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LIFE CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE
"A place where life change begins” is the logo statement of Life Church, a recent church plant in the South Waco Hispanic community. Once-a-month preview services began in the summer of 2009 with an official “launch” date of September 13. The 4 pm weekly contemporary worship service is in English and reaches out to 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation Hispanics. A children’s ministry runs concurrently with the worship service.
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Teaching Pastor Gabe Dominguez is passionate about reaching out to the 50-60% of the 45,000 Hispanics in the Waco area currently unreached by existing churches. He has a personal, absolute heart for his people to know the Lord. According to Gabe, Life Church’s purpose is to “reach the unchurched, to connect them into the family of God, to help them grow in their faith, discover their ministry and honor God with their lives.” More specific in his vision for Life Church, Gabe said he sees “a place where lives are changed as the angry and hurt find joy and healing, where the confused and misguided find guidance and direction, where young families that don’t attend |
church can come and feel welcomed and call this place their church. I also see a safe place for families to bring their children and youth and experience quality ministry, where we become family to those with no family and where programs are made to fit the people, not where people have to fit a program.”
Life Church could serve as the “poster child” for United Methodist partnership. Three years in the planning, it is a Church Growth and Development church, sponsored in cooperation with the Waco District and First United Methodist Church, Waco. Currently sharing a facility at 3600 Memorial Drive with the Korean UMC (who also shared the same facility when it began), Life Church has as some of its goals to be a healthy, growing church that passes the 200 attendance mark in the first two years and to be self-supporting at the end of three. In addition to the financial partnership of CGD, the Waco District and FUMC, Waco, accountability and supervision are provided by the FUMC, Waco, pastoral staff.
As the church was building momentum during last summer’s pre-view time, three fellowship barbecues reached out into the South Waco neighborhood. During the Christmas season, a tamale outreach touched their community. With an average of 40 worshipers during the fall of 2009, one of the recent highlights was the immersion baptism of two members who had made professions of faith. The baptisms were a part of a shared event with FUMC, Waco.
Located in the heart of Waco’s Hispanic community, Life Church seeks to meet the needs of its neighbors by holding these life-changing core values:
- We value people. (People matter to God.)
- We value doing life together. (Life change happens best in life groups.)
- We value application of Scripture. (Teaching is for life change.)
- We value relevance. (Our methods may change, but our message won’t.)
- We value service. (Every member is a minister.)
More information is available by going online to www.myspace.com/lifechurchwaco or by calling 254.235.0238.
