Covenant News

VBS Project in Mexico Already Bearing Fruit

PUEBLA, MEXICO (June 11, 2002) - A year after receiving assistance through the Department of World Mission's Vacation Bible School (VBS) project, a youth ministry in Mexico has made inroads with families in a large apartment complex near Puebla, a city located two hours from Mexico City.

In 2001, a children's program called Niños Poblanos (Puebla Kids) was the focus of a VBS project co-sponsored by the Department of World Mission and Evangelical Covenant churches in North America.

When Covenant missionaries Jerry and Vicky Love started the Covenant Church of Puebla after arriving in 1994, about 26 people were attending services. The congregation decided to expand its ministries and targeted an area of 421 high-rise apartment buildings shared by more than 19,000 people in Puebla's Aqua Santa neighborhood.

During the school year, the Loves organized a club that meets on Friday nights (modeled after the AWANA program) in an outdoor plaza near an apartment complex in Aqua Santa. A recent Children's Day at the local plaza attracted 240 people. This summer, Vicky Love is running a Saturday kids program in nearby La Pradera involving 15 children. Jerry Love leads a discipling ministry at the same time.

"In La Pradera, we're making more contacts, the club is growing and some parents are beginning to come to our Sunday services," Jerry Love said in a recent email. "Two families came yesterday, one for the first time, another who have been coming for about a month. One other mom expressed an explicit need to draw closer to God, and that's why she came. Vicky has no regular help with this club, and often does it by herself . . . but the fruit is already obvious."

The Loves are seeking a permanent site, preferably a local apartment, for the kids ministry during the school year and request prayer for that important need. They are also praying for a short-term missionary or a missionary couple to help them work with area children. In the meantime, the Loves hope to reach adult males in the area with an upcoming soccer competition after church this coming Sunday. John Bibler from Rolling Hills Covenant Church in Rolling Hills Estates, California, helped provide 800 pairs of reading glasses and gave out Beanie Babies to area residents this spring.

"This is an area of several thousand families with no church - even Roman Catholic," the Loves reported of their neighborhood ministry. "The nearest visible church is about two miles away. Here is where we would love to get a piece of property for a church building. We are on the threshold of some great growth."

For more information about the recent work in Puebla and the surrounding areas, email the Loves at mexmish@pacto.org.

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