God's New Generation Expands Congregation

For United Methodist pastors Alex and Sally Perez of God’s New Generation church in Pasco, Wash., church does not end on Sunday. Instead, the pair broadcast parts of their weekly worship service on two television channels, one local and one cable, four times a week.

Initially, the Perezes met with the owner of a local TV station about their desire to be on television. “He loved the idea,” says the Rev. Eric Perez, “and the story unfolded from there.” Another pastor connected the Perezes to the cable station owner.

“We want to use technology to reach out to our community,” says the Rev. Sally Perez. “Our target audience is first- through fourth-generation Hispanic and Latino Americans. However, the church has grown to be a multicultural church. We are very excited about that!”

With the capability of reaching 400,000 people each week, the Perezes broadcast about 20 minutes of their Sunday service. “We also include other segments, such as announcements of upcoming events and members’ testimonies of how God is working in their lives,” notes Alex Perez.

The pastors are looking into live video streaming and posting their broadcasts on YouTube. “Our long-term hopes and dreams are that this broadcast ministry expands,” says Sally Perez, “so that many [viewers] will deepen their relationship with God and give their lives to Christ. It is a blessing to share the gospel [with] so many people in their homes.”

The broadcast ministry has already drawn a few new families to the United Methodist congregation. Says Alex Perez, “A woman began coming because she watched our show on television and was touched by the message. She called us to find out when our services were and has come to church ever since.”

In addition, a few youth have connected with the church because of the television ministry.

“They are very involved in the production of the programming and are excited to make it grow,” says Sally Perez. “They arrived at the church by watching the show, and now they are the ones recording the shows and envisioning the future for the broadcast ministry.”

Cindy Solomon is a marketing consultant and freelance writer living in Franklin, Tenn.

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