Pastor Benito was installed, Pastor Piepkorn (Faint in Christ Lutheran Church in NM), along with Pastor Heimer (San Pablo Lutheran Church, TX), installed Pastor Benito

October 4^th, 2020 was a day of celebration and new beginnings at San Pablo Lutheran Church, the El Paso mission-church partner to Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care (YLM).  Through San Pablo, and with the facilitating help of YLM, God’s love and Word is being shared to the communities of El Paso and Juarez.  One this day, a new addition to San Pablo’s ministry team, Pastor John Benito Morejón, was installed as Associate Pastor of San Pablo Lutheran Church.

Pastor Benito, as everyone calls him, first came to know about YLM and San Pablo five years ago, when an influx of Cuban refugees into El Paso made the news.  YLM became a place of hospitality, education, and assistance to upwards of 1,000 Cubans, and for a couple of weeks during those summer months, Pastor Benito, then a seminary student, spent a couple of weeks helping the YLM staff with the care and support of the refugees calling YLM their temporary home.

Pastor Benito played as the San Pablo Choir sang a beautiful bilingual edition of “I, the Lord, of Sea and Sky”

“It was seeing the service the Ysleta people were dedicated to that had me wanting to come back,” Pastor Benito shared during a planning session, “I didn’t grow up Lutheran, and although the doctrine is pure and the liturgy is beautiful, it was the heart of service shown by so many Lutheran people, churches, and places like Ysleta, which had me become more interested in the Lutheran church.”

Pastor Benito has been working within the different areas of mercy offered through YLM, from offering prayer to food basket recipients to assisting Pastor Heimer with the outreach programs, such as the YLM Radio and the Gran Comision TV segment.  He’s also been assisting with online Spanish sermons and, with San Pablo’s support, bringing the Word of God through teaching and music to La Santa Biblia in Anapra on Wednesday mornings.

Pastors Stephen Heimer (Zion Lutheran, TX), Gary Piepkorn (Faith in Christ Lutheran, NM), John Benito Morejon (San Pablo Lutheran, TX) and Dr. Karl Heimer (San Pablo Lutheran, TX)

“I love to teach God’s Word to others. The call to preach God’s Word was something I’ve felt since I was a child,” he shared the second week after his arrival from Kansas City, MO, where he had been serving at Jesus El Buen Pastor Lutheran Church and Immanuel Lutheran Church in Kansas City, KS, as well as traveling as an evangelist preacher to the other churches, “I remember when I was a young boy in Cuba, I would preach to the neighborhood kids.”

His passion involves offering care to others through service, counseling, and music.  As a talented musician, he is looking forward to be of assistance to the Adelante Ministries team in developing resources and educational opportunities for children and adults.

Both Pastor Heimer and Pastor Benito are Cuban natives, opening the way for continued cross-cultural ministry through San Pablo Lutheran

“Like acts of kindness, music is an avenue where we can come into people’s lives, build relationships, and share God’s life-changing love with them,” Miguel Muñoz, Director of Mariachi San Pablo and Assistant Director for the Adelante Ministries, shared after a recording for the radio program, “I myself was not a believer when I started playing with Mariachi San Pablo back in 2001, when it was founded.  Through music, I was exposed, and through the relationships I built with the other musicians, many who were believers, I experienced and witnessed God’s love, grace, and mercy.”

As president of the San Pablo Lutheran Church Council, Miguel is part of the team who will be working alongside Pastor Heimer and Associate Pastor Benito to bring God’s Word to San Pablo’s surrounding community.

“He will be helping with San Pablo, with Adelante Ministries, and also with the Lutheran Prison Ministry,” Pastor Heimer explained prior to Pastor Benito’s arrival, “And he will be teaching and preaching.  He’s going to be a great addition to our church family.”