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Members of Brooks UMC complete mission to Mexico

In July, a group of 18 members of Brooks United Methodist Church headed for Monterrey, Mexico, to help finish construction on a building which would serve as a clinic and nutritional center for the “cardboard” community of Santa Rosa. Residents of the community live in homes made of cement blocks, shipping pallets, cardboard and tarps. The streets are unpaved and there is no plumbing.

The group was participating in a mission with nine other churches in north Georgia and one in Apodaca, Mexico, under the auspices of SERV Ministries International, an association that works in conjunction with Bishop Raul Ganzales of the Methodist Church of Mexico. SERV is attempting to establish and build church facilities in underprivileged areas for the purpose of worship and community development.

The program is based on a mutual relationship between the church in Georgia and the church in Mexico.

Although their building goal was to put the roof on the worship-nutritional center, their primary task was another thing entirely, according to the Rev.Steve Schofield, spokesperson for the Brooks group.

“Our primary task was to build relationships with the people in the Santa Rosa community,” Schofield said, “and to be a witness for Jesus Christ.”

Throughout the week, the group arose early and worked from 6 a.m. until 2 or 3 p.m. After lunch and a siesta, they returned to the site to host a Bible school for some 60-100 children in the community.

“Although most of our group could not communicate with words, love and compassion were more than adequate to communicate,” Schofield said. “I was reminded of the oft-quoted maxim of Francis of Assisi, ‘Preach the gospel always; if necessary, use words.’ By our final day in Mexico we had built unforgettable relationships and raised the roof.”

“We truly felt the presence of Christ in the midst of the gatherings we had under the new roof,” Schofield said. “We thank God for providing this opportunity to participate in His kingdom-building work in this world.”