When Comunidad de Esperanza had extra room after remodeling, the Mennonites surveyed the predominantly Hispanic community and found that what was needed most was child care. That love for people and love for the word of God was apparent at a recent Sunday service at Luz Del Evangelio church. The church, off Dowdy Ferry Road in rural Pleasant Grove, is easy to miss. The only way to tell that the gray wooden house is a church is by the red sign with glued-on letters. Inside, red carpet covers the floor.
Red cushions provide comfort on only a few of the short, aging wooden pews.
Financially, this congregation of 14 families is not rich. But it is rich in spirit and big of heart, said the pastor, Martinez. One of the recipients is a family in Mexico City, known by someone in the church. The young mother of three learned recently that she has ovarian cancer. Her husband, an alcoholic, is estranged.