God has led us to advance in His plans at the end of the year 2022. We would like to share what He has been doing in our lives.
At the beginning of November, I had the great blessing of traveling to Peru to the Missions Conferences at Calvary Trujillo at the Calvary Bible Institute facilities. Pastor Cory invited me as one of the speakers at this great event to share what God has been doing in Calvary Culiacan with church planting. It was a great time of vision, encouragement and fellowship. God is reviving South America with the vision of planting churches. The hearts of many Calvary pastors from more than 10 countries were ignited to start planting churches intentionally and thus fulfill the Great Commission.
I had the privilege of teaching in the Church Planting School with Pastor Cory. Many students were hungry to know how to walk in this great vision.
Also, I shared in a local church there in Trujillo, Peru in both their Sunday services.
Then we spent a week in Lima. What a great experience, getting to know the city and above all what God is doing there. I was able to teach at Calvary Lima with my new friend, Pastor Manolo Matos, at Grace Calvary Chapel with my great friend, Pastor Lucho, and with the Koinonia Calvary Chapel church planters with my also new friend, Pastor Brian Vander Kodde. I came back shocked to meet so many pastors who are, like us, walking in God´s calling to plant churches.
Once back in Culiacan, we had the visit of our great friends and pastors from Calvary Bear Creek. I have the privilege of walking with them for 6 years planting churches together. It was a great time. Pastor Larry Peterson shared at Calvary North and Pastor Arturo Heras at Calvary Aguaruto.
On November 20th we had our main event of the year. Only on this day in the whole year, all of our church plants gather on Sunday to celebrate the goodness of God over Culiacan. More than 500 adults and 100 children gathered at this great event. The Calvary Culiacan Band led us in worship and Pastor Mike Vincent from Calvary Rosarito taught the word. Without a doubt, a moment that we will never forget.
On Sunday, November 27, we had the inauguration of the 7th church plant, Calvary Patria. I had the honor of teaching the word and seeing how God has prospered this church that has just started, we are so happy about it.
On Saturday, November 26, we traveled to Calvary Rosarito to participate in a very special meeting. It is the first official meeting of church planters with the intention of presenting next year’s projects. Pastor Mike and Pastor Bruce Zachary led the meeting and shared words of encouragement for future planters. There were future church planters from different parts of the country. In our case, we presented 4 projects for next year, 2023. They will be church plants numbers 9, 10, 11, and 12, glory to God! In attendance were the Calvary Culiacan pastors that have these projects alongside the 4 church planters. It was a great time of encouragement and vision.
We presented a map of the city of Culiacan with the 7 current and future church plants for 2023. It is incredible to see how God is flooding the city with His word in a city known for drug trafficking. Who would have thought that God would open the hearts of the people for this great work? In 2015 there was not a single Calvary church here. Now, we can see that God is doing the same as in the days of the Apostle Paul in Asia Minor:
And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. Acts 19:10
At the beginning of December we had a couple of conferences. At Calvary Culiacan North we had a men’s conference with pastors Gerson Hernández and Mario Medrano. Men from all the Calvary churches in Culiacan came to receive the word of God.
Also, at Calvary Los Mochis we had a leadership conference with pastors from different Calvary churches in Mexico and the USA. I had the privilege of sharing about the Leader and His team.
To end in the best way, on December 13 through 15 we traveled to the center of the country, to the state of Tlaxcala, on a vision trip for the future church plant Calvary Connections México. I traveled with my great friends, Pastor Brian de la Cruz and Pastor Pablo Boubion of Calvary Rosarito.
This project is very interesting. It is the first joint church planting between Calvary Culiacan and Calvary Rosarito. We will both be sending Pastor Brian and family in January who will move to the city of Calpulalpan, Tlaxcala to start the project of planting a church, and then the International Church Planting School to send church planters throughout Mexico and the world. The location couldn’t be better, being an hour from the Mexico City airport. In addition, Brian and his family are going to build a house of connections to receive pastors and missionary teams from all over the world. Without a doubt it will be the project that God will use to promote what we clearly see is starting in Mexico, A REVIVAL of the move of God that It is reflected in planting Calvary churches across the country to reach and disciple many.
In this 2022 God surprised us in a great way. We cannot wait to see what He has prepared for 2023! Calvary Culiacan’s plan is to continue reaching many people and shepherding the sheep. We see that all the church plants are growing and progressing, praise God. But also, the plan is to plant the new churches to end 2023 with 12 church plants, among them, a 6th generation, Calvary Casa de Dios in Culiacan. It will be like this: Pastor Trent Douglass sent Pastor Mike, Pastor Mike sent Pastor Hugo, Pastor Hugo sent Pastor Valerio, Pastor Valerio sent Pastor Antonio, and Pastor Antonio will send Pastor Cruz. This is impressive! This is how the kingdom of God is multiplied through planting churches that plant churches.
We have many prayer requests, but I will just share a few so that you can help us by praying please:
– For the pastors and churches of Culiacan, that God may keep our hearts and provide for everything
– For the new church plants, may God open doors for them to advance
– For finances for our family, that God will provide permanent sponsors who have it in their hearts to partner with us to work together in this great work. If you want to be one of them please let us know.
– For more workers for the harvest, as we plant churches, the need for committed and willing servants grows
– For the families and marriages of all church planters.
Thank you for being part of all this! If you are receiving this letter it is because we consider you part of the team that God is using to impact many through Calvary Culiacan.
With much love,
Pastor Hugo, Brenda, Joy, and Judá Limón.