Covenant News

Two Hispanic Church Plants Conduct Services

PHOENIX, AZ (December 29, 2004) - Puerta Abierta Covenant Church recently conducted its first preview service – one of two Hispanic churches conducting previews during the past month in the Pacific Southwest Conference (PSWC) of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

More than 80 people attended the preview service, which was held in a building used primarily by a Presbyterian church and a day care center, according to PSWC administrator Walter Contreras, who coordinates Hispanic ministries.

Pastor Eliseo Bongarra and his wife, Geraldine, are from Argentina – their families helped pioneer schools and a radio ministry in that country – and Eliseo founded a Christian Athletic Ministry in Argentina before serving a Bible church in Arizona. The new congregation is partnering with Hope Covenant Church in nearby Chandler with some support from another church plant in Phoenix - Genesis Covenant Church. It is part of an effort to plant 10 Arizona churches during the next decade, including five Hispanic congregations.

To learn more about Puerta Abierta Covenant Church and its ministries, call 602-567-5385 or email Bongarra at ebongarra@hotmail.com. Contreras believes that the Bongarra family's outreach skills will serve them well as they minister to people from Mexico and nearly a dozen other countries. The core group includes a diverse group of Hispanic cultures and it is hoped that youth and sports outreach programs will aid the growth process.

An air of excitement is already evident at the church. "One new couple attending (the preview service) acted on their enthusiasm for this new church by leaving in the middle of the service and returning with two additional families from their neighborhood to join the worship and fellowship," an email newsletter from PSWC reported.

While outreach seems to be a serious goal for Arizona Covenant congregations, a southern California church plant is attempting serious ministry using someone with a "humor-filled" past. On November 27, Armonia Covenant Church, under the leadership of pastor Marcos Vasquez, conducted its first preview service in Vista, California, a north suburb of San Diego. According to PSWC staff, there were 80 people in attendance and 15 of those present made a commitment to follow Jesus. Financial assistance is being provided by Mt. Miguel Retirement Village in Spring Valley, which is located an hour from the new church.

Originally from Chile, Vasquez is a pastor's kid and co-founded a radio ministry there and worked for a time as a stand-up comedian. Vasquez graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, last June and he and his wife, Pamela, and their three children moved south after helping another Hispanic Covenant church plant, Vision Covenant Church in Azusa. Oak Hills Covenant Church, also in Vista, has given support and Contreras expects that other congregations in and around San Diego will help the church plant as well.

Vision Covenant Church has been especially helpful this fall by sending some Hispanic leaders to assist Vasquez in worship leading and translation – some of those participating at the first preview service spoke English. The congregation is exploring the "cell model church" paradigm and wants to reach a bilingual segment of the community and to create bridges of relationships while serving an area that has a mix of wealthy and poor communities within a few miles of each other.

To learn more about Armonia Covenant Church and its ministries, call 760-447-0780 or email Vasquez at marcosvasquez@cp.fuller.edu.

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