Local pastor holds services in Spanish

Reaching out to the local Spanish-speaking population, Dr. Ramon Tristani leads a Spanish ministry on Sunday mornings. After many months of planning the new outreach ministry, the service is now a reality.\n“Our church is not for Hispanics only; it is for everyone who would like to come. It may help to know the language, but the doors are open for everyone,” Tristani said.\nThe services take place at 10 a.m. every Sunday at the South Indiana Conference United Methodist Church in Bloomington.\nWith the first service welcoming 11 attendees, Tristani said he hopes to welcome more guests in the near future. \n“We want people to know that we are here and you do not have to be Hispanic to come; our doors are always open,” Tristani said.\nThe conference center will continue to host the worship services on Sunday mornings, with as much enthusiasm as the first week, said Bob Ostermeyer, superintendent for the Bloomington district of the South Indiana United Methodist Conference.\nBorn in Puerto Rico, Tristani was a pastor at an independent Christian church for 20 years. \nWhen his engineering career brought him to work at Crane Inc. nine years ago, Tristani said he knew there would be a chance for him to get back into the ministry.\nWhile Easter Sunday will not feature extravagant cantatas or elaborate costumes, the focus will still remain on the issue at hand.\n“This Sunday’s service will not be anything special, apart from us gathering and worshipping,” Tristani said. “It will be a regular Sunday service focused on the resurrection of our Lord.” \nIU alumnus Dario Requiz, who is involved at the church with English language training, said that he believes the program will be positive for the community. He also said programs aimed at the Hispanic community will not only provide information about religion, but also how to solve everyday issues.\nThe congregation may be small compared to other churches around Bloomington, but Tristani said he has a plan to turn his vision into a reality. “I plan to preach and talk to people one-on-one, and start broadcasting a Hispanic radio show,” he said.\nThe radio show would be a 30-minute broadcast once a week, and would contain a short message based on the Bible and have a few songs and announcements, Tristani said. Tristani stated that he wanted to keep his focus on outreach.\n“The biggest challenge I can see is finding the people to talk to. We need to let them know that we are preaching and here to help,” Tristani said.\nTristani said he and Ostermeyer have been praying that the Lord would bring people to the service, so they can share the love that is portrayed in the Bible. \nFor more information, contact the Bloomington district United Methodist Center at 800-919-8160 or e-mail bladmin@sicumc.org.