Awaken City Church and Reverb Church, we are grateful for your support of church-planting efforts for the Gate of Heaven Church in San Mateo Zapotal, Mexico. The land for the new church was donated by the community, which also provided support for clearing the property. As you will see in this initial report from the field, the church is working diligently to become established.
Construction Progress
The property measures 131 x 262 feet (40 x 80 meters) and originally had enough of a slope that it had to be leveled.
The initial work in the past 60 days has consisted of clearing and leveling the land with backhoes and trucks.
Construction workers have been hired for the next phase.
-
- Full view of the building site where the sanctuary and classrooms will be built.
Church Activities
Currently, six adults and 12 children attend the church regularly.
The pastor and church leaders will be encouraging and supervising the construction activities together with the work committee.
Meanwhile, church services will continue to be hosted for families.
Challenges Encountered
One of the challenges is to take the workers to the construction site, because the mother church is an hour away from the community where the new church is being built.
Another challenge is that many local people do not believe in the project’s viability.
-
- The operator of this backhoe is not a Christian, but when church members explained the reason for this work, he was moved and said he would do everything he could to make the machine perform at its best.
Next Steps
- Buy materials to take to the construction site
- Make a devotional for the beginning of the work
- Organize all the workers that the church will provide
- Begin marking out the building’s perimeter and foundation
-
- A child eats in his home in San Mateo Zapotal.
Testimony of Impact
“This church and the child development center is very helpful for the children. They will learn to know God and learn good things so they do not fall into destructive habits and crime.”
– Testimony of a father from the daughter church
-
- Workers and machinery clearing the church grounds. The backhoe was contributed by the municipality and the church. The truck was provided by a member of the church.
Praises and Prayer Requests
The leaders of the church report that they are grateful to God for the privilege of serving Him and for this opportunity. They send their thanks to the donors who made the decision to support their church and community.
They ask for your prayers as they help this vision become a reality. They seek God’s help in the construction of the new buildings and as they carry out various activities with the children and parents so they may know the Lord.