Greetings in Christ Jesus,
We pray that you and your family are truly blessed. These last few months have been exciting as the Jubilee Church plant continues to grow and mature. Our team in the Pachuca Project rejoices that the Lord gives us the privilege to be a part of His ministry in Mexico.
You might notice that we have a new logo! We also have an exciting transition to announce. On January 1 2010, IMPACTO Latino will become a ministry under the umbrella of New Mission Systems International. The Board of IMPACTO Latino, along with the missionaries, have been in discussions with NMSI for over a year. IMPACTO’s Board of Directors approved this transition at its meeting on November 14, 2009.
The IMPACTO Latino Board will move to the role of Advisory Board for the Alvarado, Duggins and Greer families and for the National Ministry Workers, Jorge and Juanita Del Angel. The IMPACTO Board will continue to be counselors and accountability partners for us and our projects.
There are some wonderful blessings for the ministry of IMPACTO and it’s missionaries in moving to NMSI:
- NMSI has a effective support staff that will help with newsletters and other promotional needs.
- The financial staff of NMSI will take over deposits and receipting of funds, moving from the volunteer system that has been administrating our financial area. (The treasurer of IMPACTO had indicated that as he approaches retirement a transition would be needed.)
- The projects of IMPACTO will also have a wider potential donor base as NMSI promotes special projects to a broad audience.
- As new families are added to the IMPACTO’s ministries and projects, they will have had effective pre-field training and assessment by the NMSI process of affiliation.
- The families of IMPACTO will now be covered under the NMSI group insurance program. Medical insurance covering our families in the United States and in Mexico had become a major challenge but will now be covered worldwide under the NMSI group policy.
- NMSI has a high priority for community and missionary care and our missionary team will have resources and the counsel of experienced mentors. Eric & Dee Duggins, as missionaries of almost 30 years experience, have been invited to participate in NMSI mentoring program in Latin America.
Though this transition does mean adjustments in several areas for the IMPACTO missionaries, it does not mean a change of vision and focus. The Pachuca Project will continue its church planting projects and church planting will remain the priority of the missionaries and National Ministry Workers who are part of the project.
The missionaries of IMPACTO will continue to be dependent on your prayers and your financial support. Each family will have to work to add support partners to cover community responsibilities that will be part of NMSI, so we are grateful for your faithful partnership with us. Starting in January 2010 we would ask that you send all financial support to the following address:
Checks can be made to: NMSI
Mailing Address: New Mission Systems International • P.O. Box 547 • Fort Myers, FL 33902
In the memo part of the check or in a note that accompanies the check, please indicate the family or project you are giving to in a way similar to:
IMPACTO – Alvarado Family
IMPACTO – Del Angel Family
IMPACTO – Duggins Family
IMPACTO – Greer Family
IMPACTO – Jubilee Land Purchase
This will make sure that the contributions are credited to the correct accounts. Contributions will be receipted by NMSI. NMSI is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, a member of ECFA, and has Charity Navigator’s highest rating.
If you have questions, you can contact NMSI directly at 239-337-4336 and ask for the financial area. Also, Marvin and Elaine Schultz, Treasurer of IMPACTO Latino, would be available to also answer any questions during this transition period at 317-578-2005 (afternoon and evening). Of course, you are welcome to contact us directly if you have any questions. Please remember that the IMPACTO Latino website will continue to function and this information will be available there at impactolatino.org and you may also want to check out the New Mission Systems International website at nmsi.org.
We are grateful for the partnership we have with you and we excited at what we are doing together in Pachuca, Mexico.
In Christ Jesus,
Sergio & Holly Alvarado
Eric & Dee Duggins
Luke & Lindsay Greer
The Pachuca Project Team
State of Hidalgo, MEXICO
The Vision of the Pachuca Project is to have five dynamic cell churches in metro area of Pachuca. The second congregation, Jubilee Christian Church, began in February 2007. The Jubilee Church Planting Team has a wonderful mix of gifts and personalities that is participating in the Lord’s ministry to develop a loving and growing congregation in this dynamic Latin American city.
Jorge and Juanita
Jorge and Juanita Del Angel are National Ministry Workers with IMPACTO Latino and Jorge serves as a preaching Elder and Pastor with the Jubilee congregation. Jorge & Juanita are also Zone Pastors for the Family Cells and participate in the leading of Family Cells.
Eric and Dee
Eric and Dee Duggins are Missionaries with IMPACTO Latino and Eric also serves as an Elder at the Jubilee church. He also shares the preaching responsibilities in the congregation. Eric & Dee are also Zone Pastors in the Family Cells and also lead Family Cells in the city. Eric and Dee are the Field Coordinators for the IMPACTO team in Pachuca.
Sergio and Holly
Sergio and Holly Alvarado are Missionaries with IMPACTO Latino and joined the church planting team in December 2007. They were installed as the Zone Pastors of the Youth Cells after mentoring under Jorge & Juanita Del Angel and will lead the Jubilee Church in Youth and University outreaches ministries.
Luke and Lindsay
Luke and Lindsay Greer have been missionaries to Latin America since 2002 and joined Impacto Latino’s Pachuca Project in 2008. Currently, they serve in the Jubilee church plant — one of several plants in the Metro Pachuca area. They are part of the family cell (small group) ministry. Also, they serve with developing outreaches in a new area of Pachuca called “Providencia”. Luke also serves with the development of training for the Cell Pastors of the Jubilee church plant.
THE NAME
“Pachuca” probably comes from the Nahuatl word Pachoaca or Pachoacan, meaning “place of the rulers” or “narrow place”; it may also come from the word Patlachiuhacan, which means “place of silver and gold.” The official name of the city is Pachuca de Soto in honor of Deputy Manuel Fernando Soto, who was one of the founders of the state
HISTORY
Pre-Columbian Pachuca de Soto was inhabited by several indigenous groups including settlements connected with the Teotihuacán and Tula cultures. The Aztecs were the last to govern the region conquering the area in 1438. In 1528 the Spanish conquerors invaded and destroyed the Ixcóatl population. The origin of the name “Pachuca” is not certain but most likely comes from Nahoas Pachoaca or Pachoacan which means “the place of governing”; and it could also have its origin from Patlachiuhacan which means, “place of silver and gold” a name that also fits the legends about Pachuca which said that silver and gold could be picked up off the valley floor.
The first Spaniards to arrive in the region were Francisco Téllez and Gonzalo Rodríguez who built the first feudal type haciendas and began the first mine called the “Real de Minas de Pachuca.” Later the mine passed to the Sotomayor Family and later to Don Antonio de la Cadena.
The mining development of Pachuca began in serious about 1555, when Bartolomé de Medina invented the amalgamacia system which greatly benefited the mines. In the 18th Century, the Conde de Regla, Pedro Romero de Terreros, brought to life the mine Real del Monte, after finding rich new veins of silver that gave Pachuca an extraordinary growth period.
Although the prosperity and long history of Pachuca might make one believe that the city is full of colonial monuments similar to other great mining cities like Guanajuato and Taxco, however, this is not the case. The reason for the lack of development was its proximity to the capital of the nation, Mexico City. The rich miners preferred to live in Mexico City, leaving Pachuca only as a source of their wealth. Another reason Pachuca developed differently was the purity of its silver which was some of the purest in the world. Because of its high quality, the silver was used in Mints and therefore Pachuca never developed a tradition of silversmiths that have made other cities famous.
In 1869, Benito Juárez created the State of Hidalgo, and designated Pachuca as the capital of the new state. The official name of the city is Pachuca de Soto in honor of the congressman Manuel Fernando Soto who negotiated the creation of the State of Hidalgo. In 1923, Pachuca was one of the first cities in Mexico connected to Mexico City by regular Air Mail service.
THE CITY TODAY
Over the last years Pachuca has seen extensive growth, especially since the 1985 Mexico City earthquake. Pachuca and its surrounding urban areas are reaching 1.5 million inhabitants and are connected to Mexico City by a four lane toll road. Pachuca is therefore becoming a “bedroom community” for Mexico City as there are many who live in Pachuca and work in its larger neighbor. In the next few years the growth of Pachuca could be significant as the state government continues to work to bring small to mid-sized industries to its Capital city.
PACHUCA PROJECT VIDEO
