It is like Thanksgiving Day!

One of my favorite holidays in this amazing country is Thanksgiving. I love how families travel from all over to be with their loved ones and of course I love the delicious food! It is wonderful to see parents, grandparents, uncles and grandchildren all together enjoying that special day.

OUR THANKSGIVING IN AUGUST

On Saturday, August 5, 2023 we will have our annual “North Alabama Lectureships”. This event is every year and we do it at Beltline. We have been having these lectureships for the last ten years. This is like a thanksgiving for us. It is a time that we see each other after a whole year and encourage each other. We praise God, we eat together, we talk, we hug, we share our problems and pray for each other. It is a wonderful time to glorify God together.

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?

Most of the congregations that attend the lectureships are congregations that we had a hand in helping them start. When there is an English-speaking congregation that wants to start a Hispanic congregation in their area, we help them by sending some our families in that town to get them started. On many occasions those families decided to stay in that town and become a part of that new congregation. This is what we have been doing in the last twenty-six years at Beltline. We contact, we convert, we train, and we send them away to start new churches.

MANY NATIONS

When we get together during our lectureships, there are at least twenty-five countries represented. You can hear Spanish being spoken with a Cuban accent or an accent t from Colombia or Peru and many others more. We have speakers from different countries who are preaching in the United States. We have classes for children, teens, men and women. This is a special day to sing and grow in the knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ.

A WORD OF THANKS

There are not enough words to thank the Beltline congregation for all they have done to help start the Hispanic ministry. Twenty-six years ago, there was not even one Hispanic congregation in the State of Alabama. Twenty-six years later, not only a church has been established in Decatur and the state of Alabama, but also there are many that have been established inside the United States. Many others have been established in other countries. Not only that, but we continue to encourage with classes and with these lectureships to those congregations that have been established.

“ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen”. Ephesians 3:21