New Church in Spain!

“Eighteen people from many different backgrounds filled the main room of the church, joining as the Body of Christ in Alpedrete.

One lady told us she couldn’t believe a church was finally in her town. The tears streaming down her face reminded us God had providentially placed us in Alpedrete, a town where the motto is “Heart of Stone.” Many stone-cold hearts in this small pueblo needed to be softened. And this was just the place God planned for people to come and find out about His love for them. It’s a church!

The early days were filled with late nights of preparation, little sleep, and lots of spoon-feeding as we taught members how to grow as a church. As missionaries, we led music, taught classes, preached sermons, cleaned the church, and spent many hours laying the groundwork for what would become a new church plant.

As we busily ministered, we also tried to teach others to do these things. Soon, they began to try out their training wheels. They took on new responsibilities like sponsoring ladies’ meetings, organizing evangelistic events in a local fair, and working with the Evangelical Olympics in Madrid. They found their God-given talents and used them each Sunday to teach children’s classes, lead music, preach sermons, and do what needed to be done in the church. They attended Bible studies where they learned about spiritual gifts and doctrines and apologetics. They soon became a mature group of believers, serious about loving God and ready to share His love with those around them. This newborn church was growing.

We are almost to the other side of planting a church in Alpedrete. As we look toward this transition, we remember the admonition Paul gave the new church at Philippi: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (1:6). May God fill each person in the Alpedrete church with this vision as they walk into the future and continue to fulfill the good work God began in them a few short years ago.

We couldn’t be prouder to announce: “It’s a CHURCH!”

Excerpted from an article by Kristi Johnsonin ONE Magazine. Read the full articlewhere Kristi compares raising her children with the development of the Alpedrete church.”

Information from: https://iminc.org/2019/09/03/a-church-is-born/