Renewed Faith in Mexico

Arely made her profession of faith at Christ the Redeemer Church in Guadalajara, Mexico, almost three years ago. But her husband, Sergio, was reluctant to do the same.

As the son of a former Roman Catholic priest, Sergio was reluctant to take additional steps, since identifying with a Christian church would put him at odds with his nominally Catholic family and culture.

For a long time, Sergio was content to attend church services with Arely, but he did not seem to be engaging with the church or mulling over matters of faith.

"Many people in Guadalajara identify themselves as Catholic but do not have a living personal faith in Jesus Christ,” says Ben Meyer, who serves with CRWM at Christ the Redeemer Church.

Nonetheless, in the beginning of 2015, Sergio took part in an adult Sunday school class at church that explored what the Bible teaches about Jesus.

As a fraternal pastor of Christ the Redeemer Church, Meyer teaches adult Sunday school classes about 25 times a year. He also provides pastoral care, works with the church’s consistory, and serves on the preaching team.

Meyer’s wife, Amy, serves with the church’s worship team and has organized combined worship services with nearby churches.

In the class that Sergio attended, the biblical view of salvation was compared and contrasted with a Roman Catholic view in a non-polemic way.

"Along the way, the gospel struck a chord in Sergio's heart that salvation is ‘sola fe’ (by faith alone) because of ‘sola gracia’ (by God's grace alone),” says Ben Meyer.

Sergio realized that many of the empty feelings that he had about religion were related to how he viewed salvation. But when he began understanding the true meaning of grace and faith in Jesus, his faith was renewed.

In May 2015, Sergio professed his faith at Christ the Redeemer Church along with both of his young sons, Diego and Pablo.

“I think that my dad, if he had heard the same teaching during his lifetime, would have believed as well,” said Sergio during his profession of faith.

When Amy Meyer asked Arely if any of their family was going to be present at the service, Arely replied, “the church is now my family.”

“Although it has its pros and cons, we love our life in Mexico,” says Amy Meyer. “This what God has called us to and we get to help people find that their only true comfort in life and in death is Jesus Christ.”

Ben and Amy Meyer are currently back in North America on home service, but when they return to Mexico in January, they look forward to working with another couple from Christ the Redeemer Church to begin planting another church on the growing south side of Guadalajara.