An Abbreviated History
After graduating from seminary in 1987, Ruben Martinez moved back to South Texas to plant the church. The first worship service was held on October 16, 1987 at Gramma Trini’s (Pastor Ruben’s mom) home. About six individuals, including Ruben, were present. About eight months later we renovated an 8′ x 28′ portable building that Oralia Herrera (Ruben’s sister) had and we met there for about six months. The building was on Gramma Trini’s property. We used her house along with Oralia’s mobile home for Sunday school classrooms and nursery.
Our next meeting place was in a community center on Audry St. in Pharr, TX. After about ten months, the city of Pharr had us use another community center behind the municipal swimming pool in Pharr. Our first church sign was posted on the door of that location every Sunday, an 8 ½ by 11 paper with our name, hand written!
Next we rented from The First Church of the Nazarene on Main and Nolana. This was the location where Ruben was officially ordained as a pastor by the Evangelical Free Church of America. We met there for one year. We would meet Sunday afternoons for our services and on Wednesday evenings we would meet at the Free Will Baptist Church on Second and Nolana (now named Valley Community Church).
Then we met at Pharr Vocational School, which had been closed down. After only one month, right after the Sunday service, a government representative came in to tell us that it was our last Sunday in the facility. The government had taken the building over and we could no longer meet in it.
We scrambled, but could not find anything! It had been four and one-half years since we began, and we had to return to meeting at Gramma Trini’s house again. This was indeed a trying time, but God continued to pour His grace upon us and we persevered.
After two or three weeks at Gramma Trini’s home, our Lord opened the doors to a dance studio called Doria Avila’s Dance Academy, on Pecan and 2nd in McAllen, TX. After one year there, the ownership of the dance studio changed, which meant we had to move out.
We began meeting at the Holiday Inn on south 10th in McAllen next. After about five weeks at the Holiday Inn, we started meeting at the Fairway Resort on south 10th, across from La Plaza Mall.
About a year later, Living Word, bought property from the Mettlachs, who live just down the street. The church had been praying for at least three years for this location, and our Lord was gracious and merciful to grant us the opportunity!
Then we broke ground to build!! We still had to make one more move before we moved into the building on Jackson and Minnesota, however. Beginning on September 18, 1994, we met at Rio Grande Bible Institute for almost one year. Finally, in July of 1995, we moved to our present location on Jackson and Minnesota. After moving in, the church grew, more than doubling in size. About two hundred and forty people attended regularly on Sunday mornings.
In November 1999, we moved into our new Education/Fellowship building! We used the first floor and continued construction of the second floor as our Lord provided the funds. The Church also bought the south adjacent acre. The Church continued to grow, not just in numbers, to about 350, attending regularly on Sunday mornings. Amazingly, over 50% of the congregation was involved in ministry!
In spite of some difficult times, in 2006 the first building (auditorium) was paid off! In the last couple of years LW’s web-site has been maintained and sermons are being downloaded constantly. Today, church members continue to deepen their knowledge of our Lord and reach out to others with the love of God. So, should our Lord tarry, in October of 2012, Living Word will be celebrating its 25th birthday! Praise be to our gracious God and Savior, Jesus Christ!
