It's been almost 6 years since we experienced an amazing miracle at a church I pastored in Little Havana. Just a few days ago, I was facebooked by a former church member that lived the experience and whose life is now dedicated to serving God. Then today, this article came across my desk again and I said to myself, “Lord, you must want someone to hear this story again.” So I share this in hopes of sowing a seed of faith into someones heart that may need to hear this miracle of provision. Maybe you are facing an insurmountable challenge, a huge mountain stands before you, or you are in the midst of a raging storm, whatever the metaphor, I can tell you from past experience that "God answers prayer". He will see you through and your best days are still ahead of you. PS: There are other little stories attached to this miracle, which maybe one day I will put down on paper.
Small church witnesses God’s provision
Mon, 31 Jan 2005 - 12:46 PM CST
A Bible study lesson taught was a lesson learned for members of Centro Cristiano Casablanca in Miami, Florida -- God provides. Prayers concerning church finances have been miraculously answered for the church and its senior pastor, Rev. Eddie Rivero.
On January 19, 2005, the Wednesday evening service was interrupted as a group of about 300 congregants from Miami Vineyard Community Church flooded into the 200-seat sanctuary.
As the congregation of Casablanca sat looking at each other in wonder, Kevin Fischer, pastor of the thousand-member nondenominational church in the suburban Miami-Dade area, handed Rivero an offering of $57,156.25. It was a miraculous answer to prayer.
Casablanca Christian Center is an inner city Assemblies of God church planted by AG U.S. Missions as part of a program called Hispanic Project 2000. The church is located in the heart of Little Havana in Miami, where drugs, crime and vandalism are common.
Now led by Rivero, a bilingual Cuban-American, the small church holds English and Spanish services on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings to reach an area highly populated with immigrants as well as English-speaking second and third generation Hispanics.
Rivero was pastor-founder of New Life Assembly of God, an upper middle class congregation in the Miami Springs area, for nine years. He was assigned by the Peninsular Florida district to oversee Casablanca in November of 2003. The two churches joined under Casablanca’s roof located on Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street), a well-known street in Miami’s historic Little Havana, in March of the following year.
Separately each church had experienced its own share of struggles, but it was in March of 2004 that the newly-joined church was hit hard financially. Rivero reports that by the end of 2004, the church was $19,000 in the red. Rivero had not taken any money out for his own salary in three months.
However, Casablanca never stopped tithing and giving to missions. “We felt God would bring us out of our financial difficulties and that with His help we would ‘give’ our way out,” says Rivero. “God went way over what we expected Him to do.”
At the time, Fischer was preaching a series on giving and stewardship at Miami Vineyard. In the past, the church had been known for its generous offerings to churches in need.
“Pastor Fischer really felt that God was leading us to step up to the plate and do it again for an inner city church,” explains Jim Dimos, business manager at Miami Vineyard.
After much prayer, Fischer felt God leading the church definitively toward Casablanca Christian Center.
“When Kevin [Fischer] called to find out how they could help, I just asked for prayer and that is all I was expecting,” Rivero states. “I knew God would eventually pull us out of our financial problems, but I was not expecting this.”
During the second week of Fischer’s giving series, an offering was taken for Casablanca.
“It [the offering] was dramatically larger that week,” says Dimos. “There was a tremendous amount of enthusiasm in the church.”
Casablanca Associate Pastor Tony Villasuso was leading the English service on Wednesday, January 19 -- a lesson on Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides.
“My associate, not knowing how many people were outside, told them to come in,” Rivero explains. “They began slowly trickling in -- about 300.”
The church was jam-packed when Rivero arrived. Wondering what was going on, he called Fischer up to the pulpit.
“He said, ‘we are on a mission from God’ and handed me a letter,” Rivero states. “I read it and began to cry. Everyone was standing and shouting. It blew us away.”
The service ended with prayers of blessing for the churches and pastors, and the two congregations worshipped together.
Rivero says there is still a buzz going on at Casablanca Christian Center and in the community. “It has caused a stir in churches, in the city and in the media. It is a great testimony to the community about two churches from two different backgrounds.”
One un-churched community member told Rivero, “Now I know there is a God who provides.”
Miami Vineyard also saw God’s provision through their giving. “Our tithes and offerings increased 50 percent the week before and the week after the offering was taken for the Casablanca,” says Dimos. “Those additional amounts equaled what we would have normally received -- almost to the penny.”
According to Rivero, Casablanca was able to completely pay off their debt. He says they will use the rest of the money not only to help the church, but to continue their ministry of outreach to the neighborhood in providing food, clothing and other services.
“God has brought us out of a rough financial situation,” says Rivero. “He knew our need. It’s an amazing blessing.”
http://www.miamivineyard.com
http://www.eddierivero.com
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