El Corazón Latinx Ministry Initiative

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El Corazón is our congregation's initiative to cultivate a community that will place Latinx people at the heart (el corazón) of our parish. Through worship, teaching, and acts of justice we seek to cultivate racial reconciliation by breaking down barriers of segregation in Northwest Ottawa County. 

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We have a Coordinator of Communications and Equity for our El Corazón Latino Ministry, Abby Teasley, who is happy to talk to you and find ways for you to get plugged in. You can contact her for more information. Abby is fully bilingual and happy to help! The full schedule for our ministry is online here, but you can also find out what we are doing in the various areas of our church's motto below. 

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Following Jesus

We learn and grow in our faith through special events and opportunities throughout the year, our special events for 2025 will be:

• Easter Egg Hunt, Sunday, April 20, 2024, 11:30am – Join us for our Annual Easter Egg Hunt beginning at Noon, after the 10:45am Easter worship service. EVERYONE is welcome to join us! Please bring your own basket. Find out more and let us know you are coming online here.

• Día de los Muertos Altar, Sunday, October 26, 2025, Noon – Commonly known as Halloween, October 31 (and the name of the holiday) actually comes from the point that it is the day Eve of All Saints’ (Hallows) Day. At SJE, we anticipate the Feast on Sunday, October 26, as you are invited to help us set up an Ofrenda in the All Souls Chapel and to bring photos of loved ones you wish to remember. Find out more and let us know you are coming online here: http://sjegh.com/ofrenda.

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Inspired by Worship

We have bilingual prayer books available for those whose primary language is Spanish when the come to our 8:30am or 10:45am worship services. We also special services of worship in Spanish for particularly important feast days during the year. In 2025, those offerings will be:

• Fiesta y Misa en El Campo – Once a month we bring Spanish-language worship to an area Migrant Camp for Misa en el Campo. One of those Sundays we also bring a Fiesta with the mass and bring together local agencies to celebrate and serve our migrant worker population and worship with them at the close of day. For 2025, the Misa en el Campo will be at 4pm on June 22, July 20, and August 17. You can contact Abby for more information about the location. The Fiesta after the mass will be on Sunday, July 20. 

• Our Lady of Guadalupe, Friday, December 12, 2025, 6pm – Celebrating Juan Diego's vision of Our Lady, we worship in Spanish and give thanks for a church that is mestizaje / mixed in culture and language. After the liturgy, all are welcome to a shared potluck style meal. 

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Boldly Loving ALL

We are also passionate about acts of justice. We have an Immigration Justice Ministry, offer opportunities for bridge-building with our partnership with the Tri-Cities Puentes Initiative (including their annual Grand Haven Hispanic Heritage Fiesta), and in the summer months, as noted above, we bring "Fiesta y Misa en al Campo" to the area migrant worker camps, an offering of food, household essentials, and worship. We also have the following events planned for this year:

• Coast Guard Taco Sale Fundraiser, Saturday, August 2, 2025, 10:30am-12:30pm – Get some great tacos and other Mexican food outside St. John’s Episcopal Church on Coast Guard Parade Saturday, August 2. We’ll be serving right on Washington Ave from 10:30am-12:30pm, with all proceeds to benefit the Immigrant Relief Fund – providing assistance with legal and household needs for our area immigrant population.

• Hispanic Heritage Festival, Saturday, September 20, 2025, 10am-6pm – We will be hosting a booth at the Grand Haven Hispanic Heritage Festival with information about El Corazón, the Immigrant Relief Fund, and to sell items to benefit the Immigrant Relief Fund. 

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