10/06/2026
For two days, students from Hispanic churches across Arizona filled Tierra Fértil in Yuma with worship, laughter, honest questions and one word: Redeemed.
The theme of Unity Conference 2026, held Aug. 28-29 through Hispanic Ministries of the Arizona Mission Network, followed students from the main sessions to workshops on identity, worship, Christian relationships and calling. But rather than treating redemption as something that happens once, speakers challenged students to consider what happens when Jesus begins restoring every part of a person’s life.
For guest speaker John Pope, pastor of Mosaic Church in Mesa, that included the complicated question of identity.
Pope spoke directly to young people who regularly navigate different worlds — grandparents or parents who grew up in another country, friends and school in the United States, one kind of music at church and another in the car.
“You’re not less Latino, you’re just more Christian,” Pope told students.
Teaching from Isaiah 61, Pope described Jesus as the Anointed One who takes what has been broken and restores it. Using the passage’s image of “oaks of righteousness,” he reminded students that restoration isn’t always instant.
“Oaks don’t grow fast,” Pope said.
In a world accustomed to Tik Tok, Instagram and Amazon-speed results, he encouraged students to pursue a faith that grows consistently and becomes strong enough to help others flourish.
Read the full article about Unity at azmn.org/news/redeemed-unity-reminds-students-their-stories-arent-finished
