Christians Need A Home Church
Note: This article was first published on my old website, Grace Church Medellin in December 2019. In January 2022, we became part of a new church plant, Greater Grace Medellin. It is included here for historical purposes.
When we decided to retire outside the USA in January 2016, we researched destinations in Latin America, specifically looking to make sure there was a church we could attend. We believe Christians need a home church, and this post explains this in more detail. For us and many Christian retirees, not having a home church is a “deal-breaker”. Especially when you are so far from family and friends.
Why do Christians need a home church?” Because Christians are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are a family. We will be together for all eternity. In this life, Christians need one another for encouragement, for teaching, for the worship of our Savior, and to grow in our faith. So Christians need a home church to support one another as we learn to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
What Does The Bible Say?
The Bible says Christians need a home church.
Here is a great Bible verse that is directly on point. We are told in God’s Word, the Bible,
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”Hebrews 10:23-25
Greater Grace Medellin was formed for those purposes and also to spread the Gospel of Christ in accordance with “The Great Commission”.
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”Matthew 28:18-20
We found excellent English-speaking churches in Roatan, Honduras (R Church), Boquete, Panama (Boquete Bible Fellowship), and Cuenca, Ecuador (Cuenca Christian Church). And you can easily find each of these churches here on Facebook and other places on the web.
Our Journey To Medellin
While living in Panama and looking for our next destination, we heard great things about Medellin, Colombia. But we also learned that there was a definite need for an English-speaking Christian church. We visited Medellin for 10 days in September 2017. And at the time, we didn’t feel equipped to start a church ourselves, not knowing anyone there and not knowing Spanish. But we soon learned that the Holy Spirit had a plan for us.
Still, it took another 7 months and some friends from Panama for us to be convinced to come to Medellin. During that time, we visited Peru, tried living in Cuenca, Ecuador, and San Jose, Costa Rica, and even spent 2 months traveling in the US. But at the end of that trip, we realized that God was calling us to come to Medellin, Colombia.
And what a terrific decision that has turned out to be. We now have multiple Bible studies on Zoom, live in-person fellowship lunches, and next month we start live, in-person church services. All of these meetings are 100% in English. Our group includes people from the USA, Canada, Venezuela, and Colombia.
Why You Should Come To Greater Grace Medellin
In an earlier post, I shared my thoughts on the benefits of retiring to Medellin, Colombia. And in my other site, Retire Outside the USA, I have shared much more about our new home. You can read our stories there.
We are excited to see what God is accomplishing through people who have said “Here I am, send me”. All God wants is people who are available. And He can definitely use you.
“The Holy Spirit doesn’t call the equipped. He equips those He calls”.