After two Sundays of suspended worship services because of the H1N1 virus in Mexico the Jubilee Church met again on May 17.  Already planned before the medical alert in the State of Hidalgo, the second celebration also fulfilled the requirement set by the State government of churches to only fill their meeting places to a level of 50%.  We approached Sunday not really sure what the congregation’s response would be.  Before the suspension, the church was reaching 160 at the Sunday celebration.  Still, with two weeks of difficult communications and the suspension of cell groups and worship services we were hopeful that both members and those that had been visiting would return.  We were very excited then that the Sunday celebrations were a great success.  We counted 181, but we estimate that 20 people stayed for both celebrations.

Jubilee is holding a junior church during the first service and a children’s Sunday school during the second service.  Leadership training classes as well as other classes will be taught at each service.  In June, Christian Principles of Counseling will be taught at the 9:30 service while How To Defend Your Faith will be taught at the 11:30 service.

The third church of the Pachuca Project had their first worship service on May 17 with 23 people at the Sunday celebration.  The Zaragoza family and the Syverson family (CMF) are leading the New Life Christian Church.   It appears that New Life will begin 3 cell groups in different areas around the city.    It was a good beginning, considering the launch date had to be postponed two times because of the medical alert in Pachuca.

The Jubilee leadership, including the missionaries from IMPACTO Latino, met on Wednesday, May 20, with the New Life leaders to talk about how the two churches will work together here in Pachuca.   Jubilee will give part of its monthly mission funds to help with expenses at New Life, and the churches will be talking about sharing some activities and training events. 

Our meeting between the two church plants was an encouraging and exciting new phase for the Pachuca Project, and one that we hope will set the stage for future church planting projects.

The response of Mexico to the H1N1 virus was really amazing.  The country mobilized in a way that few would have thought possible. Closing schools, movie theaters, churches and canceling most mass gatherings apparently did help in turning the corner on the spread of the virus. While the threat hit Pachuca suddenly, the Hidalgo state government quickly made decisions similar to other parts of Mexico.  To step out of the house and hear the silent city was eerie.  Usually in the evening normal traffic and life noises were heard around the city, but the city seemed silent during several days.

Through the more than two weeks of the medical alert in Pachuca it was common to see face masks in many public areas.  Even the local soccer team got into the spirit of the medical alert printing thousands of face masks with the beloved team logo for the TUZOS of Pachuca.  The soccer games continued around Mexico but with empty stadiums and fans watching only on television.

These two weeks were a challenge for the church leaders around the city.  Information was at times confusing. Often the directives from the government for cancelations came late on Friday or Saturday.  We were very pleased, however, to see that our cell system serviced Jubilee well.  The cell pastors were able to communicate effectively with members of their cell groups as decisions were made about church activities.  The first Sunday only one person showed up not knowing that worship had been canceled. On the second Sunday during the 3 ½ hours the church building was open, about 70 people walked through for the prayer and communion time.

Though the H1N1 virus seems to have quickly disappeared, the virus left us with some interesting questions.  How can we be the church in a crisis situation?  When the church is not able to meet in worship, how does the ministry of the church continue?  The cell system did help us to keep in contact with the Jubilee congregation, and although we were able to make sure all were fine, we still felt frustrated and isolated. 

We are grateful this is over.  We are also thankful for the many notes of encouragement during this time.  We also received several donations to help with the rent at Jubilee.  What a blessing!  These donations will help the church family as the situation continues to stabilize in Pachuca and jobs and business return to normal.  Thanks!

Experiencing God  

The Jubilee Church has begun a series based a book that many have found important in their Christian walk.  Experiencing God asks us to look where God is working and join Him in His work.  The series will go on for 12 weeks and the sermons and Cell studies will be focused on the teachings from this book of daily devotions.