La Mesa Ministry and Calendar/Ministerio y calendario de La Mesa
St. Margaret's has multiple ministries under the umbrella of "La Mesa," which means The Table. La Mesa includes two ten-week cycles of English and Spanish classes each year, which give students the opportunity to learn each language and then practice over a shared meal, at the table. La Mesa also includes several bilingual masses throughout the year in which the rector leads much of the mass and the Eucharist in Spanish while lay persons read Scripture and the prayers of the people alternating in both languages. The sermon is pre-recorded in Spanish by clergy from around the Episcopal Church and a brief translation is given in English after the recording is played during the mass. In the summer and holiday seasons, La Mesa hosts conversation circles that allow students to continue to engage in language and cultural activities and special celebrations such as the feast of the Virgin de Guadalupe, Las Posadas, and Tres Reyes.
Spring / Summer Calendar:
Please join La Mesa this Spring and Summer for these activities!
St. Margaret’s: 12663 Perkins Rd. in Baton Rouge
June 11th: La Mesa Conversation Circle
Practice your English or Spanish at St. Margaret’s at 2pm
Includes drinks and snacks
Cost: free
June 24th: World Refugee Festival
Get resources and information for immigrants and refugees
2pm at the Family and Youth Service Center at 1120 Government St. in Baton Rouge
Cost: free
June 25th: La Mesa Conversation Circle
Practice your English or Spanish at St. Margaret’s at 7pm
Includes drinks and snacks
Cost: free
July 9th: La Mesa Conversation Circle
Practice your English or Spanish at St. Margaret’s at 2pm
Includes drinks and snacks
Cost: free
July 23rd: La Mesa Conversation Circle
Practice your English or Spanish at St. Margaret’s at 7pm
Includes drinks and snacks
Cost: free
August 20th: Bilingual Mass and Beginning of Fall La Mesa English and Spanish Classes
At St. Margaret’s at 5pm (church service) and 6pm (class)
Includes dinner at 7pm
Cost: free
Fall La Mesa Classes will be held: August 20th, 27th; September 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th; October 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd
Calendario Primavera/Verano:
¡Únase a La Mesa entre abril y agosto para estas actividades!
St. Margaret's: 12663 Perkins Rd. en baton rouge
11 de junio: Círculo de conversación de La Mesa
Practica tu inglés o español en St. Margaret's a las 2pm
Incluye bebidas y snacks
Gratis
24 de junio: Festival Mundial de los Refugiados
Obtenga recursos e información para inmigrantes y refugiados
2pm en el Centro de Servicios para la Familia y la Juventud en 1120 Government St. en Baton Rouge
Gratis
25 de junio: Círculo de conversación de La Mesa
Practica tu inglés o español en St. Margaret's a las 7pm
Incluye bebidas y snacks
Gratis
9 de julio: Círculo de conversación de La Mesa
Practica tu inglés o español en St. Margaret's a las 2pm
Incluye bebidas y snacks
Gratis
23 de julio: Círculo de conversación de La Mesa
Practica tu inglés o español en St. Margaret's a las 7pm
Incluye bebidas y snacks
Gratis
20 de agosto: Misa bilingüe y comienzo del otoño Clases de inglés y español en La Mesa
En St. Margaret's a las 5 p. m. (servicio religioso) y a las 6 p. m. (clase)
Incluye cena a las 7pm
Gratis
Las clases de otoño de La Mesa se llevarán a cabo: 20, 27 de agosto; 3, 10, 17, 24 de septiembre; 1, 8, 15, 22 de octubre
Las clases de otoño de La Mesa se llevarán a cabo: 20, 27 de agosto; 3, 10, 17, 24 de septiembre; 1, 8, 15, 22 de octubre
In February 2022 at our annual retreat, we cast a vision for a ministry that would invite our Hispanic siblings into fellowship with us at St. Margaret's. Our initial thoughts were that this should be something to do with language and cultural exchange, and that food should be involved. Thus, La Mesa (which translates to "The Table") was born. Over the past year we have quietly been laying the foundation for this ministry, which publicly kicked off with our first round of classes on January 15th, 2023.
Some of this foundational work included:
*3 people received training via the Episcopal Latino Ministry Competency Course during 2022 and we hope others will complete the training in 2023!
*Multiple meetings with Elmer Romero, from Houston, to learn more about teaching language classes and think about curriculum development.
*Multiple meetings with our larger leadership team to decide on the format for the classes and handle details such as advertising, food, childcare, etc.
*Using the Beer and Hymns event as our first fundraiser to have some seed money.
*Ultimately raising $12,000 (praise God for people's generosity!) for our first full year of ministry (2023).
*Planning and carrying out cultural exchange activities for our church family including the altar for the Day of the Dead and bilingual masses and feasts for Our Lady of Guadalupe and Las Posadas. More than 40 people attended each of our bilingual masses in December, and a group of 20+ put together the altar, which remained up for a couple of weeks in October/November.
We began meeting and learning English and Spanish on January 8th.
*We meet at St. Margaret’s on Sundays from 6-7:30pm for 10-week sessions. Each of the two weeks of class so far have included around 40-45 participants total (a mix of native English and Spanish speakers seeking to learn the other language).
*We continue to seek people who can help prepare meals for La Mesa (plan to feed 50 people). We also need childcare volunteers to help watch children during the classes. We are also looking for language teachers – those with experience teaching ESL / Spanish – interested in volunteering and assisting with ongoing curriculum development.
For more information please contact Danielle Miembre via email by clicking HERE
Verger and Outreach Coordinator
