Mission Yearbook: A new model for ministry takes root in California’s Central Valley

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Fuentes de Gracia worshiping in Sanger, California. (Contributed photo). 

In California’s Central Valley, where mandarin orange groves stretch across sunbaked fields, immigrant families from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Punjab work the harvests that feed America. As these hardworking communities buy their first homes in small valley towns, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is learning to be nimble enough to meet them where they are.

This is the place where pastor Alex Gonzalez fulfills his calling as a church planter and leadership developer. His multi-site vision of ministry to immigrant communities is transforming how the Presbytery of San Joaquin serves its rapidly changing communities. His new worshiping community, Fuente de Gracia, recently received a $50,000 Walton Award from the PC(USA)’s 1001 New Worshiping Communities movement — funding that will help construct the presbytery’s first new building in decades.

“We haven't built anything from the ground up for a while,” said the Rev. Ara Guekguezian, executive presbyter of the Presbytery of San Joaquin.“To be adding a property is exciting for people that have been a part of the presbytery for the past generation. They remember the days that they were building churches all over the place.”

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The Rev. Guekguezian and Pastor Gonzalez. (Contributed photo).

The Central Valley embodies California’s innovative spirit, Guekguezian explained, but it’s fundamentally an agricultural region where immigrant workers form the backbone of the economy. “When Armenians like my family came here, they worked in packing houses and worked in the fields, and then the Southeast Asian refugees came, same thing,” he said. “People from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Bolivia, Colombia — they come here and work, and they immigrate here and build lives here for generations.”

As communities shift within a single generation, Presbyterian churches struggle to adapt. “We’re not very nimble like the Roman Catholic Church, who can place priests who speak the language in the communities,” Guekguezian acknowledged. “We have churches where English is the second language for people surrounding the church, and for some it’s very weak. It’s hard for them to worship God in a language that they're not sure of.”

Fuente de Gracia offers a different model. Rather than a single congregation, it’s a multi-campus ministry currently operating in Sanger in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Sierra Pacific Synod. The new $850,000 building in northwest Fresno — funded through the Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program,  presbytery resources and the Walton Award — will become Fuente de Gracia’s Fresno campus.

“Alex’s vision is that it will be a missional congregation,” Guekguezian said, noting the strategic location west of Highway 99, which functions as a barrier many residents never cross. “There isn't another expression of the Reformed faith on the west side of the major freeway that runs through the Central Valley.”

But Gonzalez’s vision extends beyond buildings. His calling, Guekguezian explained, is “to develop strong leadership, identify people with spiritual gifts and leadership qualities, and then partner with the presbytery and the denomination in equipping these leaders.”

The presbytery relies heavily on commissioned ruling elders — lay leaders who receive focused training to serve congregations. Gonzalez provides initial mentorship, then the presbytery offers advanced instruction through resources including online classes at Whitworth University and educational videos created by mid council leaders. “With the Fuente de Gracia people, Gonzalez’s training would be a little more intensive and a little deeper,” Guekguezian said.

This model is already proving replicable. Fresno Punjabi Church, another new worshiping community in the presbytery that currently meets at University Presbyterian Church in Fresno, is exploring a similar multi-site approach, with plans for campuses in Merced and Bakersfield. Meanwhile, Fuente de Gracia envisions additional locations in Madera and communities along the “orange belt,” where former citrus-packing towns need revitalization.

For Fuente de Gracia, the Walton Award funding arrives at a critical moment. “The cost of construction materials has increased in a substantial way, and this $50,000 gives us the ability to build the building we envisioned instead of having to cut back in any substantial way,” Guekguezian said.

With 20 congregations and five fellowships serving communities from 10 to 200 worshipers, the Presbytery of San Joaquin sees Fuente de Gracia as a model for sustainable ministry in immigrant communities. As Guekguezian put it, the project reflects “our commitment as a presbytery” to being present where the need is greatest. 

Beth Waltemath, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Life & Witness (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Laura Lee, Senior Designer/Production Specialist, Presbyterian Women
Sang Ik Lee, Translator, Global Language Resources, Administrative Services Group          

Let us pray:

God, help us to avoid double vision when we preach your gospel by thinking it’s either about evangelism or about justice. Help us to know it’s about both; loving Jesus means working for justice, too. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Holy humor - Exploring faith through cartoons

Who among us is not familiar with cartoons?

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Dr. W. Goddard Sherman, pastor and cartoonist, with one of his creations, 1974. Pearl ID: 360902. "Daddy says we have to cut our church pledge 'cause we bought a color TV!"

Whether on the television screen on Saturday morning or found nestled between the sports and film sections of the newspaper, the visual art of the cartoon has been persistent and popular within our culture since the Middle Ages, though the medium has developed and changed over time.

Cartoons are drawings that are typically humorous or satirical or present a figure in an unrealistic, caricatured style. Cartoons can be found in the form of films or animation, comic strips and books, and even in fine art. Cartoonists can also be found in many forms, including that of a minister. Dr. W. Goddard Sherman is the Methodist pastor whose pen makes you laugh — his artwork and name “appears in The New Yorker magazine almost as often as he appears in his pulpit,” says the caption. In this image from the Religious News Service collection, Sherman is shown “doing his ‘thing’ — cartooning — as he also thinks out his next sermon.” 

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Cartoon by Roger W. Palmquist for “In Step,” 1974. Pearl ID: 371249. "Gotta feeling we're gonna have some differences, but still be friends."

Sherman’s cartoons are not all religious in theme, though many poke easy fun at modern Christian life. In one, a man sits in his barber’s chair and smilingly says, “Anoint me with oil.” In another, a wife tells her husband to set the alarm clock an hour earlier than usual, explaining that it’s because she wants “to continue this argument before breakfast!” While Sherman’s illustrations mirrored everyday life at home and work, other artists decided to comment on other realms — like the military experience, for example.

This cartoon is yet another created by an artist who doubled as a religious leader. The Rev. Roger W. Palmquist imagines Martin Luther and John Calvin as military buddies. “Religious differences may be noted, but overcome by the eccentricities of military life, comments ‘Private Luther’ to his buddy ‘Calvin’.” This artwork was published in the bimonthly newsletter of the Lutheran Council in the USA’s Division of Service to Military Personnel, “In Step.” Palmquist said of his caricature, “Private Luther is more polished and less of a nuisance than other khaki-clad cartoon creations like Beetle Bailey or Sad Sack.”

But when attempting to portray that other religious character, the antagonist of Scripture, cartoonists like Palmquist do not aim for their creations to be “polished” or “less of a nuisance.” Caricatures that portray Satan can be found as far back as the Middle Ages, and the imagery of the devil that most of us are familiar with can be considered a comic in itself. The pointed ears and spiked tail, the dragon-like qualities of this demonic presence, and the persistence of Satan being portrayed as a red devil with a malicious grin — this is an iconography that stretches far into the past. 

The 1975 International Cartoonists’ Exhibition, installed and on display in Bordighera, Italy, was all about the man in red. The Religious News Service press release covering the event featured the headline “THE DEVIL TEMPTS THE CARTOONIST.” The theme of that year’s exhibition was the realm of the mystic, specifically “The Devil, Witches, Magic and Exorcism.” Founded in 1972, the coalition was formed by three cartoonists: Carlo Chendi (1933–2021), Luciano Bottaro (1931–2006) and Giorgio Rebuffi (1928–2014). They hoped to show folks how a comic page was created, offering a glimpse at the process of cartooning as an art. The first two instances of the exhibition did not require artists to stick to a particular theme, though the 1974 exposition did. That year’s theme was “women in comics,” spotlighting both female characters and heroes as well as authors and artists.

There are plentiful comics and cartoons to be found in the archives of the Presbyterian Historical Society — these are just a few highlights pulled from the Religious News Service collection. The topics of the artwork may vary, as can be seen in this curation, but the goal of each is the same: to elicit a smile or pull a laugh from the unsuspecting reader. 

McKenna Britton, Presbyterian Historical Society, Presbyterian Life & Witness (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Ali Laswell, Accounting & Payroll Administration, Controller, The Presbyterian Foundation
Lee (DJ) Dong Jo, Lead, Korean Congregational Relations, Engagement & Church Relations, The Board of Pensions                       

Let us pray:

God, who created the world when all was chaos and void — as we wander, not knowing where we go, and when all seems dark — say again, we pray, “let there be light.” Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Illinois church brings community together with summer meal ministry partnership

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The sandwich-making team (Provided by Mary Wright)

First Presbyterian Church (FPC) of Charleston, Illinois, has been engaged in mission and ministry for over 190 years. Located in Coles County in east central Illinois, this congregation is aware of and concerned about the needs of the people in Charleston. According to the 2024 census, almost 19% of residents of the county live under the poverty line. Food insecurity has been a challenge for many years. The Charleston school system reports that 47% of the students are on free meal programs. Several years ago, FPC learned that the children received meals only Monday through Thursday during the summer school break. The members of the church organized to fill in the gap, and for two years, simple meals were prepared and delivered by the church to several neighborhoods on Friday. However, the situation changed, and the delivery program through a local volunteer program for Monday through Thursday fell apart. The leadership of FPC jumped into action and created a partnership to prepare and deliver simple meals every weekday to the same neighborhoods during the summer months. 

Teams from St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Christ First Church, Wesley United Methodist Church, FPC, and a chapter of the Philanthropic Educational Organization have joined together for the past three years to collect and pack nonperishable items for snack packs that accompany a freshly made sandwich, fresh fruit and a cheese stick. These efforts are all supervised by members of the churches who have undergone and passed the food safety program offered by the county.

The churches share in the financial cost, as well as collecting the items that make up the nonperishable snack packs. Fruit cups, small bags of chips, individually wrapped desserts, and a spoon and napkin are the basic items in the snack pack. Special treats are offered in the form of toys, coloring pages, crayons and gun safety information.

Amazingly, as the community learns of the summer meal ministry, monetary donations are sent to help the ministry. 

During the summer of 2025, this partnership prepared and delivered simple meals to four neighborhoods. Over 3,000 meals were served, while volunteers from the churches and organizations developed relationships with one another, as well as interacting with the people who received the meals. Faithful stewardship is practiced as extra sandwiches are given to several local organizations.

An extra effort last year added another snack pack delivered on Friday for the family. On the Fourth of July, individual pies and ice cream were distributed.

In the middle of the summer, a party at the local city pool is given to the participants of the summer meal ministry. FPC covers the cost of the pool rental, and the other partners help by bringing food for the guests. The families in the neighborhoods help one another by carpooling to the event.  

In our meetings, the partners discuss the joys of developing relationships among the volunteers as the various tasks are accomplished, and with the people of the neighborhoods as the food is distributed. The congregation of FPC is grateful for the spirt of generosity and the compassionate heart that God has created among the partners.

Rev. Mary E. Wright, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Charleston, Illinois

Let us join in prayer for:

Kristen Leucht, Senior Church Consultant - Los Angeles, CA, Engagement & Church Relations, The Board of Pensions
Clare Lewis, President & CEO, Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program              

Let us pray:

Gracious God, thank you for the opportunity to create new relationships among the people of your household as we minister together. May one day the need for food ministries be alleviated as the world comes to live as the wonder of your creation.  Amen.