Now that I've been here a little while let me tell you a little about the culture here and the McMath's ministry. Eighty percent or so, of the people here are Catholic, which means that they believe that good works get them to heaven. The rest of the population consists of a mix Jehovah's Witness, Sihk, Mormons, and works-based religion, with some others mixed in. Also, most of the youth have abandoned any form of religion.
As far as people's living habits, there are a lot of casinos here, which gives rise to many addictions. Most of the families here are completely dysfunctional. Many of the children have step-siblings and half-siblings. Alcohol abuse and drug abuse is almost always generational problem. Española, itself, once had the highest drug OD per capita in the U.S.. Most families are living on welfare; many to support their addictions. There is a lot of government housing here, as well. These things are very much true of the surrounding areas as well and many of the surrounding areas don't have Christian churches.
Now, with all this said, Espanola is not city-like. It's quite rural; more like the suburbs. Also people are pretty nice and relatively open to hearing gospel. There are a lot of gang want-to-bes (groups of teens who want to be tough) but they really aren't violent. There are also a lot of families that have many relatives in the same area. Normally having a lot of family around leads to a higher moral standard, but here it's a lot of family all stuck in the same sin, which creates a lot of pressure to stay in the sin.
One unique thing about this area is there is a reverence for God, but there's a lot of desperate need for Christ. The problem is most don't recognize it or are addicted to sin, since it's so much a part of their life.
The good news is that God is working in the people of Espanola and in the surrounding areas. During the last 25 years the McMath's have seen improvement; it's just slow. They have several ministries, as I mentioned before. The focus of many of the ministries is to love the people without condoning their sin. They work at providing a place, especially for children and teenagers, where they feel the love of Christ and enjoy themselves, while receiving the Word of God and the Gospel as it is (not watered down).
They also do a lot of evangelism. Not only do they evangelize on a here and there during life level, but also intentionally going door to door and doing follow up encouragement visitations. They are also a church of fervent prayer, for the lost and the saints. This is the key, I think, to everything they do and is much needed here. Since even when some are honestly saved, there is such an addiction and pursuer towards sin, that it is a miracle of God to stay out of it.
Mr. McMath equated the mission of the church here to Acts 1:8. The mission of the church here is to bring the Gospel of Christ to Espanola (Jerusalem), to all Northern New Mexico (Judea), across the different cultural groups (Samaria), and to the end of the earth. Then to disciple them in the Word of God.
The way I'm endeavoring to help here is by serving the McMath family in everyday life and in ministry so that they can better serve their church, community, and family. In the mean time, I'm being equipped to serve God wherever He calls me.
While being a part of the McMath's family and ministries I've learned a lot about ministry and the Word of God. It's been a real blessing being with like-minded Believers and seeing how God is working in each of their lives. Sommer Wagner