Conversation, Invitation, Integration, Congregation

Cradling the bass on my lap, I peer across the top of the music stand to watch Analizbeth tuck her violin under her chin. Sliding across the strings, her bow releases from the instrument the strains of a beautiful melody.

Her sister, Jessica, is at the piano. On guitar, Beth leads the worship band, and with Gabriel also at guitar, the team consists of more than half Ecuadorians.

Pastor Len has publicly credited Spotlight Listeners´ Club with flinging open the English-speaking church’s doors to the Quito community. The face of the congregation has changed with regular English-conversation evenings at church.

Analizbeth, Jessica and Gabriel (also Jonathan and Juan Pablo, violinist and drummer respectively) all are under 30. Just like much of Ecuador and much of Latin America is under age 30. Is it any wonder then, that the EFC group, “20-Somethings”, is experiencing burgeoning growth? Gaining a life of its own, the group is changing the church’s body life.





I think of another Ecuadorian, William, and his involvement in the 20´s group, in discipleship and Bible study. I think of his participation in my conversation group many months ago at Spotlight. He has since moved on to other outreaches at the church. This is integration, even as Spotlight Listeners’ Club continues to stand welcoming new people at the church doors on alternate Wednesdays.

Other Spotlight Listeners' Club coordinators say:

We are meeting once per week (just completed our 7th today) and have an average of about 25 women, plus 8-10 conversation partners each week. We also have a childcare program that can accommodate 12+ babies/toddlers. Our population is primarily Japanese with a few Korean and Arabic women. -Michigan, USA

The Spotlight Club is going absolutely GREAT! It is truly amazing. We are going to have our 8th week tonight (we meet once a week. Of course some of the students have asked for more nights but for right now I think I am going to have to try to stay with just one. We have had some wonderful volunteers and each week we have any where from 8 to 16 "students" come to the club. We can see it gradually growing and it is wonderful. -North Carolina, USA

Those that volunteered did a great job. I had stressed speaking slowly and clearly and had two young women for the basic group that were very creative and excited about what they were doing. The one advanced group leader did a fantastic job as did the leaders (husband and wife about our age) in the middle group. We did the program on Thanksgiving celebrations. We had people at this Spotlight that were originally from Peru, Honduras and Mexico. -Georgia, USA