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Aloisio Costa spends a lot of time doing what pastors do: praying, reading his Bible, writing sermons, attending to the needs of his church.
He leads the Assembly of God Bethel church in Nashua’s growing Brazilian community. Costa said that pastors in immigrant communities get involved in more than just the spiritual lives of their congregations.
“They’re mechanics, they’re lawyers, they’re psychologists,” he said. "They’re parents — they’re mother, father, whatever. We have to reinvent ourselves every time there’s a different need.”
That’s especially true for people who may be undocumented, don’t speak English or don’t have the same support structures they had back in their home countries, and also when it comes to their relationship with police.