Casterton is the pastor of Abundant Life Church in the heart of San Juan, the island’s capital. Recently, a Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) representative shared with his church about an exciting opportunity to reach others with the Gospel this year. The My Hope Project is in its planning stages right now, and Casterton says the project has enormous potential to impact the island.
“So many times we expect the world to come to the church, but this is the church reaching into where we live,” said Casterton.
Recently 135 Puerto Rican church and ministry leaders met together to learn more about the My Hope project. They learned that it’s a partnership between BGEA and the local church in Puerto Rico. Throughout the upcoming year pastors will receive training on how to prepare Christians in their church to invite their friends, family and neighbors to their homes to watch the My Hope broadcast.
Three programs will be custom-produced for Puerto Rico, and then broadcast in prime time on national television for three consecutive nights in April of next year.
Casterton says, “I think (My Hope) can be a catalyst for everyday Christians to start being more proactive, and covering neighbors and friends with prayer, and then taking the next step to invite them over in a home setting to share about Christ.”
Puerto Rico is a small island only 100 miles long and 35 miles wide. Despite the small area, the island is home to over 5,000 evangelical churches.
After hearing about the project, church leaders signed a letter to Billy Graham inviting the BGEA to work together with them to prepare for the My Hope project. The broadcast is still a long way off. It’s scheduled for April of 2010, but already BGEA is working with local leaders to draw up a plan to involve as many churches as possible in this opportunity.
Casterton says his church’s mission is to change one life at a time. “I think if we do our part, who knows what God could do?”
