Written by: Carlos Torres
Chattanooga Hispanic Community Seventh-day Adventist Church, better known as La Comunidad, has created a new Friday night service for young people in the Chattanooga area.
The service was launched in August and takes place at 7 p.m. every Friday and features a unique style of worship. Each program begins with refreshments and fellowship followed by interactive discussions, a song service and a devotional thought.
“The idea is to create a safe place where people from different walks of life can come, share, grow together and connect.”
“The idea is to create a safe place where people from different walks of life can come, share, grow together and connect,” said Roberto Coronado, pastor of La Comunidad.
Andre Menezes, a senior chemistry major, has been part of the church culture since he moved to the area in 2019 and said the addition of the vespers service has helped him experience connection and growth.
“I feel involved even just sitting there. It’s a lot of questionnaire[s] and a lot of responses. It almost feels like a Bible study,” Menezes said. “It really allows me to see different perspectives and people’s Christian walk. It has allowed me to learn more.”
As a church with many people from different countries and various walks of life, La Comunidad hosts its Sabbath service in three different languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese, all of which are live-streamed for those who want to receive the message online, according to Coronado.
“There are no limits,” he said. “We want to make sure that everyone feels welcome and no [one feels] like a second-class citizen, so everyone will get the message in their own language.”
“We want to make sure that everyone feels welcome and no [one feels] like a second-class citizen, so everyone will get the message in their own language.”
Menezes stated, “As a multicultural student, being able to connect with my culture and the culture of others is really important.”
He has heard others at La Communidad say that it reminds them of their churches back home, “because of the type of music that is at [La] Comunidad, and the way that everyone is so welcoming and the potlucks.”
With home-cooked meals and a lively service, the church focuses on building community and hopes to continue being a “home away from home” for university students.
Coronado said, “We want to embrace the people who are here. We want to provide [those who are] long distances from home a place to feel safe and to feel that they belong.”
Editor’s Note: When the Accent tried to get the university’s stance on potentially adding credit to off-campus vespers, Anna Bennett, associate chaplain, told the Accent to contact Joseph Khabbaz, chaplain and vice president of Spiritual Life. After multiple attempts to reach Khabbaz, he did not get back to the Accent.