English-Spanish Worship Service
January 11, 2004
Article from Centreville Press - January 14, 2004:
Centreville Church Celebrates Hispanic Mission Success
By W. Glenn Walker
Special to the Centreville Press
Five years ago, German and Leticia Gomez took a step of faith by becoming missionaries to the local Hispanic community. With the help of fellow church members at the Centreville United Methodist Church, the First United Methodist Church in Clanton, and the national Methodist mission board, this dynamic couple organized the San Juan Mission in Clanton.
The mission church has grown to an average daily attendance of sixty-five members, most of which hail from Chilton and Bibb Counties. While this is a healthy number for the mission, the evangelism work continues. The goal of the church is to reach all of the 1,500 Hispanic residents living in the Clanton area.
In addition to undertaking community service projects, such as cleaning the streets, San Juan’s members have a weekly prison ministry. They have established Bible Study groups in member’s homes to build fellowship and to reach the unchurched in the different neighborhoods.
"Our long-range vision is to establish new missions," German explained. "Our target cities are Centreville, Moundville, and Selma." The San Juan Mission has already spun off one new mission in Montgomery, building a congregation of sixty-five members in just two years.
The vision is achievable. Prior to following God’s calling to the San Juan Mission, the Gomez family helped form a Baptist mission church in Tuscaloosa. In just a year and a half, the membership had reached fifty active members.
On Sunday, January 11, the San Juan congregation joined with its local mother church in a special ceremony which included both English and Spanish components. "This was a true glimpse of heaven on earth," reflected Rev. Glenn Walker, pastor of the Centreville United Methodist Church. "Two cultures sharing their common worship of God in true Christian fellowship is all too rare today. This was a wonderful, spirit-filled event."
For more information on the Hispanic mission work, visit the church website at www. gbgm-umc.org / csc_umc.