Building Bridges: International Friendship Ministries Connects and Empowers Latin American Community in Columbus

By D.T.

Columbus, Ga. – The well-known institution International Friendship Ministries is dedicated to connecting and building a community with the local Christian population. This purpose is carried out through various activities which include but are not limited to sports, family retreats, art classes, ESL classes and Bible study meetings. 

Because the ministry has contact with Fort Moore, many of its members are Latin American, since Moore is home to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, or WHINSEC, which is characterized by having a student body made up from various Latin American countries.

Since IFM has Christian religion as its basis of values ​​and beliefs, many of its activities include the teachings of this religion. Each Wednesday at 11 a.m. its Women's Bible Study Group meets. The meetings begin at 9:30 a.m. with breakfast and coffee, with members being free to bring a dish if they wish, before Bible Study begins.

Ms. Fortin is the designated interpreter for these study sessions, and she estimates that about 75 percent of the women attending do not speak fluent English or are in the process of learning the language. In addition, most of them are of Latin American origin.

With the help of Fortin, the Bible speaker conveys its message to the women in attendance, who receive a Bible in Spanish or English according to their preference to follow the day's lesson.

The study sessions are flexible, on some occasions the study is carried out not in the ministry, but in the home of a woman who wishes to host the group for the week.

On the other hand, although the main focus is study itself, it is accompanied by manual and/or decorative activities depending on the season of the year and walks through the city. Thus, the objective is to generate a peaceful and welcoming environment.

Due to the international nature of the group, social networks are used to make live broadcasts of the study sessions, since, according to Fortin's statements, they want the women who have returned to their countries to still be able to connect to the broadcast and carry out the Bible study remotely.

When inquiring about the large presence of Latino women in the group, Fortin highlights that the Latino community is large both in the city itself and at Fort Moore, a place they visit from time to time, which is why it became absolutely necessary to have an interpreter for the study sessions.

Additionally, Fortin said, precisely for this same reason, the ministry links Latino families with American families as sponsors.

This is so that Latin American families have a chance to immerse in the city and have a guide who can help them with their doubts and concerns, who can accompany them, and who can share the cultural and daily experience of American families, thus creating a reciprocal and friendly cultural exchange.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that IFM has various interpretation services. Fortin added that she is in charge of assisting members who do not speak English to make appointments, or ask for information needed, and she provides the kind of help that a foreigner needs when arriving in a new country without speaking the language.