Tell me a little bit about your family and your life in Nashville in
general.
We got married
in the US in 2012, took a year to establish ourselves here, and started a
church in July 2013 while we were living with Jenny’s parents and looking for a
house! God gave us our house in
September 2013, our first son Nata (4) in July 2014, and our baby Benjamin (3)
in March 2016. Most of Jenny’s family
lives near us and are very involved in our children’s lives. Miguel’s entire family lives in Argentina. No one has ever been able to come visit us. We are hoping to take a family trip to South
America in 2020.
How did you two meet?
We met at Word
of Life Bible Institute in Argentina. Miguel had finished studying and stayed on staff an additional year. That’s when I (Jenny) was finishing my studies,
and God brought us together. We had a
beautiful relationship, and God showed us very quickly that marriage was His
plan for us. There were many small
miracles that God did to affirm our relationship, and we are so thankful for
the peace we had the entire time leading up to our marriage. We spent half of the year countries apart and
half together serving in Miguel’s local church in La Plata Argentina until his fiancé
visa was approved.
How did you first know you were called to ministry?
Miguel - Before I received Christ,
I was a mess. I left my home when I was
21 with plans to commit suicide. One
day, my cousin tricked me into going to a church service. The preacher was doing a missions call that
day. They were looking for a missionary
to go serve in another province. The position
had a home and food provided; they just needed someone to go. That night (before I was even a Christian), I
stood up and said I would go! The church sent me to summer camp, and when I
finally gave my life to Christ, I told him that if he was willing to change me,
I would dedicate my life to sharing the gospel wherever he sends me.
Jenny- I grew up in church and my
parents had missionaries stay with us every year. The missions conference was the most exciting
annual event at our church. In college I
lost my way, but my parents’ church begged me to go on a missions trip to Peru
with them. I was amazed to see all that
this American missionary family had given up to serve in a village ministry
without any of our everyday comforts. I
was so impacted, I decided to go to the mission field after college and ended up in Paraguay. From there, I attended Word of Life in
Argentina, and the rest is history.
When did you plant Iglesia el Faro, and how did God lead you to do
that?
While we were
dating, we were serving in a church planting ministry in Argentina. When we
decided to get married and spend a season in Nashville with Jenny’s family, a
local pastor started sharing about the
great need among the international community and how God has strategically
brought many nations together here in the Bible belt to form disciples to go
back and win their countries for Christ. We prayed for several months, and God showed
us He would be extending our time in the US to serve the Hispanic community
here. In 2013 we had the blessing of
doing a Church Planter Assessment Program with the Berean Fellowship of
Churches where God affirmed the calling to start El Faro.
When are the services for Iglesia el Faro?
●
Sunday
School – 9:00 AM
●
Sunday
Worship – 10:15 AM
●
Sunday
Night AWANA and Bible Study – 5:30 PM
●
Prayer
Meeting – Wednesdays, 6:30PM
● Monthly Couples Nights –
Fridays
What would you like people to know about ministry within the Spanish
speaking community?
There are about
20 countries that make up the Spanish community and a lot of diversity between
each country. Imagine planning a
corporate meal when everyone wants their own country’s food to be represented! It’s a delicious organization mess! While there are a variety of different
motives and situations that bring them to the US, we know that God wants us to
treat them with compassion by loving on them and teaching God’s Word no matter
what their legal status is. Ministering
to Hispanic immigrants in the US is completely different from ministering to
them in Hispanic countries. The process
of establishing their families in a new country brings on extra social and
financial burdens. While those burdens
can limit their time, as they must work as much as possible to make it, they
also open many doors for community service ministries to reach new people for
Christ.
What would you like people to know about church planting?
Church planting
can sometimes get lonely, but it is very rewarding. While we miss the security of serving with
mature believers, it’s the hunger for new disciples and transformed hearts that
keeps us motivated! We cling to Paul’s writings in 2 Corinthians
3 –
“You yourselves are our letter,
written on our hearts, known
and read by everyone. You
show
that you are a letter
from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit
of the living God, not on tablets
of stone but on tablets
of human hearts” (2 Cor. 3:2, 3).
Most
church planters start out operating as missionary evangelists and transition
towards a senior pastor role as the ministry grows. We have learned to be flexible and give grace
as we work with new Christians who don't have 20 years worth of church life
teaching them how to act and serve.
Can you tell me about some of the fruit you have seen as a result of
this ministry?
2019 has started
off great with our first 2nd generation converts. One young man from Guatemala received Christ
in winter 2017, was baptized in the spring of 2018, finished his first book of
discipleship in the fall of 2018, and (after several months of prayer and
invites) has brought about 7 relatives and coworkers to visit El Faro, 2 of
which he has already led to Christ in January and February of 2019. He is one example of the fruit of our focus on
disciple making over program hosting. The discipleship program we use is called New
Life in Christ.
We have also
seen fruit in our marriage ministry. As
a couple, we are not what our culture would consider compatible, but we both
have the Holy Spirit in our life to guide us together. We are very passionate about marriage ministry
and offer free counseling as well as monthly group teachings about Biblical
Marriage. We have seen God restore many
marriages through that ministry from adultery to selfishness and apathy.
What are some ways that Iglesia el Faro is involved in the community?
Iglesia el Faro serves families in our community by volunteering at local food banks, by delivering good condition used furniture and house goods to needy families, and through personal evangelism. People randomly call Jenny with used furniture and goods, and we always have a family we are ministering to who needs them.
What types of ministries does Iglesia el Faro offer?
El Faro has a
dynamic marriage ministry that hosts a monthly gathering to teach on Biblical
marriage where we provide childcare, which makes it easy for families to
attend. We also offer marriage
counseling. By the grace of God, we have
seen several couples restored after infidelity and other marital struggles
through this ministry. During the Sunday
worship service, we have a children’s class called “Little Soldiers for Christ”
where we teach the Bible chronologically and teach the children to memorize,
give, study, and bring their Bibles. We
also have an open gym ministry 1 or 2 times per month and quarterly
evangelistic events on Saturday nights.
What is your vision for the future of Iglesia el Faro?
The goal of any
church planter is to see disciples raised up and sent out. We hope to see God form deacons, elders, and
missionaries to send out where He chooses. We also want to be known in the community for
compassion and truth.
How can people support your family and this ministry?
PRAY- Please pray for us as church planters, for our family,
for our studies, and for our spiritual growth. Pray also for our church leadership team and for
new workers to join our team (specifically for a youth minister and outreach
director). Help us recruit your church
or small group to pray for us as well. Send
us an email (myjbejarano@gmail.com)
to get added to the list of people who receive our letters and stay up to date.
GO- We are always happy to receive
visits. We cannot put a price on the encouragement we have received from our ministry
partners who have come to see and serve with us in Nashville! If you are interested in visiting our ministry in Nashville as a family
or group, just let us know.
GIVE- Our family’s monthly support goal is to raise $5,000. Iglesia Biblica el Faro is able to provide
about 20% of our needed support at this time, and we have external supporters
for another 40%. We would be thrilled
for you to partner with us by making a monthly commitment or a donation. You can set up a one time or recurring
donation on the Iglesia el Faro website, www.iglesiaelfaronashville.com/ofrendar.
You can also send a tax deductible check
to Iglesia Biblica el Faro and mail it to 3105 Goodwin Dr., Nashville, TN
37217.
We also have an Amazon Smile account set up for our Church
General Fund-
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