Ever wondered about a church born from humble beginnings. I am about to tell you the story of iglesia Rosa de Zeron.
In 1970, Iglesia Betesda de las Asambleas de Dios sought to expand its reach. A small group of families started meeting in the home of Miguel Padilla and his wife Blanca in the San Miguel colony. Slowly but surely, their work grew. People like Genaro Villanueva and Juana Reyes joined them.
By 1972, the small congregation became Iglesia Rosa de Zeron de las Asambleas de Dios. Ana Julia Cerrato became their first pastor. She was known for her faith and a simple heart. She had a powerful presence. Her teachings revealed the word to those not yet reached.
Pastor Ana Julia Cerrato led the church for four years. She achieved much. She bought the land. She started building the temple. Also, she initiated Sunday School. They opened a new church in Maraita. By 1975, more families joined. The church had about sixty members.
In 1976, David González became the pastor. He preached with fervor. Though his time was short, he preserved the seventy souls won before.
Novis Rosales and his wife Lucrecia followed. They pastored the church for a while. The congregation maintained its seventy members.
From 1978 to 1986, Rafael Andrade and his wife Maria Bernarda Sierra led. They developed programs like Royal Rangers and Missionary Women. They started a school lunch program supported by Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. Pr. Rafael Andrade was a spiritual servant. He was always meditating on God’s word. He was dedicated to his flock. The attendance stayed around seventy.
In 1987, Francisco Salomé Dolmos Ruíz became pastor. His wife was Maria Pinoth Rosales. Pastor Dolmos inspired the congregation with his unique teachings. Music flowed in his family. They formed the “Coré de Sarón” ministry. The group performed Christian hymns. They ministered at the Assemblies of God conferences for years. Pastor Dolmos continued work in Maraita. He took the message of salvation to families in Moropocai. He reactivated the children’s dining room. The church kept about seventy members.
In 1990, Alfonso Galo became pastor. He was known for helping those in need. His humility was always present. He continued the church ministries. The membership grew from seventy to one hundred.
In 1998, Melvin Altamirano was requested to join the election. He had just finished his first church in Comayagua. God revealed a vision to him. He would leave for another place. He received offers from different districts. But he didn’t feel it was God’s place. One day, the elder of Tegucigalpa visited him. He proposed Altamirano join the list of pastors for Iglesia Rosa de Zeron. Altamirano responded that he felt he would be the pastor. He won the election. He started his work plan. He asked to suspend services for six months. This would allow for leadership training. The church agreed. The congregation had already started cell groups. But a defined structure was needed. That year, he organized family groups. By year’s end, there were one hundred members.
The Pentecostal movement continued. In 1999, leaders met every Saturday morning at four AM. Training happened every three months to develop new leaders for family groups. The church grew to over two hundred members.
By 2000, the church had three hundred fifty members. There were two zones of growing groups.
In 2001, evangelization was programmed. As the number of faithful increased, the church split meetings into two. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. Attendance rose to over four hundred people.
In 2002, the congregation continued to grow. They activated a third Sunday service. They had about six hundred members.
In 2003, the location was too small. Another Sunday service was added. There were over seven hundred baptized members. That year, they opened a new work in Moropocay.
In 2004, Pastor Altamirano led evangelistic efforts in Guayape. Seeing many new souls, he started a new affiliated church. While ministry happened there, Iglesia Rosa de Sarón continued to develop.
By 2005, the membership grew to one thousand baptized members. Due to the growth, Pastor Altamirano encouraged the church to buy the property next to the temple. The church gave special offerings. The expansion of the temple began.
In 2006, the church adopted a new field in El Rosario.
In 2008, they prepared to send a worker from Rosa de Sarón to Lugo, Galicia, Spain. That same year, they began expanding the Temple “Rosa de Sarón”.
Ivonne Patricia Medina Ramirez was called to pastoral ministry from 2012 to 2014. She is the wife of Melvin Altamirano.
God has blessed the church. It has grown in all areas. Honor and glory to Jesus Christ. He gives us victory every day.