Field Missionary

A couple of weeks ago, I had no idea that I would be unable to attend the One-By-One Conference that had been in the works for quite some time. Staying home with a measles-infested son was on the menu for that April weekend. But in preparation for a workshop that I had agreed to lead (and that my wife was kind enough to fill in for), I went with my friend, Junior Pereira, to shoot a video downtown. The subject? We went to find English-speaking Europeans who could give us their opinions about what part religion in general (and Christianity, specifically) plays in Europe. The responses were not positive. I mean, people responded positively to the topic at hand. It’s just that the perception of Christianity in Europe was quite negative.

When we weren’t conducting interviews, Junior and I talked about what we (generally speaking) are doing wrong here in this part of the world. In so many countries around the world, Christianity is growing. With the exception of some groups of Christians that just don’t get it, we are showing love and grace, and telling others about Christ’s salvation and restoration. Even in areas where believers are persecuted for their faith, this Message of faith, hope and love continues to spread. But not here, apparently. While waiting for the next person we could strong-arm to answer our quite loaded questions on camera, we found ourselves in a humorous banter with a group of young, Romanian men. Eventually, one of them came over to where we were, and offered to give us his opinion. It was real. It was harsh. It was laced with profanity, with feeling, with personal history. Somewhere, sometime, we, as Christ’s disciples, had failed this young man. It showed. However, it was after the video that we REALLY began to talk.

As we talked with this young man, his friends slowly joined us. We explained what we were doing, and who we ARE. Not the normal evangelistic resume we are taught to give, but just the raw facts. And they listened. After half an hour, we had made new friends. We exchanged contact information, and they brought over their wares: bracelets they make simply to earn enough money to survive. They gave us each a bracelet, so we would always remember our time together. As we talked, and laughed, and shared, I got an overwhelming sense that of all the ministries I have been a part of here in Spain, this might have been the ministry most like that of Jesus. And in that moment, there was healing…for all of us.

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Ministry comes in many shapes and sizes, but in Spain, we are finding that our current ministries in Spain are largely focusing on children. We have English classes in various locations, Vacation Bible Schools in churches across the district and the new Child Development Program in one of our Madrid churches. All of these outreach ministries are completely focused on children…and in turn we are getting to know their families.

People always ask about ministries that are happening in Spain and how they can help. One church in California has partnered with us in an incredible way. They have put together multiple boxes (six in all) filled with craft and school supplies. They have sent colored construction paper, crayons, colored pencils, glue sticks, erasers, pencils, pens, note cards, notebooks, rulers, stickers, pencil sharpeners, children´s safety scissors…and the list goes on and on! (Check out the picture at the top of this page.) The Gateway Church of the Nazarene has made it possible for us to move forward with these various children´s ministries without having to buy all of these supplies. Some of these supplies cannot be found very easily here in Spain…and some of these items can get expensive pretty quickly!

To the Gateway Church of the Nazarene, we say THANK YOU! Your support is greatly valued. It takes a team to minister effectively, and you all are part of the ministry team here in Spain.

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Growing up in the Nazarene church, watching movies was a touchy subject. As a child, the mention of changing the church into a temporary cinema would have been something you said with a snicker in secret. You would have said it to hear the gasps of your friends and a shush from your parents. And now here we are, using modern media to present the Gospel in a very different, and yet effective way.

We have been doing community-based ministries in Fuenlabrada for a while now, so this was not something completely new. But it was different. The economy in Spain is horrible, leaving little for the young people to do without spending money they don’t have. Add to that fact that we are trying to do creative outreach ministry to the Gen-Texters in a postmodern European context, and you have the basis for a changing context of ministry. This is what prompted our first Saturday movie and discussion night (creatively named, I know).

We wanted to offer something free to the young people in a barrio of Madrid, where we already had relationships and other ministries. We decided to transform the local church into a makeshift theater, where we could show The Chronicles of Narnia. We planned a time afterward to have a discussion with the young people in attendance, to talk about the theological significance and imagery in the movie itself. It allowed the teens to share about Christ in a non-traditional and non-threatening setting: something that is also valuable to the adults in the Spanish culture.

For a first time endeavor, it was a success. We had the support of the local church, and it was interesting for the youth. We will never be AMC, but if we can present the Gospel in a comfortable and effective way, though modern media and dialogue, it will have been a four-star effort. (Did you see what I did there?)

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