Juana lived in front of a church building for 18 years but never stepped foot inside. She spoke Spanish as her first language, and the church only worshipped in English.

But then one day, there was a knock on her door. People from La Casa de Mi Padre Comunidad Cristiana—a bilingual church plant you support in Fennville, Michigan—came to visit.

A Need for a Spanish-Speaking Church

More than one-third of the population in Fennville and the surrounding communities is Latino, said your church planter Ricardo Tranquini. If you’re in the area, it’s common to hear both Spanish and English spoken. But there are few churches that worship and study Scripture in Spanish—and that means a lot of people are missing out on the opportunity to learn about God. 

“There are high rates of addiction in young people and adults,” he said. “Very few are interested in continuing higher education or improving their life. There are also unattended children. All of this represents a broad need to rescue people and make disciples according to the values and principles of God's book.”

Ricardo wants people in his community to discover the grace and hope of the gospel, and you help make that possible.

An Important Visit

Soon after planting La Casa de Mi Padre, Ricardo and a group of young people visited Juana and her children at their home. Juana was intrigued. She wanted to learn more about God and get to know everyone better, so the group continued to visit her.

And then Juana started joining the church plant for Bible studies. When the church plant started meeting for worship on Sundays, Juana participated.

“For all those years she resided as a neighbor to the church and the parsonage, she never approached because they only had services in English and it is not her first language,” said Ricardo. “Having the option of the church functioning in Spanish helped her to have that approach to the Christian faith.”

Continued Growth

Through La Casa de Mi Padre, Juana has grown so much in her understanding of Christianity and her relationship with God. Despite the restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, she is a committed member of the church plant and is especially passionate about helping families in the community who are in need. She works with other women in the church to provide food and other essentials.

“God is working in her,” said Ricardo.

Thank you for supporting church plants like La Casa de Mi Padre through Resonate! You’re reaching people who live right next door to church buildings but have never felt comfortable stepping foot inside because of language or cultural barriers. Juana and the church plant are also praying for Juana’s family to accept Christ. Will you please ask the Holy Spirit to stir their hearts?