ELKHART, Ind. (Mennonite Mission Network) – Independently, the San Lucas church-planting efforts could go far. But with partners, 2,000 miles of connections are building a church.
It was San Lucas’s open hearts, North Goshen (Ind.) Mennonite Church’s passion, the Mexican Mennonite Anabaptist Evangelical Church Conference’s (CIEAMM) pastors, and Mennonite Mission Network’s connections.
It was also a long time coming.
At North Goshen Mennonite Church, José Tellez was restless in a church pew. Inspired by Bible studies in his church, José wanted to give the same opportunity for spiritual growth to his family in San Martín, Mexico, which is about an hour outside of Mexico City.
From its beginning in 1936, North Goshen has reached out to their community. As an extension of their North Goshen tradition, the Tellez family reached out to their community in San Martín. “It grew from a personal vision to a formal project of the congregation,” said Mark Schloneger, the pastor at North Goshen.
In Mexico City, CIEAMM was also planting churches. They had a similar vision and challenge: planting churches to inspire a living faith. How do you introduce Anabaptism in a culture that is marinated in a “state religion” (as José Elizalde described)? Elizalde grew up in Mexico, attends North Goshen Mennonite Church, and is the liaison to the church plant.
Five years ago, people from North Goshen contacted Linda Shelly, director for Latin America at Mennonite Mission Network. They needed help nourishing the local ministry in San Lucas, envisioned the value of a local partner, and asked for contact information for Mexican Mennonites in that region. When they contacted CIEAMM, their separate visions combined. They now collaborate on their church-planting efforts as equal partners.
In the beginning stages, CIEAMM supplied the church planters. César Marín led Bible studies, and eventually, CIEAMM sent their current pastor, Mario Lopez Martinez, and his wife, Carmen Reyes Hernandez.
Their Bible studies and children’s ministries are one reason why the church plant already has 30 attendees. Yet more important than what the Lopez Martinez family does, is who they are.
The Lopez Martinez family was driving along the road one day when they saw a boy, his face bloody from a street fight. The final destination was forgotten. The family stopped, cared for the boy, and drove him home. “Mario and Carmen reach out to people right in their midst, instead of asking people to join them,” said Schloneger.
Partnering in ministry has its challenges. As the Mexican church leaders began talking about more church plants, Mission Network was contacted once again and this led to a joint visit in May 2013. Each partner has their own vision, so we needed to learn to trust each other, said Schloneger. “Working with Linda, we were able to develop trust,” he said. “That was key to developing trust between the other partners.”
Inspiring others to be involved in the ministry despite the language barrier, is a real challenge, said Elizalde. North Goshen Mennonite Church translates their worship service into Spanish, but not everyone is bilingual, nor can reach out to their southern neighbors.
However, connections between North Goshen and the San Lucas church are growing. From the beginning, a handful of North Goshen’s congregation originated from San Lucas’s community. Yet the church plant became real to North Goshen when one of its members returned to the San Lucas community in September 2012.
Elizalde and Schloneger could tell that the North Goshen congregation’s commitment increased as they reported about their visit to the church plant. In the background, photos scrolled. But one face jumped out at the congregation: the man who had returned. They knew his face, his history, and his wife and children who were sitting across the room.
Elizalde hopes to build on these relationships to create “friends of San Lucas,” instead of mere fundraisers. “It’s about more than asking for funds [for the church plant]; it’s about partnership,” he said.
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Mennonite Mission Network, the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA, leads, mobilizes and equips the church to participate in holistic witness to Jesus Christ in a broken world. Media may contact news@mennonitemission.net.
