Growth and Staffing
Update
FAC Family,
We stand amazed at all God is doing in our midst here at First Alliance. You continue to be gracious as we navigate space issues, and you come with a spirit of expectancy each Sunday. We desire to steward well the opportunities God is sending us and continue to focus on making disciples of all nations.
In January and February of 2023, just two years ago, our average Sunday morning attendance was 1,300 adults and children. This past January and February (on non-snowy Sundays) our average attendance was 2,000 adults and children. This is tremendous growth! We praise God for every soul he is bringing us.
In keeping up with this substantial growth, you have likely noticed that we have added several part-time (10-15 hours a week) ministry staff, including a Men’s Ministry Director, a Pastor of Life Group Ministry, and a dedicated Director of Guest Services, among others. All of these part-time staff additions, including the one I am introducing today, have added less than the equivalent of 2 full-time staff positions. We believe this is an excellent use of our resources.
These new part-time staff each have a laser focus on one specific ministry discipleship area. They continue to fulfill the Ephesians 4:12 goal of all of our staff: To equip the saints for the work of ministry, and to build up the body of Christ. They are shepherding, training, leading, and building our volunteer teams, as well as helping to care for the 2,000 souls joining us each Sunday and in ministries all throughout the week. We are seeing good fruit already, and we know there is more to come!
With that, I am writing today with great excitement to share with you the newest addition to our part-time staff team: Rev. Dr. Eliseo Mejia as Pastor of Intercultural Engagement.
Back in September, our Leadership Team noticed that God was bringing many people to FAC for whom English is their second language. As of today, we have several dozen people attending on Sunday mornings who do not speak English as their heart language. We have many more that are very comfortable with the English language but are of other nationalities and backgrounds.
We want to steward the gift of their presence with us and serve them well, both in Sunday services and as they find their way into meaningful groups and community at FAC.
You may recall that in December we launched translation services in both our 11:00am and 12:30pm services. We have had people translating the message in real time into Spanish, Korean, Georgian, Polish, Japanese, Hungarian, Arabic, and more during our services! I am grateful for our Communications and Worship/Tech staff teams that made this a reality.
That said, we wanted to take the next step to serve and cultivate this growing reality with care and intentionality by adding a part-time, 10 hour a week position of Pastor of Intercultural Engagement.
Eliseo comes with decades of pastoral experience. Originally from El Salvador, he came to the United States in 1984. He has pastored in El Salvador, Guatemala, and the United States and has served several intercultural congregations. He has a heart for people and a passion for the Church. He and his wife Cathy have been members of FAC since last April. Cathy plays violin on our Worship Team, and they both serve on the Prayer Team. They have three children who are part of our middle and high school ministries.
Eliseo’s role will be helping anyone for whom English is their second language or who comes from a different cultural background to feel at home and welcomed into life at FAC. He will assist with translation needs, help people find groups, and host fellowship dinners and other events with an eye towards community and engagement.
Being an intergenerational and intercultural church takes intentionality, and we are excited to cultivate these realities! The book of Revelation says that one day people from every tongue, tribe, and nation will gather around the throne of God together. The book of Acts talks about the work of the Holy Spirit enabling people to speak and understand the gospel in their heart language. As we see FAC reflect this intercultural reality more and more, we feel that it is a piece of the kingdom of heaven touching earth.
I will be bringing Eliseo up in front of the church this Sunday to introduce him to you. I hope to see you then!
Grace and peace,