We Can Do More Together
Church Planting in Omaha, Nebraska
A family visiting from Venezuela enjoys the Sunday service at Iglesia El Shaddai in Omaha. The family is one of eight nationalities represented in this bilingual church plant supported by nearby Gretna (Nebraska) Baptist Church.
About three years ago, Iglesia El Shaddai in Omaha, Nebraska, was down to 10 people––just three families. Today the church is thriving thanks to the Lord’s moving in the heart of Bryan Clark, pastor of Gretna Baptist Church in nearby Gretna, Nebraska.
In 2022, Gretna Baptist entered into a grafting agreement with another church, Karen Street Baptist, as Karen Street was moving to dissolve. About the same time, Bryan met Antonio Zuniga, pastor of Iglesia El Shaddai. El Shaddai was meeting in a storefront in Ralston, paying $3,200 per month for a facility the church was using only a few hours on Sundays.
Pastor Antonio Zuniga welcomes members and guests to a Sunday morning service at Iglesia El Shaddai. A merger of two GARBC churches allowed his congregation to move from a storefront into this church, which was formerly Karen Street Baptist.
While Gretna was paying $1,500 a month for a building the church wasn’t using, El Shaddai had no property to call home. “We had no money and no people,” Antonio says. “I told my church we need to pray. God is going to supply.”
By God’s design, Antonio and Bryan met at Karen Street Baptist when a realtor was showing Antonio the property as a potential buyer. Bryan and Antonio talked for two hours, ending with Bryan asking Antonio for his church’s statement of faith. The pastors met a month later, and both men realized their churches were doctrinally aligned. They began discussing some type of partnership agreement.
Antonio told Bryan, “I want a place for my children to worship.”
“That captured my heart,” Bryan says.
The two churches agreed to a 15-year mortgage, and Gretna sold the property to El Shaddai for about a third of what the church was paying monthly for rent.
Pastor Bryan Clark, left, of Gretna Baptist Church and Pastor Antonio Zuniga of Iglesia El Shaddai. GARBC National Representative Clare Jewell, right, preaches about “Crossing Over” to meet the needs of the unsaved during a Sunday morning service while Annette Jimenez translates his message into Spanish.
The first summer, Gretna Baptist brought over all its VBS materials, decorations, and people to host VBS at El Shaddai. The second year, Gretna sent its materials and just watched El Shaddai host VBS. “The third year, we just sent our stuff,” Bryan says. Antonio says, “One of the children called me the following week crying because he had such a great time at VBS.”
Eight nations are represented in the El Shaddai congregation, which now consistently has about 90 people attending services on Fridays, Sundays, and Mondays. Once a month the youth have a Sunday afternoon service. The church is even helping church plants in five South American countries by sending clothes and money. “It is good to watch God at work,” Antonio says.
The struggle to grow has sometimes had spiritual setbacks, like when the church took a stand on an important doctrinal issue and lost 40 people. “I never got mad at the people who left, and I continue to contact them,” Antonio says. “Unity is more important than numbers.”
Maria Zuniga, wife of Pastor Antonio Zuniga, sings during a Sunday morning worship service.
Currently El Shaddai is nondenominational, but Bryan and Clare Jewell, national representative of the GARBC, are encouraging Antonio to lead his church to join the GARBC for the benefits of being part of the association. “Your creed [doctrinal statement] is in line with the GARBC statement of faith,” Bryan told Antonio.
When Clare asked what El Shaddai’s biggest need is, Antonio replied, “For Spanish churches, we need everything, but mostly we need encouragement for our people to evangelize.”
Antonio sees the advantages of being part of the association. He says, “I’ve already spoken with my deacons and leaders about being part of the [GARBC]. I can see that we can do more together than by myself.” Clare told Antonio that the GARBC would also gain from him by learning how to start more Spanish-speaking churches.
Crystal Lagunas (right) and Annette Jimenez lead singing during a Sunday afternoon youth service. The youth organize and lead their own worship service one Sunday a month. Some teens travel from churches an hour away to attend.
When Clare asked Antonio what Bryan did that was most helpful, Antonio replied, “He showed me honest love and passion for the truth. He understands what a pastor needs. He wasn’t trying to get money. He showed me that [being] peaceful was more important than a place. He hugged me.”
Prior to the partnership agreement, Bryan said the two pastors were meeting weekly. One day Antonio told Bryan, “I’ve always felt alone in ministry.”
Bryan says, “That gripped my heart. I told him, ‘You’re not alone anymore.’”
Darrell Goemaat is photography director for Regular Baptist Ministries.
