UM churches play host to quinceañeras

United Methodist News Service
GLENDALE, Ariz.—It was a hot summer day at the Zapata household in Glendale June 17. The house was in chaos. Relatives were gathered, and kids were playing.
In a quiet back room, 15-year-old Brianna Zapata was oblivious to the hum. Quietly inspecting a white satin gown, she said, “I’m nervous.”
Brianna’s trepidation was understandable. The next day she would make the symbolic transition from child to adult.
That June 18 passage was marked by her “quinceañera,” a Hispanic tradition in which 15-year-olds celebrate their birthday and embrace religious traditions as well as the virtues of family and social responsibility.
Brianna’s quinceañera was unusual because both her pastor and her church, First UMC, were going through rites of passage as well. Brianna’s quinceañera was the first ever celebrated at the 120-year-old United Methodist church.
Across town at the church, the Rev. Lynn Hamilton was also getting ready. Hamilton admitted it marks a new venture for the congregation.
“We know what it’s like to be a rural church; we know what it’s like to be a suburban church,” Hamilton said. “Now we are finding ourselves as an urban church, and we need to be in our community.”
According to the 2000 census, Latinos make up 25 percent of Glendale’s population.
First UMC, like other urban congregations across the United States, is finding that embracing the community means learning new languages and traditions.
The quinceañera originated with the Aztecs and Mayans as early as 500 B.C. to celebrate a girl’s fertility. It has evolved into what is today a primarily Roman Catholic tradition.
In Corpus Christi, Oneida Cantú-Alegría didn’t welcome a quinceañera. She tried to hide her ethnicity by not using the Hispanic part of her name when she attended predominantly white schools.
When she transferred to a predominantly Hispanic high school, however, her peers pressured her “to start showing your pride in being a Mexican girl,” she said. As a result, she embraced her name and her heritage. 
“Once my eyes were opened,” she said, “I thought, how could I not have a quinceañera? I would be letting down my whole family practically, so I told my mom I wanted one, which was like in March or April. I had to hurry.  It was so hectic, but yet it was so much fun.”
The celebration was in June at St. John’s UMC, Corpus Christi. 
Back in Glendale, Brianna’s parents, Heather and Juan Zapata, originally thought they would have to go to a Roman Catholic church to celebrate Brianna’s quince-añera. But Heather decided to approach Hamilton first.
“She said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it; let’s bring this to our church,’” Heather recalled. “And she just ran with it.”
Hamilton said, “It’s an exciting time for our church. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.”
The process began more than a year ago, when Hamilton tried to find a Methodist service. She called fellow United Methodist ministers in the area and sent an e-mail to find other churches that may have examples of a quinceañera service. She found that most, like hers, had never performed one.
The quinceañera service doesn’t have to be performed in a Roman Catholic church; the only requirement is that there be some sort of religious ceremony to mark the young woman’s acceptance of a life embracing religious values.
With help from the family, Hamilton planned a service that was both traditional and unique for Brianna. In her sermon, she implored Brianna to “honor your life and the lives of those you love.”
In addition, the pastor reminded Brianna that “today is not just about dinner, dance and gifts” but “… about saying, ‘Yes, God, I am ready to leave my childhood behind and embark on the journey of adulthood. Be with me Lord, guide and protect me, help me to be all you have created me to be.’” 
The service included many traditional aspects, such as the giving of gifts, including a candle to signify the light of Christ, a ring to signify the continuous circle of God’s love, and flowers to symbolize a beautiful and pure life created by God. Throughout the service, Hamilton tells the congregation to speak in whatever language they are comfortable with. Even Holy Communion was served.    
The church was filled with Brianna’s family and friends, and even members of the congregation whom she barely knows.
“They’ve been so supportive; they’ve opened their arms to us,” Heather Zapata said.
Hamilton said, “I don’t know that this might have happened except for the fact that we now have bilingual families in our congregation. But one of the things that really comes across is the United Methodist ... understanding that we are all children of God, and being able to reach out to another culture and blend this service like we blended this one says who we are as United Methodists.”
Despite her nerves, Brianna performs gracefully at the June 18 ceremony, repeating her baptismal vows and reciting a prayer of gratitude in Spanish as her parents and grandparents look on with tears in their eyes.
It is, her father noted, a bittersweet time. For days before, Juan has been thinking about the shy little girl who once held his hand as they walked to school. Now he admitted, “She’s almost a woman.”
And during her quinceañera, she held hands with her mother and father one last time. It was ultimately a happy occasion as Brianna and her church found they were growing up together.