Newsletter for Central California Conference
A Revival Led by Virtual Studies
Meeting virtually to see each other and discuss the Bible became a normal practice in many of our lives when coronavirus began, but it was unusual and rare before the pandemic. Since the pandemic has receded, though, many of these virtual studies have either stopped or transitioned to face-to-face interaction.
This is good for many types of events, as speaking face-to-face has enormous value. But in some cases, the virtual studies had a different type of impact—an even greater impact. One of these is Justin Aguilar’s virtual studies that have been conducted by the Central California Conference’s Hispanic Ministries director.
Aguilar began these studies— which are 30 minutes every morning—at the start of the pandemic as a way to continue connection with many of the people with whom he was already studying.
“It was out of a need that the church had, and I was just supplying it. So we took one book at a time. We went through the book of Psalms, we went through the book of Acts, we went through the book of Exodus, and we went through the book of Romans. Four books in about 2-1/2 years,” he explains. These studies involved meeting every single day on the phone, on Zoom, or on Facebook.
After a couple years of meeting virtually, the opportunity to begin meeting in person turned back into a reality. “When COVID-19 died down, we transitioned to the hybrid system and I stopped the Facebook preaching because we were meeting at the church,” explains Aguilar. “But the people
What God is doing is beyond my comprehension. The greatest revival happened when the people of God read the Bible.
on the phone explained, ‘Pastor, we don’t want to stop this.’” By this time there were about 40-50 people connecting every morning on the phone.
Aguilar said he would continue even though the coronavirus had receded, and the impact has been powerful. “There are people who tell me, ‘If it wasn’t for this group, I would have taken my life,’” he says.
Aguilar has numerous testimonies from people from other states, some who have even traveled to be baptized. “One told me, ‘I have been a marijuana addict since I was 12 years old.’ She traveled from Washington to Fresno and I baptized her. She and her son were baptized. This is one of dozens of testimonies that I have.”
Others were baptized as a result of this study as well. December 10 of last year, the first baptism happened, and eight people were baptized. Three people from Chicago, two from Boston, one from Los Angeles, and two from Washington came to Fresno to be baptized. “I had about 50 people fly from different parts of the United States to witness this baptism of the eight people,” adds Aguilar.
Because Aguilar continued his meetings, the number has grown. He reaches 300-400 people every day. Not everyone is ready to walk into a church, but many need to find someone they connect with. The meetings they connect to, though, may be in another part of the country. This is where meetings like Aguilar’s become essential and successful. They bring people together in a way that a physical church isn’t able to.
“What God is doing is beyond my comprehension,” says Aguilar. “The greatest revival happened when the people of God read the Bible. If our people would dedicate 30 minutes every day to reading the Bible, this conference would revive,” he adds.
If you would like to become involved, there are several ways. Every morning at 6 am sharp, the meeting begins and you can:
Scan the QR code for zoom bible study access.
You can connect through:
YouTube: oracionmatutinaconjesus;
Phone: (978) 990-5000 code: 351903#.
By Brennan Hallock
