Medellin, Colombia

If there is a “secret sauce” to mission endeavors, that sauce would be called PARTNERSHIP. In Philippians Chapter 1, the Apostle Paul, referred to his relationship to the Philippian church as a “partnership in the gospel.” When I think of that reference, our partnership with El Redil de Belen church in Medellin, Colombia comes to mind. We have a true and long-standing partnership with that church and the glue that holds our connection together is THE GOSPEL.

Medellin is a large city of around four million people including the surrounding areas just outside of the city. It is in a valley surrounded by mountains. Belen, located in the southwest part of the city, is considered both a district and neighborhood of the larger city. It is one of the areas around the city that many consider the best place to live. I sort of compare it to the Northshore. It is where you want to move to escape some things that come with the larger city. It might be Medellin’s version of suburbia, a good place to live and raise a family.

If it is so good, then why go there? That is a good question. Belen is about the size of West St. Tammany Parish in population. The neighborhoods where our partner church is located are estimated to house around 40,000 people. The best we can tell, in that area, El Redil de Belen is the only evangelical church. Just imagine west St. Tammany Parish and its immediate outlying areas with just one church sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

A short-term mission team recently made the journey to Medellin and the nine missionaries that went saw with their own eyes the fruits of our partnership with El Redil de Belen. The team, along with believers from the local church, were able to do evangelism in parks, connect with and train leaders from the church, and host three cultural exchange events designed to connect people to the church and begin Gospel conversations that can have eternal consequences. It was a great week.

FBC Covington and El Redil have grown to know one another and have built trust. When this happens, it provides a pathway for KINGDOM growth. True partnership is not transactional; it is relational and mutually beneficial to both partners. This is the type of relationship that we have built with the church in Medellin and its leadership. Our time spent there is working side by side with our Colombian Christian brothers and sisters. We see how God is working in the context of their culture. We hear how they express their love for their community and for God to redeem it. And we, as partners in the Gospel, do good work to draw people to our Lord.

Please take the time to watch this video to get an idea of how God is making a difference in Medellin when the saints from FBC Covington go!!

Maybe short-term missions is your NEXT STEP in growing in your faith. Connect with Missions Pastor Glynn Robinson by emailing missions@fbccov.org.

Samaritan Center

  On the corner of Girod and Madison in the heart of Old Mandeville is the location of one of FBC Covington’s most essential local mission partners, The Samaritan Center. To some it might seem tucked away on that corner in Mandeville, but its reach into our community huge. The center offers emergency assistance for people experiencing food instability, financial assistance for things like utility bills and rent/mortgage payments. They offer this assistance not just to help people out that find themselves in a bad spot in life, but with God’s grace they may be able to assist those people in need on their path back to self-sufficiency.

The Samaritan Center came into existence in 1989 when a group of local pastors saw the need and collaborated to help improve the services to families and individuals in our community who were experiencing emergencies. Pooling resources of money, volunteers, donated canned goods and clothing, they hoped to streamline services by distributing them from a central location. Today, thirty local Christian churches and many organizations and individual support the Samaritan Center in their mission to feed and offer help to struggling brothers and sisters.

The Samaritan Center is FBC Covington’s primary partner in meeting benevolence needs in our community. They have well-trained volunteers, some from our church, that meet with every person that is seeking help. They assess their needs, help them in building a budget, if necessary, meet their needs with food and clothing, and share the Gospel with all who walk in for help. It is a true partnership in the Gospel.

Recently a few FBC pastors, members, and volunteers attended a special open house at the Samaritan Center to celebrate the retirement of the debt on their newest building. The $1.2 million much needed building was completed in April of 2022. The center raised enough funding from the community to only have to incur only $400,000 in debt, but for a benevolent organization that is a lot to take on without interrupting or hampering the services that they offer. BUT GOD is great. In two short years the Samaritan Center found themselves wiping out the debt. It took a lot of prayers, a lot of faith, and many people giving to help the dream come true.

Maybe your NEXT STEP in service is working with other believers from our community in a place like The Samaritan Center. There are many ways to volunteer. Contact Missions Pastor Glynn Robinson at missions@fbccov.org.