RGV FAITH by El Periodico U.S.A.

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VOL. I, NO. 1

APRIL 2018

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April, 2018

Miguel Letelier PRESIDENT Jackie Letelier PUBLISHER Paula Freed REGISTER AGENT Arnoldo Mata EDITOR/DIRECTOR Terry Cano SALES COORDINATOR Ruben Capuchino GRAPHIC DESIGNER

PRINTING: The Monitor Commercial Print 801 E. Fir, McAllen, Texas, ZC 78501, Ph. (956) 631-5628 and 971- 8159 Fax. (956) 631-0832. El Periódico U.S.A. is published weekly by Spanish Print Media, Inc. at 801 E. Fir McAllen, Texas 78501.

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Hello and Welcome to Our First Issue of Faith Magazine!

We started Faith magazine to serve the needs of churches, their members and those who are interested in exploring their faith. We do not push any particular faith or religion. We understand that everyone sees faith differently. We want to give voice to all those ideas and views on faith.

News We want to offer you the space to inform both your members and others about your church, church group, or activities. Whether it’s a church retreat, fundraiser, youth group meeting, or special event. Please send us your news releases and information on upcoming events. We will publish them as much as we can, depending on space availability. We also want to get your photos. Please send them along as well. Interviews We also want to do interviews with people who play critical roles in our religious communities. Please let us know who you think we should inter-

view. It can be a church leader or a layperson who has been particularly active or plays a key role in your church or community.

week across South Texas. Faith will be a part of that distribution at least once a month. We started this as a digital edition to let people have easier access to the publication. Of course, we will also accept advertising from local churches, religious groups and other businesses. If you are interested, please contact us.

Opinion Pieces For general news, we may edit for spelling, punctuation and grammatical style. Again, we won’t make any major changes to your news stories. We also want your thought and opinion pieces. Whether it’s commentary on your own religious beliefs, theological issues or on general, personal commentary. If you want to provide your perspective on social and political issues, that’s also something we’re interested in. Of course, we reserve the right to do some minimal editing and screening for any legal issues (libel, personal attacks, etc.). However, we won’t change anything on opinion pieces without checking with you first.

In the end, we understand how important churches and faith are to a strong society. Churches serve a unique role that no other group can fulfill. We want to share that with the rest of the community. We hope you enjoy what we provide. Please do not hesitate to let us know what you think about out publication. We are always interested in helpful commentary and suggestions. Our contact information is: arnoldo@rgvtimes.com (956) 631-5628. Certified Audit

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April, 2018

Registration Starts For Annual UMC Rio Texas Conference 2018 The 2018 United Methodists of the Rio Texas Annual Conference will be held June 6-9 at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. This year’s theme is “From Come & See to Go & Do: Rethinking the Five Practices.” It has been ten years since the release of Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations by Robert Schnase, Bishop of the Rio Texas Conference. Much has changed in those ten years. The conference will focus on the shift from attractional assumptions toward missional strategies. In the past, churches assumed that people would go to church if it provided excellent, welcoming worship services. Church pastors, delegates, and lay leaders will learn the importance of taking the Christian faith out into their networks and neighborhoods. Special guests for this year’s conference include West Ohio Conference’s Director of Missional Church Initiatives Rev. Sue Nilson Kibbey. She also served for ten years as the Executive Pastor of Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, OH. She partnered with lead pastor Mike Slaughter to engage and expand the

congregation’s missional involvement to include deep discipleship and global impact. Her latest book is Flood Gates, Holy Momentum for a Fearless Church. Kibbey will lead the teaching portions of the plenary sessions. Another special guest is someone known by many within the conference: Bishop Ruben Saenz, Jr. He was elected to the episcopacy in 2016 and assigned to serve the Great Plains Annual Conference. Prior to his election and assignment, Bishop Saenz served as Director of Connectional Ministries and Executive Director of the Mission Vitality Center in the Rio Texas Conference. Bishop Saenz will be the preacher for the Ordination and Commissioning Service. This year’s annual conference will offer two sessions of workshops. These workshops will be led by experts from within the Rio Texas Conference and throughout the country. They will feature a variety of topics to help churches respond to the cultural shifts that will impact the mission of the church in the years ahead. More information about this year’s

Rev. Sue Nilson Kibbey

Bishop Ruben Saenz, Jr.

conference will be shared in the weeks ahead. Registration for delegates and hotels began April 6th. The Mission of United Methodists of The Rio Texas Conference is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. “We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to reach out, in the name of God, to the people of South Texas in the name of Jesus Christ. Some of our churches are located in some of the fastest-growing areas of the country.

Others are located in areas where people are struggling with issues of poverty, lack of affordable housing, and a loss of hope. We are committed to providing vital missions, vital congregations, and strong leaders to connect our churches to the people. Our mission field spans South Texas. Our churches are in large cities and small towns from Austin to McAllen, from San Angelo to Victoria in vibrant cities, historic small towns and struggling communities.”

Jesus and Muhammad--Their Messages Straight-up In A New 5-star Book

What did they teach, and how do their messages converge or diverge? Explore their core words, by topic and side-by-side.

Worldwide, Islam is the fastest growing religion, and Christianity is the largest. People want to make sense of these faiths: now readers can answer their questions. “To avoid getting mired in interpretations and misconceptions, you go to the sources,” author Louis St Michael says. The content speaks for itself: • A one-stop reference for people of any or no faith to compare the Bible and Qur’an messages of Jesus vs. Muhammad. • What Muslims and Christians learn about love, homosexuality and lifestyle. Persecution, retaliation, war and peace. Prophet or Messiah? Miracles. End times. • Life and religion histories The reviews have been impressive. “As a convert to Islam, . . . I appreciate that the author seems to be neutral in his overall viewpoint. . . . I have not

seen another book written in such a straightforward and simple way. . . . I highly recommend.” — Christi Lyle-Rasheed for Manhattan Book Review, 5 stars “An honest quest for the truth.” — Romuald Dzemo “Provokes serious reflection. A great gift for humanity.” — Christian Sia “Crisp and engaging.” — Gisela Dixon “A great book in the area of philosophy and spirituality.” — Divine Zape “Almost a marvel. Useful in any conversation on the topic.” — Jamie Michele All 5 stars for Readers’ Favorite “Relying upon the texts to speak for themselves, St. Michael has provided us with the essential messages of both religions.” — David Cook, Ph.D., assistant professor of religious studies specializing in Islam at Rice University, author of Understanding Jihad “Such a lucid and unbiased record of the points of commonality and disagreement between Jesus and Muhammad is sure to be educational. And the entire book is scrupulously sourced,

adding to the general air of transparency and scholarly rigor. . . . An exhaustive compilation of immense theological value, especially as a prologue to future study.”— Kirkus Reviews “An interesting, useful and new approach to the comparative study of Christianity and Islam.” — Dr. William Neidinger, archaeologist, historian and author associated with the Texas Foundation for Archaeological & Historical Research “Is the God of Islam the same God of Christianity? I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the core ideas of these two religions.” — Daniel Janosik, Ph.D., adjunct professor of Islamic Studies at Southern Evangelical Seminary, author of John of Damascus, First Apologist to the Muslims “This groundbreaking work provides a reference for those seeking to quickly compare Jesus’ and Muhammad’s approaches. St Michael makes it easy.” — Fr. Panayiotis Papageorgiou, Ph.D., translator of John Chrysostom: Homilies on Romans

“Jesus and Muhammad” Their Messages, Side-by-Side Author: Louis St Michael Publisher/website: Rising Myrrh Press https://risingmyrrhpress.com Publication: March 31, 2018 on Amazon.com

April 2018

www.rgvfaith.com

Church Welcoming Approaches Differ, Provide Different Responses

It’s an adage that is especially true for churches: You never get a second chance to make a first impression. As with any organization that deals with new people, how churches welcome new participants differs quite a lot by denomination, geographic location and pastor’s age. And the response they get in turn from new visitors differs depending on how they are treated at that first meeting. A new study released by LifeWay Research looked at how Protestant pastors and their congregations treated guests and visitors. Nashville-based LifeWay Research surveyed 1,000 Protestant pastors to identify how their churches greeted guests. “The Bible is full of verses on hospitality, so churches should be full of hospitality as well,” said President and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources Thom S. Rainer. “Congregations should strive to create environments where guests are fully welcomed.” The research indicated that there are six common ways that churches greet visitors and guests. Almost all churches do something every week to greet guests. Less than one percent of the churches did not make any specific effort to greet and welcome visitors. “Pastors are eager to say their churches are actively welcoming visitors to their services,” Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, said. The six most common ways churches routinely welcome guests include • Periodically host an information session for new people to learn more about the church • Set aside time during the service for regular attenders to welcome guests • Have a central location where guests can learn about the church • Have cards guests can complete • Have greeters at the entrances • Have an opportunity to meet the pastor after the service More than 96% of the pastors said their churches provide a time for visitors to meet the pastor, and over 95% said they have greeters at the entrance of the building as guests walk in. A majority ask guests to complete cards (83 percent), have a central lo-

cation where guests can learn about the church (78 percent), set aside time during the service for regular attenders to welcome guests (69 percent) and periodically host information sessions for new people to learn more about the church (65 percent). A little more than 42% said they provide a gift to visitors. Of those who use gifts, the most popular are a mug or cup (38 percent), food (25 percent), a welcome packet about the church (25 percent) or a pen (23 percent). Only 4% provided a Bible as a welcome gift. Follow up, for those that had some type of contact information, was low. Only 2% of the churches followed up by mail, 2% with a personal visit, 1% with a phone call and 1% with an email. Despite the numerous ways churches say they reach out to guests, Rainer, author of “Becoming a Welcoming Church,” said congregations should ask some difficult questions about themselves. “Churches often believe they are a friendly church because the members are friendly to one another. But they don’t think about walking in the shoes of first-time guests,” he said. “Welcoming those new to the church has to be the constant and intentional posture of the entire congregation.” Another finding of the research was that larger churches tend to welcome guests in different ways than smaller churches. Of those churches with an attendance of fewer than 50, 98% are the most likely to say they have an opportunity for guests to meet the pastor after the service, and 22% of those ask guests to stand during the worship service. Meanwhile, pastors of churches with an attendance of more than 250 are the most likely to say they have cards for guests to complete (96 percent), have a central location for guests to learn more about the church (88 percent), periodically host information sessions for new people (85 percent), set aside a time for regular attenders to welcome guests (76 percent), have greeters in the parking lot (57 percent) and offer gifts to visitors

(59 percent). “In many ways, larger churches have developed systems to accomplish what may come more naturally in smaller churches,” McConnell said. “Because of their size, bigger churches have to enact plans that may happen spontaneously elsewhere.” In his years of church consulting, Rainer found specific times of greeting during the worship service to be one of the most polarizing methods of welcoming guests. If not done extremely well, those moments can often be awkward for the people churches are trying to welcome, he said. “Stand-and-greet times could be part of a welcoming experience for guests, but church members would need clear and firm guidance on being friendly to guests before and after the service,” he said. “Friendliness only during stand-and-greet times can do more harm than good.” Overall, only 17 percent of churches ask guests to stand during the worship service, but certain churches are more likely to do so than others. More than three-quarters of African-American pastors (77 percent) say their church asks guests to stand.

Pastors in the West are more likely to ask guests to stand (23 percent) than those in the South (15 percent) or Midwest (14 percent). Large churches, with more than 250 in attendance, are the least likely to ask guests to stand. Only 9 percent of those pastors say they do, but churches with attendance of fewer than 50 (22 percent) and attendance between 50 and 99 (18 percent) are more likely. “Large churches often assume guests will make themselves known,” said McConnell. “There’s no real place for a visitor to hide in a small church.” Regardless of church size, McConnell said pastors recognize the importance of being welcoming. “Churches want to make the most of the opportunity with a guest when it comes,” he said. “With all churches say they do for visitors, the bar is set high for being a welcoming church.” LifeWay Research is a Nashville-based, evangelical research firm that specializes in surveys about faith in culture and matters that affect churches.

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‘Hope Is In Bloom’ Gala April 28

work of so many others,” said Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. Dora Brown, senior vice president of marketing for IBC Bank, who was honored Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Val- with the Hope Award in 2017, will serve ley, which provided vital services for more as gala chair. All proceeds from the gala than 90,000 individuals and families last will support Catholic Charities of the Rio year throughout Cameron, Willacy, Hidalgo Grande Valley’s programs and services, parand Starr counties plus 15,223 more at the ticularly humanitarian relief. Programs include emergenhumanitarian respite center in cy assistance, which provides McAllen, is hosting the Eighth housing/rental and electric Annual Hope is in Bloom Gala assistance for the infirm, unat 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, April employed and homeless. The 28 at Embassy Suites by Hilton agency also provided local resMcAllen Convention Center. idents with financial assistance The evening will feature live for medical transportation and and silent auctions, a raffle, funeral expenses. presentations to the honorees Catholic Charities of the Rio and much more. This year’s Grande Valley also provides honored guests are Janet VackJanet Vackar low cost counseling for indiar and Sally Fraustro Guerra. Vackar will be receiving the Hope Award, viduals, families and married couples as which recognizes those who serve the most well as counseling for women and couples vulnerable members of society. Guerra will facing a crisis pregnancy for up to year receive the Cariño Award for her contribu- after birth to prevent abortion, abuse and tions to the humanitarian respite center, neglect. About 545 people received affordable counseling from the agenwhich provides newly arrived cy in 2017. immigrants with some basic The Food Program provides needs – food, clothing, a showhealthy meals and snacks for er, a place to rest and medical children at after school activiattention. ties year round and in the sumBorn in Weslaco, Vackar is mer months, when breakfast the daughter of the late Bert and lunch are served to schoolOgden, who owned and opage children at more than 80 erated an auto dealership in sites throughout the Valley. Edinburg. Through her hard Catholic Charities is also work and dedication, Vackar Sally Frausto Guerra prepared to respond in the expanded the family’s business from one franchise to 22, building on her case of a natural disaster. The disaster response program meets the immediate and father’s legacy. As the business grew, so did Vackar’s long-term needs of families affected by hurcommitment to serving the community. ricanes and other weather emergencies. In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey She and her family generously support numerous charitable causes, including Cath- last year, Catholic Charities of the Rio olic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, the Grande Valley collaborated with various Easter Seals Foundation, the Renaissance organizations to send three truckloads of Cancer Foundation, Palmer Drug Abuse supplies to the communities most affected Program, the Make-a-Wish Foundation and by the storm. Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valthe University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley, ley has also recently sponsored workshops just to name a few. Guerra, a broker at Coldwell Banker La to help immigrants — and those who work Mansion in McAllen, is a board member of with and minister to them — to know and multiple philanthropic organizations. She understand their rights. Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valhas also served on numerous gala committees in the community and as chair of the ley is still in need of auction items, sponCatholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley sorships, and underwriters for the gala. Individual tickets are also available for $100. gala committee in 2016 and 2017. “The work we do is possible because of For more information, contact Carmen people like Janet and Sally, who are devot- Castrejón at (956) 702-4088 or via email ed to serving those in need in our commu- at ccastrejon@cdob.org nity. We are grateful for their work and the

Event to benefit works of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley

April, 2018

Leighton Flowers Named New Evangelism Lead For Texas Baptists By Kalie Lowrie, TexasBaptists.org Leighton Flowers has been named Evangelism Lead for Texas Baptists effective April 2. No stranger to Baptist life, Flowers has served on staff with the Convention since 2003, overseeing key evangelistic ministry initiatives including Super Summer, Youth Evangelism Conferences, Hot Hearts, See You At the Pole, [un]Apologetic conferences and more. “Leighton Flowers is the right person to lead Texas Baptists in Evangelism at this time,” said David Hardage, executive director. “I’m excited about his heart for the lost and is ability to communicate the Gospel. I’m grateful for the leadership Dr. Delvin Atchison, Great Commission Team director, has shown in filling this vital role for our BGCT family.” Passionate about the local church and equipping individuals to effectively share their faith through compassion and love for others, Flowers has garnered two decades of ministry experience across Texas Baptists life. In this new role, his vision is to challenge, equip and train Texas Baptists, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to passionately fulfill God’s call to reach all people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “Leighton is one of the brightest stars in Texas Baptist life,” said Delvin Atchison, director of the Great Commission Team. “He grew up in the BGCT. He is the pride of our past and the promise of our future. We are fortunate to have him as our Evangelism Lead.” While many church leaders view evangelism as a key component of their congregation, a study conducted by LifeWay Research in 2012 reported that 61% of Christians had not shared their faith in the previous six months. Two years later, that number rose to 78%. “The reason so many people see their churches as being evangelistic, despite the facts, is that there are programs, themes, slogans and talk on the stage about evangelism and the need for it, but there is very little practice of personal evangelism,” Flowers said. “The focus has to shift back to the individual–calling the individual to compassion for the lost, to connection with the lost and to a long-term commitment to see the lost come to know Christ.” The Evangelism Team serves as a resource for Texas Baptists churches in training and equipping believers to share their

faith. Flowers’ team will connect with churches to provide evangelism consultation, encouragement and training including Super Summer, Congreso, Pray 4 Every Home and Take the 4xFour Leighton Flowers Challenge. Flowers also intends to ensure apologetics is seen as an indispensable aspect of evangelism. Just as Paul engaged in persuasion throughout much of the New Testament, Flowers sees the importance of 21st Century believers engaging in similar strategies. “Sometimes we can over-spiritualize things, saying it’s our job to proclaim the truth and let God do the rest,” he said. “That’s not what Paul thought because he didn’t act that way. He acted as if it depended on him being persistent and committing himself to sharing that truth in a persuasive way and helping win people over. The concept of ‘winning the lost’ versus ‘proclaiming the truth to the lost’ is a really important aspect that needs to drive how we do evangelism.” As an adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University, Flowers noticed students came alive when the topic of soteriology was discussed in class. Several students asked for additional resources to study the doctrine of salvation and he would make those available through online learning platforms. At the suggestion of a student’s urging, Flowers turned some of the course materials into a podcast entitled “Soteriology 101.” Now, this weekly YouTube and iTunes podcast averages 10,000 downloads per episode. Flowers’ ministry experience includes serving as student minister at University Baptist Church in Abilene; senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Era; student minister at Colonial Hills Baptist Church; and interim preaching rolls at Hunters Glen Baptist in Plano, The Oaks Baptist in Grand Prairie, Culleoka Baptist in Princeton and First Baptist Church of Richardson. He has also served as a speaker at numerous camps, retreats and training events. Flowers earned a bachelor’s degree from Hardin-Simmons University, a master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctorate from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Laura, and their children, make their home in north Garland.

April 2018

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U.S. Catholic Bishops of U.S./Mexico Border Respond To U.S. National Guard Deployment

Bishop Daniel E. Flores, Brownsville

In response to announcements regarding deploying the United States National Guard to the U.S./Mexico Border, the U.S. Catholic Bishops of the U.S./Mexico Border issued the following statement: We are deeply concerned by the announcement that the National Guard will be deployed on the U.S./Mexico Border. The continued militarization of the U.S./ Mexico Border distorts the reality of life on the border; this is not a war zone but instead is comprised of many peaceful and law-abiding communities that are also generous in their response to human suffering. We recognize the right of nations to control and secure their borders; we also recognize the need of nations to respect the rule of law. Current law in the

United States rightly provides that those arriving to our country fleeing persecution are entitled to due-process as their claims are reviewed. Seeking refuge from persecution and violence in search of a peaceful life for oneself and one’s family is not a crime. Our faith calls us to respond with compassion to those who suffer, and to live in a spirit of solidarity with all human beings. We remain hopeful that our local, state and federal officials will work collaboratively and prudently in the implementation of this deployment, ensuring that the presence of the National Guard is measured and not disruptive to community life. We are also deeply concerned that at this time divisive rhetoric often promotes the dehumanization of

immigrants, as if all were threats and criminals. We urge Catholics and people of good will to look past the dehumanizing rhetoric regarding immigrants and remember that they are a vulnerable population, our neighbors, and our sisters and brothers in Christ. Signed, Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, San Antonio Bishop Daniel E. Flores, Brownsville Bishop Michael J. Sis, San Angelo Bishop James Tamayo, Laredo Bishop Mark J. Seitz, El Paso Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger, Tucson Bishop Robert W. McElroy, San Diego Bishop Oscar Cantú, Las Cruces

The Door Christian Fellowship Holds Groundbreaking For New Sanctuary Like the tribes of Israel wandering through the desert, The Door has spent the last 28 years holding services in seven different rented spaces before they finally found a permanent home. That promise was finally fulfilled last week when The Door Christian Fellowship of McAllen held the groundbreaking for their permanent sanctuary. “There are so many people to thank for this. They worked so hard to fulfill this promise,” Pastor Roman Gutierrez said. “We came together as a congregation and worked so hard to make this finally happen. With God’s grace and blessing, this dream has finally become a reality.” Now with more than 400 members, the church started with less than 20 people in attendance. The church was planted in November 1990. The church was pioneered by Joe and Mary Helen Moreno, who came from San Antonio. It was later taken over by Gabriela and Lisa Alonzo. “In 2012, me, my wife, Nora, and our daughter, Amanda, arrived here,” Gutierrez explained. “In 2012, we started the process of building a home for the congregation.” For the last seven years, the church has been meeting at a location on Business 83 in McAllen. The church finally was able to buy land on North McColl in McAllen for the new facility. Construction on the 54,000 square foot campus will begin before the end of April and take 10 to 14 months. The church will celebrate its 28th anniversary this November. Born in the Westside area of San Antonio, Roman Gutierrez’s father died from a heroin overdose. Roman resolved, in his anger and his pain, that someday God would take him the same way. Gutierrez started

shooting heroin when he was 11 years old and became an addict. A year later he went to juvenile detention for stealing, and attempted suicide the year after that. “I shot heroin from the age of 11 to the age of 25,” Gutierrez recounted to Faith magazine. “I died twice on record. Once when I was 15. I punched someone through a window and I cut my arm severely with the glass. I ended up bleeding to death. I died a second time when I was 19. I was stabbed twice by a friend of mine, and they left me for dead. I ended up bleeding to death a second time. I was pronounced dead for five minutes.” By the age of 25, he was living under a bridge in San Antonio. He had been living under that bridge for 3 months. He shot up all the heroin he had so his torment would end; however, he realized he didn’t want to die. That’s when a miracle occurred. “On June 13, 1995, I walked inside of a church service. And after many rehabs and programs and psychiatrists, I walked into one church service, and I accepted Jesus Christ in my heart as my Lord and Savior,” Gutierrez said. “I walked out of that service never again till this day, almost 23 years later, to ever touch drugs, alcohol or go back to my gang life again.” What brought him into that church service on that fateful day? “My mother! She’d been praying for me for two weeks. She invited me to come to church. She’d invited me for four years, but I’d always say no. That day I was just desperate. I was tired of my life. She took me to that church service in San Antonio on the East Side. And I got gloriously saved. I walked out and I didn’t need rehab or toher drgus to get me off of drugs. It was just

a miraculous, power encounter with Jesus Christ,” the Pastor said. “I started attending The Door Christian Fellowship in San Antonio. My pastor is Richard Ruby. I was discipled under him. He’s been my pastor now for 22 years. There’s more been more than 100 couples that have been launched out of that congregation, here and all over the world. We are a branch from that church, so now we’ve launched 27 couples out of this congregation.” The McAllen church pioneered churches in Bolivia and Mexico. On Easter Sunday of this year they sent a couple to Cuba. “They were able to go in there (Cuba),” Gutierrez said. “Preaching is illegal, witnessing is illegal unless someone invites you and opens a house for you. They were able to find someone to do that, and they held their first Bible study on Friday, April

6. We’re going to see what happens from there.” Gutierrez has pastored 18 years, having pastored in Victoria, TX. “I’ve evangelized in more than 72 countries, shared my testimony with our missionaries in La Paz, Bolivia. We pastored a church in San Marcos, TX, and we’ve been here now seven years,” he said. The Door Christian Fellowship of McAllen also has two ministries we will future future editions of Faith magazine. These include the “Choose to Change” Foundation prison ministry and Game Changers, which ministers to veterans. For information on Door Christian Fellowship of McAllen, visit their website at: www.thedoormcallen.com or email at info@thedoormcallen.com. Their offices and worship services are currently housed at 900 E. Bus. 83 in McAllen.