Did you ever think of planting a church in the tomato section of Walmart? That’s what recently happened when Czar and his wife were buying some groceries in Johnstown, PA prior to the CBC Annual Meeting and Worship Conference. They overheard some others speaking Spanish and since they also spoke Spanish, they struck up a conversation. This couple discovered they were talking to some Puerto Ricans and found out that they had no place to worship and yet had a strong desire to have a church. The two couples exchanged contact information and news of this situation was shared with CBC leadership at the AMWC. After some discussion and prayer, a meeting was scheduled after the conference to see what might develop.
Brothers Scott Kinnick, John Swonger, Jose Acevedo, Jose Calleja, Joe Brown and Pastora Carmin Mercado met with the two couples and discussed possibilities. Bro Joe then met with his congregation, the Faith Covenant Brethren Church, and they decided to share the use of their building with this Hispanic group. The Puerto Ricans took them up on their offer and the excited people of the new Iglesia Cristo Es La Roca Hispanic congregation now meet every Friday and Saturday night at 6:00pm to worship the God who made all this happen!
Back to School Event
So far they have had four baptisms and one back-to-school celebration (see photos) along with twelve worship services. They spend up to an hour in prayer before each service asking God to speak to each of them through His Holy Spirit. Bro Joe said that, “they have been a joy to share worship with and I truly believe the American church could learn from them in evangelism and enthusiasm.”
This arrangement offers a model for church planting for other congregations located near large immigrant populations. Finding a place to worship has become a real problem for many new people groups in our communities. Hats off to Pastor Joe, his congregation and our leadership team for this very creative new church plant! The next time you’re in Walmart, say hello to someone you don’t know and watch for God to open doors!
Submitted by Joe Brown and Craig Howard
