From the email desk of Missionary T.Wynn Drost - General Superintendent UPC of Mexico
THE MEGA-CITY WITH THE MOST UPCI, JESUS' NAME, PENTECOSTALS IN THE WORLD! NOW, OVER 7,000 BAPTIZED BELIEVERS! *
MEXICO CITY ANNUAL MINISTERS' CONFERENCE. We have 28 Districts in the UPC of Mexico, and during the months of January and February of each year we have all of Annual Ministers' Conferences in each District throughout the country. It means a lot of traveling for us, since we go to all of them (as the General Superintendent of the UPC of Mexico) and chair in each District Ministers' Assembly. But, those more than 8,900 miles aren't as tiresome when it means seeing and being part of the revival blessing that is taking place in this country. During each District Assembly, aside from the election of each Districts' officers (including each District Supervisor or Superintendent) we also collect and verify the statistics for each District.
THE CENTRAL DISTRICT is the largest (statistically, not geographically) of all the Districts, and we had our Annual Central District Conference on Saturday, January 7, 2012. The Central District encompasses Mexico City, which has a population of over 22 million people. It is no longer the largest city in the world, but is now in third place.
Above is a picture of the Central District Pastors and their wives, in one of the services on the 7th of January. Aside from this annual Conference, we have monthly Ministers' meetings, each first Monday night of the month. It is always a tremendously exciting time where the Pastors report baptized, filled with the Holy Spirit during the former month, besides any new Churches, missions or miracles!
Pictured above is a banquet type meal that the Ladies of the Central District provided and set up, with 296 present - which included Pastors, their wife and children.
STATISTICS: Each year, in every District, we collect a Census, which is included in the each District's Annual Report to their District Assembly. In the Central District we now have:
104 Pastors in this mega-city, with close to 100 Churches and Missions.
We now have over 7,000 solid faithful baptized believers.
Pictured above is our CENTRAL DISTRICT BOARD. Besides being the General Superintendent of the UPC of Mexico, I am also the Central District Supervisor - elected by the Pastors in this District to that position. I also pastor in this city. To my right (in the middle) is Brother Alberto Gutierrez, the Central District Secretary. He pastors two Churches with over 500 baptized believers between the two. To my left is Brother Gustavo Aldana, the Central District Treasurer, also pastoring (he is also a top executive of Colgate-Palmolive, here in Mexico). The rest are all Sectional Presbyters, voted on and elected by the Central District Pastors.
As a note of interest, on the far left front row (beige suit) is Brother Filogonio Zapata (Presbyter) who pastors two different churches in the city. He is the grandson of a very famous General during the 1910 Revolution here in Mexico, whose name was Emiliano Zapata.
*MEGA-CITIES. A mega-city is one that has a population of over 10 million people. In a recent United Nations report, the five largest mega-cities in the world are: Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Bombay, Dhaka, and Delhi. Mexico City (by far!) is the one with the most UPCI, Jesus' Name, Pentecostals. We are very thankful to the Lord for that. Although, the first United Pentecostal Church in this city was started in 1991 - not that long ago. We are experiencing revival! To God Be The Glory!
We cherish and appreciate your prayers for continued revival in this mega-city!
Rev. T.W.Drost - General Superintendent UPC of Mexicowww.ipumex.net (011-521) 55-5438 1013 cell phone