By Tiffany Estrada-Padilla
Estamos Unidos, Spanish for “We are United,” is a Moravian ministry in the Sunnyside neighborhood dedicated to sharing God’s faith, love, and hope with the Hispanic brothers and sisters in Winston-Salem. This ministry serves the Hispanic community, mainly immigrants, through educational services that transcend cultural and language barriers.
As a Moravian ministry, Estamos Unidos heavily focuses on education, faith-based mission work, and community outreach. In 2024, Angélica Regalado-Cieza, former pastor of Estamos Unidos, applied for a grant from MMFA through the Racial Awareness, Equity, and Repair (RAER) fund. The Wednesday Night Program: Diversity in Action was then born, a program that combines Moravian mission and education with racial awareness, concentrating on Hispanic cultures.
Estamos Unidos reached out to the community through a variety of teachings. For the language learners, Estamos Unidos hosted both English and Spanish classes, engaging the brothers and sisters who wish to embrace another language. For the music lovers, guitar and piano classes were held, allowing any wishful student to pick up the guitar or start learning the piano. Children’s programs were held to entertain the youth, with the classes combining arts and crafts with faith-based studies.
As the Wednesday Night program continued through the weeks, some sisters thought the gathering could be well-spent through exercise. These women and girls gathered in the community room to follow along with online Zumba exercises, keeping both their heart rates and spirits up.
What are the results of Diversity in Action?
The Estamos Unidos Wednesday Night Program fostered a diverse community with a shared interest in community building and loving. Members attended the classes they wished to participate in with eager hearts, desiring to build both their spiritual minds and communal engagement.
Alongside the classes, Estamos Unidos supported their members and visitors by providing them with warm meals ranging from Latin American cuisines to American meals. The communal meals are where the community truly was reinforced, allowing anyone from any age group, gender, race, or ethnicity to sit together and share the blessings of a meal.
Blessings from Angélica
Just this summer in 2025, Rev. Angélica Regalado-Cieza stepped down as pastor at Estamos Unidos to take the call at Fries Moravian Church. Here is what she has to say:
“It has been a joy and a pleasure for me to serve Christ in this ministry. It has been truly an adventure with different rewards and different challenges. But the community that has been built at Estamos Unidos is hopefully here to stay. We not only need your prayers but your support and presence as well.
I thank God for the years of service that I have in this community. My prayer is that God will continue to fulfill what he has called us to do in this community. God Bless.”
What next?
If you are interested in donating to the Estamos Unidos ministry, check out their MMFA Giving Portal here.
If you are interested in our Racial Awareness, Equity, and Repair fund to allow organizations to continue accomplishing their missions, consider donating to the fund here.
