l-r: Bishop Berrera, Pastor Robles, Bishop Beacham, Bishop Villanueva, Pastor Uresti
It was an honor to spend the close of Holy Week attending the Pacific Coast Conference annual session of the IPHC in Mexicali, Mexico. Also attending was Rev. Chris Thompson, President of Holmes Bible College. President Thompson preached on Thursday evening and presented diplomas to the twenty students who had completed the extension program from Holmes Bible College.
The theme of the conference was Defeating Giants. Both President Thompson and I addressed this theme in our sermons. On Maundy Thursday night I spoke of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples and the challenges He had encountered in His ministry. On Friday night I preached on the meaning of the gospel and God’s righteousness from Romans 1:16, 17. Earlier on Friday I had an opportunity to speak to more than fifty of the ministers and their spouses about the IPHC as a Place of Hope, A People of Promise, the IPHC Core Values, and Arise 2033.
Installation prayer for Bishop Villanueva
Rev. Thompson and I enjoyed the fellowship with IPHC missionaries Ron and Phyllis Roy. The Roy’s serve World Missions Ministries in the three IPHC Mexican conferences.
The meetings were held at the Eliezer PHC in Mexicali where Rev. Abel Robles is the pastor and former conference superintendent. This is a large congregation and in the night services there were nearly 3000 people present. There were two highlights in the Friday night service:
Ministers present who had attended 1950 founding of the conference.
the honoring of four elderly ministers who had served the conference since it was founded in 1950, and the installation of the newly elected conference superintendent, Bishop Cesar Villanueva. He is a pastor in Mexicali and an attorney. He was mentored and discipled under the ministry of Rev. Robles and is an outstanding leader and man of God. Also present for the conference were Bishop Angel Mario Barrera and conference treasurer Rev. Emilio Uresti from the Northeast Mexican Conference.
