Tag Archive for: Colombia

Faces of Faith – Cesar

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Academia Cristo has advanced and changed during the last several years. Technology has changed, curriculum was expanded and revised, new resources for church planters have been introduced. One student who has been with Academia Cristo through it all is Cesar Augusto Narvaez.

When Academia Cristo was just experimenting with live classes, Cesar enrolled. Since 2020, he has completed 16 live courses. He was equipped to gather and lead his own church plant that now meets every week for worship and Bible study. They reach out to their friends, family, and neighbors, and are training members so they can participate in ministry as well. Missionaries from the Latin America mission team regularly make visits to Cesar and his group. On one visit, a missionary asked all the members what prompted them to attend for the first time. Everyone had the same answer, “Cesar invited me.”

Some aspects of mission work may change over time, but some things remain constant. First, the power of the gospel. It’s the good news of Jesus that leads people like Cesar to share their faith. It’s the message of God’s grace, love, and redemption that keep people coming back. Second, the power of a simple invitation. Today, more people are learning about their Savior and growing in their faith because of a simple invitation from someone they knew.

From Matt Behmer, Latin America missionary

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Faces of Faith – Javier

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Would you change jobs so that you could start a Bible study group? That’s what Javier Rivas from Buenaventura, Colombia, did. He started studying with Academia Cristo in September 2022. He quickly moved through the Academia Cristo discipleship program. He loved what he was learning and wanted to share it with others. But he worked at a resort about an hour boat ride away. Work would often keep him away from his city for weeks. When he learned more about how he could plant his own church, he decided to look for work in his home city. He knew that being away from home for extended periods of time would limit his potential to plant and lead a group, and being based in his city would give him opportunities to invite, gather, and teach.

Motivated by his love for the gospel, he left his job and looked for a new one in Buenaventura and started gathering a group. First, he shared a course called “The Four Key Concepts” that covers the topics of sin, grace, faith, and works. Then he taught a course called “Learn from me,” a Bible information course. Today, he continues to gather his friends, family, and neighbors around God’s Word.

Javier has been blessed with employment in his city. However, he has also become a blessing to others as he shares with them the message of salvation through Jesus.

From Matt Behmer, Latin America missionary

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Celebrating God’s goodness forever

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May you keep celebrating birthdays until the year 3000! This is the last line in the Colombian version of the song Happy Birthday. Recently, members of Most Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Medellín, Colombia, sang these words when celebrating their congregation’s 50th anniversary. In addition to singing, there was a worship service with record attendance, a meal, and fellowship time. Former and current WELS Latin America missionaries had the opportunity to attend, share greetings, and participate in a question-and-answer session. There were also visitors from other congregations in Colombia, many hugs, laughter, and tears of joy.

When WELS missionaries began outreach in Medellín 50 years ago, their efforts spanned from teaching English classes to managing Christian Information Centers to cultivating friendships to training leaders. The Lord blessed this work. Today, Most Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is an active, growing congregation. Members meet for worship and Bible study. Children and youth are taught God’s Word in Sunday School and Catechism class. The congregation uses small group Bible studies as an outreach strategy. These studies, held in the homes of members in various strategic locations of the city, create an opportunity for their members to invite their friends and neighbors to learn about Jesus.

From Medellín, the work spread to other parts of Colombia. Congregations were established in other cities. A Confessional Lutheran synod was formed. Recently, this synod helped form a new, Latin American synod called Iglesia Cristo WELS Internacional. The congregations in Colombia also partner with Academia Cristo to promote church planting in new parts of Colombia and throughout Latin America. Most importantly, over the past fifty years, Most Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is a place where the good news of Jesus has been preached, taught, and applied to countless hearts and lives.

Celebrating the 50th birthday of the church in Colombia was a special occasion. Will the church still be celebrating its birthday in the year 3000? Its members can look forward to something even more amazing. They get to celebrate God’s grace, goodness, and mercy without end. Through faith in Jesus, we can look forward to sharing with them an eternal celebration in heaven. Praise God for his 50 years of grace in Colombia. Praise him for his unending love, blessings, and salvation!

Written by Rev. Matt Behmer, world missionary on the Latin America Mission team.

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