Spanish activities in Los Angeles area

Spanish Outreach Progress June 2008

FORMATION OF A SPANISH OUTREACH COMMITTEE

The first meeting of the Spanish Outreach Committee was May 18 at
3rd Church L.A, in Downtown Los Angeles. Twelve people launched this
coordinating committee composed of those interested in bringing Christian Science to their Southern California Spanish communities.

EL HERALDO RADIO BROADCASTING

Our continuing activity includes : Weekly radio broadcast - ½ hour broadcast of El Heraldo on Spanish station KHJ AM 930 at 7 a.m. on Sunday mornings;
toll free 800 number is announced 3 times at the beginning and end of each El Heraldo program; send calter El Heraldo Magazine; spot announcements on Saturdays; monthly El Heraldo monitor; Metaphysical Committee.

Listener responses are heartening

• A caller who found Ciencia y Salud in a library and then bought her own book (and shares CS with friends at work and at her apartment) called to say she was heading home on vacation to El Salvador and she wanted to know if there were any churches there where she could take her parents. Learning that there were none, we went to visit her and made sure she had extra Heraldos, another Ciencia y Salud, a biography of Mrs. Eddy and God’s Law of Adjustment in Spanish to take with her. She was so grateful.

• Another caller was referred to us from the El Heraldo office in Boston. He had called to find out if they had Ciencia y Salud in Braille. The answer being “no,” we were able to send him some old El Heraldo tapes and have read the lesson in Spanish to him over the phone so he could tape it and listen. We hear from this gentleman regularly.

• One caller from 2007 was so excited about Christian Science from the first time she found out about it through the El Heraldo broadcast. She asked for and received a Ciencia y Salud and then called her local church to find out how she could learn more. The Reading Room Librarian is fluent and helped to provide reading materials for her including the new Spanish/English Full Text Quarterly, and she attended the Placentia Spanish lecture last year. On her own the caller bought Miscellaneous Writings. We’re told she recently returned to Bogota, Colombia for a visit, where “she located the church there.”

• A caller from 2006, who visits the U.S. regularly, just got back from Mexico
and attended both the Santa Barbara and Encinitas Spanish lectures. She enjoyed them greatly and got a lot out of being able to hear Lorenzo Rodriguez’s lecture twice. She also regularly studies the Bible lesson from the new Spanish/English Full Text Quarterly.

• An Inglewood elementary school substitute teacher mentioned that when she was using the El Heraldo “world globe” paperweight produced by the Publishing Society to demonstrate to the children what a cube was, that many of them recognized the words “El Heraldo” because their families listen to the program.


SPANISH LECTURES/TALKS

Lectures

• In April, Santa Barbara/Goleta/Solvang/Carpinteria churches sponsored a lecture by Lorenzo Rodriguez, CS, at Girls, Inc. Community Center. A woman heard our radio spots all week and couldn’t wait to attend. After the talk she commented that what she heard touched her heart, and she felt like this was what she needed to help her with her search for much needed employment and healing.”

• In May, Escondido Church sponsored a lecture by Heloisa Rivas, CSB, given at Central School. They emailed, “Our Spanish lecture went really well! We had 6 Spanish-speaking newcomers who listened intently, got involved in dialog during the lecture and stayed afterwards to chat and have a snack. It really was rewarding, and they all took Spanish Science and Health's and other Spanish literature. “

• Also, in May, Encinitas Society and Rancho Santa Fe Church sponsored a lecture by Lorenzo Rodriguez, CS, at the Encinitas Community and Senior Center. As reported, this was also a very successful lecture. “Spanish workers standing in front of Home Depot were invited and one came to the lecture. After some discussion afterwards he became very interested in the new ideas he was hearing and has continued to want to know more.

Talks. Julio Rivas, CS, gave a talk in March at Backs Community Center in Placentia, sponsored by the Fullerton Church. This talk was very well received and 25 Spanish seekers were in attendance. Many Spanish books and literature were taken. Refreshments served afterward gave them a chance for fellowship and the time to interact with Spanish speaking church members. Per one attendee, “it would be great if other churches could participate in sponsoring” talks.


READING ROOM OUTREACH

• The 28th Church (Westwood) Reading Room librarian recently placed prior month Spanish/English Full Text Quarterlies out front in their free literature box. “Almost immediately a family came in holding two of them. The parents looked around. They ended up buying a (Spanish) Bible and My Little Book in Spanish, and I gave them an El Heraldo magazine. They are from Temecula and are going to UCLA medical center for their daughter.”

• An Escondido Reading Room attendant says there is a weekly farmer’s market close by and the Reading Room lets the vendors use the restroom facilities. She said “I put on Julia Wade’s new CD in Spanish. I love hearing her sing in Spanish and the Latino vendors that came in smiled and paused to listen to her recording.”

• Another librarian from 10th Church (Brentwood) Reading Room said that “a Latina walked in and I showed her our Spanish items for sale. She bought the new Julia Wade CD and I printed out a copy of the Spanish Bible Lesson for this week for her, too.”

OTHER INSTANCES OF OUTREACH

• A member of Palos Verdes Peninsula Church shares Christian Science with her gardener. He in turn shares the weekly lesson, Heraldos and one church’s Wednesday evening readings in Spanish and English with others. “He also listens to the radio broadcast on Sunday morning, which he says ‘is too short, it should be an hour long.’ He also exclaims that ‘God is his doctor.’”

• A Palm Desert Church member is supporting the interest in Christian Science of two Spanish families she has befriended (one from Mexico and the other from Panama). She has been able to provide Heraldos, other writings, and some old El Heraldo radio CD’s. One of the family members has also been attending church.

WEEKLY SERVICES/DISCUSSION GROUPS now meeting:

• Spanish/English Wednesday testimony meetings are held weekly at
3rd Church, Downtown L.A. at 7 p.m. Some members of this church
speak Spanish. The service is advertised to other branch churches in
Southern California and a flyer about the service is sent to all new El
Heraldo callers. This service is established and has been continuing for
several years.

• Weekly Friday night Bible Lesson study in Spanish at 7:30 p.m. at Inglewood/Westchester Reading Room. It is an informal meeting lasting an hour or so and It includes hymn singing, reading aloud from the Spanish/English Full Text Quarterly, and discussion in Spanish and English of passages from the Bible and Science and Health.

- M. Downs and P. Lindahl