All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Matthew 25: 32-36, NRSVUE

Bishop Dottie speaks to the 2026 Dakotas Annual Conference in Bismarck, N.D. Photos by jlynn studios.

Reading the words from Matthew 25, in bare feet, Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank, Resident Bishop of the California-Pacific Conference, defined "El Pueblo" to participants at the 2026 Dakotas Annual Conference in Bismarck, North Dakota.  "El Pueblo” translates to "the town," "the village," or "the people."

On Friday afternoon, introducing Bishop Escobedo-Frank and noting her bare feet, Bishop Lanette Plambeck stated, “How beautiful are the feet that bring Good News! (Romans 10:15)” Bishop Dottie shared the journey of living on the border of Arizona and Mexico.

“Growing up on the border, between Arizona and Mexico, el pueblo was everything. What happens to one happens to all. The community is first. Self is second. Community is all there is,” said Bishop Escobedo-Frank. “What we do for each other, how we care for others, affects the whole world.”

She shared the story of her mother sewing through the night to make a beautiful prom dress for her. Bishop Dottie put on the prom dress to show her family. Twirling around the edge of the dress touched the hot stove, and there was a hole. Her mother lovingly got out the needle and thread and repaired the hole. The dress looked brand new, store-bought.

“There was love in my mother’s face as she saw me in the dress. She cared for me and sewed the dress through the night with love. Her pride and love were for me, the entire family and community,” Bishop Dottie shared.

Bishop Dottie waited and learned that her date, suffering from a drug overdose, was not coming. Instead, his brother showed up to take her to dinner and the prom.

“The brother saw the disappointment in my face. I went to the dinner but not the prom. The next day, my parents drove me to the hospital to see my date. He was in pain and suffering– suffering much more than I. In their suffering, his other brothers and father asked, ‘What can we do for you?’ They were stepping in as the whole family, El Pueblo. What happens to one happens to all,” stated Bishop Dottie.

If Jesus walked into a church, what would El Pueblo look like today?  Bishop Dottie's question brought sighs from the room's attendees. She asked them to imagine it was the end of time.

“All the nations come before God: Russia, China, Mexico, Guatemala, Canada, and the United States. They parade before God, who separates them to the right, the righteous, the sheep, and to the left, the wicked, the goats. The sheep inherit the kingdom because they helped the least,” explained Bishop Dottie. “When we read scripture, we think of ourselves. Jesus focuses this scripture on the nations of the world.”

In the world today, there is division, Bishop Dottie described. Brown people are being sent to detention centers. Black people are continuously denied liberty. Children are living in fear.

“Jesus says, ' Why would you do this?' We are on our screens, working long hours, keeping to ourselves, and do not even see or hear the Lord. Where is our El Pueblo spirit? Jesus tells us to get to the left,” said Bishop Dottie.

"There is hope," Bishop Dottie proclaimed, “Jesus is still preaching. You can make a change and move to the right. We are invited to change the line to harm no more. How? We just started. Take one step at a time. God gives us the voice and heart to see the injustice, suffering, and care. Sing the songs of hope like the people of Minnesota. We are one El Pueblo. Come, United Methodists, the time is now. Let’s go to the right. Jesus is with us. Let us be the hope!"