Mariachi San Pablo plays for the Thanksgiving Service at San Pablo Lutheran Church, where it was founded in 2001

For close to forty years, San Pablo Lutheran Church has been a place of generosity, service, mission, and ministry under the shepherding of Rev Dr. Karl Heimer. “Our first year here, we surveyed our community to find out what their needs were,” he likes to explain when asked about San Pablo’s beginnings, “It’s how we began the food distribution and thrift shop, which are still going strong.”

In 2001, Mariachi San Pablo and the Adelante Ministries were born, coming out of music ministry done at San Pablo for outreach purposes. Free classes were offered for voice, piano, trumpet, guitar, and violin, and high school students were recruited to join Mariachi San Pablo. “San Pablo’s music ministry became an effective vehicle for outreach and sharing the Gospel,” Rev. Stephen Heimer, co-founder of Mariachi San Pablo, explained, “Some of our musicians became believers, others went on to do church work or become church leaders.”

Children’s Bible Time takes place the hour before San Pablo’s bilingual service starts

It wasn’t until 2005 when Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care (YLM) was established officially as a religiously recognized non-profit organization with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Thanks to the foundation and building blocks set in place by San Pablo Lutheran Church, YLM now works with multiple churches, organizations, and individuals on both sides of the border to help change lives through simple acts of kindness.

Despite the struggles brought on by the pandemic, San Pablo continues to labor in love and faithfully serve those who come through its doors. This small church has been impacted by the effects of the pandemic, just as many churches have, but the congregation works together to move forward, trusting God will provide the people and the resources to help grow their family in Christ.

Children’s messages have helped bring God’s Word to children in a way they will understand

Bible studies were started in the middle of the summer and prayers to for re-establishing a children’s ministry becoming plans. Members of the church worked together to remodel the back room of the church, which once served as a nursery but was being used as storage. Out of town volunteers helped clean, sand, and repaint the walls, and new flooring was put in thanks to tile donations received from the Orphan Grain Train.

The first children’s message in over a year was given to a sanctuary full of adults on August 22^nd, and on the next Sunday, one child was there. Now, three to five children are in attendance on Sunday mornings and receive God’s Word at their level through these children messages and the Children’s Bible Time prior to the service.

The Woman’s Group started meeting in mid-August, doing devotions and working together to make beautiful banners for Reformation Sunday and Advent. Confirmation consisted of six teenagers who worked together to fulfill several service projects, from going to downtown El Paso to give out water and sandwiches to making Christmas cards to give to those who came to the Christmas Eve service. All six teens were confirmed in November.

San Pablo youth giving out water and sandwiches in downtown El Paso

A new vicar, Alex Escarcega, was installed in late October, and the forming of groups to help at the church, such as Ushers and a new choir, is underway. Prayer Time, which happens the first Sunday of every month, has given people an opportunity to gather together for a time of prayer and meditation. “It was such a peaceful time,” Jeanette, Pastor Heimer’s wife, shared after the first Prayer Time, “To be able to be still and quiet, to come together with my brothers and sisters as we bring our praise, thanksgiving, and needs in prayer to our Father was truly a blessing for me.”

Children re-enact the Nativity Story for San Pablo’s Christmas Eve service

For the Christmas celebrations, these wonderful people came together to provide buñuelos, hot chocolate, tamales, and champurrado for all who attended both the posada and the Christmas Eve service. Funds were donated to purchase a piñata and candy for the kids, and even small gifts were wrapped and given to the children who helped with the pastorela on Christmas Eve.

“We’re growing,” Pastor Heimer explained with a smile, “Maybe not in the way most people think of growing, as in numbers, but here we have people stepping out in faith. There are new ushers, people coming together to reach out to visitors, Bible studies forming, teenagers helping acolyte. It’s a joy to see God moving within our congregation and out into our community.”

As the 2021 year comes to an end, San Pablo Lutheran Church continues to step out in faith, trusting God will provide, for their forty-year history is evidence of this truth.