Train up a child… Mexico Worship

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Tonyia and I attended services at Pastor Hernandez’s church Sunday evening. The pastor called for a time of prayer when he asked men to pray for men, women for women. It was up lifting as everyone participated and the room filled with the sweet sound of folks connecting with the source of life. I was particularly touched to see two boys pouring out their hearts for each other.

It is a very active church. The congregational worship is on Sunday afternoons and Thursday nights. Plus, they have special service times for youth, teen boys and children. The church is often full, but there may only be one or two cars parked out front – most people walk. Many don’t have cars or can’t afford gas. After one recent service Tonyia and I took some ladies home and they had walked over two miles to attend.

There are no pew sitters in the churches in Mexico – everyone is expected to actively participate. Tonyia and I sang “I have decided to follow Jesus,” others offered a testimony, or read passages from the Bible. The preacher also expects everyone to follow along in their Bibles as he leads a preaching and study time. People in the congregation are called on to read the passages aloud and sometimes to recite the text out loud together.

It is common to see everyone at the alter by the end of the two hour service. The Holy Spirit is very alive in worship here – the people are sincere and many live totally by faith. It seems they have taken what Jesus said in John 4:23-24 to heart “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”