Samuel Rodriguez

Samuel Rodriguez is the President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), the world’s largest Hispanic Christian organization with 42,000 plus U.S. churches and many additional churches spread throughout the Spanish-speaking diaspora.  

[Statement] Rev. Samuel Rodriguez issues statement on the Notre Dame Cathedral fire

Apr. 15, 2019

SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 15, 2019—Rev. Samuel Rodriguez issues the following statement: 

“My heart breaks at the loss of this iconic cathedral that belongs first to the parishioners of Paris, but also to worshipers and admirers around the world. Last year, my family and I visited the cathedral and stood overwhelmed by its historic spiritual and cultural influence, which for centuries, has stood as an enduring symbol of European Christianity.  

“Let us remember today that we serve a God who knows how to bring beauty from the ashes. Let us join the Archbishop of Paris in praying that what remains is saved from the flames, and what is lost may be rebuilt to the glory of God. May the faith of the people all across Europe rise alongside the new walls, spires and stained glass that replace what’s been lost. May a spiritual awakening emerge out of this tragedy, and may Europe embrace in a new way the grace-filled, vicarious, atoning work of Jesus. As we mourn, may we not only see this as the end of something, but as the beginning of something altogether new, promising and filled with grace.”

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Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, executive producer of “The Impossible” with 20th Century Fox, and bestselling author of the upcoming book “You Are Next: Destroy What Has Paralyzed You and Never Miss Your Moment Again” (Tuesday, May 7, 2019 from Charisma House Publishing). He has been named by CNN and Fox News as “the leader of the Hispanic Evangelical movement” and TIME Magazine nominated him among the 100 most influential leaders in America.

The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference is recognized and identified by Time Magazine, New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Christianity Today, Charisma Magazine, NBC, Telemundo, Univision, Fox News and CNN as America’s largest and most influential Hispanic/Latino Christian organization with 40,118 certified member churches in the United States and chapters in Latin America.