The Lexington seminar with the Southside Iglesia de Cristo began on Sunday, February 5 with Bible class and worship at 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm. (Jan and I took advantage of the opportunity Sunday morning to attend worship and class with the Anglo congregation.) The seminar continued Sunday evening with a two-hour session, which was also the pattern for Monday through Wednesday evenings–two hours of study with a brief break in the middle. Wednesday evening the church shared a meal prior to the conclusion of the seminar. In summary, the seminar included about ten hours of teaching over the four days.
The church is small, but blessed with several Christians who are currently providing leadership and developing their skills, understanding, Biblical knowledge, and Christian lives. Attendance at the evening sessions averaged about 75-80% of the total membership. Jaime and Angelica Ayala serve as the primary leadership couple. The church is blessed to exist in parallel to the Southside Anglo congregation, providing an adequate meeting place, mature spiritual guidance, and financial resources. Eddy Julian serves as the elder liaison; Jan and I were blessed to get to know him and his wife, Teresa, and to stay in their home.
Early Thursday morning, Jan and I drove from Lexington to Nashville to begin a seminar with the Crieve Hall Iglesia de Cristo where Jacobo and Marcela Chalco serve in ministry. The seminar began on Thursday at 10:00 am. The daytime sessions were scheduled for two hours but generally extended into the lunch hour. Thursday afternoon Jan and I shared a late lunch in the home of the Chalcos, joined by two other couples from the church. The eight of us had a delightful lunch and visit, but we were glad to have a little time to rest before the evening session. The evening sessions went as long as I was willling to speak and teach, usually about 90 minutes, followed by a time of eating and fellowship.
The seminar continued in this manner on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Daytime attendance was limited to about 15-20, but the evening sessions were much larger. Saturday was an especially cold morning with fewer in attendance, but Saturday night the room overflowed. The church has a normal Sunday attendance of about 80-90. With Jacobo’s approval, I decided to conclude the seminar with Bible class and worship on Sunday morning so that Jan and I could travel on Sunday and avoid the predicted hazardous travel for Monday. We regretted missing the Sunday evening worship and opportunity to present one final lesson, but Jacobo assured me that there would be no problem.
The church had altered their normal schedule for the monthly Sunday lunch to accommodate the seminar date–unfortunately we were unable to enjoy any extended visiting, but we did get away with a special gift from one of the brothers–a big bowl of guacamole accompanied by plenty of chips!
In summary, both congregations were extremely receptive and appreciative of the seminars. We look forward to the opportunity to return and share again in the future.