What a mission team can do!

It is just unbelievable how much you can impact other people's lives through a mission trip, not to mention the amazing benefits you'll personally draw from it.

In the past month of January, just as in previous years, a mission team from Fellowship Church in College Station, Texas took a bus to cross the border and spent a week supporting the work our church is doing in Monterrey. It was an incredible experience for them and for us. I bet some the members of this team did not know for sure how that week was going to change lives: theirs and that of many students from Tec.

Today, there are several students that knew very little about Christ involved in our church. You may read more about one of them, Javier Morones, in a recent post. This is perhaps, one of the most obvious harvests we've had because not only have new contacts hung around the short-term missionaries but they have come to church, they've started attending a small group and their spiritual journey has just begun.

For our church, receiving 10 new people as a result of the hard work of these brothers, is one of the best ways to be supported. That's 10 potential workers added to our fields, and 10 eternal destinies changed. We are so thankful for this kind of partnership and would like to receive many more teams like this one who'd be willing to step out in faith and contribute to the advancement of the Gospel in this country.

If you wish to receive more information about mission trip opportunities, please do not hesitate to contact us. You can write to info@grancomision.org.mx and we'll get back to you with more information about how you can start organizing one.

An exciting new step!

God has been so faithful in this church planting effort here in Monterrey. Our church has grown to break many church growth barriers in spite of the little time it’s gone by since we started.
Indeed, we average 200 people in our weekend services attendance and all without any major advertising or media efforts. The brothers and sisters are encouraged and feel motivated to bring their unchurched friends over the weekend. A major part of our efforts is directed not only to welcoming them on Sunday but also to “close the back door” and have them become an active part of a small group.

We now have 9 small groups in different areas of the city and with very different profiles. Some aim at high-schoolers while others focus on married couples. Our leadership team is now composed of 18 men most of whom are locals. Despite this blessing we realize there is hard work to do. These 9 small groups and 18 leaders are not even close to being enough for the harvest God is preparing in this city.

Some of our goals for this year are the following:
• Weekend attendance of 300 people
• 18 small groups
• 36 leaders (both small group leaders and their assistants)
• Move to a larger place

If we want to sustain this growth, we are urged to move to a larger place. We are no longer capable of growing in our current meeting place (a Holiday Inn Express) and we do not want to place any barriers to the church’s growth. Therefore, we feel God is saying we need to move. Literally, after months of looking for places and praying for doors to open, the same chain of hotels has given us the opportunity to move to a nicer, bigger and more adequate facility where we’ll be able to fit up to 350 people on a crowded day. This is the Intercontinental Hotel in San Pedro, one of the nicest hotels in all of the exclusive San Pedro area.

So far so good. But if it were so easy it wouldn’t be fun at all. It is three times more expensive to be in this place than it is at our current gathering place. The logistics and investment in equipment goes beyond our current possibilities. But God is the kind of God who calls things that are not as though they were according to the verse in Romans 4:17. And, indeed, He’s proved to be faithful with a very generous local congregation.

This is the reason why we’d like you to be a part of what god is doing. Some people can only give their time and skills, others can only pray, and others can only share their resources. Our question today is: how do you see yourself being used in our church? Through prayer? Through your time by coming on a mission trip? By generously giving financially? We pray God would bless your decision to give a part of you for the lost in Mexico.

• If you desire to contribute by praying, this newsletter can help you identify some of the key prayer needs
• Should you decide to come on a mission trip, please contact Carlos Garcia carlos.garcia@gclaweb.org or visit www.reachinglatinos.com
• If you’d like to donate via Paypal with your credit card, please do so by clicking on the Paypal button

• In case you prefer, you may send a check to our GCLA office in Miami. Please click on the "Give online" button for more information on how to do it.

Our new series: March 2010

Our new series is called ICTHUS: the Encounter. Please join us. This weekend, pastor Steve Hutmacher from Cedar Creek Church is speaking on His cause. Welcome all of you English speakers

Our new series: the Four Faces of Love

Our new Series

Some of our new leaders

Our leadership has been growing. We'd like you to meet some of the new and young faces of our leadership team. We've interviewed three of them and asked them to share part of their experience with us.

When did you accept Christ?

Oscar Gutierrez Jr: 11 years ago

Raul Garcia: It was a little more than 2 years ago. It was right after some people from church got baptized.

Gabriel Niño: Almost 3 years ago

How do you feel about being part of the leadership team from church?
Oscar: Actually really excited. I feel privileged and most importantly grateful to God for the opportunity that He's given me.
Raul: Before I started serving God, this was something I'd never thought of. But when you make this decision you suddenly realize how much you've grown. There was a moment when I stopped to think about the work God was doing in my life. All of this has actually filled me up with joy and a certain feeling of fear at the same time.

Gabriel: In one word: privileged. I feel happy to be a part of this in this moment of my life and my desire is to grow in leadership.

What ministries are you serving in?

Oscar: I'm a memeber of the band and I co-lead the high-school small group.

Raul: I'm part of the band, I also help with the church's setup. I'm being trained to become a small group leader and right now I assist Alex in the direction of one fo the college small groups. I plan the games and help with the food in the small group.

Gabriel: I'm involved in the artistic production ministry at church, I also teach Sunday school for kids. I participate as an actor in some plays, I'm being trained to become a small group leader. Our house is open for many church meetings and gatherings.

How do you want to be used by God in the future?

Oscar: I'd like God to use me as a tool for serving and making things easy for church plants.

Raul: there are really many things you can think of or that you can imagine. Maybe what God holds for me is totally different than what I'm thinking but I do know that it'll be a place where I can be of great influence to others.

Gabriel: I'd like to expand the artistic ministry at church, especially art and design. My vision there is to show unchurched people a fresh new insight of christianity, not in a religious nor legallistic way.

What is your favorite leadership verse in the Bible?

Oscar: Colossians 3:17

Raul: 1 Samuel 16:7

Gabriel: Proverbs 3:5-6

Who are some inspiring leaders for you?

Oscar: my father Oscar, Arturo and Paulino Galvez from Honduras

Raul: I really admire lots of leaders but perhaps the ones I admire the most are Henry (my mentor), and pastors Sergio and Oscar.

Gabriel: Colombian president Alvaro Uribe

Our new series: Christmas is so much more!

This is the name of our new series. We will have a special Christmas program on December 13 at the Presidente Intercontinental Hotel on Vasconcelos. Everyone is invited to come and bring friends and family.