Great News for Good News Church

Rev. Hector Garcia says he and members of his Christian Reformed church in Miami, Fla. are delighted to be worshipping after many years in their own building.

With the help of Christian Reformed Home Missions, he says, Iglesia Buenas Nuevas (Good News) moved earlier this year into a building that the church can finally call its own.

“It was difficult for us to reach this place. We went through many struggles, but now the people are so happy and so grateful,” says Garcia.

Home Missions had purchased property more than 20 years ago with the hope of helping Good News move into a new church.

Garcia says, as time passed, they raised funds to put up a building, but had not been able to reach their goal.

“We had a building campaign and had been able to raise $400,000 over several years, but we needed to raise more,” he said. “We weren’t sure where we were going to go.”

Then a member of his church was watching a TV program late last year when a local pastor said that his church had to close because of declining membership and was up for sale. Ironically, Good News had rented space in the church several years before.

“It is right in the community where we are doing ministry and we asked Home Missions if it could help us,” said Garcia. “Moving into the church would be like going home.”

Rev. Moses Chung, director of Home Missions, says his agency played a role in assisting the church make the move.

“It has been a long and tedious process, but God turned this around in a way no one could have seen,” said Garcia.

Garcia and Chung joined members of Good News and members of other CRC congregations in and around Miami for a celebration earlier this year that officially marked the move into the new facility.

“My heart was overjoyed and I was able to testify to the people what God has done," said Chung.

Songs, prayers of thanksgiving, and kind words filled the sanctuary of Good News, and tears of joy were on the faces of many people, during recent service.

“The difficult times are definitely gone,” said Garcia. “We are completely in awe of a  God who can make human decisions into something so much better.”