Joining God in the Neighborhood

“The joy of church planting became like breathing,” says pastor Manny Ortiz in Christian Reformed Home Missions’ new Easter video.

“Everything is initiated by God; it’s God’s providence that we’re here – the only thing we have to do is comply with what God wants us to do in this community.”

Manny Ortiz and Sue Baker have been in ministry together for over 40 years.

Beginning in Chicago, they moved to Philadelphia in 1987 and are currently serving their neighborhood in North Philadelphia through Spirit and Truth Fellowship, the church they planted in 1996.

Christian Reformed Home Missions brings you a glimpse into the life of this church in the new video, "Joining God in the Neighborhood."

After moving to Philadelphia, the Baker and Ortiz families began meeting as a house church in Sue Baker’s home in Philadelphia. A nearby church was looking to sell their building, and felt God’s call to sell it to Spirit in Truth.

It was in this old church building that Ortiz and Baker started a new kind of church.

Spirit in Truth relies on what Baker calls the “Side Door Approach” – growing a church by serving the community as opposed to simply inviting people to church.

 “When you grow a church this way, the effect on the community is greater,” says Baker.

Ortiz remembers early community surveys found three big areas of need – education, legal representation, and healthcare. “We began to approach these things immediately,” he remembers.

Indeed, Spirit and Truth has responded to their community’s needs in a wide variety of ways.

Among these are a Christian school, a health clinic, a legal clinic, a community center, and a bike shop. In addition, they have planted seven other churches in North Philadelphia.

Pastor Rob Whitmire pastors one of these new churches, called Grace and Peace Community Fellowship. He recounts how, as a teenager, he received mentorship and guidance from Manny Ortiz.

“Pastor Manny has walked with me since the time I was 16 years old,” says Whitmire. “People knew that he wrote books and did different things; I always just knew him as ‘Pop.’”

Baker and Ortiz are excited about what God is doing in Philadelphia. Ortiz says, “I’m really ready to pastor now, at 76, and to be a shepherd in the inner city.”

Home Missions is excited to offer this video and other resources – including bulletin covers and inserts, graphics, children’s activity pages, and more – to help Christian Reformed Churches across North America celebrate Easter. These resources are available at www.crhm.org/easter.

Joining God in the Neighborhood from Home Missions on Vimeo.