Elsa Noemi Meza (left) is joined by a supporter on her first day as a student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Chicago. World Communion Sunday funds helped provide her scholarship.
COURTESY PHOTO
In her formative years, Elsa Noemi Meza and her family were considered “second- or third-class citizens.” She and her siblings survived by selling eggs, fruits and ice cream on the streets of Lima, Peru.
After an American missionary baptized Meza, she dreamed of living in the United States. In 2005, after 30 years of saving, she and her daughter made that dream a reality.
“I felt overwhelmed with so many denominations when we moved here,” she says. “However, when we stepped into St. John’s United Methodist Church (in Oak Park, Ill.,) my daughter recognized the cross and flame as the symbol that was in the high school in Lima.
“We immediately felt at home and joined the church.” The congregation “is predominately Filipino-American, with individuals from other ethnicities as well (Latina, Caucasian and African American).”
A survivor of domestic violence, Meza volunteers with Latin Women in Action, a Chicago group that helps women in abusive situations.
“The Lord gave me the spirit to make something good out of my bad experience,” she says.
Her pastor told Meza, who had already earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees, that she “had the qualities needed to be a pastor.” He suggested she apply to Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill.
With the help of a scholarship from World Communion Sunday offerings, Meza recently completed her first year of seminary.
‘A gift from God’
United Methodists observe World Communion Sunday on the first Sunday in October (Oct. 5 this year). Half of the offering proceeds go toward World Communion Scholarships, administered by the General Board of Global Ministries. The other half supports the Ethnic Scholarship and the Ethnic In-Service Training programs, related to the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
“If it hadn’t been for my scholarship, I would not have been able to go to school,” Meza says. “It was a gift from God. Until that scholarship, I had no money or resources.
“I now see my vocation as serving others, specifically immigrant Latina women.”
She says her wish is to create a Chicago-based United Methodist Hispanic leadership program that “welcomes dialogue connections with Hispanic Christian women and other faith traditions.
“Our goal would be to reach low-income women to empower them spiritually and equip them with skill sets to become self-sufficient.”
Meza also notes that in 2013, 50 public schools closed in Chicago, in mostly African-American and Latino neighborhoods. Her ministry plans include “changing the educational system to more fairly address the needs of all children. ... While wealthy communities have more resources than poor, we must break the cycle of social-class differences in education.”
Meza is a member of Women to Women, a group of Filipino women at St. John’s Church, who gather in a safe place to discuss their struggles in confidence.
She also assists the United Methodist Church of Elmwood Park (Ill.) with Hispanic ministries, including helping low-income women develop business plans to become financially independent.
Heather Peck Travis is a freelance journalist living in Glasgow, Ky.
World Communion Sunday – Oct. 5
Find materials to help tell the World Communion Sunday story at www.umcgiving.org/wcs. Order posters and leaflet/envelopes to promote the offering by calling United Methodist Communications Customer Service, 888-346-3862. While Oct. 5 is the official date for the observance, churches may receive the offering at any time.