Faith
Spanish Churches Rally as Venezuelan Earthquake Survivors Flee to Europe
Faith Facts
- Church elder Juan Lázaro pivoted his Sunday sermon to address devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, focusing on Romans 8 and God’s sovereignty over suffering
- The Church of Christ on Teruel Street in Madrid is 80% Latin American immigrants, with 15-20 Venezuelan members among the congregation
- Over 1,700 people perished in the Venezuelan earthquakes, including members of Churches of Christ, as the tragedy strikes close to home for Spanish congregations
Juan Lázaro had already prepared his Sunday message when back-to-back earthquakes devastated Venezuela. So the elder of the Church of Christ on Teruel Street in Madrid decided to pivot from the New Testament’s call to evangelize to its affirmation that even life’s blows point to God’s glory.
“I want you to adopt a biblical perspective toward understanding the reason things happen,” Lázaro told the congregation in Spain’s capital, basing his sermon on Romans 8. “Don’t judge by human standards — instead, try to have God’s perspective on what happens in your life, your world, your moment in time.”
Although the South American nation of Venezuela is some 4,390 miles away from Spain, it feels much closer at Teruel Street, which could be called the mother congregation for Churches of Christ in Spain. While Spain was once the colonizer of the Americas, in recent decades the human flow across the Atlantic has reversed, with Latin Americans immigrating to the country for greater economic opportunities.
Lázaro said that the Teruel Street congregation has 15 to 20 Venezuelan members, along with immigrants from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Guatemala and El Salvador. He estimates that 80 percent of the church is from Latin America.
In his sermon, Lázaro urged the congregation to take comfort in Paul’s assurance that the world and its suffering are moving toward redemption.
“What happens is not outside God’s control. God has sovereign control over events, circumstances and people,” he said.
And God is no stranger to suffering.
“The God of the Christian faith is not a God who takes it on himself to explain ‘why’ — why our Venezuelan brothers and sisters have died,” Lázaro said.
Rather, the leader argued, “he is a God who accompanies us with a view toward the pain that has entered human history.” Jesus was a “man of sorrows” who “suffered every kind of brokenness.”
For Venezuelans living in Spain, “distance does not lessen the pain we feel when tragedy strikes our homeland,” said Pedro Andrade, a longtime church planter in Venezuela who recently moved with his wife, Luisa, to Vigo, Spain. The couple works with the growing population of Venezuelans arriving in the port city.
“What makes this situation especially difficult is the feeling of helplessness,” Andrade said. In the past, he and his wife participated directly in disaster response, alongside Churches of Christ across Venezuela. “Today, being so far away, we cannot respond in the same way, and that reality weighs heavily on our hearts.”
Members of Churches of Christ are among the 1,700-plus souls that perished in the quakes. As the Andrades mourn the losses, they find comfort in passages including Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
“Yet even in the midst of loss, we trust that God continues to work according to his purpose,” Pedro Andrade said. “We pray that those who have survived, those who witnessed these events and those whose lives have been spared will reflect on the fragility of life and seek the hope that is found in Christ. … This is a time for the church to demonstrate compassion, generosity and the selfless agape love that reflects the character of our Savior.”
Back in Madrid, Lázaro spoke of the tremendous changes Spain has undergone since Spanish author and evangelist Juan Antonio Monroy, now in his 90s, helped establish the Teruel Street congregation in the 1960s. Protestant Christians at the time felt threatened by Spain’s powerful Catholic Church, with its historic influence on Spanish society. Now 16 Churches of Christ meet in Spain, including five in Madrid.
Monroy later became a pioneering evangelist in Cuba, working with the Herald of Truth ministry. The Teruel Street leader sees today’s immigrant church members as a gift.
“From the perspective of the churches and people of faith, the fact that people from Spanish America have come has enriched Spain from a religious, economic and cultural perspective,” Lázaro said. “The presence of these brothers and sisters … is serving as a great blessing because they come with excitement … and get closely involved in the work of the church.”
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith Facts
- A new Christian healing center in the Sahel region provides trauma recovery for persecuted believers
- The center focuses on Christ-centered healing of mind, body, spirit, and soul
- Survivors of persecution are responding with forgiveness and a desire to share the Gospel with their abusers
In one of the world’s most dangerous regions for Christians, a beacon of hope has emerged for believers enduring persecution and abuse. The Sahel—a vast semi-arid region stretching across Africa from Senegal to Sudan—has become increasingly hostile to Christian communities in recent years.
A newly established healing center is now offering traumatized believers a pathway to recovery, placing Jesus Christ at the center of the healing process. The facility provides comprehensive care that addresses the full scope of trauma—mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional.
The center’s approach differs from secular trauma care by recognizing that true wholeness comes through faith in Christ. Survivors receive counseling, medical care, and biblical teaching designed to restore what violence and persecution have damaged.
Perhaps most remarkably, those who find healing at the center are demonstrating the transformative power of the Gospel in an unexpected way. Rather than harboring bitterness toward those who harmed them, healed believers are expressing a desire to share the love of Christ with their former persecutors.
This Christ-like response mirrors Jesus’ own words from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” The willingness of persecution survivors to extend grace to their abusers stands as powerful testimony to the genuine nature of their healing.
The Sahel region has experienced escalating violence against Christians, with Islamic extremist groups gaining ground in countries including Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Churches have been burned, believers killed, and entire communities displaced.
Despite these challenges, the establishment of this healing center demonstrates that the Church continues to advance even in places where faith carries a tremendous cost. The center represents not just a place of physical refuge, but a demonstration that Christ’s power to heal and restore transcends even the most severe trauma.
The ministry serves as a reminder that where darkness seems overwhelming, God continues to work through His people to bring light, hope, and redemption.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith Facts
- A popular online tarot card reader has completely abandoned her occult practice after accepting Jesus Christ as her Savior
- The influencer deleted all of her previous tarot-related content and started fresh with a Christian testimony
- Her transformation demonstrates the power of the Gospel to reach those trapped in New Age practices
A well-known TikTok tarot card reader has made a dramatic turn away from the occult after encountering Jesus Christ. The influencer, who had built a substantial following through her tarot readings, has deleted all of her previous content and created a new account dedicated to sharing her Christian faith.
In her testimony, she declared that Christ has completely transformed her life and saved her from her former spiritual practices. The decision represents a complete break from her past involvement in divination and the occult.
Her story serves as a powerful reminder that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. The Bible clearly warns against practices like tarot reading and divination, which the Lord condemns as detestable in Deuteronomy 18:10-12.
This young woman’s transformation shows the stark difference between the empty promises of New Age spirituality and the genuine hope found only in Jesus Christ. While tarot cards and other occult practices may seem harmless to some, they represent a dangerous spiritual counterfeit that leads people away from God.
Her willingness to completely abandon her previous platform and start over demonstrates the sincerity of her conversion. Many new believers struggle with what to do about their past, but she made the bold choice to leave it all behind and follow Christ wholeheartedly.
The explosion of tarot reading and other occult practices on social media platforms has concerned many Christian leaders. Young people especially are being exposed to these dangerous spiritual practices disguised as entertainment or self-help tools.
This testimony provides hope that even those deeply involved in the occult can be reached with the Gospel. It also serves as an encouragement for believers to continue praying for and witnessing to those caught up in New Age spirituality.
Her story joins countless others throughout history of people who have found freedom from spiritual bondage through faith in Jesus Christ. From former witches to New Age practitioners, the power of the Gospel continues to set captives free.
Christians should celebrate this woman’s courage while also remaining vigilant about the spiritual dangers present in our culture. The increasing normalization of occult practices makes bold testimonies like this one all the more important.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith Facts
- Inner-city New Orleans congregations demonstrate authentic Christian fellowship through warm hospitality and soul-stirring worship that transcends denominational backgrounds
- Ministers preach powerful biblical messages about overcoming sin’s separation from God and building strong spiritual foundations in the community
- Long-married couples and multigenerational families testify to God’s transforming power in their lives and neighborhoods
NEW ORLEANS — It wasn’t one of those side hugs, a “Hi, nice to meet you” hug. When I walked into the Hollygrove Church of Christ for Sunday worship, Willie Marsalis gave me a rib-crushing hug as if he were reuniting with a long-lost brother.
And I’d never met the guy. I did, however, feel like I knew the family, especially Willie’s brother and sister-in-law, Charles and Angela Marsalis, and their son, also named Willie.
The family’s incredible journey spans more than two decades — from surviving Hurricane Katrina to planting the Hollygrove church in the inner-city neighborhood where they grew up. So, when my wife, a pediatric endocrinologist, told me that this year’s American Diabetes Association conference was in The Big Easy, I burned a few sky miles to join her.
Hollygrove, I learned, has brought in several souls who don’t hail from our fellowship. One of them, Kim King, told me she was just “driving around” when she found the church, and she hasn’t left since.
Shirley Reeder moved here from Savannah, Georgia, and a friend invited her to church. There were only about 20 of us there for Sunday worship, but it sounded like 200. They sing like the redeemed.
My favorite was a hymn I’d never heard before, “Two Wings,” taken from the description of the seraphim in Isaiah 6:2.
“Two wings to veil my feet. Two wings to veil my face. Two wings to fly away. And the world can’t do me no harm.”
Charles Marsalis preached from later in Isaiah, chapter 59 and verse 2: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”
“What is blocking you from your blessing?”
Charles asked. “I can’t receive God’s blessing when I’m weighed down with sin.”
He demonstrated this by having Willie stand on stage representing God. The church’s assistant minister, Andrew Thomas, played the devil, and he physically blocked Charles from getting to his brother.
“If we don’t learn the lessons, we won’t get to the blessings.”
But we’re not in this struggle alone, he added.
“If we learn how to hold on to each other in here, we can do it out there.”
Thomas, after relinquishing the role of the devil, echoed Charles’ sentiments in his closing prayer.
“This is the foundation. Let’s learn how to build the foundation in here so we can build homes out there.”
On Sunday night I visited the Louisa Street Church of Christ, a long-established congregation that meets in part of New Orleans known as Desire. Once again, I was welcomed like an old friend by people I met for the first time, including Malachi Hull, a police officer and Bible class teacher.
I also met a gentleman who introduced himself as brother Branch Sr. I noticed that his shirt pocket was stuffed with what looked like old-time gospel tracts.
He said he keeps them at the ready to hand out. It reminded me of 1 Peter 3:15: “Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”
Preston Olive, the church’s pulpit minister since 2008, spoke on Psalm 131, a three-verse hymn about putting aside pride and distractions and finding humble contentment in God.
“O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, both now and forevermore.”
The minister said, quoting the psalm’s final verse. That means “hope in God until we die,” he said.
“We don’t have time to make a pit stop. Death might find you if you make a pit stop. The devil is after our hope in God. When others are sinking in doubt and you’re standing tall, it’s because they’re standing on the wrong foundation. Make sure we’re standing on the rock.”
He concluded:
“Leave here tonight continuing to be humble, no matter where you are. Leave here tonight leaning on God. Leave here tonight remembering this hymn: ‘My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ love and righteousness.'”
One of the church’s elders, Frank Harden, and his wife Anna were kind enough to give me a ride back to the hotel. They’ve been married for 55 years.
Frank got baptized in 1987. Anna, who grew up Methodist, took a little longer to persuade. She was baptized in 1991.
“God changed us all.”
The next morning I went back to Hollygrove to see some of the first-day activities at Camp Water Tower Academy, a summer program for kids overseen by Willie Marsalis (the younger one). Charles bought me the best shrimp po boy I’ve had in my life from a place called Manos.
That evening, I headed back to Oklahoma — and saw Andrew Thomas yet again. When he’s not ministering at Hollygrove (or pretending to be the devil), he works curbside check-in for United Airlines.
I took a selfie with brother Thomas and sent it to the Marsalises. “Ran into the devil at the airport,” I texted, “and I told him to STOP BLOCKING ME FROM MY BLESSING!”
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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