It takes a willing spirit and commitment to make a partnership work. As pastor of Kansas City's Alta Vista Christian Church, one of the oldest Hispanic Disciples congregations in the United States, and as the pastor of a new Disciples church, Edith Mendoza demonstrates both qualities.

"God put in my heart the need of the Hispanic community in Liberty, Missouri," she said. "I had been struggling with it and praying about it."

Like many cities in North America, Liberty had attracted a growing population of Spanish-speaking immigrants. Compelled by the community's need and urgency, she asked David Culver, senior minister of Liberty Christian Church, for partnership.

She told Culver that Liberty was part of the vision for a new church start. The established church's building could be the location. So, the pair agreed to join in 30 days of prayerful discernment about the partnership.

"We wanted to clearly hear what God was saying," said Mendoza. The 30-day period ended with Mendoza's resolve stronger, and a new partner in ministry committed to help. But just where she would find the church members was not yet clear.

Mendoza remembers her husband asking how she would start a church with no people? She replied, "We do have the congregation. We just don't know who they are."

Soon, God began to show her who they were, Mendoza said. Officials at the local school system in Liberty approached her. They asked her to help translate information for Hispanic families in Liberty.

Many of these families connected with the program caught Mendoza's vision for a faith community in the city. They became the core members of the congregation that she predicted she would come to know - Alfa y Omega Iglesia Cristiana (Discipulos de Cristo), nesting in Liberty Christian Church.

"These families were hungry for fellowship," said Mendoza. "They wanted to know each other and help each other. The people were excited. This is how God works." Having connected with her core ministry team, Mendoza met with the staff of New Church Ministry, which operates under the administrative oversight of Church Extension and with the support of Disciples in North America and Puerto Rico.

She completed the New Church Ministry assessment and discernment process and attended New Church Ministry training. Then she worked with the Greater Kansas City Region to obtain credentials for the emerging faith community. Designated "Alfa y Omega," the body of believers became an official Disciples church in the spring of 2009. A year later, the congregation "is going strong and people are excited about the word of God and our fellowship," said Mendoza.

Mendoza said she enjoys her role as pastor of two congregations. On Sunday mornings, she holds Sunday school and church services at Alta Vista, where she has pastored for seven years. Then she drives 30 minutes to Liberty Christian Church, where she leads service for Alfa y Omega. "I feel blessed to be a part of Disciples of Christ."

Mendoza continues to give back to the new church movement in gratitude for that blessing. She is now a Barnabas for New Church Ministry. In this role, she is responsible for mentoring other new church planters, providing support to planters as they face challenges inherent in their call and helping them to realize what God is calling them to do.

Mendoza also assists the Greater Kansas City Region by recruiting and directing Hispanic ministers who are considering becoming a part of the new church movement in this Disciples region. For example, she introduced German and Fredy Omar Mendoza (no relation) to the Disciples, referring them to the Greater Kansas City Region to plant Iglesia Cristiana Linaje Escojido in Independence, Missouri.

"I'm glad to have Edith Mendoza as part of the Disciples new church movement," said Rick Morse, vice president for New Church Ministry and Mission Initiatives. "She has a heart for seizing opportunities to connect to people. Her ministry is one of the many examples of the great partnerships that New Church Ministry has nurtured. And, she has used her skills to develop partnerships to help spread the new church vision."

"God put in my heart the need of the Hispanic community in Liberty, Missouri," she said. "I had been struggling with it and praying about it."

By: Tonya Ellis, Church Extension Contact: twellis@churchextension.org