Preparing For Mission In Madrid, Spain

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An update from Gabriel Reyes-Ordeix, former member at Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville and pastoral apprentice at Gracia Soberana Juarez…

Spain is a country with a vast Roman Catholic tradition, a growing non religious population, and a deep need for Christ-centered churches. Unlike most of Europe, Spain was mostly unaffected by the Reformation, as the inquisition lasted until the mid-nineteenth century—longer than in any other country in the old continent. Currently, Protestants are less than 1% of the population, and healthy, gospel-preaching churches are scarce.

In 2013 my wife Ivana and I moved to Louisville, Kentucky from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to attend Southern Seminary. A couple of years later, God placed a burden in our hearts for the city of Madrid, Spain, and we started praying about the possibility of partnering with SGC to plant a church there; we had been attending Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville since 2014 and were impacted by the loving community and the strong accountability among the SGC family of churches.

Last July, after almost five years at Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville, in view of our call to Spain, we transitioned along with our two daughters to Ciudad Juárez, Mexico to serve at Iglesia Gracia Soberana de Juárez (Sovereign Grace Church of Juarez) as a pastoral apprentice for a year. During this year I will be serving the church in many capacities with the purpose of developing in preaching, teaching and discipling.

If God allows and the counsel of our leaders is in favor, we plan to relocate to Madrid, Spain in the Summer / Fall of 2020. Upon arrival, our desire is to dive into the culture, plug into one of the existing protestant churches, and become part of the city as we make friendships and build relationships with purpose. By God's grace, he has already provided a job for me, as I will be able to continue with my job as a graphic designer remotely. Bi-vocational ministry is essential to the long term vision we have to make disciples and make Jesus’ name known through church planting. Our hope is that God may bless our efforts and allow us to start meeting in our home towards the end of our first year there.

Please pray that God may continue to confirm His plans for us and bless our efforts abundantly. 

We’re certain our God has not forgotten about Spaniards. Our deepest desire is that in the many years to come, God will call us to faithfully preach and witness to the city of Madrid about the great salvation and redemption we have in God through Christ, so that many Spaniards may join us with the great multitude in crying out: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” (Rev. 7:10).

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