one mission
mbmission.org
Winter 2017
Witness Winter 2017
Contents Editorial: Embracing One Mission............................2 Safari..........................................................................4
EMBRACING
one mission
By Randy Friesen, General Director
Jamal’s Questions......................................................6
Today, mission is from everywhere to everywhere.
On Fire.......................................................................8
At a recent church planting conference in Vancouver, I was inspired by several experiences that convinced me more than ever that we need to embrace this new reality. The event was sponsored by C2C, an interdenominational church planting network birthed by the MB church. I loved the global flavour of the gathering.
If Only They Knew..................................................10 I Need a New Boat..................................................12 Disturbed by Joy......................................................13 Taste and See..........................................................14
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Staff Editor-in-Chief......................................Randy Friesen Managing Editor............................... Mark JH Klassen Layout & Design.................................. Darcy Scholes Illustration & Design............................. Colton Floris Media Team Lead.................................Larry Neufeld Circulation & Administration.................Ann Zauner
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I sat next to several leaders from our MB conference in Paraguay who were attending the summit to be better equipped to plant churches in Paraguay. In celebration of their first fifty years of existence, they believe God wants to double their number of churches in the next five years. They came to the summit because they know that this vision requires spiritual renewal and new strategies. At the same event, I also met a pastor from Brazil that God has called to plant churches in Canada. Several years ago, his church in Brazil was praying for the nations. As they listened to God, they were led to pray for the least reached region of North America, which they discovered was the province of Quebec. They sensed that they were called to send their best, so they sent their pastor. What bold mission prayers are we praying? Are we sending our best?
If we are to see greater synergy, renewal and multiplication, we need to work collaboratively.
We are taking teams of North American church planters to locations in Central and Southeast Asia to rediscover the power of prayer, bold witness and a willingness to sacrifice everything for the Gospel. Like never before, the global church is learning from each other, accessing resources globally and recognizing that we all have gifts to share and receive. In the same way, short-term teams from North America are serving among the nations and coming back changed. The participants return to careers and local expressions of mission in their home communities, which enriches the mission DNA of our churches. This exchange is happening on a global scale. Christians around the world are listening to each other’s podcast sermons, attending conferences and visiting each other’s churches resulting in a growing global cross pollination of discipleship and mission DNA. Like never before, everyone is learning from everyone. How can our global MB family reflect this new reality in our missional strategies and training structures? If we are to see greater synergy, renewal and multiplication, we need to work collaboratively on this one mission – local, national and global.
Multiplication and addition are different; they require different strategies. But both require the renewal of faith in mission. As we embrace one mission, we need to understand the key to multiplication according to Jesus: “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John 12:24).
“Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 12:24 As we think about our strategies, structures or security, what death is God inviting us into so that he can birth new life in and through us? Are we willing to die to ourselves to see God’s mission accomplished? At the same event in Vancouver, a Filipino pastor stood up and shared about how difficult it was for him to be in a room with 250 pastors. At the age of thirteen, he had been sexually abused by his youth pastor. When he disclosed the abuse, it had been covered up. In his anger against pastors, churches and God, he became a
prodigal. He left the Philippines and ended up in Winnipeg. One night in a bar, the Father spoke to him and called him “home.” He cried out to God in brokenness and repentance, and experienced the love and forgiveness of the Lord. Then he began calling others to join him. In the following weeks, he led dozens of friends to Christ. A house church was started, which has now grown to dozens of house churches of new believers in Winnipeg! After hearing his story of abuse, I sensed the Lord speaking to me. I walked up to the podium and stood in the place of spiritual leaders that had hurt this young man. I asked him to forgive us for misusing that authority and grieving God. He fell to his knees and cried out as his pain was released. We wept in each other’s arms and I prayed for more prodigals to come home. What happened that evening in Vancouver had an effect on what is happening now in Winnipeg and in the Philippines. The seed is multiplying worldwide! I am encouraged that one mission – local, national, global – is increasingly shaping our vision and practice as a global family of churches. As you read this edition of Witness, I trust that you will be inspired by these stories of how God’s people are being transformed by his love and embracing his mission.
The Church on Mission march 7 - 11, 2017 thailand
In February 2017, C2C and MB Mission are sponsoring a national mission conference in the US called MULTIPLY. This conference is for all church leaders who are interested in living on mission, and features speakers who are impacting our missional culture. In Canada, this two-day equipping conference has grown to more than 800 leaders over the past several years and will again be hosted at Westside Church in Vancouver, February 8-9 (to register, go to multiplyconference.ca). We’re excited to promote this gathering of church leaders who seek to multiply the kingdom of God through the local church! A few weeks later, in Fresno, California, on February 22-23, we will be hosting the first MULTIPLY conference in the US (to register, go to multiplyconference.us). What would happen if every existing church in North America were to intentionally invest in the multiplication of the church locally, nationally, and globally? In March 2017, MB Mission and the International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) are sponsoring a global mission consultation in Thailand, which will bring together leaders from twentyone MB conferences around the world. This theme of mission from everywhere to everywhere will shape how we share resources, send workers and discern vision together. For more information, go to icomb.org
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Safari My name is Safari, and this is how I learned the way of peace. I come from a people called the Banyamulenge. We are cattle herders and live in the high mountains of Eastern Congo overlooking Lake Tanganyika. Over the years, my people have been forced from one area to another in search of green pastures for our livestock. When the Belgians ruled this part of Africa, we lived in what is now Rwanda. However, a severe famine forced us from our land and eventually we moved to the mountain slopes of Mulenge in Congo. After years of peace there, my people began to feel the effects of racial and political conflicts in the region and we were mistreated because of our ethnic background. In the past twenty years, many of the Banyamulenge have been targeted and killed. My people are unloved and unwanted. In my own home, my father was a pastor, and I was the leader of the church choir. I loved training the young people to sing, but one day I had a dream and God spoke to me: “Your time in this church is over.� I told my father about my dream and he released me to go. So I walked into the nearest town and I was directed to a Mennonite church. I immediately knew that this was my new home. Eventually, I began to lead the choir and to train young people. It was among these Mennonites that I also learned the importance of forgiveness and the work of peace and reconciliation. I knew that this would be a part of my future ministry. 4 | witness
During this time, it was not easy for me as a Banyamulenge. My people continued to be mistreated. My own life was threatened many times. Then, in 2003, while my parents were fleeing from their home, they were murdered. I decided that it was time for me to leave also, so I fled to Burundi, where I lived for three years in a refugee camp. After that, I returned to Congo for six months, to see if the atmosphere had changed toward my people. But it was too difficult, so this time I fled to Malawi, where again I made my home in a refugee camp.
I learned the importance of forgiveness and the work of peace. In Malawi, the refugee camp was full of conflict and hopelessness. Even among the Christians, there was much division and strife. People of different ethnic groups kept to themselves. Witchcraft was predominant. Among these refugees, I began to exercise my gift as an evangelist. And people began to respond. During my first year in the camp, I started a church. With a small group of disciples, we would go door to door throughout the camp, inviting people to follow Jesus. I often shared from the Book of Ezekiel (36:18-26) where the prophet talks about how God had driven his people from their land and dispersed them among the nations
because they had forsaken him, but that he also would offer them forgiveness: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (v.26). So the new church was a gathering of soft hearts, and we became very focused on Jesus’ teaching of forgiveness and loving our enemies. Our message was simple: because God loves us, we must love one another. During this time, a man joined our church. He was also a refugee from Congo. When he first arrived into the camp, I received this man into my home. After some time, I learned that he was the one who had murdered my parents in Congo. I knew that my own teaching – the teaching of Jesus – was being put to the test. It was my desire to be a part of a church that took the Scripture seriously and was based on peace and reconciliation. If God forgave me, I had to forgive others. So I forgave this man for what he had done to my family. Today, our church is built on this foundation of the peace and forgiveness of Christ. We are preaching this Gospel and God is blessing us. Now there are eleven more churches in this area. I love what God is doing here. It brings my heart so much joy to see these churches thriving. To God be the glory! By Safari Mutabeshi
My Brother Safari I recently visited Safari in his home in Malawi. To be clear, the refugee camp is not a pleasant place to live. It is dry and dusty and lacking in so many resources. People are despondent and the rate of suicide is high. Crime and prostitution are also prevalent, and hope is at a premium. But this is where my brother has chosen to live. It is important for people to know that, after six years in the refugee camp and a fruitful church-planting ministry, Safari was given the opportunity that all refugees are waiting for – his application to the United Nations was approved and he was selected to go to the USA. He turned it down. He told me plainly, “I couldn’t leave the churches. The sheep couldn’t be without a shepherd.” I was amazed at his commitment. I was humbled to call him my brother. Two years later, the UN officials came again and presented him with a second opportunity – Australia. This time, he accepted. But as the process got underway, he knew he couldn’t go. God has called him to this refugee camp in Malawi. So again, he chose to stay. As a result of turning down these opportunities, the UN has discontinued his support. In fact, it was so beyond their understanding, they assumed that Safari had lost his mind. How could anyone turn down these opportunities? Today, Safari continues to serve as an evangelist in the refugee camp and an overseer for the churches. He works alongside the pastors and keeps them focused on their vision. He is a good shepherd. Safari ekes out a simple living by farming and, through this, he is even able to help support the churches. In fact, during the winter months, when famine strikes and food supplies are diminished, starvation becomes a common problem in the refugee camp. Along with a group of church leaders, Safari has begun training people to conserve some of their food during harvest. The church has now rented fifteen acres outside of the camp where they are able to produce more food, store it, and save it for the lean months when people are in greatest need. Now, I call him Joseph. By Doug Hiebert, Burundi
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Jamal’s
Questions Several years ago, in a remote mountain valley in North India, a man from South India gave a Gospel tract to a young man named Jamal. The two men talked briefly about Jesus and then the man was gone. In the days, months and years that followed, Jamal read the tract again and again, but it still left him with many questions about Jesus. He was hungry to know more, but he didn’t know who to ask because he was not aware of any followers of Jesus in his community. After years of struggling with his unanswered questions, Jamal finally decided to start saving money so that he could fly to South India to find the man who had first told him about Jesus. Eventually, six years after that encounter, Jamal set out on his journey with the tract in hand, inscribed with the man’s name and address. He arrived in South India but, after days of searching, he could not find the man. His questions remained unanswered. On his way home from South India, Jamal stopped in Delhi where he visited a church mission. Surely, he thought, someone there could tell him more about Jesus. Unfortunately, based on his identity and his religion, he was looked upon with suspicion and refused entry at the gate. He returned to his home in the valley, still with an ache in his heart.
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But Jamal did not give up. He remembered that Jesus was from Israel, so he began to make plans to travel there to finally learn more. By now, he was so desperate that he was willing to pay any price to get his questions answered.
Jamal was shocked. “Why haven’t you told me this?” Jamal acquired a passport and was in the process of getting a visa for Israel. But in the midst of his preparations, a close friend found out about Jamal’s travel plans. “Why do you want to go to Israel?” the friend asked. After some hesitation, Jamal finally admitted to his friend, “Because I want to learn more about Jesus.”
“Then we need to go see Mahfuz,” his friend replied. “What does Mahfuz know about Jesus?” Jamal asked sincerely. The three men met in private and, after hearing Jamal’s story about his encounter with the man from South India and his growing desire to know Jesus, Mahfuz shared about his own journey of faith, how he came to believe in Jesus as the Son of God and to trust in him for salvation. Jamal was shocked. “Why haven’t you told me this?” “Because there are so few of us here in the valley,” Mahfuz explained, “and we risk our lives to take a stand for Jesus.” Jamal and Mahfuz now belong to a small house church in the valley. Over time, they have been introduced to others as well who have found Jesus and are following
him despite isolation and opposition. This growing fellowship of believers meets together regularly for prayer and Bible study, although they often have to meet at night and in different locations to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to themselves. On occasion, Jamal and Mahfuz are able to make trips to Delhi where they receive training and resourcing. By Mark JH Klassen
PRAY
Please pray for these leaders and for the church in this valley. Pray for faith and wisdom. Ask God to strengthen the hearts of these believers and to add more and more to their number.
ON FIRE She always sat at the back of the room during our church services, looking very smug and put together. She rarely spoke up.
“I was amazed,” Arghun said. “God heard my prayer and he answered my cry for help, above and beyond what I expected!”
In her sixties, Arghun and her family have attended our church for several years. But we have seen very little evidence of her spiritual life. Until recently.
On Sunday, we were amazed by her boldness in testifying to God’s goodness. As she stood up in the service, she was a changed person. Even her posture was different. In the past, she had often covered up the side of her face where a stroke had left her mouth crooked. This time, she seemed unconcerned about appearance. By the end of her testimony, Arghun was holding her Bible high above her head and preaching to all of us about how we needed to cry out to God and be ready to experience his gracious help.
Several months ago, she joined a small group. After that, we noticed that she was sitting more in the middle of the room. A couple of times, she opened her mouth in the service and shared her thoughts. Unknown to us, during the same time period, God was working in the hearts of a couple from Canada who had visited us. They had prayed and asked God to lead them to a needy family with whom they could leave a gift to help them through the winter. We had suggested other families that, according to our perspective, had greater needs, but the couple was quite sure that God was prompting them to give to Arghun’s family. For various reasons, the gift was delayed. But, in the end, the timing was perfect because of what God was doing in Arghun’s heart. As the harsh winter weather was setting in, she had no coal and no wood to burn. “After eight years in this church,” Arghun said, “this week was the first time I really prayed.” Then the gift arrived.
However, she didn’t stop there. She also shared about how she had purposely bought clothing and dressed up to disguise her family’s poverty. She had not invited people to her home as she was ashamed of how they lived. Now she didn’t care what others thought – she only wanted people to know about God’s goodness. Recently, we dropped by Arghun’s home to deliver some insulation materials and to check that the wood and coal had arrived. Again, her boldness encouraged our hearts. She continued to give thanks to God for his provision. Before we left, she said, “This family in Canada has put a fire in my house, but God has put a fire in my heart!” By a worker in Asia
If Only They Knew
People were streaming in, late-comers running to find a place in the sea of people, men at the front and women at the back. As the Islamic call to prayer began, my heart cried out in silent anguish, “Jesus is Lord!� If only they knew. After two years of dreaming, I was finally visiting North Africa, and my visit happened to coincide with one of the two most important festivals celebrated in Islam, Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice. The family that I was staying with had brought me, along with my Christian friends living in this region, to join in the festivities. It was fast becoming one of the most intense cultural experiences of my life. That morning, I had woken up early with the call to prayer sounding out across the city. My morning devotions had been in Romans 5:1-11, a beautiful passage talking about the sacrifice of Jesus for sinners and the reconciliation with God that was accomplished on the cross. For me, it was a poignant contrast with the sacrifice that was about to take place, making the call to prayer feel like a shout against the divinity of Jesus. In prostrating themselves and seeking the one true God, were these people unknowingly denying him, rejecting him?
It was fast becoming one of the most intense cultural experiences of my life.
As the corporate prayers ended, a neighbor arrived who had come to make sure that the sacrifice was done properly. Our host explains to me that he doesn’t feel close enough to God to perform the sacrifice:
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“I don’t do all the prayers or keep all the rules.” We made our way up to the roof where the sheep was being kept. Quickly, they took hold of the animal and held it down with its neck facing east toward Mecca. A prayer was said, and the throat was slit. As the blood poured out, I was conscious that my Muslim hosts were remembering the sacrifices offered by Abraham. In turn, I thought of the Passover in Egypt and of Jesus, the new Passover lamb. If only this family could know what was already done for them, they could be free from the law, free from guilt. The sheep was cleaned and gutted, with the inner parts saved as a delicacy, and soon the fire was roasting our lunch, savory with a hint of cumin. Desiring to honor their culture by tasting everything, I managed to eat all that was put in front of me, washing down the difficult parts with apple-flavored soda and mint tea. Our hosts seemed to enjoy every morsel.
If only they knew that their sins were already forgiven. After the meal, I listened to the family talk about the Hajj – the pilgrimage to Mecca – which they had not yet done. Many spend thousands of dollars to go, as a way to remove sins which, ironically, begin again to accumulate the moment they finish the journey.
about how Christians were wrong, but our host family spoke of their love and respect for their Christian friends, admiring a faith that seemed to make a practical difference. Then I listened, chewing determinedly, as my friend boldly shared the Good News in fluent Arabic. I was determined to receive and digest what had been offered to me, and in turn I prayed that my hosts would receive and eat of the Bread of Life, a meal that would satisfy them in ways that sacrificial mutton never could. By the end of the day, I was tired. But my heart was full of excitement
for my host and for my friends who would continue to invest in this family, sharing the hope that can be found in Jesus. It was time they knew. By a worker in Europe
PRAY
Please pray for Muslims worldwide as they perform acts of worship and sacrifice, that God would give them new understanding of the atoning sacrifice that he made for them in Christ.
If only they knew that their sins were already forgiven, and that God himself – through Christ – has already paid the price to win their freedom. Later, as we lounged together, the dessert was served – stewed intestines, stomach lining and lungs. I swallowed, much to the appreciative smiles of my hosts. As we ate, we talked about faith and life and their intersection. One man was very vocal mbmission.org | 11
“I Need a New Boat!”
As a teenager in Myanmar, Maw Maw was known for stealing, drinking, smoking drugs, getting into fights, and running around with women. He was not interested in loving or caring for others at all. He was never willing to apologize or back down. When he was eighteen, Maw Maw moved to Thailand in search of work. He came from a very poor family and only went to school until the third grade. He could not read. When he arrived in Thailand, Maw Maw met Yanai, who was a part of the church in Bo Thong. The two became friends and Yanai brought him to Bo Thong to find work. Still, Maw Maw’s problems continued and he was very unhappy. He had no passport, no visa and no work permit. His employers always cheated him and stole his salary. One day, Yanai started to tell Maw Maw about Jesus and, after seeing his sincere interest, Yanai brought him to meet Sue and Htoo, a Burmese couple that was leading a small house church nearby. Sue shared the Gospel with Maw Maw and they started to study the Bible together. Eventually, Htoo invited Maw Maw to move to Bangsai where he helped him find a job on a fishing boat so that he could be close to the church and learn more about Jesus. One day, they invited him to an evangelistic outreach. But before agreeing to go, Maw Maw really wanted to know if God was real. At the time, his father was very ill in Myanmar. He had no money to send him to help provide medicine. So Maw Maw prayed to God and asked him to heal his father.
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That same week, Maw Maw received news that his father was miraculously healed! Maw Maw went to the outreach, gave his heart to Christ and was baptized. After he was baptized, Maw Maw felt like a different man. He no longer felt the guilt and weight of his sin.
From the moment he gave his heart to Jesus, he had a burning passion to tell everyone. Immediately, he started to tell all of his friends on the fishing boat about Jesus. Each week on Sunday, he would bring his friends to church to experience God’s love. Eventually, every person on his fishing boat became a believer in Jesus Christ! “I guess I need a new boat!” Maw Maw said. He couldn’t explain his transformation. From the moment he gave his heart to Jesus, he had a burning passion to tell everyone about Jesus. Every night, he would go out into the streets and share with others about the love and power of Jesus Christ. Soon after, when Maw Maw saw a wedding taking place in the church, he felt convicted by the Holy Spirit that he needed to marry the woman he had been living with. For the first time in his life, he learned the meaning and significance of covenant and how God wants to make a covenant with us in marriage so that we can be faithful to God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to love our partners.
After Maw Maw was married, his wife began to teach him how to read. They read the Bible together every day and Maw Maw grew confident in reading for himself. Today, Maw Maw is grateful that God chose him to be his child. He loves to tell others about how the love of God changed him from being a hardhearted, selfish man into a person who feels compassion for others and loves to serve. As he continues to study the Bible, he is being equipped to be an evangelist, teacher and leader in the church.
To all of his Buddhist friends, Maw Maw says, “No idol or god can compare with God’s great love and power to forgive our sins, heal our hearts and give us eternal life!” By Louise Sinclair-Peters, Thailand
GIVE To support church planting among the Burmese in Thailand, go to mbmission.org/donate and reference project C0702. Maw Maw
Disturbed by Joy When I was only twenty-two years old, I felt ancient and weary. Everything was in black and white, without flavor, without meaning. My life was a heavy burden, and there was no one to respond to my question, Why am I here?
One morning, as I wandered through some of the most dangerous neighborhoods near my home in Cali, Colombia, I encountered an old man who, there on that narrow street, arrested me with a vivid smile. “Beautiful youth!” he exclaimed, “Such strength! Such hope! So much to look forward to!”
He smiled a brilliant, life-brimmed smile. “Ai, young man,” he laughed. “These words are from the Bible. Every day I read, I memorize. Then I pray to meet you.” Hearing his reply, something ignited in my being, and then, day by day, a fire grew. The old man both challenged and frightened me.
“Tell God that you want to know him, and see what he does!”
For someone like me who was ready to throw his life away, they were ironic words.
“See for yourself!” he cried out. “Tell God that you want to know him, and see what he does!”
After that, I seemed to meet this strange, happy old man almost daily. He seemed to be intentionally seeking me out, looking for opportunities to greet me and speak one or two words of encouragement before continuing on his way. I was confused by his irrepressible smile, challenged by his profound and wise words, and disturbed by his joy.
And so, with trembling, one night I did just that. And everything began to change. The Bible he gave me became a lifeline. Soon I was walking in newfound freedom, asking God, “Now what?”
One day I asked him, “Sir, how is it that you know these things?”
The old man brought me to a church that I did not know existed, hidden in the narrow streets of the barrio where I had once wandered in such despair. There, I became a disciple of the God of this strange old man.
Twenty years later, I have taken his place. Just as God put that old man in my path, so he has now put me in the path of others. From Colombia, God called me to Panama where I began to serve among the Wounaan people. Now, the fatherly joy that the old man must have felt in discipling me is my joy, as I help others to grow in faith and fruitfulness. Just as God healed my own grief and hopelessness, so he is now bringing healing to the deep sadness of the Wounaan. I cannot but smile outrageous smiles as the light of God’s word shines into the darkness of animism, alcoholism and drug trafficking that exists in these communities. I look at the young Wounaan leaders being discipled and I hear the voice of the old man exclaiming, “Beautiful youth! Such strength! Such hope! So much to look forward to!” Now in my forties, I look forward to growing older still, and standing in the path of young men needing to be disturbed by toothless smiles and words of inexplicable joy. By Einer Zuluaga, Panama Translated by Nikki White
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TASTE AND SEE Mario’s Journey from Gang Member to Church Planter
By Mark JH Klassen “As a kid, my family was a mess,” Mario Trujillo recalled his childhood in Pueblo, Colorado. “A lot of my birthday parties ended up in drinking and fighting. My mom tried her best, but she struggled with alcoholism. I never met my dad.”
Before he was seventeen years old, Mario had been in and out of detention centers for various crimes. At seventeen, he got a girl pregnant. But before she gave birth to their son, Mario was sentenced to two years in a county jail for assaulting a police officer.
Mario came from a big family, so he had lots of uncles and cousins around him. But most of the men in his life were fighters, womanizers, drinkers, and gang members. By the time he was twelve, Mario was trying to prove himself by taking risks and breaking the law. The gang noticed and, by fourteen, he had become a member.
“I tried to be a dad, but I didn’t know how,” Mario said. “When I got out of prison, I started taking care of my son, but my relationship with his mother was very difficult. We were both in and out of other relationships. Eventually, it ended. But it didn’t end well.”
There was one positive influence in Mario’s life – an older cousin named Jolene. She brought some stability, some peace in the midst of the turmoil. “She was a big part of my life. She cared a lot about me when no one else did.”
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At twenty-four, Mario was desperate for help, so he went to see his cousin, Jolene, who had recently come to faith in Jesus. “She shared the Gospel with me, and kept pushing me to Jesus. She was very persistent, and caring.” Jolene gave Mario a Bible. He didn’t read it at first, and when he did, he got frustrated because he couldn’t understand it. Finally, one day, he opened it again and read Psalm 34. For the next two months, he read that psalm every day, and every time he read it, he wept. Then, one night while alone in his one-bedroom apartment, Mario felt the presence of God in a way that he had never experienced before. “It was like Christ was embracing me. I just started confessing my sins and crying out to God, and I was overwhelmed by this incredible love and acceptance. I tasted and saw for myself that the Lord was good. He was the caring Father that I had never known.”
At Jolene’s prodding, Mario went to a Bible study. “It was a Wednesday night, and some little lady was leading. She opened her Bible and started reading from Psalm 34, ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good.’ I couldn’t believe it.”
“Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed are they who take refuge in him.” Psalm 34:8 It was a new beginning for Mario, and he was amazed at the change he began to see in his life. “I felt completely new. I had no taste for partying, fighting or chasing women anymore. I just wanted to be with Jesus. My language changed – I used to have a horrible mouth. I was letting go of everything that had controlled me – anger, pride, lust. It was a complete paradigm shift. I was focused on being God’s workmanship, created for his glory.” For the next few years, Mario was discipled at a church in Pueblo where the pastor was faithfully teaching the Bible and focusing on the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. “I was so hungry. I received so much in that place, and yet I began to search for more, especially in the areas of evangelism and service.” At the same time, Mario started studying voraciously by reading more broadly in theology and exposing
himself to other traditions. “For me, God used that time to ground me in the Gospel. He was speaking to me about how the Gospel changes everything – not just in my heart, but in my whole life, how I live, how I work, how I relate to others.” However, Mario’s growth and learning was not without disappointment. His growing desire to be involved in church planting led him to a friend who had recently moved from Portland to Pueblo with a call to start a church. They decided to work together and linked up with a local gathering called “The Pearl.” They were very intentional and missional, but before long they lost their building and eventually decided to disband. Though some of those closer relationships endured, the experience was hard on Mario. Soon after, Mario heard that Scott Thomas, a church planting coach, was back in Pueblo. Scott and his wife Jeannie had grown up in Pueblo, but then left to serve with a churchplanting network in Canada called C2C. Mario sought out Scott to ask him if he would be willing to mentor him. In turn, Scott invited him to a new gathering in downtown Pueblo called City Church, which Scott had been involved in planting under the oversight of the USMB Conference.
not only felt like we received clarity on our call to church planting, but we received a fresh call to fully surrender our lives to God and to leave behind all of our baggage.”
“We received a fresh call to fully surrender our lives to God and to leave behind all of our baggage.” Eventually, Scott approached Mario with a question that caught him offguard: “Why not City Church?” Mario had expected to start something new somewhere else. He thought that was the purpose of Scott’s mentoring. He hadn’t thought of City Church as his next step. But Scott had recently moved to Nashville and was only in a consulting role with the leadership at City Church. There was room for someone new on the team, and when Scott asked the other leaders about the potential of Mario stepping into a more prominent role at City Church, they all looked at him and said, “Of course, he should! He’s got the skills and the passion. In some ways, he’s already doing it.”
“Mario actually showed up at City Church for our first public service,” recalls Scott, recently appointed the Director of C2Cnetwork USA. “And after that, he just started becoming a part of the City Church community. He and his wife, Stephanie, fit in well.”
Mario was blessed and humbled by Scott’s willingness to invest in him, and to trust him with the new church. “Scott believes in me,” Mario says with obvious sincerity. “He doesn’t just say it, he really backs it up. He’s been an amazing mentor.”
Very quickly, Mario earned the trust of the leaders at City Church as they saw his passion for God and his gift of evangelism flourishing in their missional community. Along with some of the other leaders, Mario and Stephanie were invited to a church planting conference, which proved to be a significant step forward in their journey. “That weekend, we
Scott opened the door for Mario and Stephanie to become church planters with the C2Cnetwork USA, the first ever couple that would be recognized as such. In early December, they made their way to Toronto for the C2C Assessment Center, a threeday in depth series of interviews. There, the couple was affirmed for the C2C Apprenticeship Program, which
involves ongoing coaching and support. “At the Assessment,” Mario says, “they weren’t just looking for all the right answers in terms of theology and strategy, they wanted to know if we loved Jesus and really believed in the Gospel.” Mario is excited about leading City Church into the future with a very clear mission statement: “City Church exists to intentionally share the hope of Jesus with all people through relentless love and generous lives.” So far, the church is being very intentional about intersecting with the community in downtown Pueblo, and Mario and Stephanie are focused and energized: “We’re here for the people who are downtown, whoever they are, wherever they’re at spiritually. We’re connecting with the urban culture, the creative community, the businesses, so everyone can have an opportunity to taste and see the love and goodness of God.”
Downtown Pueblo, Colorado
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