Winterim on the Border

Originally known as ‘El Paso del Norte’ or the Pass of the North, modern day El Paso was first colonized by Spanish explorers. Refugees from conflicts, revolts, and wars have made the area a true gem of multi-culturalism. Tigua Indians, Spanish colonists, cowboys, and convicts all co-mingled to give El Paso its unique cultural and economic make-up.

Portions of El Paso lie directly on the border of both Mexico and New Mexico, marked by the beautiful statue on Mt. Cristo Rey (Christ the King).

Border Economy

Today, El Paso is a thriving community enjoying a blend of cultures with its sister city - Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The two cities form a metropolitan area with a population of over 2 million. It is a major distribution and manufacturing center generating $20 billion annually in trade between the United States and Mexico. Thousands of people cross the border every day for work, school, and recreation.

Fort Bliss covers approximately 1.12 million acres of land across Texas and New Mexico, about the same size as the state of Rhode Island, making it the largest military base in the continental United States. The vast desert surrounding El Paso allows Fort Bliss to conduct live fire exercises of nearly every type of weapon in the U.S. Army arsenal. Thousands of troops cycle into and out of the greater El Paso area each year – offering great opportunities for reaching out to the unchurched.

Living Water in the Desert

Three WELS churches serve the greater El Paso area and one mission congregation is in Ciudad Juárez. Trinity Lutheran was founded in 1969. It is the military contact church and also serves citizens living in the northeast. Beautiful Savior has ministered to El Pasoans on the west side since 1980. Christ our Redeemer in far east El Paso was founded in 2002 as the result of a merger of two former congregations - Victory in Christ and San Juan. Both Christ Our Redeemer and Beautiful Savior still receive some form of home mission support as they reach out to the lost on the border.

Located on a scenic desert vista in west El Paso, Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church reaches out to its neighbors with the living water in Word, sacrament, and a preschool program. The Little Lambs preschool has 18 students who regularly learn about their Savior Jesus as well as their ABCs.

Pastor Aaron Schultz, assigned to Beautiful Savior in 2006, has worked to incorporate forward-thinking outreach programs into his ministry plan. As a part of this strategy, Beautiful Savior received grants from the District Mission Board and the Board for Home Missions through the Lutheran Women's Missionary Society to cover expenses for nine seminary students to assist with an outreach blast and ministry brainstorm in January. As part of the students’ Winterim course, “Alternatives to Urban Outreach,” the men distributed 5,000 door hangers, handed out 600 brochures, and made numerous contacts and visits.

“We made a lot of contact with the community, giving law and gospel presentations whenever we were able,” said student Matthew Westra. “One of the most rewarding things was seeing the eight visitors in church on the following Sunday because God used our flyers or our witness to bring them in the door. When you spend an entire week knocking on doors, you're not sure how God is going to bless your efforts, but through his grace he brought those people into contact with the gospel at Beautiful Savior.”

In addition to working with prospects, the students brainstormed with Pastor Schultz regarding ministry focus and direction. Student Doug Lange felt, “It was challenging to formulate a mission plan that was beneficial for the people at Beautiful Savior while taking into account the hurdles they face as a congregation with manpower and financial limitations.”

After compiling their research and suggestions, the students made a presentation to members of the congregation and the council highlighting their activities and what they saw as opportunities for future work. “It is important to get the members involved in this process. I would 110% recommend this to other home mission congregations,” Schultz said. “The manpower help is a big boost.”

While the support that the students give local pastors and congregations is beneficial, the experience is also invaluable for the students themselves. Winterim travel experiences like this one expand students’ exposure to the work and the circumstances that may lie in their future and better prepare them to serve in a variety of settings. Pastor Schultz agrees, “All of us want the best for these men in their ministries. This opportunity helps them prepare for what is ahead and makes them more comfortable talking to people about their faith and thinking outside of the traditional ministry box.”

The students quickly learned that “not every church is simply a smaller version of Midwest congregations. Each city, region, and congregation has its own unique challenges and opportunities.”

They also had a chance to do some hiking in the beautiful Franklin Mountains that run north and south dividing El Paso in half from the border of New Mexico to the Mexican border. And they sampled local food, shopping, and culture as they took a day trip to Juarez. Westra marveled, “It cost us just 65 cents to cross the border, but what amazed me was the massive amount of people crossing that border every day, living in one town and working in the other.”
If the goal of Winterim is to complement the coursework and instruction that they receive on campus, then students’ time in El Paso was well spent.

“This experience will benefit me in my future ministry because we were able to see a very different type of community in which God has given us the opportunity to do mission work. Having seen how gracious our God is, we were encouraged not only to share our love with others but to press on in our studies here at the seminary.” –Matthew Westra