LaFe, InterVarsity’s ministry to Latino students and faculty, held its first national student conference December 27-31, 2004, in San Diego, California, called LaFe 04. The theme of LaFe 04 was “Embracing our identity for such a time as this.” Attendees were encouraged to celebrate their identity as Latino Christians and to develop witnessing communities on their campuses.
LaFe serves approximately 900 Latino students around the country and develops these students as leaders. Latino InterVarsity chapters exist at such schools as UCLA, UC-Berkeley, UC-Davis and the University of Texas-El Paso.
A diverse group of 150 students attended LaFe 04 representing Puerto Rican influenced chapters in New York and New Jersey, as well as Mexican-American oriented chapters in Texas, Arizona and California. Many of the students came from community colleges, which is a fairly new and rapidly growing area of ministry for InterVarsity. The students were excited about this ground-breaking conference and many testified about God’s work in their lives and changed directions as they grow in their commitment to Him.
In mid-October 2004, 65 students from 13 colleges and universities in the Los Angeles area participated in Cumbre de Alabanza: A Summit of Praise. This summit, coordinated by Abner Ramos and Scott McLane, was an evening of worship and prayer for the Latino community held at a church near California State University-Los Angeles.
Participating students came from Catholic and Protestant backgrounds, from Mexican and El Salvadorian heritage, and from Colombia, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, & Costa Rica.
“Our ethnic identity does not have to compete with our faith, but it enriches our faith because it is part of God’s plan for our lives,” says Orlando Crespo, National Director of InterVarsity’s Latino Fellowship.
In his book Being Latino in Christ: Finding Wholeness in Your Ethnic Identity, (published by InterVarsity Press) Orlando shows how Latinos can positively influence the world through issues of racial reconciliation, bicultural ministry, and ethnic identity in Christ. During the LaFe 04 conference, students examined a fresh perspective on these issues by studying the book of Esther.
