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Worship Leaders:
Christian Aguilar is married with Ximena Suarez for 11 years, 2
sons Martin (8) and Joaquin (3). Christian has been a
worship leader over 20 years in Chile and USA. He came
with his Family in 2003 to USA to help in El Faro Church like
missionaries and worship pastors. He works at a music
academy teaching different instruments and vocals. He
works with the youth ministry and also with the hispanic
ministry of Eastern District of EFCA, developing and planting
more churches around PA. Since 2010 He has been a Pastor
of Vida Nueva Church in Harrisburg with the emphasis of build a
multiethnic church.
Gary Shelton and his team are currently helping
out with worship at Light Of Hope Community Church in
Dauphin, Pennsylvania. This is an incredible community
of believers pastored by James Law. They joined in with this
community in 2008 and Light Of Hope has hosted FRIDAY NIGHT RAIN
meetings for 1 year! Learn more about Gary at
http://www.musicforgod.com/ .
Guest Speakers:
Meson Lorenzo
I came to know
Christ through an American missionary when I was 25 years old.
That year I learned to present the Gospel using the 4 Spiritual
Laws; my pulpit was the counter at my butcher shop, and my
clients that received Christ, invited me to their homes to read
the Bible together. That is how my first church began; and
today, with an attendance of more than 500, that church is lead
by a pastor who was one of the little boys back then.
I attended the
Baptist Seminary and later sold my 7 businesses in 1984 to go
into fulltime ministry in northern Argentina where I planted a
second church. We stayed there 11 years, leaving behind a church
of more than 300.
At that time
there was a great spiritual revival in Argentina. There were
many conversions, healings, and powerful manifestations of the
gifts of the Holy Spirit as well as of the fruit of the Spirit.
Back then I was the president of the Baptist Regional
Association and we experienced a 100% growth in churches of that
region.
In 1995 my
family and I came to the US for a year so our children could
have the chance to see the other side of their heritage. I
returned to Argentina very disappointed because I observed that
American churches had no interest in Hispanic missions within
the country.
From early 1996
to 1999 we moved to another province in Argentina and started
the third church, which continues strong to this day. During
those years my wife, Betsy, translated a New Testament
commentary. In the year 2000 the Lord spoke to us through 2 Thes.
5:24 about returning to the US to plant churches among
Hispanics.
I said to God:
“That’s impossible, Lord, I have no place to go, no one has
invited us, and besides, there’s no interest in backing up a
ministry among Hispanics.” But that verse kept beating in my
heart: “Faithful is He who calls you; and He will also do it.”
So we made the
decision to sell our belongings so we could pay for our trip.
When we came to the US the Evangelical Free Church opened doors
for us that no one would dare to close if God didn’t allow it.
Our district, through Roy Larsen, was the link that connected us
to churches in the Lebanon area so we could plant Iglesia El
Faro, which today is lead by Pastor Hugo Concha.
God was opening
up a great vision for our district association and I was asked
to lead it as director of the pioneering Hispanic Mission. Our
first launch was in partnership with a local church in
Harrisburg to plant Iglesia Vida Nueva, which today is lead by
Pastor Christian Aguilar.
During that
time I was simultaneously mentoring Daniel Gomez, the new pastor
of a church plant in NC. This man is a spiritual son of mine
from Argentina back in 1977!
Currently we
are planting the 4th church in Reading, always in partnership
with an Anglo area church. God is doing this!!!
We began to
compile ways God has been working through us over the years and
put together a strategy for planting bilingual multicultural
churches in our district (and beyond),and make it available to
churches that want to partner with us in this great missionary
revival in America.
We currently
have a church planter and are looking for a partner church to
help form the administrative team to plant the 5th
church in Lancaster or wherever God opens doors for July 2011.
Missionary Speakers
(Thursday)
Dave and Jen Sherwood:
Dave and Jen Sherwood, together with their two girls, Lizzy
and Madison, live in Nicholasville, Kentucky. They have
served in pastoral ministry in the Wesleyan and Brethren Christ
denominations in PA, MI and VA and are now members of Church of
the Savior, an interdenominational church in Nicholasville.
Dave completed a doctor of missiology degree at Asbury
Theological Seminary in December 2009. Jen works for the
University of Kentucky as a targeted assessment specialist
in the human services field. She will also be working in
outreach and discipleship ministries. Dave earned his
bachelors degree at united Wesleyan College and his masters
degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Jen holds a
bachelors degree from the University of Maryland.
The Sherwoods have been accepted by the OMS (One Mission
Society) to serve in Mexico where Dave will be a seminary
professor at SEMBIMEX, the OMS related Biblical Seminary of
Mexico.
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