Riots, Gangs, the Church, & Redemption

    Gangs have always been a problem in Central America. Anywhere that you find extreme poverty and a majority of children living in broken homes, the draw to gang life is strong. It becomes a place to belong and a way to ensure that your needs are met. Canderlaria and Chichigalpa (the closest city) are no exception.
    Last month while I was home in the States rioting broke out between the police and the largest gang in Chichigalpa. I still haven’t figured out exactly what started this riot, but it resulted in the death of one of the gang members and tear gas filling the streets. Something about losing one of their members in these riots really made these guys from the gang soften their hearts.

    Pastor Jose is the retired former pastor of Iglesia Canto Nuevo (New Song’s church in Candelaria). His son used to be the leader of this gang. Pastor Jose has always had a heart to reach out to these gang members and to help them find abundant life in Christ. The riots and the death of one of their members opened the door for him to begin ministering to them. Jose has spent the last several weeks visiting with these men in their homes and sharing the good news of Jesus.

    Last week when we had the team from Living Water Church in Boone, NC with us, we were able to join Pastor Jose and hold a worship service in the backyard of one of these gang members. For me, it was one of my favorite church services because it is what the church should be. It wasn’t a church distancing itself from sinners, but a church seeking them out and meeting with them in their homes. We worshipped together, we prayed together, our youth came to worship the Lord through dance, and some of our guys shared Truth with these guys. It was beautiful!
    They were really interested in visiting our church so Tommy promised to pick them up in his truck on Sunday and bring them to service. My heart smiled to see the truck pull up with 15-20 guys and girls from this gang longing to come to church because they were hungry for something MORE in their lives. The church welcomed them, embraced them, and just showered them with love. It was a really unique experience for these men who are normally feared and ignored by the churches in the village. The love of the church filled these men who are normally so hard and so tough with a hunger for the love of a God that they didn’t yet know. At the end of the service, Pastor Walter invited the men and women of the church to come and pray over our new friends. It was wonderful to see my youth and faithful adults from the congregation coming and praying with these guys. I watched as these men who are feared throughout the area, stood with tears streaming down their faces as the church loved them and spoke truth over them. I don’t know that I have ever seen such a beautiful sight before!
    Tragedy came into their lives, but it opened the door for the Lord to begin to whisper “The thief has come to steal and kill and destroy, but I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.” These men saw something different that they knew they needed. Five men from the gang (including the gang leader) gave their lives to Christ last night!
    Yes, this is an amazing testimony of the Lord’s work and what happens when the church becomes more concerned about loving sinners than about avoiding sin, but this story is not an end in itself. Rather it is the beginning. It is the beginning of change in the lives of the men, in the ministry of the church, and in the power that the gangs hold here in Candelaria. No, this is not the end of the story. It is only the beginning…

*Photo of the worship service with the gang taken by Kaitlyn Suter (www.kaitlynsuter.com)