Offering free food helps McAllen church plant introduce itself to community
Mission USA news story
Grace Point@McAllen, a USMB church plant in McAllen, Texas, recently shifted its gatherings from a hotel on the south side of the city to a newly remodeled facility on the north side. The new location gives the congregation room to grow and a new neighborhood to serve.
In preparation for its grand opening celebration Easter Sunday at the new location, Grace Point@McAllen invited households in the community to enjoy a free barbeque chicken meal served at their new site. During the meal, Grace Point members visited with their 200-some guests, getting to know them and inviting them to the Easter service.
Thanks to the meal and other efforts to connect with the community, attendance Easter Sunday at Grace Point@McAllen was 25 percent higher than usual. More importantly, God was at work. “We were excited to see two people confess Jesus as Lord and Savior,” says Aaron Hernandez, Grace Point pastor. The following Sunday six individuals were baptized in a joint service with Grace Point@Grulla, Grace Point@McAllen’s mother congregation.
In early May the two Grace Point congregations worked together to give away 1,000 plates of food to teachers and staff at 12 schools in La Grulla, Rio Grande City, Hidalgo and McAllen. The plates were packed with chicken, rice, beans and potato salad.
“We wanted to thank them for their work,” says Hernandez, “and remind them that God loves them and that we as a church are praying for them.”
Grace Point@McAllen is a church plant of Grace Point@Grulla and Mission USA.
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