Ministry in North Dakota

About this group

It is that of the San José family. Saul remembers that when he was heading towards the United States he prayed: God give me leaders to begin that work. The Lord answered him: You already have two, but I already have the others there. When we read that all things work together for good to those who love God, we don't always realize how great that promise is. At the same time we moved to Minnesota, God moved the family of Pastor Alfredo San José to North Dakota in a hard and powerful way. A different and colder state and district, but in 2010 it joined the States of Minnesota and South Dakota to form the Lakes and Prairies District. (Prairie Lakes). God took this family there to be an instrument of bringing the Word of God to the Latinos who came to populate those distant lands. The San José family started the first Hispanic ministry in Bismarck, North Dakota. The church that supported and gave rise to this work was the Living Hope Church of the Nazarene and Pastor Rich Wyatt. In 2010, Ana and Luis San José were appointed as pastors of the congregation in Bismarck and at the same time contacts were initiated with Pastor Richard Reynolds to begin work in Jamestown, a town 90 miles from Bismarck, the state capital. Anabella and Ricardo San José were commissioned to start this work. Later, when they had to leave the country, Jesús and María Molina took charge of the work. In 2019, Pastor Ciro Cea and Pastor Scott Mehlhoff joined forces to start the Hispanic work in Minot. The vision that God gave the Carranzas was to be the shepherds of the Latinos in that district. Even if people are not Christians, they know that they can come to the Church of the Nazarene for help. The work from the beginning has been: Give a place to the church in the cities and among the institutions of the State. In the police, immigration and social aid institutions we are involved to help our countrymen. The Hispanic population in this part of the country is not very large, just 3% on average. But they are souls for Christ, and our work for them has been to plant churches where they can congregate. All churches were started in the temple of some American Church of the Nazarene. Churches have been challenged and helped to initiate Hispanic ministries, to welcome Hispanics as members of the church, and to give them the opportunity to serve alongside them.