Eduardo & Stephanie Escobar
Missionary Church Planters
Mexico City, Coapa-Acoxpa
The Escobars are the missionary church planters who serve Encuentro Church, begun August, 2020 in Mexico City, Coapa-Acoxpa region. Encuentro Church (Encounter in English) is a church plant contractually supported for four years by Cordero de Dios Presbyterian Church, Bethel Presbyterian, a few other sponsors and Redeemer City to City through July 2025 when Encuentro is expected to be able to fully support itself.
Although small, averaging around 50 people per Sunday service, the church is growing in the programs and services they provide. The church now offers Sunday teams, children ministry, praise group, ushers and community meals.
Although small, averaging around 50 people per Sunday service, the church is growing in the programs and services they provide. The church now offers Sunday teams, children ministry, praise group, ushers and community meals.
Andres & Ruth Garza
Redeemer City to City Latin America Regional Director, Church Planting Catalyst
Monterrey, Mexico
After working as a city planner in Mexico for 15 years, God called Andres to partner with Mission to the World (MTW), helping and encouraging established churches to start and revitalize more churches. In response to the growing church planting movement and the need for better training for leaders and pastors, he decided to attend Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte to earn a Master’s Degree of Divinity. The Garza family was the first to live in Bethel Presbyterian’s Price house while Andres was a mission intern at Bethel 2003 -2007.
He returned to Monterrey, Mexico, and after leading MTW’s efforts in Northern Mexico and helping to establish a church planting movement, the Church Planting Center (CPI) was born. In 2015 he received an invitation from Redeemer City to City to ignite a movement of the gospel in the 25 most influential cities in Latin America. Now there are networks in Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico; Lima, Peru; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Santiago de Chile and Vina del Mar, Chile. They have started new churches, are training leaders, and CTC is developing a curriculum in Spanish for church planters.
Andres’ wife, Ruth, is also a city planner and has worked alongside him in his mission endeavors in the past. In the last few years, Ruth is helping Parakaleo develop a ministry for church planters’ wives in Latin America. Parakaleo ministry is dedicated to supporting, training and specifically encouraging the wives of church planters through a robust gospel message.
He returned to Monterrey, Mexico, and after leading MTW’s efforts in Northern Mexico and helping to establish a church planting movement, the Church Planting Center (CPI) was born. In 2015 he received an invitation from Redeemer City to City to ignite a movement of the gospel in the 25 most influential cities in Latin America. Now there are networks in Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico; Lima, Peru; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Santiago de Chile and Vina del Mar, Chile. They have started new churches, are training leaders, and CTC is developing a curriculum in Spanish for church planters.
Andres’ wife, Ruth, is also a city planner and has worked alongside him in his mission endeavors in the past. In the last few years, Ruth is helping Parakaleo develop a ministry for church planters’ wives in Latin America. Parakaleo ministry is dedicated to supporting, training and specifically encouraging the wives of church planters through a robust gospel message.
Aaron Herrera
Faith and Work Initiative Manager
Monterrey, Mexico
Aaron Herrera is a former industrial engineer funded by Monterrey, Mexico Church, Cumbres del Rey, and Redeemer City to City Latin America (CTC) to manage a Faith and Work Initiative in Monterrey, Mexico. The Monterrey Faith and Work Initiative supports the spread of the Gospel by Christians to local business and industry and hopes to help the city flourish as a result.
Herrera is excited to train members from a few Monterrey churches including his church, Cumbres del Rey, to not only be good Christians at church, but to live out their faith in their workplaces and areas of influence. CTC provides Core Training to those like Hererra, and a City Lab to train pastors and leaders and funds.
One success so far has been a partnership with Filters of Hope (FOH). This organization will provide water filters to families so they can have potable water in areas where the water isn't properly treated. Filters of Hope is interested in not only providing a free water filter to a family, but wants to introduce the gospel to the people and connect them to one of the participating local churches.
Herrera is excited to train members from a few Monterrey churches including his church, Cumbres del Rey, to not only be good Christians at church, but to live out their faith in their workplaces and areas of influence. CTC provides Core Training to those like Hererra, and a City Lab to train pastors and leaders and funds.
One success so far has been a partnership with Filters of Hope (FOH). This organization will provide water filters to families so they can have potable water in areas where the water isn't properly treated. Filters of Hope is interested in not only providing a free water filter to a family, but wants to introduce the gospel to the people and connect them to one of the participating local churches.
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Jorge & Maricela Aleman
Director, The Center for Church Planting
Monterrey, Mexico
The Alemans are part of The Center for Church Planting (CPI) Northern Mexico based in Monterrey. Jorge is the CPI Director and Mary works with CPI Children, kindergarten through junior high, by writing and translating Bible school and Sunday materials. Jorge is also the senior pastor of Jesus Christo-Fuente de Redemcion (Jesus Christ-Fountain of Redemption) Presbyterian Church in Monterrey and Mary is the Children's Ministry Coordinator and teacher.
The Alemans were the first of the Mexican nationals to be sponsored by Bethel Presbyterian while Jorge attended Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte. The Alemans and their children worshipped and served with Bethel from 2001-2005 while Jorge earned his Master’s Degree of Divinity before returning to Monterrey.
After returning to Monterrey, Jorge, along with some other national pastors and MTW, worked to set up a curriculum, schedule, and methodology to form a center that would focus on educating and preparing Mexican national pastors to go into a city and successfully plant a church. What evolved from that process was The Church Planting Institue (CPI) of Monterrey.
CPI ’s Incubator Training for church planters and leaders continues to grow and now not only trains potential church planters, but houses an assessment center to evaluate candidates preparedness to enter the church planting ministry, and candidate/ church planter personal mentoring resources. They have been working in Tijuana, on the Mexico/United States border (McAllen, Texas and Reysona, Mexico) and with Monterrey, Mexico ’s 4th generation of students.
The Alemans were the first of the Mexican nationals to be sponsored by Bethel Presbyterian while Jorge attended Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte. The Alemans and their children worshipped and served with Bethel from 2001-2005 while Jorge earned his Master’s Degree of Divinity before returning to Monterrey.
After returning to Monterrey, Jorge, along with some other national pastors and MTW, worked to set up a curriculum, schedule, and methodology to form a center that would focus on educating and preparing Mexican national pastors to go into a city and successfully plant a church. What evolved from that process was The Church Planting Institue (CPI) of Monterrey.
CPI ’s Incubator Training for church planters and leaders continues to grow and now not only trains potential church planters, but houses an assessment center to evaluate candidates preparedness to enter the church planting ministry, and candidate/ church planter personal mentoring resources. They have been working in Tijuana, on the Mexico/United States border (McAllen, Texas and Reysona, Mexico) and with Monterrey, Mexico ’s 4th generation of students.
Click on the CPI icon for more information