| West River hosts Hispanic Family Camp By John Coleman, Jr.
UMCONNECTION STAFF More than 80 people from across the Baltimore-Washington Conference came together for the annual Hispanic Family Camp at West River UM Center, Sept. 3-5. The intergenerational camp, sponsored by the conference Hispanic/ Latino Ministries Committee, drew participants primarily from Hispanic/ Latino congregations in Hyattsville, Bethesda and Baltimore. They gathered for lively worship, recreation, fellowship, cultural celebration and workshops.  | JOHN COLEMAN / UMCONNECTION | Participants at the Family Camp enjoy worship at West River Center. |
Highlights included a talent show, games, puppetry, boating on West River, daily devotions, and an emotional farewell to the Rev. William Caraballo-Lopez, conference Hispanic Ministries coordinator. Caraballo was deployed the next day to Iraq as a military chaplain’s assistant, an assignment that could last for up to 18 months.  | JOHN COLEMAN / UMCONNECTION | Children with puppets at the Hispanic/Latino Family Camp at West River. |
In workshops, adults learned and dialogued about Cuba and public education in the United States. They used curriculum from the 2004 School of Christian Mission but added a Hispanic/Latino perspective, according to Ruth Balderas, a member of First UMC Hyattsville, who helped organize the event. “Some people cried when they learned about Cuba,” said Balderas, “because they identified with the poverty, lack of freedoms and other problems they struggled with in their own countries.” The public education workshop also examined problems, including student truancy and dropout rates, poor school performance, gangs and violence. “We have big problems with language and culture gaps between students and parents,” Balderas said, “and low involvement by parents in the schools because of their fears and problems with English. We also had a great conversation about high teen suicide rates.”  | The Rev. Yolanda Pupo-Ortiz preaches at the closing services. |
The Rev. Yolanda Pupo-Ortiz, associate general secretary of the denomination’s Commission on Religion and Race, preached several times, including at a closing Communion service that celebrated National Hispanic Heritage Month. | 
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