A four-man team from New Life Alliance Church (Clarkfield, Minnesota) boarded a plane to Guadalajara on April 14 to help renovate a new church, unaware that an eviction notice was served that same day.
With the launch service scheduled for Sunday, April 19, the church-planting team was stunned by the news that its rental contract was being disregarded because a new restaurant was moving onto the shared property. “We were literally being pushed out,” said Tim and Janice Greenfield, part of the team that recently planted the Breath of Life Church in Tlajomulco, the fastest-growing community in Guadalajara.
Although they had an airtight contract, the team members were told they would be forcibly evicted if they tried to enter the site on Sunday morning. Accompanied by two lawyers, Bob Fugate, who with his wife, Cheryl, serves with the Greenfields, met with the property’s new owner. “There were thinly veiled threats to me if we persisted in any attempt to claim our legal rights,” Bob said.
“We know God is in control and working all things together for good,” the Greenfields wrote to their prayer supporters last week. “Pray with us that our great God will make a way.
“Next week we will share the rest of the story—the amazing things God is going to do in the next few days.”
Answered Prayer!
“The same day we left the old building, God provided us with a better facility,” reported Bob and Cheryl. A contractor, who had attended one of the team’s evangelistic events, had four commercial units available and offered two to the church. It is in the mission’s desired area and “ideal for our present needs,” the Greenfields wrote.
Although the property is superior to the one the team was forced to vacate—which had been abandoned for years and required extensive renovations—work was needed to equip the new facility for the inaugural service. “We had only three days to install lights, doors, a platform, podium, and audio-visual media,” Bob and Cheryl noted. “The team from Minnesota worked until sundown on Saturday to help us prepare for Sunday morning.”
More than 100 people attended the service despite the unexpected change in venue. “We were amazed; they occupied all the chairs we had purchased,” said the Fugates. “This was a dramatic demonstration of what happens when God’s people pray.”
Spiritual Battle
The Fugates believe this was not a typical contract dispute but the manifestation of a spiritual struggle opposing the opening of the church—yet God was in control.
“Incredibly, we were able to recover most of our investment in the previous property and left a book on prayer with the new owner as a testimony of God’s love.”
—based on reports from Tim and Janice Greenfield and Bob and Cheryl Fugate. Photos courtesy of Tim and Janice Greenfield
Pray
“Pray for those who made commitments on Sunday morning and for our new congregation to grow,” request the Fugates. Also, pray for the next contact event, a women’s breakfast on May 2.
Use the weekly Alliance Prayer Requests to join the Alliance family in interceding on behalf of our Latin America and worldwide team members, who often serve in challenging circumstances that require Holy Spirit–inspired wisdom and creativity to communicate God’s love to those who don’t know Him.