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PBM Has Bold Plans for the Future!
About PBM
Mission Sites > Puentes de Cristo
Click Here to visit the NEW Puentes de Cristo website!
Who We Are
Puentes de Cristo was founded in 1981 by a group of pastors from the Rio Grande River Valley, on both the US and Mexican sides of the border. These pastors wanted to develop closer ties with fellow Presbyterians on the other side of the border. This bi-national character has continued to remain integral to Puentes de Cristo's mission; we continue to have a bi-national board that oversees the work of our ministry. Over the years, Puentes de Cristo reached out to churches throughout the denomination in helping them connect with our partners in Mexico while participating in service projects. Hosting short-term mission teams has continued to be a major part of Puentes de Cristo's ministry.
In the late 1980's Puentes de Cristo founded a number of social ministries to the community, such as medical clinics, after school care, nutrition programs, and self-development programs. These ministries have served thousands of children and adults over the years. In 2006 these programs were suspended as our board of directors considered how to secure long-term funding for the projects and to ensure that the ministry was addressing the concerns of the Mexican Presbyterian Church, while making use of the gifts that they have to offer. In 2007 the after school tutoring program and nutrition program were reinstated, with the board of directors and local church leaders working to ensure that the gifts of both churches are affirmed and utilized.
In 2006, the Presbytery of Tamaulipas invited Puentes de Cristo mission teams to consider serving churches in the interior of Mexico. While Tamaulipas Presbytery remains grateful for the continued ministry here at the border, there are many churches throughout the Presbytery that are eager to work together with Presbyterians from the United States. We have led several trips to the interior with mission teams, and we are looking forward to continuing this ministry on a greater scale.
What We Do
At Puentes de Cristo, we seek to bring mission teams from the US and church leaders from Mexico together to serve our God. We work with leaders from the visiting and host churches to plan a week of experiences that bring both churches closer to God and to each other. The itineraries for our mission teams vary according to the teams' priorities and the needs of the Mexican communities, but we try to incorporate the following elements into our mission experiences:
Service to God and to one another
- Construction and renovation
- Disaster relief
- Vacation Bible school
Christian fellowship and education
- Joining in worship
- Bible study and devotion
- Sharing meals together
Education and Enrichment
- Dicussions with Border Patrol Officers
- Talks with workers' rights advocates
- Visits to Rio Grande Valley cultural sites
- Firsthand experience of life along the border
As a staff, we work hard to make sure that the churches share a fruitful visit. Groups working in or near Reynosa are invited to stay in our dormitory, which has men's and women's dorms, a kitchen, and use of the courtyard for worship and devotion.
Historically, we have focused our work in Reyonsa and nearby towns, but we are now expanding our ministry to the entire Presbytery of Tamaulipas, which includes most of northeastern Mexico. We invite US churches to consider the opportunities God has in store for you in these communities.
How You Can Help
Puentes de Cristo's ministry is supported entirely through the donations of individuals, churches, and presbyteries (we don’t receive grants from the Presbyterian Church (USA) or the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico). We hope you will consider ways in which you and your church can be involved in making our ministry here possible!
We welcome donations that support whatever the ministry's most pressing needs may be, but those donors who want to support a specific ministry of Puentes de Cristo, or who want a tangible reminder of where their support is going should take a look at the Alternative Gift Market. The Presbyterian Border Ministry alternative gift market gives you a chance to designate your gift towards a specific need of the ministry. For more information, call or email Micaela Reznicek at (210) 299-5011 or info@presbyterianborderministry.org.
If you feel called to support our ministry, here are some of the ways you can help:
- Join us: Experience the joy of working with brothers and sisters in Mexico to meet the needs that their church and community faces. We gladly welcome participants of all ages throughout the year. Contact our office if you would like more information on serving in Mexico through Puentes de Cristo.
- Donate: Our work planning mission teams does not come without costs. Since our participants are already giving of their time to come visit, and of their money to fund their work in Mexico, we only pass on about 10% of our administrative costs to our groups. Your donation helps make these trips a possibility for many participants, especially youth.
- Prayer: In prayer, we not only ask for God's help, but are able to feel a greater connection to those that we pray with and those that we pray for. We hope that you will remember Puentes de Cristo and the people we serve with in your prayers. If you would be interested in a weekly update of prayer requests from Puentes De Cristo, please contact our office.
Contact Us:
We would be glad to speak with you about opportunities to work with us in mission, ways you can support our ministry, or just to tell you more about our ministry's work. If you would like us to be in touch, please give us a cal, or send us an email!
Puentes Office:
PO Box 1499
Hidalgo, TX 78557
Telephone: 956.843.7277
Fax: 956.843.7279
Andres and Gloria Garcia , US Coordinators
Email: puentes.usc@gmail.com
Position Vacant, Mexico Coordinator
Julie Gonzalez, Secretary
Email: puentesdecristo@gmail.com
ECO#867507
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