From October 10th through 12th, in the First Church of the Nazarene of Guadalajara, Jalisco, in Mexico’s West District, about 450 people celebrated “National Holiness Congress VI”: an event celebrated every four years, organized by the Mexican Nazarene Seminary.
The invited speaker was Dr. Jorge Julca, Coordinator of Theological Education from the South America Region. The following servants attended and supported this event: Dr. Obdulia Martínez, Rector from the Mexican Nazarene Seminary; Dr. Freddy Arreola, pastor from the third church in Tuxtla Gutiérrez Chiapas; Dr. Eduardo Duque Madrid, pastor at Door to Heaven in Tuxtla Gutiérrez Chiapas; Dr. Mónica Mastronadi, General Editor from the School of Leadership; Dr. Rubén E. Fernández, Regional Coordinator of Theological Education for the Mesoamerica Region; and Dr. Dan Copp, Global Director of Theological Studies.
The congress’ main theme was “Holiness from a holistic perspective” searching for ways so that children, youth, adults, and older adults could come close to the calling we have as the Church of the Nazarene to preach the Holiness message.
The kids had activities and special classes organized by Berenice Lozano, Reyna de Guzmán, and Gabriel Yip.
Among the activities organized for the youth was a night tour in buses throughout Guadalajara. At the end of their little trip, they got together for an activity where they prayed for peace in Guadalajara. They also made commitments to do the same in their own cities. The youth activity was organized by Josué Villatoro, youth president for Mexico’s South Field, and Karla Sedano, youth president from Guadalajara First Church of the Nazarene.
On Thursday, they celebrated the country’s pastors through a special dinner, thanking them for their efforts and the work they have done. They also prayed for them and their families. The people in charge of Pastoral Ministries in the Northern Field, Rodrigo and Juana de Peña, shared about new counseling projects underway, and they also prayed for that ministry. Then, Dr. Dan Copp took some time to encourage the pastors.
During the special dinner, gifts were given to the pastors’ wives and daughters, as well as awards for pastors with most and least time serving. The point of this was to thank them for their years of service and to encourage those that were just starting. Awards were given to the pastors that have started more ministries and works. It was a special and encouraging time for the pastors. They also enjoyed a succulent and varied menu: (typical foods) Tortas Ahogadas, Pozole, Birria, Empanadas, beef in its broth, Tamales, elotes, Jericallas, sweet empanadas, coffee, etc.
Some of the themes at the congress were: Wesleyan Theology – a holistic proposal (Dr. Julca); Holistic Mission of the Church Manifesting itself in Compassion (Dr. Freddy Arreola); The Great Commission and the Centrality of Discipleship (Dr. Dan Copp); Mission and Ecology (Dr. Eduardo Duque); Actual Reality and Youth- The Educative Bridges in the Church for Comprehension and the Holy Transgenerational Experience (Dr. Monica Mastronadi).
The services were full of blessing and the First Church’s Worship Ministry participated. Some special attendees were: David Peña, Myrna Márquez Ríos, the group the Good Samaritan, and the Huitcholes brothers from the Huasteca District who sang in the Nahuatl language. Everyone learned the song “Ten Thousand Reasons” in Nahuatl, English, and Spanish.
The event ended with Dr. Julca’s challenging them to accept the Lord’s calling to live a holy life and to pass this on to the next generations.
David Peña finishes this note, saying, “God’s Spirit manifested in this congress, since we were able to feel God’s love through all the speakers, the organizing team (who all did an excellent job), and all the brothers and sisters that visited us from the different parts of the Mexican Republic. It was a blessing, and we can’t wait for the next congress. And the seminary Rector will propose to the regents for it to occur every two years.
This information came from: David Peña, Director at the Guadalajara Nazarene Seminary Campus and associate pastor at Guadalajara First Church in Mexico.
