In the packed sanctuary of a Hispanic megachurch, Latino evangelicals are praying for comprehensive immigration reform — and for the political clout to make it happen.

"If we just pray only and leave this place just doing that, it's not going to make the greatest difference, because in this country that God has given us, the United States of America, the way to make our voice heard is at the ballot box," the Rev. Mark Gonzalez of the Hispanic Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform tells the worshippers.

Thousands of miles away, in Chicago, Latino Catholics are also praying for immigration reform — and registering new voters after Mass.

"They want to be part of that process that somehow will determine their lives and their future," said the Rev. Claudio Diaz of the Archdiocese of Chicago. "So it's been like a jolt of energy to really have a group of people be updated, get informed, be organized."

Across the nation, Hispanic Catholic and Protestant churches have become centers of an unprecedented new political activism, fueled in large part by the contentious debate over immigration reform.

"Latinos are a sleeping giant that has been awakened as a result of these discussions, no doubt about that," Edwin Hernandez, research fellow at Notre Dame's Center for the Study of Latino Religion, told the PBS program Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly.

There are more than 42 million Hispanics in America, but most have not been politically active. In 2004, less than half of all eligible Latino voters actually went to the polls. But experts say an energized — and still rapidly growing — Hispanic voting bloc could have a huge national impact.

"Both political parties are understanding that, are hearing and listening carefully ...