Church Planting in Madrid and Beyond

Formerly an atheist, Paloma* now knows the love and peace of Christ! The ladies of our team set out to build relationships with other women in the neighborhood. Because of your generosity, our team purchased several sewing machines and began a quilting group. Paloma was one of the women who participated regularly. Over time, trust developed as the women shared time together. Paloma is one of three neighborhood quilters who have given their lives to Christ.

Thank you for being part of Paloma’s salvation story through your faithful giving and intercession. With your help, we now have a new storefront outreach center in the heart of Madrid that God is using to engage people. English classes, craft clubs, and sewing circles are just a few of the weekly events helping us connect with our neighbors.

Those weekly events provide opportunities to share the gospel. We have started several Bible studies through these weekly outreach classes. The Bible study we began in June already has 14 people participating. Praise the Lord!

Please join us in prayer:

• Pray for Paloma and seven other new believers as they begin walking and growing in Christ.
• Ask God to bring entire families to salvation and into the church.
• Pray for outreach classes to produce fruit and draw new people into Bible studies.
• Praise the Lord for the new storefront outreach center and the new opportunities it provides.

Thank you for joining us in addressing the world’s greatest problem: lostness. Your gifts and prayers for this team enable us to share the good news across Madrid. You are a co-laborer with us in the gospel. We value your partnership!

*Names changed for security

Post-COVID Ministry
People are getting out once again after two years of COVID lockdowns! This reopening has really jumpstarted our ministries through large numbers of gospel presentations. What a welcome change from the restrictions we faced over the past couple of years with the pandemic. In the past few weeks alone, we distributed hundreds of copies of the Gospel of Luke and Acts. We have used sports, food, music, and English to connect with people in a variety of venues. As a result, we had countless gospel presentations and seen several seekers move very close to giving their lives to Christ. We desperately need your prayers!

Moving toward National Leadership
Recently, we turned one of our church plants over to our Spanish Baptist partners. Now, we are focusing on two new locations in the city by ministering to the needs of those living in these areas. Our partnership with you has enabled us to maintain these ongoing activities.

Join Us in Prayer

• Pray for two of our newest church plants. One is called “Community of Moncloa” (Comunidad Moncloa) and is located next to the city’s main university campus. It is located near Spain’s capital building and is a very strategic location.
• The other church plant, “New Hope” (Nueva Esperanza) is in a southern neighborhood of Madrid. It is also seeing tremendous interest in the gospel through the broad seed-sowing efforts of our Madrid team.

Thank you for both your obedience and faithfulness to follow God as He leads you to pray for and give to the ministry here. You are an integral part of our work here, holding the ropes for us as we minister on the frontlines of the spiritual battle here in Madrid.

We weren’t sure what to expect in ministry this past year due to pandemic quarantines, lockdowns and restrictions, but, as always, God was at work. Your prayers and generosity have helped us remain steadfast and about our Father’s business. Although we were confined to our homes for almost four months, the doors slowly began to open. We began by gathering in small groups of four to six with people from the neighborhood, using simple activities such as English-as-a-Second-Language and scrap-booking classes.

Finally, in July of last year we launched a church plant with a rented storefront so that we could have a daily presence in the community. We teamed up with a young Spanish couple to help us in this new work, and we also found a Spanish church that would be our “mother church.” Soon, we were working with a variety of neighbors, university students and people from all backgrounds: professor, lawyer, librarian, soldier, dentist and the like. We realized that God was not only opening doors for us to gather in-person, but He had been working behind the scenes to open the doors of people’s hearts. The distractions of life were no longer there. Instead, people were seeking answers to the important questions of who they are, why they are here and where they are going.

One of our first visitors was a lady named Myrian. She attended my wife´s English and scrap-booking classes and started out by saying, “I want you to know up front that I’m an atheist.” She turned out to be the first of three ladies my wife led to Christ and began to disciple! Very soon, those friendships transitioned from activities to Bible studies.

Fast forward to July of this year. We just celebrated the first anniversary of “El Vínculo,” the church plant born during the pandemic. We also ordained our young church planting partner, Jesús, who will be leading this fledgling church into the future. AND we just celebrated our first baptismal service, immersing our ex-atheist, Myrian, as a testimony to the community of God’s grace and power!

Thank you for your part in making all of this happen! We are inspired by your obedience to pray and give to church planting work in Madrid as the Lord prompts you. Because of God’s goodness and your faithfulness, we met our goal amount for this project and, therefore, had the funds to plant additional churches in different parts of the city. These new churches are part of our inheritance as Christ’s followers (Ps. 2:8).
There is still much work to be done! We updated our goal amount to reflect the funds we will need to evangelize and plant churches around Madrid and its environs in the next three years. Please prayerfully consider what the Lord would have you give to continue partnering with the work here. We continue praying for God to open the doors of opportunity, and more importantly, to also open hearts, so that He will be glorified in the harvest. We covet your prayers and continued support. God is using all of our efforts to make His name known in this city!

Despite COVID-19 – and possibly because of it – we have seen God at work in Madrid! For example, a man who had just lost his father to COVID-19 came to Christ this past month, and he is now being discipled by one of our team members. Thank you for your gifts that are making this outreach and discipleship possible!

We have been focusing on three locations across the city, ministering to the needs of those living in these areas. The “Church Planting in Madrid and Beyond” project has enabled us to have ongoing activities on the ground and online. Many doors have opened for us to build relationships and share the gospel.

Please pray for the newest believer, Victor. He followed Christ a few weeks ago and is growing steadily through one-on-one discipleship.

Pray for two of our newest church plants. One is called El Vinculo (the Link) and is in the northern section of the city. The other is in a southern neighborhood of Madrid called Arganzuela. Each is seeing tremendous interest in the gospel as we navigate this period of the pandemic.

Thank you for your obedience and faithfulness to follow God as He leads you to pray for and give to the ministry here. You are integral to our work here, holding the ropes for us as we minister on the frontlines of the spiritual battle here in Madrid.

Sola deo Gloria!

Steve
For the Madrid Team

Despite COVID-19 – and possibly because of it – we have seen God at work in Madrid! For example, a man who had just lost his father to COVID-19 came to Christ this past month, and he is now being discipled by one of our team members. Thank you for your gifts that are making this outreach and discipleship possible! 

We have been focusing on three locations across the city, ministering to the needs of those living in these areas. The “Church Planting in Madrid and Beyond” project has enabled us to have ongoing activities on the ground and online. Many doors have opened for us to build relationships and share the gospel. 

Please pray for the newest believer, Victor. He followed Christ a few weeks ago and is growing steadily through one-on-one discipleship.  

Pray for two of our newest church plants. One is called El Vinculo (the Link) and is in the northern section of the city. The other is in a southern neighborhood of Madrid called Arganzuela. Each is seeing tremendous interest in the gospel as we navigate this period of the pandemic.  

Thank you for your obedience and faithfulness to follow God as He leads you to pray for and give to the ministry here. You are integral to our work here, holding the ropes for us as we minister on the frontlines of the spiritual battle here in Madrid.  

Sola deo Gloria! 

Steve 
For the Madrid Team