The congregants and staff at Lincoln Glen Church are no strangers to sharing proximity with other churches, and they are looking forward to welcoming a new congregation to their space in 2026.
The church building in San Jose, Calif., is currently used by three different congregations, according to pastor Tyler Cole, but this new fourth congregation, Iglesia Los Hechos Lincoln Glen, is special because it is a fellow MB church.
“San Jose is often ranked as the most expensive place to live, so rent is really expensive,” says Cole. “We’re able to help some churches at below-market rate be on our campus and reach people that we might not be able to reach.”
Coming full circle
The new church plant also represents a sort of “full-circle” moment for Lincoln Glen.
In the 1980s, Lincoln Glen planted a Spanish-speaking church called Iglesia Los Hechos. That church has gone on to plant several Spanish-speaking churches itself, the latest of which is Iglesia Los Hechos Lincoln Glen.
“Having this new church get planted here is cool for us because it’s like our grandkid coming,” says Cole.
Cole is a member of the Pacific District Conference’s Board of Home Missions, which focuses on church planting. He and other leaders at Lincoln Glen volunteered to help Iglesia Los Hechos find a place for the new plant to meet, but they also offered their building as a potential option from the beginning.
Alex Maravilla and his wife, Katherine, have served as youth leaders at Iglesia Los Hechos since 2018 and were asked by pastor Marvin Briones if they would consider leading the new church.
“We started doing all the necessary documentation, and at the same time praying to God and making sure that everything was ready on my end spiritually and mentally, since it’s a big responsibility,” says Alex Maravilla. “It’s something I’ve never done before, but I’m more than willing and happy to take it on for the glory of his name.
Maravilla received his MB pastoral license in the fall and began working to renovate the space in Lincoln Glen’s building that will be used for the church, with help from funds supplied by the Board of Home Missions.
A beautiful partnership
Maravilla and Cole both say they are excited for the possibilities for these two MB churches to partner in more than just sharing a building.
Lincoln Glen regularly hosts block party events, where they invite the neighboring community to gather outside for food, live music, games and prizes. Last fall, they invited the worship team and others from Iglesia Los Hechos to join them for a couple of these events. They also combined with the new church plant for a special bilingual service and Thanksgiving meal one Sunday in November.
“They’re going to be able to reach people that would never really come to know Jesus in our church because of the cultural differences and because of the language barrier,” says Cole. “So it’s a beautiful partnership, where we’ll do some things together, and where we’re weak, they’re strong, and vice versa. We’re two distinct churches, but we have the same mission.”
Maravilla shares the sentiment:
“It has been a great pleasure to work with Pastor Tyler and his congregation. I know that they are God-seeking people, and they also want to do what’s right in the community. And I know that the Lord is doing his will by giving me the opportunity to reach out to the Hispanic community in our neighborhood. I’m very excited to get started and see what the Lord has in store for us.”
Jessica Vix Allen is a freelance writer living in Blue Springs, Missouri. She and her husband, Joel, are both graduates of Tabor College. The couple has three children.
