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Presbiterio Fronterizo Noroccidental
(Northwest Border Presbytery) |
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Baja
California Presbytery organized:
the long sought goal of a geographically manageable presbytery was realized
last year as the Baja California churches were organized into their own
presbytery, though keeping the old name Presbiterio Fronterizo
Noroccidental. PH Co-coordinator Enrique Romero was elected Stated Clerk.
Rev. Luis Lugo, pastor of Dios Habla Hoy PC is President, Pueblos Hermanos
Board of Directors President Rev. Job Alameda, Treasurer. Elder Ruben
Tec, another Board member of Pueblos Hermanos, is Assistant Treasurer.
Rev. Cesar Vazquez who planted two churches in Mexicali and is now working
on his third in San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, is Vice President.
Geographic
Area: The Presbytery covers primarily the State of Baja
California with five chartered churches (two in Tijuana, two in Mexicali,
and one in Ensenada), four "congregations" (with a minimum of 25 members and
a steering committee) two in Tijuana and one each in Tecate and San Jose de
Cabo, and eight "missions" which include the new church developments in
Playas de Tijuana and San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora started just last year.
Membership:
Voting members of the Presbytery include nine ordained pastors, an elder
commissioner from each of the five chartered churches, and elders who are
elected officers of the Presbytery (one in 2003). There are four
foreign missionaries who are "fraternal members" of the Presbytery.
They do not vote but have voice and serve on Presbytery committees or
"ministries", even as chair persons. There are four obreros or
"church workers" who are pastoring churches and missions, plus Efrain Romero
who is Pueblos Hermanos' Mission Team Coordinator for Baja California (and
Minister of Music at the Nueva Vida Congregation in El Pipila). one of
which is a seminary student in Mexicali. There are two misioneras
or woman missioners or church workers" who serve in a church and a new
church development. There are also a couple of seminary students who
have come under the care of the Presbytery. |
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| Meetings and Organization The
Presbytery has two stated meetings a year, in April after Easter and at the
end of October, typically opening with a worship service Thursday evening
and doing business Friday and Saturday. The four standing committees
of the Presbytery are called "Ministries", and include Evangelism,
Relations, Spiritual Life and Resources. The pastors of Baja
California meet each month (normally the first Tuesday), for prayer,
fellowship, and mutual up building, and at these meetings they often conduct
informal business of the Presbytery. Seminaries -
Tijuana: The Presbytery has a non-residential seminary in
Tijuana, started by the Pueblos Hermanos bi-national team in the mid-90's as
an extension seminary. It had its first three graduates in June, 2002
and presently has a total of 12 students taking classes three nights a week
in the Dios Habla Hoy Church facilities . Courses taught by
experienced pastors and missionaries last between a month and 8 weeks.
Last year the Presbytery joined forces for the work of the seminary with the
other Presbyterian denomination in Tijuana (the Reformed Presbytian Church
of Mexico, formally the Independent PC of Mexico, smaller nationally, it has
roughly the same number of churches and members as the National Presbyterian
Church of Mexico in Tijuana).
 Seminaries
- Mexicali: A residential seminary was started in Mexicali by the
Rev. Luis Lim, missionary of the Korean Presbyterian Church in America, and
this the Presbytery's seminary although Pastor Lim controls most of the
seminary decisions. It has a large campus, located across from the
Cristo Viene Church in San Fernando, Mexicali, and presently has about 45
students in three and four year programs. Students are given full
scholarship to study there, performing various kinds of work to keep the
seminary operating. Most courses are one week intensive, taught by
visiting professors and experienced pastors and missionaries. (Pueblos
Hermanos missionaries Rev. Enrique Romero teaches evangelism, Rev. Bill
Soldwisch teaches Old Testament Hebrew and Exegesis; Susan Soldwisch with
her masters in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling, teaches pastoral
counseling.) Most of the students are from Chiapas and the southern
cone of Mexico and will return there to carry out their ministries.
The Presbytery has two graduates working well as pastors (Beimar and Laura
Santizo at Cristo Viene Church in Mexicali and David Gutierrez at Dios Es
Amor Mission in La Planicie, Tijuana), as well as Misioneras Susana
Hernandez functioning as assistance pastor at the Dios Habla Hoy Church in
Tijuana and Gabriela Cota assisting the new church development pastor in San
Luis Rio Colorado. |
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| History: Vast Area for First Presbytery:
The first Presbyterian church in Baja California, El Buen Pastor PC of
Tijuana, was started 30 years ago by what was then the Presbiterio
Noroeste (the Northwest Presbytery). It covered one fourth of the
geographic area of Mexico with its thirteen churches, and Baja California
leaders of the new church developments of the mid-1980's would travel two
and a half days to get to the three-day meetings in the Torreon area of
Coahuila.
Border Presbytery Organized in 1992:
With the growth of Presbyterian Border Ministry missions into chartered
church from Ciudad Juarez (across from El Paso, TX) to Tijuana, Mexicali and
Ensenada, the minimum five churches necessary to form a new presbytery was
met to create the Northwest Border Presbytery including the states of
Coahuila, Sonora and Baja California. Now the presbytery could be
driven across in just over a day instead of three days. It was still a
great expense of time and resources to meet and carry on the business of the
presbytery with |
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