Missio Alliance

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Missio Alliance

A generative, expansive, and intercultural network that cultivates a holistic theology and practice We create safe spaces for hard conversations.

09/02/2026

You don't have to be Latino/a to experience the Latino Encanto. The Latino/a church offers the broader Christian community three gifts: La Familia (family), La Casa (home), and La Fiesta (celebration). Here’s how you can embrace and share these gifts in your own life:

Family lies at the core of what it means to be Latino/a. It is the heartbeat of our communities and the backbone that strengthens our societies. The power of Latinidad and familia (family) is to belong to eachother in honor of our diversity. This sense of belonging models the strength of unity without uniformity for the wider Church. All of us, regardless of our background, culture, or tradition, can find family together as siblings in Christ.

The home is a shared place. The traditional Spanish expression says "Mi casa es su casa" ("My home is your home"). It isn't a cordial statement meant to sound friendly but an active practice among the Latino/a church wherever they are in the world. If family lies at the center of our communities, our homes are the sacred space where communities actualize their belonging. Love for community compels the church to be a community of love, where love for neighbor looks like spending more time getting to know someone’s story, sharing a meal, or showing up where it matters. The Latino/a church teaches us to earnestly mobilize resources and people to meet the needs of our hermanos and, in doing so, welcome Jesus among us (“When I was a stranger, you invited me in” Matthew 25:35).

Far from being just a party, fiesta is a celebration, remembrance, and observance of even the smallest of joys. It is a powerfully unifying force within the Latino community. Fiesta is an embodied response to the goodness we experience as God's people. It is both a way of life and an action that helps us notice, remember, re-gather, and celebrate. Fiesta is expansive, joyful, and full of gratitude and celebration. To have a fiesta as God’s people is to know that in the Kingdom of God, where life overcomes death, there is plenty to celebrate!

How can you offer hospitality where there is need in your local community?
Where can you find unity without uniformity with people in your life?
How do you celebrate, whether during times of ease or struggle, with others?

The gifts of the Latino/a church are a blessing to all – Will you be one to pass it along?

09/01/2026

Update: We have officially reached capacity for the 2026 Liminal Retreat.

If you are still interested in the chance to experience Liminal this Fall, please join the waitlist to be notified of any cancellations. Also, be among the first to also know when space becomes available at our next Liminal Retreat.

Click the link to get started: https://missioalliance.org/liminal/

08/31/2026

Gaby Viesca (Director of Programs at Missio) and Lisa Rodriguez Watson (Executive Director of Missio) are family—not by blood, but under the banner of faith and Latinidad. They know eachother as "hermanas" (sisters) who share a wonderful friendship and experience of living in the United States as Latinas, each shaped by a rich heritage.

Finding home in the United States is a diverse story for many Latinos/as that includes seeking refuge in a foreign land during socioeconomic hardship and political instability. Though not the only story, it is a common one that weaves a colorful tapestry of Latin-American life.

"It is our Latinidad (a term referring to our shared histories and cultural attributes that unite us) that brings us together and allows us to offer a common gift – a shared offering – to our culture, our communities, and our churches in the US. Who we are and how we exist in the world, our various languages and customs, and the unique ways we reflect the image of God are all part of our Latino encanto."

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we observe the encantos (gifts) of La Familia (family), La Casa (home, in the sentiment of mi casa es tu casa or my home is your home), and La Fiesta (celebration). Each is a blessing that can shape the life and future of the global church.

Continue reading: https://missioalliance.org/the-latino-encanto-gifts-for-the-church/

08/25/2026

A frequently asked question we’ve gotten is what will I actually be doing for five days during the Liminal Retreat? So, here's what you can expect at our upcoming retreat at Eagle Eyrie:

🛬 Monday arrival to rest & reflect. Unplug from the daily current long enough to hear what God has been trying to say.

☕️ Tuesday and Wednesday begin with morning sessions, planned with honest conversation and a chance to meet one another. Each afternoon from 1:00–4:30 pm is kept completely free for you to explore the Eagle Eyrie’s trails, water, or unwind in your private room. A second session follows in the late afternoon with a relaxed dinner to conclude the day.

✨Thursday begins with a generous morning rhythm and a final 5pm session to gather the threads of our time together.

🌅 Friday concludes our week with a 9am session and lunch, sending you off satisfied in mind, body, and spirit.

If this experience speaks to you, then don’t wait to apply. Whether you’re joining with renewed energy or discerning something new, you won’t leave the same way you arrived. Clarity has a way of finding you when you finally stop outrunning it.

Learn more and apply: https://missioalliance.org/liminal/

08/24/2026

"The root of our national problem has never been faced, acknowledged, and rejected: America's stubborn belief in white supremacy." Nicole Doyley writes it plainly. This racial hierarchy permeates personal life, embedded into the historical, social, political scaffolding of our global reality. It isn't something we can ignore, but it is something we must spiritually resist.

Robert Jones of the Public Religion Research Institute calculated that seventy-five percent of white Americans will never have a Black friend. Jesus called the early church to become racially, ethnically, politically, and socio-economically diverse. What can we say of our gatherings today?

Even amidst the onslaught of racism and injustice, the Imago Dei declares life. "Black Americans have produced some of the most impressive thinkers, orators, scientists, athletes, musicians, artists, and leaders. For centuries, when given just a tiny seed of opportunity, we have taken that seed and produced a hundred-fold return."

Keep reading at the link in our bio: https://missioalliance.org/why-havent-we-made-more-progress/

08/17/2026

Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) have consistently been assimilated and displaced throughout American history, particularly immigrant families.

Author, Community Physician, and Lead Pastor of Ma Ke Alo o, Eun Strawser, poses the question: how do we witness the active Kingdom of God in AANHPI communities?

"I often wonder what the American (and perhaps the extended Western) Church can learn from the stories of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), whose stories are not separate from the Church but are a part of the history of the American story."

Strawser calls our attention to the glorious inversion of American Church history: "The brilliance of the multitude worshiping the Lamb together in John’s vision–every culture, language, and people... before the throne of the Lamb as their fully human self, cultural identity fully engaged."

Read more at the link: https://missioalliance.org/assimilation-displaces-and-the-church-is-complicit/

08/13/2026

We'd like to introduce the three leaders guiding Liminal this October:

Lisa Rodriguez-Watson — National Director of Missio Alliance, associate pastor, and someone who has spent more than two decades leading at the intersection of formation, justice, and mission.

Justin P. Heap — Teaching Pastor, founder of Nine Spaces, and a guide for leaders and artists at the intersection of creativity, the Enneagram, and spiritual direction.

Sarah Schepens — Cultural Intelligence trainer, third-culture individual, and someone who creates spaces where people can genuinely connect and grow.

These three don't come with easy answers. They come with hard-won perspective — and a real commitment to the people in the room.

15 spots remain. October 26-30, 2026. Registration is open: https://missioalliance.org/liminal/

08/12/2026

We honor the resilience, creativity, and faith of all American communities. At the same time, we name the pain of being singled out, scapegoated, and targeted by unjust policies in recent months. In the Spirit of Christ, we hold both lament and gratitude.

This week, we invite you to practice solidarity by planting a seed of justice and belonging.

Begin by asking yourself: how do I see the gifts of the immigrant communities in my city or church?

How can I move beyond appreciation into solidarity—standing with those facing harm or exclusion?

What is one small seed I can plant this week that makes space for justice, belonging, and flourishing?

In faith, finish the prayer with what you hope sprouts from what you sow: “God, let this seed become ________ “

08/11/2026

Jamie Cowen, an immigration lawyer, author, and former pastor/rabbi, insists the Bible is clear about how we must treat immigrants in our midst.

"Our job as Christ-followers is not to enforce immigration laws; rather, it's to minister to those in need, regardless of legal status."

Cowen suggests practical ways for believers to share the love of Christ with our immigrant neighbors; one idea for local churches is to organize a food bank and "add a delivery service for those who fear coming out to collect groceries."

Read more at the link: https://missioalliance.org/how-we-treat-immigrants/

08/05/2026

This week, notice the Spirit’s movement, not in the spectacular, but in the subtle. Choose one relationship where there is distance, difference, or quiet tension.

Instead of rushing in with words, begin with presence. Pause before you speak. Listen for what is being said—and what is not. Pay attention to where you feel resistance, and notice what is needed.

For some, this may mean moving closer. For others, it may mean creating space. Imagine the Spirit meeting you there in the space between you, making room for understanding.

You don’t have to manufacture unity. You can’t force it. But you can make space for the Spirit to form it. Notice what shifts not just around you, but within you.

The work of the Spirit is often quiet at first. This is how Christ's mission forms a people whose life becomes a witness.

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2828 Emerywood Parkway
Richmond, VA
23294

Website

http://www.missioalliance.org/

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