Adolfo Quiroz and his wife, Martha Arcia, have been in ministry for 25 years, and arrived at the Central Church of God in Chinandega in 2009, where they were introduced to the Nehemiah Center through programs about a healthy church, HIV/AIDS, family violence, and marriage conferences. They began the friendship with Faith Church in Pella, Iowa in 2011, and now they celebrate the pastoral unity they experience with the five Chinandega pastors in this group. Before they were five independent churches, but now through the church friendship program, they are united as they share prayer requests with each other and pray together once a month. “This has made us strong,” Adolfo says, “since we know we are not alone.”
Adolfo testifies, “We share the problems or needs that we have with our brothers and sisters, and today we know that we are not alone. We have many Friends in Pella who are also praying for our requests. They send us their petitions also so that we are one people united through prayer.” The friendship is just as much local as global, and the pastors value the emphasis placed on prayer.
Pastor Adolfo has felt that the prayer meetings and times for fellowship with the Church Friendship group are so enriching that he has decided to add this element to the denominational meetings for the Church of God. Pastor Adolfo is the supervisor for 30 churches in the Chinandega district, and there are 5 district supervisors in the country. “With the five district pastors, we have an hour of prayer; so we are not just praying with our five friends on an interdenominational level but also within our denomination. The district pastors then meet with their local pastors and pray for an hour. This has helped us stay balanced in this situation which we have gone through, which was and continues to be difficult. Today we are more united than ever through prayer.”
Pastor Adolfo already knew that the prayer of a righteous person can do great things, but now he is committed to making prayer a priority not just in the Chinandega-Pella church friendship, but also implementing it for his district and denomination. Glory to God for uniting his people through communication with Him!