Ministry Spotlight: Thompson Station Church Partnership – Mazatlán, Mexico
Thompson Station Church (“TSC”), located just outside of Nashville, Tennessee, has a unique partnership with a church in Mazatlán, Mexico. Alongside longtime missionaries Joe and Laurie Pacheco, TSC has been sending teams down to Mazatlán and partnering with Spirit and Truth Church for over 15 years. The Pachecos have been serving as the lead pastors of Spirit and Truth Church for over 35 years. Spirit and Truth is one of the healthiest and most fruitful churches in Mazatlán, with three campuses located throughout the city. Over the course of this partnership, TSC missions teams comprised of both youth and adults have been going to Mazatlán for spring breaks, fall breaks, and summer trips. Because of the long-standing nature of this partnership and the resulting relationships built in the process, TSC has been able to play a part in some amazing things God has been doing both in the church and in the wider city.
This past November, Thompson Station Church sent a small team of staff and volunteers back down to Mazatlán who have been there previously and have established relationships with the staff and members of Spirit and Truth Church. The sole purpose of this trip was to encourage and uplift the pastors and leaders of Spirit and Truth. Like most churches, they have had their fair share of ups and downs over the last two years as they have ridden the roller coaster of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic and the shifting nature of all that has been involved with it have made ministry very challenging for Spirit and Truth. This trip was special planned and intentionally designed by TSC and Spirit and Truth. TSC and Spirit and truth conducted several different types of trainings to uplift and encourage both the staff and the church as a whole. Truly, the entire trip was centered on encouragement and fellowship.
One of Spirit and Truth’s main needs prior to this trip was to obtain various technical repairs and upgrades so as to better serve their community through audio, video, lighting, and live streaming capabilities. TSC was able to provide financially for these needs and also brought members of their tech team down to Mazatlán in order to repair and install some much-needed equipment. One key piece of equipment that TSC brought to the church was a brand-new soundboard.
Unbeknownst to the TSC team members, this specific piece of equipment had been a longtime prayer request and need for Spirit and Truth. During installation of the soundboard, Spirit and Truth’s lead tech, Raul, told the TSC team that God had given him a dream some months back that this soundboard would be coming! Spirit and Truth did not know at the time where it would come from, and they definitely did not know that TSC had been planning to bring a soundboard on their next trip. Spirit and Truth simply trusted that God would provide. This specifically-answered prayer is just one of the many blessings TSC and Spirit and Truth have shared together in ministry.
Thompson Station Church’s Production/Tech Pastor, Kevin Barger, serves TSC in the AV and Tech area. Kevin has been to Mazatlán 4 times and has developed a strong relationship with the tech team there by leading previous trainings, preaching, and serving alongside them during services. Kevin had the joy of both installing this new soundboard and training the team on how to use it. The whole experience was made even sweeter by how it happened—the whole thing was a completely unexpected blessing from God. The entire tech team was encouraged spiritually by the experience and was reminded once again that God sees them and is faithful in all that He does.
“Over the years I have really been able to connect with the tech team at Spirit and Truth. I have watched them grow spiritually and I have seen the passion they have for serving their church with technology and media. It was an awesome experience to see their eyes light up when I brought the new soundboard. Spirit and Truth, as well as other churches like it, have the talent and ability to use technology and media at a high level; they simply need financial partnership & training from those of us who are able to help.”– Kevin Barger, TSC Production & Tech Pastor
You can check out all of TSC’s missions initiatives, trips, and partnerships here. Changing lives by serving those who serve is why we do what we do, and we are so proud to partner with Thompson Station Church and play a small role in equipping them to help change lives in both their neighborhood and the nations.