Big Things in El Paso
EL PASO, TEX. – The Southwest Region Conference, in collaboration with the Southwestern Union, identified the city of El Paso, Tex. as one of two cities in our union territory where public evangelism would be emphasized in 2023. Although El Paso has a metropolitan area population of nearly one million residents, the collective, active Southwest Region Conference membership in this city with one English church and two Spanish churches numbered less than 125 people. Nevertheless, the Southwest Region Conference leadership, along with the local leadership of these three churches, believed that though small in membership, we serve a big God and He was going to do big things!
The month of October 2023 was designated as the time to publicly evangelize El Paso with Southwest Region Conference President Carlton P. Byrd, D.Min.; Southwestern Union Vice President Osvaldo Rigacci and Southwest Region Conference Vice President for Multicultural Ministry Vanston Archbold, serving as evangelists for the English and Spanish revivals respectively.
The Good News English Revival was hosted by the Smyrna Seventh-day Adventist Church at the Starlight Event Center in El Paso with local pastor, Meshach Mauia, and the entire active membership of 20 individuals working tirelessly to share the gospel of Jesus Christ! With Byrd serving as the revival preacher, 14 individuals were baptized, which was an increase of 70 percent of the active membership! Praise the Lord!
Spanish Revivals were held at El Paso East and West Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Churches with district host pastor, Eliadis Fermin, supported by members in both churches. Rigacci preached at the El Paso East church, and Archbold preached at the El Paso West church. At the conclusion of these two Spanish revivals, an additional 13 individuals were baptized! To God be the glory!
A big city with small churches resulted in 27 baptisms to the glory of God attesting to the fact that God can do big things with small churches! What happened in El Paso in October can be summed up in the familiar phrase, “Little becomes much when you place it in the Master’s hand!”
By Calvin Runji
