Agustin Canales knew he had a friend in Jesus, but he was also very happy to find out he had a friend in Rev. Mario Portillo.
Canales, who emigrated from El Salvador, was in this country for only a few days and spoke little English. But his religious beliefs led him to Rev. Portillo and his Spanish Bible class.
“I feel the Bible is very important to my life,” Canales said through an interpreter. “It makes me feel very good to learn and share and to speak in our language. It is the first time I’ve been here but it won’t be the last.”
Portillo began the Spanish Bible study class last year in The Barn, a village activities center, as part of his work with the Christ Community Mennonite Church.
The church was founded five years ago by Schaumburg residents LeRoy and Pauline Kennel and today serves a diverse ethnic mix of members, many of them Hispanic, who come from Catholic backgrounds or have never encountered religion in their lifetimes.
“We are very much interested in helping the Hispanic population in their struggle to come into this country. The Hispanic population of the northwest suburbs is growing and I feel that we as the body of Christ-the church-have a lot to offer the people,” Portillo said.
It is a journey Portillo knows firsthand. He came to the area from Guatemala in 1973 and presided at another Schaumburg parish before joining the Mennonite church in 1990.
Foremost in Portillo’s mind is to put his pupils at ease. Lessons are taught entirely in Spanish, an important point for some who have not fully mastered English and understand much more in their native language.
“I feel that we benefit a lot from this,” said Dionisio Merlos, a carpenter from Hanover Park who came with his wife, Eugenia.
With a congregation of 100 members, it is a close-knit the group where many people know each other by name. During their church service, everyone is invited to share personal experiences or offer words of thanks and praise.
“What we like about this church is the friendships. Everyone tries to make you feel a part of the group,” said Eddy Batres, a supervisor who lives in Schaumburg and also came to this country from Guatemala.
LeRoy Kennel hopes the Bible course will be expanded if the church builds a permanent site in Schaumburg. Church members are raising money for a site and are “seriously negotiating” for a location, Kennel said.
