Each Sunday evening, before 6 o’clock strikes at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Associate Rector for Hispanic Ministry Bruce McMillan brings Spanish Bibles and hymn books to the sanctuary. Other members hang a Spanish banner in the pulpit and bring in a guitar for worship service.
Associate Rector for Hispanic Ministry Bruce McMillan opens up St. Peter’s Episcopal Church worship service Sunday evening.
Retired University of Mississippi Spanish professor and current vocational deacon of 15 years Penny Sisson remembers when she and others began the Spanish-speaking service.
In 2000, Hispanics made up 1.39 percent of Mississippi’s population. Since, the population has doubled.
According to Pew Research Center, 80,000 Hispanics live in Mississippi, making up 3 percent of the state’s entire population. In July 2015, the nationwide Hispanic or Latino percentage was 17.6 percent, a 1.3 percent rise from April 2010.
In 1998, Sisson and Kathy Gray, who both taught English as a second language, saw an influx of Hispanics coming through the Oxford School District. This lead to starting a worship service for Spanish-speaking residents.
Sisson said they worked to start English classes and the Spanish worship service.
“When we started, no other churches had it. But once we did, they followed suit,” Sisson said.
Sisson lived in Mexico after graduating from school and said the service is a great way to give back to the people there.
“Our service is the same as English, except we sing, worship and pray in Spanish,” Sisson said. “We even celebrate weddings, baptisms, conversions, memorials and quinceañeras.”
McMillan leads the Spanish service every Sunday and has been associate rector at St. Peter’s for 14 years. He is the 21-year pastor of Christ Church in Holly Springs.
McMillan said his neighbors used to translate for him when Hispanics would come to him for spiritual help. As more and more Spanish-speakers came to him, 45-year-old McMillan decided to study Spanish at Ole Miss under Sisson.
According to McMillan, there are approximately 45 Hispanic members of the church, including Mexicans, Central and Southern Americans and Anglos.
“Putting myself in their shoes, I would appreciate having a service in my first language,” McMillan said. “They love Jesus like it’s nobody’s business; that warms a preacher’s soul.”
Coincidently, when McMillan finished his studies, the associate rector position opened up at St. Peter’s. He took it.
The impact of St. Peter’s extends beyond its front doors . The church often writes its members letters of recommendation and helps some apply for citizenship. Penny Sisson said she believes the church has raised the value of education, as many members end up as first-generation college students.
The Episcopal church provides scholarships for higher education to minority groups, and Sisson said she helps students navigate through the application process.
Christian Sanchez, a junior criminal justice major, said he benefitted from the church’s support. Sanchez and his family came to St. Peter’s when he was in third grade after the Roman Catholic church stopped offering Spanish services.
“I feel like this church brings people closer together because of its small number,” Sanchez said. “Spiritually, I have a better understanding of what the priest is trying to say.”
