in your own congregation for racial justice work and Josue is the author of one of the passages. You’ll want to stick around to the end of the show to hear his words!

Josue's work and social media

IG: @guesnerth

Afrolatin@forum: www.afrolatinoforum.org

Register for Colectivo UCC's Latinx Heritage Month Celebration 4pm ET, 3pm CT, 1pm PT! https://bit.ly/2XE2XOQ

Encuentro 15: La Muna "Christ was in my dream"

Today's guest is musician La Muna. Those of you who were at General Synod may remember her song Rooted In Your Love. I got a chance to catch up with her and she shares wonderful experiences of her family’s coffee farm in Colombia, the trinitarian nature of her relationship with God, and how her activism has shaped her music.

La Muna's music:

https://lamuna.bandcamp.com/album/coraz-n-norte

https://www.corazonnorte.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/lamunamusica

Email the podcast at encuentroslatinxs@gmail.com.

Facebook: UCC Encuentros Latinx

This episode was recorded by Taylor Ramage and edited by Storm Miguel Florez.

Tostones con Taylor 3: Encuentros Latinx at General Synod

Today's longer tostones episode is all about General Synod! Get a snapshot of our presence there and the shenanigans I got myself into.

Encuentro 14: Amparo Ortiz "Language always comes back to identity"

I am very excited to bring you today’s guest, Amparo Ortiz. Amparo is the author of a young adult fantasy book called Blazewrath Games about a Puerto Rican girl who aims to play in an international competition with dragons and she ends up embroiled in an international conspiracy. The sequel, Dragonblood Ring is coming out in October, so look forward to that. In true Puerto Rican fashion, we had a very long conversation starting with memories of Old San Juan and the fanfiction she wrote about the nuns in her Catholic school, then going into how much of the real world artists should use for inspiration. If “Cat Person” means anything to you, that’s what we get into. If not, you’ll just have to find out. We also had a great discussion about religious iconography and grace and forgiveness in the age of social media. And then we brought it all home with a discussion about her current and upcoming work, and Latinx identity in Blazewrath Games. Find the most comfortable couch at your titi’s house because we are not leaving this party for a long, long while.

Follow Amparo Ortiz:

Twitter: @amparo_ortiz

Instagram: @amparo_ortiz

TikTok: @amparo_ortiz_author

Buy Blazewrath Games: https://bookshop.org/books/blazewrath-games-9781662036941/9781645670797

Pre-order Dragonblood Ring: https://bookshop.org/books/dragonblood-ring/9781645673163

Email the podcast at encuentroslatinxs@gmail.com.

Facebook: UCC Encuentros Latinx

This episode was recorded by Taylor Ramage and edited by Storm Miguel Florez.

Encuentro 13: Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi "Comunidad is what sustains us"

Today's guest is Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi. We have such a great conversation about biracial and biethnic experience, her work with the Colectivo de UCC Latinx Ministries, which is the umbrella collecting all Latinx ministries in the church, and toward the end we grapple with this question of what does it mean for UCC churches to be inclusive of Latinx people? It’s a nice, long episode for you this month!

Attention General Synod attendees! Be sure to check out BOTH Encuentros Latinx workshops: When Privilege Enters the Room and Decolonizing Faith.

Correction to one of the books mentioned:

Aftershocks of Disaster: Puerto Rico Before and After the Storm Edited by Yarimar Bonilla and Marisol LeBrón

Email the podcast at encuentroslatinxs@gmail.com.

Facebook: UCC Encuentros Latinx

This episode was recorded by Taylor Ramage and edited by Storm Miguel Florez.

Tostones con Taylor 2: Rembering Pulse 5 Years Later

Today’s mini-cast is pretty serious and heavy because it is the 5 year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, a tragedy at the intersection of Latinx and queer.

The UCC observed this with a virtual webinar service, which you can find on their YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/lr-oGr4Qw_E