2020! The year of changes, adjustments and new challenges. Plenty of reasons available to just stall and freeze up. In my lifetime I don’t remember a time where the church as a whole needed to rethink how to do church. How to continue to reach out to your local community with the gospel of Jesus when your doors were closed. Why continue to dream, to have vision, to make plans when everything just seems so difficult? In the middle of all of the uncertainty God’s voice shouts loudly into the depths of our souls, “I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it” (Matthew 16:18.) This is truth. The truth that guides each church as we battle against the demons of darkness.
The beauty, out of what felt at times like the 2020 mess, is that God continued to build his church. Our churches were challenged to think outside the box. To innovate with a parking lot service or even consider an online platform to stay in touch with our members. This actually enhanced our strategy and mission by clarifying at a deeper level who we belong to.
As Paul speaks to us in 1 Timothy 3:15, We are “the church of the living God.” The living God who continues to breathe life into his church during a challenging time. He continues to call us toward himself. He continues to show his faithful hand towards his church. 2020 taught us many things but one thought has carried over into 2021: “Stay close to the one that builds his church.”
The LAMB District has experienced that and more. Our churches in deep South Texas have continued to dream, adjust vision and strategy and some have even taken steps of faith in building new facilities or remodeling existing ones.
- Pastor Jesse Hernandez and his church Templo Nueva Vida in Palmview are in the process of building a multipurpose center with a capacity of 200 people. Pastor Jesse says, “We have envisioned our community as a people in need of a Savior! Therefore, we are sowing the seed for the harvest of souls.”
- As well, Pastor Rafael Nuñez and his church, Mission MB, are also in the process of building a new facility with a capacity of 200 people. Their partnership with MB Foundation has made this dream a reality. Pastor Nuñez
The partnership between Mission MB Church and MB Foundation has made this new facility a possibility. Photo: LAMB says, “We are trusting, with God’s help, that this facility will be a beam of light in the middle of a society that is lost in sin and hope to be an open door where they can find salvation and eternal life.”
- The congregation I pastor, GracePoint in La Grulla, has also undergone a renovation to the main sanctuary. This was a “generational investment.” Just like generations before us have invested in the future, we as well felt the
The renovated sanctuary at GracePoint in La Grulla is an investment in the future. Photo: LAMB need to provide a facility that would accommodate our community and be a safe and relevant place for people to meet Jesus.
Thank you to USMB churches for your continued support and prayers for your family in South Texas. We are a growing diverse community that covets your prayers as we live out the mission of Jesus to reach the lost. May God be glorified as we “Increase Impact Together!”
Aaron Hernandez is the Latin America District Conference (LAMB) minister. He and his wife, Alejandra, and their children live in La Grulla, Texas. Henandez is also pastor of Grace Point@Grulla and a daughter congregation, Grace Point@McAllen.
