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This Week in Ag History Time to Wake Up

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This Week in Ag History Time to Wake Up THIS WEEK IN AG HISTORY SUNDAY, AUG. 5, 2018 BY GLENN W. GOHR Sixty years ago delegates from the U.S. Assemblies of God as well as representatives from many other Pentecostal organizations participated A COLLECTION OF THIS WEEK’S STORIES FROM NEWS.AG.ORG in the Fifth World Conference of Pentecostal Churches in Toronto, Canada, Sept. 14-21, 1958. Prior to the conference, the Pentecostal Evangel introduced readers to the 74-year-old opening speaker: Lewi Pethrus, the pastor of the Filadelfia Church in Stockholm, Sweden. Pethrus (1884-1974), a former Baptist, became the leader of Pentecostalism in Sweden and was the founding pastor of what was believed He also founded the Filadelfia to be the largest Protestant church in Church Rescue Mission, the Filadelfia Europe. By 1958 the church had an Publishing House, the Filadelfia Bible adult voting membership of 7,000 and School, and IBRA Radio (now IBRA supported 400 overseas missionaries. Media), which currently broadcasts In addition to his preaching to more than 100 countries, including activities, Pethrus initiated the Sweden. publication of Evangelii Harold (Gospel Read more about Lewi Pethrus in Herald), a religious weekly with a “Swedish Leader to Preach at World circulation of 60,000 and was co- Conference,” on page 15 of the Aug. founder of Dagen (The Day), a daily 3, 1958, issue of the Pentecostal newspaper sold throughout Sweden. Evangel online at s2.ag.org/aug31958. TIME TO WAKE UP Read the full versions of these stories on news.ag.org ADDICT NEEDED TOUGH LOVE NEWS FOR, ABOUT, AND FROM THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD GROWING BEYOND CONNECT WITH US ON THE ETHNIC BASE FACEBOOK TWITTER RSS AND OUR WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER BOKO HARAM HORROR VISIT NEWS.AG.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION. LEADS TO LIFE 2 3 DANCE STUDIO IS EVANGELISTIC BY CHRISTINE TEMPLE Instructors teach salsa to up to 100 people weekly at One Reason Dance Studio in Minneapolis. But on Sunday mornings, the mirrors lining the walls are covered and chairs are set up on TIME TO WAKE UP the dance floor in preparation for BY JOHN W. KENNEDY services at One Reason Church. HOUSTON — A crowd of 1,800 service opened with a scene depicting “We know that dancing and church gathered Aug.1 for an evening service a teenaged Henry C. Ball knocking are usually separate in the AG world,” commemorating the centennial of the on doors in Texas, inviting Hispanics says co-pastor Jenna Dean Perez. formation of the Assemblies of God to church — even though he only “It’s been the most effective tool for a community of artists, it’s practical. Hispanic organizational convention. knew one phrase of Spanish. Ball later outreach that we’ve ever used.” “God is a God of creativity,” says Latinos from around the U.S. became an Anglo missionary who Jenna and her co-pastor husband, Jenna. “We put Him in a box because gathered at the George R. Brown co-organized the original AG Hispanic Jose R. Perez, opened the dance of our religious upbringing. The reality Convention Center in Houston to kick convention a century ago. He went on studio in 2017, and the church nine is He can work outside of our box to off the three-day celebration. The to serve as the first superintendent of months later. Since last October, 47 reach people. God knew a traditional organizational meeting for Hispanic the Latin America District Council in people have made salvation decisions church was not going to reach artists.” AG congregations took place in 1929 until a decade later. at One Reason Church — all of them Church services are bilingual, January 1918 in Kingsville, Texas. The opening service featured because of their initial involvement at primarily with Jose teaching in Spanish Hispanic ministry has blossomed keynote speaker Wilfredo “Choco” the dance studio. while Jenna translates to English. into 14 districts across the nation, with De Jesús, one of the Fellowship’s 21 Jenna met Jose Perez during her Salsa is an interactive dance, which Latinos now comprising 23 percent of executive presbyters. De Jesús is senior 3½ years as an AG world missionary allows the instructors to get to know the AG’s 3.2 million adherents in the U.S. pastor of New Life Covenant Church in Venezuela. Jose owned six Latin students on a personal level and to In a dramatic representation, one by in Chicago. With 17,000 adherents on dance studios in Venezuela while build relationships. one the 14 Hispanic superintendents multiple campuses, it is the largest AG pastoring. In the U.S., combining “Dance has always been categorized laid a memorial stone in a heap Hispanic church in the U.S. dancing and ministry typically isn’t a as sinful,” Jenna says. “But God can representing their districts. Dennis While De Jesús acknowledged the customary means of evangelism. But in use dancing for a purpose.” Rivera, director of the AG Office of commemoration is a historic moment Hispanic Relations, introduced the in the AG, he cautioned Hispanic THE ABCs OF SALVATION superintendents and explained when pastors and other leaders not to grow ACCEPT that you are a sinner, and God’s punishment for your each district formed. The display complacent. He said while Ball couldn’t sin is death and separation from God forever. symbolized a centennial milestone conceive the notion of 14 distinct U.S. for the Hispanic districts, much like Hispanic districts, in another century BELIEVE that Jesus paid God’s price for your sin when He the Israelites placing 12 stones while there could be 50 Hispanic districts died on the cross. crossing the Jordan River en route to across the nation. De Jesús developed CONFESS “Jesus, I believe You are who the Bible and history the Promised Land (Joshua 4). themes from a sermon Ball preached declares You are – the Son of God. I humble myself and surrender to In an interactive re-enactment, the 90 years ago on “There’s a Dream for You. Forgive me. Make me spiritually whole. Change my life. Amen.” 42 57 GROWING BEYOND RUGBY, WATTS, AND THE ETHNIC BASE THE CALL OF GOD BY NATHAN HEATH BY DAN VAN VEEN As pastor of Comunidad Christiana For decades the neighborhood Maranata in Overland, Missouri, Edwin of Watts in southern Los Angeles has A. Marroquin has made outreach to the been associated with violence and St. Louis community a pivotal part of crime. Few people ever want to move the church. their family there. The El Salvador native graduated Onisivoro Malo and his wife, Meri, from Central Bible College and are two of those “few people.” began planting churches. He has The Malos, who have five children, ADDICT NEEDED TOUGH LOVE been pastoring Comunidad Christian were living in northern California as BY JOHN W. KENNEDY Maranata since 2008. The church now the associate pastors of New Hope Herlindo Salinas Jr. had been keeps even middle-aged addicts from has 230 regular attendees, most of Worldwide AG in Newark. addicted to heroin for 18 years. His being kicked out of the nest onto the whom are Hispanic. But God reminded Onisivoro Malo marriage disintegrated because he streets. His father didn’t mind if his Marroquin initially prioritized of a call He had placed on his life. spent virtually the entire seven years son partied all night — as long as he reaching out to the Hispanic When he was returning from watching incarcerated. Finally, his parents told showed up for work in the farm fields community. He is actively trying to a rugby match in 2009, he drove by LA the 35-year-old Salinas he no longer the next day, albeit hung over. break the language barrier by hosting a and Watts. “God told me then I was could live in the family home in But Elisa Salinas, Herlindo’s mother, bilingual service. to plant a church there . I’ve been Bakersfield, California. had seen enough and decided to put One of the first families to attend fighting that call ever since.” Salinas spent the next three months tough love into practice. Marroquin’s church led the way in But in September 2017, with the homeless. Finally, in 1990, he agreed to “My mom finally told me at 35 organizing outreach to Hispanics in a help of their home church and Faith enroll in Adult & Teen Challenge. His I could no longer stay at home rougher neighborhood. Tabernacle Church in Los Angeles, possessions consisted of the ragged anymore,” Salinas recalls. “It took a lot “They were showing a movie the Malo’s launched CityReach clothes he wore, a dirty syringe in his of courage to do that.” outside an apartment complex when a Church Inglewood, which serves the back pocket, and a blood-stained Upon repeated releases from jail, shooting started and everyone had to neighborhood of Watts. bandana to assist him shooting up. even before heading home, Salinas run for their lives,” Marroquin says. Now the Malos are seeing signs of After graduating from the residential would connect with a dealer who fixed The outreach team returned to the the Holy Spirit at work. program, he has been a Teen Challenge him up with a new batch of heroin. Soon same neighborhood last summer, but Every other week 100 to 110 families staff member for a quarter century. after he began the Teen Challenge they found many Syrian immigrants come to their food bank, God has Since 2007, he has served as director of program, Salinas surrendered his life to had replaced the Hispanic population. delivered several people from drug the San Diego County facility.
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