Rev. Nicolas Camacho

Camacho was offered positions as part-time pastor at both Central Park and Emanuel Olivet, separate United Methodist congregations whose histories had been intertwined.
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It would prove to be a fateful decision for Camacho and the congregations.

Though it took five years, they would merge and form a new church, New Journey/Nueva Jornada United Methodist Church, with Camacho as its shepherd.

The merger, finalized in March, will be sanctified at 5:30 p.m. today in a special service at the church.

Coming together as one, Camacho acknowledges, is a path fraught with danger.

The record of success for mergers of largely Anglo and Latino congregations, even those that share the same church, is not good.Yet Camacho is upbeat, insisting that New Journey/Nueva Jornada will chart a new course that can be followed by other urban congregations struggling to survive amid unprecedented cultural and demographic change.

"We have the eyes of other churches upon us," said Camacho, 52, pastor of the new church at 138 S. Sixth St.

Camacho's drive to make the two congregations one, he said, is a way of offering unity as an antidote for the division that characterizes the times.

"The way society is today, so fragmented," he said, "we cannot allow it to continue."
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When Cotto moved on in 1983, Central recruited a 27-year-old seminarian from Puerto Rico, Nicolas Camacho, to form a separate Latino congregation.
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"The daughter," Camacho said, "was now the bigger, stronger church."
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Some, Camacho said, were skeptical of the renewed relationship between the congregations.
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As pastor of both, Camacho oversaw discussions that led to the merger.
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Camacho was careful not to become overconfident.
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"It was important that both congregations were not afraid to speak about their concerns," Camacho said."That was critical."

To break the ice, they went bowling together.

"Little by little, the feeling of becoming one was getting stronger," Camacho said.
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Camacho, ever conscious of his flock's deep cultural differences, still conducts a weekly service in English.
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When Camacho preaches in Spanish, an interpreter recites his words in English.And, vice-versa.

As the congregation raises its voice in song, each member sings in his or her own language.

"My goal," says Camacho, "is to have one service, fully bilingual."

Rev. Nicolas Camacho, Central Park UM Church (2008)

Pastor Nicolas Camacho 54 N. 8th Street Reading, PA 19603 Telephone: 610-372-7552 Church email:Emanuel Olivet umc@hotmail.com

Rev. Camacho said, "Then the decision was made to sell Park UM bldg for $150,000.
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"For many reasons we could have left denomination," said Rev. Camacho, "but Emanuel church decided to remain United Methodist for the rest of its life."
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Remarkably, five years ago, in 2003, Rev. Camacho received a call from Central Park UMC to become pastor for them, to serve half-time for Central Park and half-time for Emanuel. "Now, 20 years after leaving by the back door, the daughter made the decision to come back to the building that gave her birth," said Rev. Camacho about the churches' decision to merge.
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"We tell people, ‘if you see something happening, come to us,'" said Rev. Camacho.
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Within the church, Pastor Camacho is also seeing changes - of individuals of different ethnicities crossing boundaries and frontiers in language and ways of feeling. He contends that in the merger of ethnicity, language, and theology the church has learned to be one.

The path to leadership development

The merger has led to unforeseen twists and turns in the path to ministry, as New Journey/Nueva Jornada will birth a Spanish-language seminary adjacent to the church in partnership with Asbury Seminary of Florida beginning in September.

A year ago, at the invitation of Bishop Marcus Matthews, Rev. Camacho, RenePerez, Christopher Fisher, and Robert Wilt joined Bishop Matthews in a meeting with Asbury.
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"There are very few places to go for Spanish speaking theological training in the U.S.," said Rev. Camacho.

Pastor Nicolas Camacho, Central Park UM