Hispanic/Latino Ministries

Ileana Rosario

Virginia Conference Director of Connectional Ministries Dr. Susan Garrett has announced the appointment of the Rev. Ileana Rosario as the Director of Hispanic/Latino Ministries for the conference.

Rosario began the part-time staff position in January 2007. She will continue to serve as pastor of Gracia United Methodist Church in Falls Church.

“Ileana Rosario has had a personal mission throughout her career in ministry, and that mission is to challenge — and to assist — The United Methodist Church in reaching the growing Hispanic/Latino population in Virginia,” Garrett said. “I am thrilled that the annual conference now has a director of Hispanic/Latino Ministries with the amazing passion, faithfulness, and gifts for ministry that Ileana brings to her work. I look forward to the wisdom and energy Ileana will share with the churches of the annual conference so that our churches might minister more effectively to the growing and vibrant Hispanic/Latino population within our midst.”

Rosario sees her primary task is to develop an all-encompassing vision for Latino and Hispanic ministries in Virginia.

“We want to create a vision in the conference that will incorporate people who have expertise, a vision that is not just for Hispanic churches but for our whole conference to do Hispanic ministry.

“I want to help our non-Hispanic churches begin to dream about doing Hispanic ministry, to start talking about it, and help walk them through the process of getting started. I think that will be a great thing.”

Much of that work could involve a cooperative parish concept, where more than one church may band together to create and execute programs for Latinos in their community.

While most of Rosario’s work will continue to be done from the Northern Virginia area where her church is located, she will come into the conference office in Glen Allen one day a week as she works to learn the entire conference.

Another goal of Rosario is to help the Virginia Conference’s Latino laity, who “don’t have much opportunity for classes and workshops right now.” And she would like to establish some regular kind of forum for the conference’s Hispanic pastors to come together and discuss their needs and issues.

Rosario earned a bachelors degree in communications in her native Puerto Rico and worked as an assistant to the president of the national Senate there. She and her family came to Virginia in 1991. Rosas completed her Master of Divinity degree at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington in 1999.

She was appointed as an associate pastor at Culmore UMC in Falls Church and while there founded Grace Ministries, a community outreach program which currently serves more than 1,500 persons a month at four sites in Northern Virginia.

In 2001, Rosario founded Gracia UMC. She has served as chairperson of the conference’s Hispanic Ministries Task Force.

Rosario may be contacted at:

5001 Echols Ave
Alexandria, VA 22311-1205

O: (703) 820-7200

H: (703) 867-4545

E-mail: IleRosas@aol.com