More than 800 people showed up at The Family Church in McAllen, Texas, for a Night of Prayer and Worship, anticipating the upcoming God Loves You Frontera Tour with Franklin Graham.
Claudia Paredes, one of the leaders in this bilingual church, was elated at the January 5 turnout. But she was even more excited about this upcoming weekend.
“Having BGEA sharing the Gospel here is so exciting,” she said, “because I know how refreshing a relationship with Jesus is and I know the impact on families, marriages, and generations.”
McAllen has had its share of issues due to the U.S.-Mexico border crisis. Paredes shared about the numerous substandard housing developments in and around the city. Many residents in these neighborhoods lack basic necessities—such as running water.
“Here in the Rio Grande Valley, there is so much poverty,” the 49-year-old Texas native said.
And people are not just physically poor, she added.
“You see a lot of tradition here in the valley. Lots of people are just going through the motions of religion,” she explained. “There’s a lot of worshipping idols and other gods.”
Ultimately, there are many who are living in spiritual poverty—without the true peace of a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
“Our faith is not about religion,” Paredes continued, as she has seen too much emphasis put on being religious. “It’s about relationship.”
Paredes joins Christians across the country in prayer that God would use the Frontera Tour to bring many into a saving faith in Jesus Christ, unite the churches, and ignite a passion in believers to share their faith with others.
“[We are coming] alongside each other to continue to make a way for the Lord here,” said Paredes, referencing Isaiah 40:3.
“We are called to bring people into the Kingdom—and we are called to do it together.”
