|
|
|
|
There have always been people of faith that speak English in La Paz! Imagine that!
God has long been at work connecting those people . . . in the marinas,
in the campgrounds, at the hotels, even in the parking lots of the CCC, a local supermarket.
At times they would even formally gather.
One such place was at a cross on El Magote, across the bay of La Paz.
|
Marina de La Paz
|
First Baptist Church
|
In 1997, Southern Baptist Missionaries Buddy & Lois Woodson arrived to
work with the Baptist Convention of churches in Southern Baja.
At the request of the convention they began a worship service in English that met at
the First Baptist Church of La Paz.
Their presence made a significant difference to residents and cruisers of La Paz.
Elaine Kerr, Milton & Susu Sanders, Monica & Eldon Lawson, Lissania Fenton, Linda &
Mike Mills, Sylvia Wheeler, and others participated.
|
The Woodsons left in 1998. After their departure, TEAM missionaries Steve Dresselhaus
and Martin Gonzalez took turns leading the English worship. Eventually,
however, attendance dwindled to just a few. Because these people also spoke Spanish,
Martin & Steve invited them to attend their Mexican Church and the English Worship Service faded away.
In 1999, the Baptist Convention formed a partnership with the American Baptist Churches,
USA. They pursued this partnership after meeting and connecting with ABC missionaries
working in Northern Baja. They extended an invitation to receive missionaries David
and Joyce Reed to come and assist with Theological Education, New Church Planting,
and a ministry to English-speaking people.
|
The Reed family, David, Joyce and sons Ian and Aaron arrived in June 2000 after a year of language school in Cuernavaca.
On one of her first visits to the CCC, Joyce was wandering the aisles and
heard some women speaking in English. Following them,
she introduced herself and met Elaine Kerr.
Elaine,
upon hearing why Joyce and her family were in La Paz, exclaimed, “Oh, you’re the ones we’ve been praying for!”.
|
Tallest to Shortest: David, Joyce, Ian, Aaron
|
The president of the Baptist convention in 2000 was Pastor Alejandro Varela.
He told them that no other church in La Paz, Protestant or Roman Catholic,
was offering a worship service in English.
Pastor Alejandro, second from left
Would David and Joyce consider starting this ministry again?
After reflection and prayer, they agreed to begin with a weekly Bible
Study that would meet in their home. They felt that this would give us an
opportunity to see who would respond to the initial publicity.
Over a dozen people began to meet and study God’s Word.
|
Worship at Benito Juarez
|
After a year of sustained interest and growth, this group of believers expressed
the interest of having a weekly worship service too.
Because the English speaking
people were of diverse backgrounds, David and Joyce decided to try and find a
neutral location for worship instead of meeting in one of the Baptist churches.
Even though they were Baptist missionaries, they didn’t want the service to be labeled as “Baptist”.
|
They also wanted freedom to express different styles of worship that might be hindered if
people congregated in a Baptist sanctuary. For example,
the Baptist churches of La Paz are not comfortable with raising hands during worship,
but the Reeds knew that an ecumenical English speaking worship service might have people
that needed to express this in worship.
They began to look for rooms to rent
near the waterfront in order to reach people in the marinas and the hotels.
However, the rents were way beyond our reach. An alternative solution involved the
Reeds looking for a different house to rent that might accommodate a group of 40-50 people for worship.
God provided just the house on Benito Juarez.
|
Praise Band at Benito Juarez
|
Reuben and Roberto
|
The Reed's moved moved into the house on Benito Juarez in the summer of 2001 and began the first worship service the
second Sunday of September.
Joyce’s father, an American Baptist pastor from PA,
was visiting and brought the message. Ruben Gamez from the First Baptist Church
provided music on the guitar.
Worship flourished at this location for 2 years.
The music team grew as Roberto Zemeno joined on keyboard, Lissania Fenton on flute,
and Milton Sanders on his woodwind synthesizer.
|
After Roberto had to leave, God sent Penny Clark to play piano for 3 months.
She and her husband Bud had a boat in the Marina.
In the summers there were 12-15 people; winters saw 35-50. The first Easter service was held down at the Skateboard Park.
On Christmas Eve the fellowship began holding a service at Marina de La Paz. The women initiated an annual Women’s Christmas Tea.
|
Women's Christmas Tea - 2004
|
The Guillermo Prieto Location
|
In the Spring of 2003, the name CrossRoads Christian Fellowship was chosen.
In May 2003, David and Joyce had to return to the United States for one year of home assignment.
CrossRoads was going to have to find a new home. And God provided!
The Agruel family (Ruben’s in-laws) provided a storefront on Guillermo Prieto rent-free for one year.
God also provided two volunteer couples that assisted in this ministry during our absence.
Bert and Deanne Langdon came for October, November and December of 2003.
|
Mark and Susan Larimer were here from January to March 2004.
Milton served as a lay pastor for the other months.
During early 2004, Mark began to challenge the regular attendees of CrossRoads to think about what
this ministry meant to them.
If another missionary pastor never walked through their doors, would they still decided
to gather and meet?
What was their purpose for being here in La Paz?
Where did they see God leading them?
|
Pastor Mark, his wife Susan and daughter Emma
|
Construction at CrossRoad's New Home
|
It was unanimous that they wanted the ministry to exist, with or without pastors.
They also wanted to find a more permanent location to meet.
Milton Sanders heard about property for sale adjacent to his B&B CasaBuena.
He gathered people together, talked about the vision of buying this property to build a worship center,
and asked people to pray.
|
The property was purchased and the first worship service was held in May 2004
on a dirt floor with a tarp to block out the sun.
Construction continued over the summer, and by the end of August, the building was taking shape.
As was a mission house next door, rented by the Reeds who returned in June 2004.
The ministry continues at the Abasolo location.
|
Worship at CrossRoads, June 20, 2004
|
CrossRoad's Praise Team, Easter 2006
Joyce, Jean, Mark, Stefen, Lissania, Milton
|
More and more people are finding us despite our out-of-the-way entrance!
Mark and Susan Larimer returned from June 2005 to April 2006 to minister with CrossRoads for almost one year.
Stefen West, Jean Stratford, Ian & Aaron Reed joined Milton Sanders, Lissania Fenton,
and Joyce Reed on the Praise Team.
Susu Sanders, Iza Buentello, and Linda Allen coordinated a Sunday School program.
|
When Linda moved a year ago, Ana Rodriguez took her place.
CrossRoads is growing and evolving and seeking a vision that will move us into the next millennium.
Presently the church is working on moving from being a mission of the First Baptist Church of La Paz,
to a full-fledged church.
This involves designing a vision & mission statement, as well as what we believe according to Scripture.
|
Worship at CrossRoads, November, 2004
|
Building a House
|
We also are continually seeking how God wants us to be involved in mission.
From the very beginning, CrossRoads decided to tithe 25% of all offerings to missions.
In 2005-2006 we pledged mission funds towards rebuilding the home of a poor family in La Paz whose tar paper
shack was bulldozed to make room for a new road.
|
We’ve also supported Care for Kids La Paz, a breakfast and scholarship program for Vista Hermosa,
one of the poorest colonias in La Paz.
Presently, we’re committed to building another home for a
single mom & her three children whose house was destroyed during Hurricane John.
We are praying how we can support a new lunch program for kids at a school in El Centenario,
another poor community on the outskirts of the city.
God is at work!
|
The Care For Kids La Paz Breakfast Program
|
|
