Sedalia
Church fills needs of soul, society

By Leah Shover
Adelante Staff Writer

On Sunday mornings, the small building that houses Amigos de Cristo is overrun with children of all ages. The kids bustle through the hallways and greet visitors with large smiles before Bible study. Downstairs, a Sunday school class makes wall hangers that say “God’s love never changes” while listening to the story of the prodigal son.
Sunday school teachers like Elvera Satterwhite are kept busy watching the children play and answering the millions of questions posed by curious youngsters. Satterwhite considers the church her home away from home because she spends a majority of her time there helping the children.
Satterwhite helped start the church five years ago when she noticed that the needs of Sedalia’s growing Hispanic community were not being met.
“Hispanic families were falling through the cracks. Kids were not in school, utilities were not turned on, and most people did not know about this problem,” she said.
Pastor Luis Torres moved from Cleveland, Ohio, to help out with the church that Satterwhite had developed. Torres has noted the importance of services in Spanish.
“It is extremely important for churchgoers to feel comfortable during the services.”
Another effort to increase the comfort level can be seen in the fact that the services are similar to Catholic Masses that some of the immigrants attended before coming to Sedalia. Although the Catholic traditions of praying to saints and the Virgin Mary are not a part of worship at Amigos de Cristo, the services are more reminiscent of the typically calm Masses than they are to the more energetic evangelical services.
Torres is dedicated to Satterwhite’s project not only because of the religious aspects, but also because the church provides much-needed community support to a fluid population.
Migrants can find legal aid and learn English. Children can receive help with their homework, participate in music programs, and put on puppet shows.
Torres thinks church plays an important role in assimilating migrants into a new culture.
“The church also teaches children the way America is and how the U.S. deals with migration. It is important because it introduces the American way of life,” says Torres.