“Gloría a Díos” brings Spanish worship to campus

The Office of Intercultural Development invited Lipscomb students to a multilingual worship night.

The first “Gloría a Díos” event took place on Sept. 25th at 5 p.m. in the Flatt Amphitheater. More than 50 students and faculty gathered for the Spanish and English worship night.

Lipscomb has hosted multilingual worship events before with great success, including a special Welcome to our World (WOW) week worship night last year.

Marisol Flores-Miller, Lipscomb’s director of the Office of Intercultural Development (OID), said that students wanted to build on the WOW week, especially after a Spanish song.

“What was cool about it was that students caught on that they were singing in English, but others were singing in Spanish. It was beautiful to hear,” Flores-Miller said. “After that, students approached me and asked, “Can we worship in Spanish?’”

Flores-Miller waited until her second year as director to partner with the Office of Spiritual Formation and create Gloría a Díos. The two departments considered how to serve both Spanish and English speakers, and they decided to center the event around 1 Pedro (Peter) 4:10.

“Cada uno ponga al servicio de los demás el don que haya recibido, administrando fielmente la gracia de Dios en sus diversas formas.” In English, the verse reads. “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

The event focused on how students can steward their gifts to serve God, especially those who might be serving on mission trips in Spanish-speaking countries. An intern from the OID and an intern from the Office of Spiritual Formation took turns sharing the same message and praying in both Spanish and English.

Then, senior Genesis Reyes led worship. She was accompanied by an acoustic guitar, and students’ voices filled the venue. Reyes invited students into a call-and-response pattern to learn new songs or unfamiliar words.

“I feel like Lipscomb really creates an atmosphere where…even if people might not know something, they put themselves out there,” Flores-Miller reflected. “You might not know Spanish, but we create an environment where we’re here to teach you.” 

Lipscomb is home to more than 100 international students, many of whom do not speak English as their first language. Flores-Miller hopes more multilingual events will encourage students to embrace a welcoming posture.

“I always say, put yourself on the spot first,” Flores-Miller said. “Be brave to ask questions, and always introduce yourself first. You open the door for them to reciprocate.”

Gloría a Díos ended with aguas frescas for all the students, and the promise of another Spanish worship event in November. 

The OID will continue celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Salsa in the Square on Friday.

Feature photo shot by Isaac Leedham.