Guadalajara

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The mission of Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM) is to establish the Church among all peoples everywhere, by reaching, planting, training, and serving. We are privileged as Area Directors to provide leadership to our 44 missionary colleagues who labor in partnership with the national church throughout the country to evangelize the lost, disciple new believers, and catalyze vibrant, gospel ministry. All of this activity, though, must be in service of our mission–the establishment of the Church.

Therefore, nothing gives us cause for celebration like being able to share that, Centro de Adoración a Jesús, a church planted by missionaries Rich and Jenni DeMartino as the first Assemblies of God church in downtown Guadalajara finally has a permanent home!

This congregation, originally planted in an upper-class neighborhood, responded to the needs of the homeless in the park, Jardín Villa de Cigales, during the COVID pandemic. There, they labored in the open air, reaching dozens each week with a free meal and the message of hope in Jesus. We had the opportunity to witness this mission of mercy, joining Rich and Jenni and pastors, Alfredo Trejo and Shulamita Esparza, in August of 2022, helping to distribute food and translate a gospel message alongside a team from Pittsfield, MA.

While happy to see lives being touched, Rich and Jenni longed to establish a permanent presence in the neighborhood, a place where the disadvantaged could have their needs met holistically, growing in relationship with a discipling community. But, even during our second visit this April, the price and availability of a suitable building threatened to dash their hopes.

However, God blessed their determination as they scoured the area in search of property and inspired the Latin America Caribbean Region, the Mexico Missionary Fellowship, and individual donors to provide the necessary resources to make Rich and Jenni’s dream a reality. This August 4th, Rich and Jenni, Alfredo and Shulamita, and the Superintendent of Distrito Occidente, Elizabeth Lopez, signed the purchase papers and received the keys to the new permanent home of Centro de Adoración a Jesús. We praise God for His provision and anticipate stories of changed lives as this new facility is put to use.

However, even as we celebrate this milestone, the words of Loren Triplett, former Executive Director of AGWM, ring in our ears, “We dare not measure our successes against anything but the unfinished task.” Although Centro de Adoración a Jesús has a home, there are still whole cities in Mexico that lack a similar witness. As the DeMartinos move into active retirement, the question increasingly becomes who will be that witness?

Note: this post is just a portion of what we share in our quarterly newsletter. If you’d like more information from the Godzwas or would like to print this update, take a look at the full PDF version of our quarterly newsletter or, better still, sign up to receive our newsletters direct to your inbox!

Photo Captions:

  1. Church planters, Jenni and Rich Demartino
  2. Pastor David McIntosh from The Christian Assembly in Pittsfield, MA preaches while Dave translates during an outreach in the park, Jardín Villa de Cigales, in downtown Guadalajara in August of 2022.
  3. Alfredo and Shulamita, pastors of Centro de Adoración a Jesús, receive the keys to their new permanent facility in downtown Guadalajara.  

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…is a saying attributed to Horace Greely who in 1865 encouraged youth to seek opportunity on America’s frontier. It is also a song sung by Michael W Smith who in 1990 encouraged youth to flee evil, often represented in the Bible as lying to or coming from the east. But for us, “Go West” is what we did to experience some of what’s happening in el Distrito Occidente (the Western District).

This was our first time visiting the district, which is comprised of the states of Jalisco, Colima, and parts of Michoacán. The drive there was certainly a beautiful one, but what put a smile on our faces was seeing the work being carried out by veteran missionaries Rich and Jenni DeMartino and Ernie and Sandra Peacock and their partners.

Restoration on the coast: our first stop was at the coastal community of Melaque. There, Ernie and Dave toured the Bible School Nuevas de Gran Gozo and were on hand for their graduation ceremonies. Ernie and Sandra hope to renovate the Bible school facilities and reinvigorate the program that seeks to catalyze ministry in this needy area.  

Reconciliation in the north: our next visit was with national workers, Alberto and Ruth (second photo), who are working among the Huicholes of northern Jalisco. We had the opportunity to hear how they are using business as mission (BAM) ideas to draw near to a people who, in 2016 expelled all Christians, and how the Peacocks hope to further resource their efforts. 

Rescue in the city center: we finalized our trip in Guadalajara where the DeMartinos’ ministry of compassion has been feeding hundreds since the start of the pandemic. There, we joined a team from Pittsfield, MA, to help distribute food, pray for the sick, and speak words of hope (third photo). Rich and Jenni look to purchase a permanent home for this ministry while they are also planting a church in Chapala.

Thanks for enabling us to “Go West” to encourage and support these efforts!

Note: this post is just a portion of what we share in our quarterly newsletter. If you’d like more information from the Godzwas or would like to print this update, take a look at the full PDF version of our quarterly newsletter or, better still, sign up to receive our newsletters direct to your inbox!

Photo Captions:

  1. Dave and Ernie Peacock praying for the graduates of “Nuevas de Gran Gozo” in Melaque, Jalisco
  2. Alberto and Ruth, workers among the Huicholes, in front of their ministry center, built with an innovative technique they’re teaching to locals as a BAM initiative
  3. Dave and Pastor Dave, from the Pittsfield team, speaking in downtown Guadalajara

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