More than 1,200 Latino Leaders Attend the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference Annual Convention

By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST News Service

ANAHEIM, CA (ANS - May 23, 2016) – More than 1,200 Latino Evangelical Christian leaders came together to address issues of interest and importance to the Hispanic community and to be encouraged, equipped and empowered during the “Be Light” Latin Leaders Fest from May 20-21, 2016, in Anaheim, California.

According to a news release from A. Larry Ross Communications (http://alarryross.com), the convention, sponsored by the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC)/Conel, the world's largest Hispanic Christian organization serving more than 40,000 church congregations in the United States and another 500,000 around the world, featured sessions and workshops to help the Latino community execute action-oriented initiatives, generate innovative ideas and advance their leadership.

Throughout the two-day gathering, the impact and influence of the Hispanic Christian community was reinforced – particularly in light of this election season. At the invitation of NHCLC leadership, presumptive Democratic and Republican presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump sent video messages addressing attendees, which were shown during the convention's opening session on May 20, 2016.

“America doesn't need a new political movement,” said Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, NHCLC president and author of the new book, “Be Light: Shining God's Beauty, Truth, and Hope into a Darkened World.” “What we need is to see the Church of Jesus Christ rise up and shine. While the Church is waiting for Jesus to come down, Jesus is waiting for His Church to stand up. It's time for us to be light.”

The Conference featured renowned speakers, pastors and musicians, including Evangelist Luis Palau, founder of the Luis Palau Association, and Alberto Delgado, founding pastor of the bilingual Alpha & Omega church in Miami, Florida, the Alpha & Omega Bible Institutes and the founder and president of Latin Mission Ministries.

The news release said, “Each presenter challenged attendees to be bold in representing Jesus in every aspect of their lives. Speakers encouraged the leaders to engage with the culture in an impactful way and make their mark on the world in all areas of influence, including business, finance, education, the arts and government.”

Marcos Witt, an award-winning singer and composer and founder of CanZion, the largest Spanish-Christian record company and distributor in the world, inspired the crowd of Evangelical leaders to not isolate themselves from the world but rather to run to the darkness with light.

“God wants you to go out there and get your hands dirty. You need to raise up your shirt sleeves and start helping people who are sick, dirty and ugly,” said Witt. “To be able to be light, you are going to have to change your approach, your vocabulary. You don't change your message, but you change the way you do ministry.”

Nick Hall, founder of Pulse and the visionary of Together 2016, a gathering on the National Mall inviting Christians to unify in prayer, worship and a call for catalytic change, reminded attendees that God can use each of them in a unique way. “God loves to use unlikely people from unlikely places because He wants to make it clear it's all about Him,” he said.

During a panel on ministry in the marketplace, Executive Vice President for PepsiCo North America Richard Montanez, President of Meguir’s Inc. Berry Meguiar, Siempre Tax COO Laura Contreras-Rowe and RISCO Insurance Services Founder Javier Rodriguez each spoke of the rise of Latino leaders within the corporate world and the importance for Evangelicals to not separate their faith from their work.

Contreras-Rowe specifically noted the importance of teaching Latina women at a young age that they can become leaders in the workplace, mentioning that currently only .5 percent the nation's CEO or COO positions are held by Hispanic females.

Throughout the event, Jaci Velasquez and Nic Gonzales, an award-winning husband and wife musical duo, led worship. The event ended with a concert featuring Christine D’Clario, a prominent singer and passionate songwriter who is considered a trendsetting worship leader to the next generation.

Note: NHCLC/CONEL is the world's largest Hispanic Christian organization. It serves as a representative voice for the more than 100 million Hispanic Evangelicals assembled in over 40,000 U.S. churches and millions of congregations spread throughout the Spanish-speaking diaspora. For additional information, visit http://www.nhclc.org.

FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT: Kristin Cole, 615.289.6701, kristin@alarryross.com .

Photo captions: 1) Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, NHCLC president. 2) Music at the Anaheim Hispanic gathering. 3) A speaker at the event. 4) Norma and Dan Wooding on a reporting assignment in Hollywood for ANS. (Photo: Bryan Seltzer).

About the writer: Dan Wooding, 75, is an award-winning winning author, broadcaster and journalist who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, and is now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for nearly 53 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren, who all live in the UK. Dan is the founder and international director of the ASSIST News Service (ANS), and the author or co-author of some 45 books. He has one radio show and two TV programs all based in Southern California. Before moving to the US, Dan was a senior reporter with two of the UK’s largest circulation newspapers and also an interviewer for BBC Radio One in London.

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