The Time is Now: Calvary Chapel South America Hosts First Missions Conference
Photos by Vanessa Gallo and Salomon Vasquez unless otherwise noted
Pastors throughout the South American continent—and beyond—responded to God’s call to gather at the first Calvary Chapel South America Missions Conference last November hosted by Calvary Bible Institute (CBI) Peru and Calvary Trujillo, Peru. Over 300 pastors and leaders came from not only South America but all over the world, some crossing the Andes Mountains on a three-day journey from Bolivia, by canoe from the jungles of the Amazon, and even from Germany and the Philippines.
Excited to gather for the first-ever Calvary Chapel South America Missions Conference at Calvary Trujillo, Peru, ladies from Peru and Columbia hold up their “The Time is Now” (Ya Es Hora) programs.
It was Calvary Trujillo Pastor Cory Kilgus’ heart to inspire church leaders, bringing them together for a time of fellowship and edification. Under Peru’s strict COVID-related restrictions for the last two years, many churches in Peru have been unable to meet for months. On October 31, however, these were lifted—just in time for the conference.
The excitement was palpable as pastors and leaders, unable to meet prior to the pandemic, greeted one another with great joy. They came to worship Jesus and intently seek His direction for how to fulfill the “Great Commission” He gave His disciples 2,000 years ago.
Pastor Ronny Breen of Horizon Christian Fellowship in Harrisonburg, VA, involved with CBI Peru from its beginning, observed, “The Spirit of the Lord is moving, bringing brothers and sisters together from everywhere for such a time as this. The time is now in South America.”
Pastor Cory Kilgus of Calvary Bible Institute (CBI) Peru welcomes pastors and leaders from more than 10 different countries to the conference. “The CC Missions Conference in South America was the result of unceasing prayer, hard work, and much grace, but it set evangelism afire in the hearts of all who attended,” Cory said.
The Great Commission
Pastor Trent Douglass of Calvary Chapel Saving Grace in Yorba Linda, CA, opened the conference with a teaching on the purpose of the Church—in order to stir attendees up for missions and to influence the next generation of young people. With Pastor Hugo Limon of Calvary Culiacan, Mexico, exhorting the pastors towards church planting, and Pastor Luis Sanchez of Calvary Chapel Antigua, Guatemala, showing the need for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, there was a sense that God was truly speaking—and that He was going to impact the whole continent.
Trent declared, “This conference has been a fulfillment of a vision of all these South American churches uniting not only for fellowship and gathering, but to be stirred up for the Great Commission. I feel like it has really empowered the people to go back to their churches with a new, fresh zeal for the work of the ministry.”
Pastor Trent Douglass (right) of CC Saving Grace, Yorba Linda, CA, speaks during a session, teaching those in attendance about the purpose of the Church. “This conference has been a fulfillment of a vision of all these South American churches uniting not only for fellowship and gathering, but to be stirred up for the Great Commission,” he declared.
Tony Reyes, pastor of Calvary Chapel Tagaytay City and director of CBI Luzon, both in the Philippines, shared how this conference confirmed what the Lord has been teaching him for many years. He was amazed to see so many people, especially young people, respond to the call of God to go make disciples and become missionaries and pastors. The conference was filled with people of all ages, but many were young adults. Pastor Jorge Chavez of Calvary Chapel Mahanaim Santiago, Chile, saw this as an answer to his longtime prayer for an influx of young people with hearts on fire for the Lord.
Pastors from all over the world pray over Pastor Angel Yamarte and his wife Yeni as they are sent out to plant Calvary Buenos Aires in Trujillo, Peru. The Yemartes are refugees from Venezuela who were the first students at CBI Peru. Photo by Ronny Breen
From Refugee to Church Planter
The highlight of the three-day weekend conference occurred when all pastors came together to lay hands on and ordain Angel Yamarte, a new pastor in the CC movement. Angel and his wife fled Venezuela almost five years ago, landing at Calvary Trujillo where they were discipled by Cory and his wife Danielle as the first students at CBI Peru. Now a pastor, Angel taught at Calvary Trujillo as part of a “special sending” Sunday after the conference, expressing how Cory—like Paul to Timothy—exhorted him to preach the Word, knowing this was his calling. The Yamartes, along with a nine-member team, are now being sent to plant another church in Peru.
Brian Vander Kodde, pastor of Koinonia Calvary Chapel in Lima, Peru, testified of the conference, “It’s about going forward, planting churches, and changing the world for Jesus. It’s all about Jesus and His kingdom.”
Holy Spirit Gathers & Sends
Conference participants were inspired to “find the niche that God has called them to” by evangelists Ryan Ries and The Whosoevers of CC Golden Springs, CA. Relaying what God has been doing throughout schools in Mexico, Ryan emphasized that God will do the same in their countries through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Cory prays over a conference attendee during the event. “The Spirit of the Lord is moving, bringing brothers and sisters together from everywhere for such a time as this. The time is now in South America,” observed Pastor Ronny Breen of Horizon Christian Fellowship in Harrisonburg, VA.
Heartfelt worship permeated the conference as the seemingly disparate group worshiped the Lord in unity and purity. Feeling the Holy Spirit move upon them, people were drawn forward to pray with the pastors after a dynamic time of teaching and fellowship. There were many tears as God broke through to people’s hearts, calling them to follow Him and be part of His work on earth.
Pastor Lucho Garcia of Calvary Chapel Gracia in Lima, Peru, described the conference as coming “from the heart.” He shared, “People gathering from all the nations was a move of the Holy Spirit. I have been talking to people; this conference is going to change things and be a point of inflection for South America.”
Pastor Ronny Breen pointed out, “You could feel, sense, and see the Holy Spirit moving and stirring in everyone’s hearts. We are in the Last Days; it is so important that we go out into the world and share the love and hope that is found only in Jesus Christ.”
Two young ladies from Calvary Trujillo, Peru, and CBI Peru enjoy fellowship during an outdoor break. The conference was filled with young people, hearts on fire for the Lord, responding to the call of God to go make disciples and become missionaries and pastors.
Inspired by the conference, the pastor from the Amazon is now going deeper into the jungle—a three-day journey to share the Gospel with unreached tribes. The vision, in connection with Calvary Trujillo, is to plant a church next year in Jungle City, the hub of commerce for tribes in the Amazon.
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1
The diversity of fellowship was symbolized by flags of many nations hanging from the rafters and cultural foods prepared by pastors and leaders from various countries: from arepas, a South American crispy cornmeal cake, to Brazilian pizza, a thin-crusted pie smothered with wide-ranging Brazilian ingredients and cheese. This lent to the overwhelming atmosphere of excitement as the attendees witnessed people coming from all over the world to serve the Lord together.
“I’m so thankful that God permitted me to be a part of the conference. I am still on fire after what God did at the conference! I am absolutely in agreement that the time is now for Latin America. Personally, God spoke to me in such an intense way,” exclaimed Leo Gimenez, pastor of Calvary Chapel La Vid in Mendoza, Argentina.
Churches in Peru were unable to meet for months due to strict COVID-related restrictions. The ban was lifted October 31, 2022, just in time for enthusiastic attendees to greet each other at the conference.
Fruit of the Gospel
Post-conference comments indicated that many believed God is moving in Latin America. Pastors left deeply convinced that God was calling them to fulfill the Great Commission, make disciples, and plant Bible-teaching churches throughout South America and the world. Excited to see the fruit of the Gospel in the coming years, Pastor Cory said, “I believe this conference is going to set the continent on fire for Jesus and the Great Commission. There is going to be fruit for years to come because of what God did this weekend.”
Ronny wrote to Cory after the conference, “This past week was one of those moments in my life that I will never forget. So much fruit!”
Cory expressed, “The CC Missions Conference in South America was the result of unceasing prayer, hard work, and much grace, but it set evangelism afire in the hearts of all who attended.” Many pastors testified that God is moving in a fresh way and that the Church in South America is ready to expand despite its many challenges.
Pastor Kevin Vander Kodde shared, “I had this desire to see Calvary Chapel in Latin America have a vision to plant churches. There wasn’t this vision before, but through this conference, many pastors are getting the vision.” He continued, however, with a warning: “What’s coming will be hard because [of] the enemy attacks, but it will also be amazing because we are going to win Latin America for Christ.”
Cory concluded, “In the darkest of times, the Church always shines the brightest. Now is the time for men and women of faith, filled with the Holy Spirit, to courageously rise up and fulfill the Great Commission—and it is happening in South America.”
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Learn more about:
• Calvary Trujillo, Peru at calvarytrujillo.com
• Calvary Bible Institute Peru at calvaryperu.com
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Sponsor Message: Saving Grace World Missions’ vision is to reach the “unreached” (those who have never heard the Gospel) with the saving news of Jesus Christ.
© 2023 Calvary Chapel Magazine (CCM). All rights reserved. Articles or photographs may not be reproduced without the written permission of CCM. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.® Used by permission.
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