Fresno Westside Church Does Not Allow Barriers to Become Walls
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any barriers exist that can prevent churches from working together to spread God’s message—language and culture barriers are some of the most common. But these barriers can be crossed when planning and support come together from both sides. The Fresno Westside church, located in a multi-ethnic neighborhood of Fresno, Calif., started an evangelistic initiative alongside nearby Hispanic churches. They created an opportunity for Spanish and English speakers to worship together and spread the word of God. “With God, all things are possible. Seemingly impossible obstacles can be overcome with God's help,” said Elder Banks of Fresno Westside church. “Our church was willing to address the fact that in our neighborhood there were those who spoke another language, and we took the challenge to learn the basics of the language so we could communicate with our community.” Pastor Alonzo S. Wagner III, of Fresno Westside church, explained that they had had an Englishspeaking meeting and a Spanish-speaking meeting
30 Pacific Union Recorder
Central California Conference
going on at the same time, and then at the end of the event they fellowshipped together, baptized together, had a fellowship meal, and held a social afterward. “Even though we're going to two separate churches, we have become much closer,” explained Wagner. These events have been so impactful, they are planning to continue them in 2023. The church members and pastors that worked hard planning this initiative, including Pastor Edgar Sanchez and Pastor Eddy Perez, were inspired by the possibilities. They started offering Spanish classes, evangelism classes, plant-based cooking classes, and other initiatives to bring the community together. They passed out bilingual flyers, encouraging more people from the community to join. This strategy had not been a part of their church in the past, but those who have experienced the addition have felt the impact. Through determination and focused teamwork, they made this dream a reality. They credit this heightened level of unity between congregations to God. This method has allowed them to reach more people through joint evangelistic meetings, and it’s a tool