Transforming Argentina: Gilbert & Virginia Contreras, Missionaries to Argentina

Fall Newsletter

Gilbert@GilbertandVirginia.com — 2011-10-22T23:22:20-03:00

We wanted to let you know that we just released our Fall 2011 Newsletter.

Some amazing things are happening among students and professionals here in Argentina and our ministry is privileged to be a part of that work. You will find below a link to our most recent newsletter in PDF format. Please download a copy for yourself and print it to share with others.

It is our hope that you will be encouraged by what is happening in university student ministry and our lives.

Thank you once again for your partnership.

Fall 2011 Newsletter

Summer Newsletter

Gilbert@GilbertandVirginia.com — 2011-07-02T23:48:04-03:00

We wanted to let you know that we just released our Summer 2011 Newsletter.
Click here to read it online or download it and post it in your church.

Resources

Gilbert@GilbertandVirginia.com — 2011-05-03T15:59:28-03:00

Resources
by Virginia Contreras

Having worked in campus ministry since I was myself a university student, I have tried everything in order to evangelize the “La Plata” and “Lomas de Zamora” campuses: mimes, open air skits, concerts, etc. Lots of efforts, not much fruit. In 1990’s I decided another approach: I started to write and print tracks with themes such as: abortion, euthanasia, creation versus evolution, alcoholism, life after death, etc. (many of them were later on reprinted and used by various UAD churches in their own outreaches).

I started to invite Christian professionals to give seminars organized by our group, with themes according to the different tracks. To make it short: I have witnessed the importance of apologetics prior to evangelize this special people group (university students) that God has called us to reach.

Apologetics is a resource and it is a type of pre-evangelism because it prepares the soil for the presentation of the Gospel. On the other hand, to become a Christian does not mean to suppress the life of the mind, but to renew it by the Word of God.

Hence, I developed new resources that we have been using in the last five years. What is new is that lately I have put them in the form of short seminars.

Some of them are:

Vocation (Taller de orientacion vocacional)
Stewardship of creation (Ecologia y el cuidado del planeta)
Theology of work (Trabajo: maldicion, bendicion o necesidad?)
Conflict Management (Taller de resolucion de conflicto)
Victim mentality (El problema de la mentalidad de victima) and others.

I have started to present different topics to some CU groups. The CU leaders who attend the seminar get the power point file and the material in order for him/her along with their group to use it as an evangelistic tool in their campus or organized meetings in their local churches inviting unbelieving friends. We have done the “Vocation” seminar in Mendoza and in Buenos Aires with great feedback.

Pray with us that God in his mercy uses our CU national leaders and these seminars to demolish the preconceived notions that some Argentines have of what the “evangelicals” are and that the Holy Spirit makes his way into this generation.

Pray for me to have wisdom, insight and strength to keep on writing and developing resources to reach university students.

May Update

Gilbert@GilbertandVirginia.com — 2011-05-02T19:53:06-03:00

Let me share with you a comment from a university student who attended one of our training seminars:

“… It was really a blessing for the group, we were equipped, and it was a blessing to me personally and ministerially, because I could see concrete things that God has placed in my life to lead and share His Word and it has also been an injection in my studies, it was visible in the weeks following the seminar. It was a very important seminar, I learned many things…I understood that God wants to do much more in me than just going to school and presenting the Gospel, God wants to reveal Himself. He wants to speak to our hearts about what is happening at that place we study. So I am so grateful to God for being a part of Contact Universitario, a ministry that has helped me to discover much more than just a place for support for my career, but has led me to want to serve God with all my heart and at all times. Thank you!”

We share this with you because over the past few months we have been hearing similar reports after every event we have had with university students, future missionaries and Bible school students. We say this not to speak well about ourselves but to let you know that YOU are having an impact on Argentina through your support of this ministry! We can't do what we do without your partnership and we are so thankful for it.

We share this with you because over the past few months we have been hearing similar reports after every event we have had with university students, future missionaries and Bible school students. We say this not to speak well about ourselves but to let you know that YOU are having an impact on Argentina through your support of this ministry! We can't do what we do without your partnership and we are so thankful for it.

Regional Pastor's conventions:
We are working closely with the national leadership to train and equip students within the local church to do the work of the ministry. Not new, just time consuming. These past 6 months have been planning for and executing training seminars in the four regions of the country.

We have participated in two Regional Pastor’s meetings and have been given the privilege of presenting the ministry of CU to the pastors and leaders. Many have approached us for resources and/or request for training.

In order to better serve the church here in Argentina and to gain a better understanding of our fellowship and the number of university students involved in our churches we have begun surveying leadership. Argentina currently has 30 public & 38 private universities with a total of 2,130,367 university students across the country.

We are also gathering information from the governments Ministry of Education as to where the greatest concentrations of students are in the country. Both of these efforts will not only help us in our communication with pastors but direct us as to where we should be focusing our training of churches and students in the coming years.

Both of our colleagues (Dallas and Ben) have invested much time in the provinces this year as the practical application of our training was directed by them. They have been a great blessing and help in extending the work of Contacto Universitario and in training students. Thanks Dallas & Ben.

Contacto Universitario's office:
As of April 2011, our ministry office has relocated to the headquarters of the Union de las Asambleas de Dios, in the center of Buenos Aires. We realized that we needed to be closer to the pastors and leaders and this is one way in which we communicate to them that we are their National Department reaching out to university students.

Upcoming events
One of our projects for the remainder of the year is the development of resources. (see side article) Pray with us for wisdom and guidance as we try to articulate steps for the development of student ministry.

Contacto Universitario training
In the coming month we have more regional training events, please join us in praying for the students who attend and the pastors who will be sending them:

June 3 - Parana, Entre Rios (8 hr training seminar)
June 11 - Intensive seminar on Emotional Intelligence
June 17-19 - Jujuy (weekend training seminar)
June 24-25 Bahia Blanca (mtg with pastors and 8 hr training seminar)

University students and professionals

In July we are beginning a new chapter in our work with university students, targeting the recent graduates and those who have gone through the university system. We will be offering to the local church, as a branch of CU, training for professionals.
As we work with pastors at developing ministry to university students many have asked us if we can help them with their professionals. They are interested in not only how to reach professionals with the Gospel but how to minister to their needs. We will be offering 4 initial seminars to a select group from each church who will in turn be able to offer the same seminar to their peers in their congregations.

The goal is to provide a philosophical base for ministry to professionals with resouces that are both relevant and biblical for the evangelization and disicpleship amonst their equals. Here are the dates, please join us in prayer.

July 1
August 5
September 24
October 22

Recently, I (Gilbert) was with some students who are planning to be missionaries and was sharing about long term planning and having vision. As I talked with them I shared the amazing blessing it is to have a team of people behind you that enable you to do what God has called you to do. I spoke about teamwork, about giftings, about each one doing his part, no matter how big or small. So once again, let me express how much we value your part in enabling us to do our part. Thank you for your prayers and thank you for your generosity towards us.

Scheduling Missions services for 2012

Gilbert@GilbertandVirginia.com — 2011-06-15T13:22:09-03:00

We will be updating our calendar on a weekly basis in order to provide for you the most current information, make scheduling a service much easier.

After looking at the open dates on our calendar and you want to schedule a service, complete the service request form and we will reserve a date for you.

We are open to coming mid-week, for a youth service, women's rally, BGMC event... we are open to serve in the local church in any way possible so please don't hesitate to contact us.