South Texas Hispanic church prospers through pandemic

ROBSTOWN—When churches resumed in-person worship after months of online-only services due to COVID-19, many congregations continued to struggle financially and have yet to reach pre-pandemic attendance levels.

But one predominantly Hispanic congregation in South Texas grew by every measure throughout the last 20 months.

“It can only be attributed to God. There’s no logical explanation for it apart from that,” said Raul Elizondo, pastor of New Life at the Cross Church, a Texas Baptist congregation in Robstown.

Elizondo founded what was then called New Life Baptist Church in his living room more than two decades ago.

“A couple of years ago, we were doing pretty well. We had outgrown our building, and we decided to put it up for sale and relocate,” he said.

From rejoicing to questioning

The church sold its property on Northwest Boulevard in Calallen in March 2020, and it made plans to meet in portable buildings at its new location on acreage in Robstown on Easter Sunday, April 12.

A few hours after the church closed on the sale of its property, its leaders began to hear about Texas school districts closing due to the COVID-19 virus. Soon, Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency for all Texas counties.

“I went from a time of rejoicing to saying, ‘Lord, what did we do?” Elizondo recalled.

On Sunday, March 18, the pastor told his congregation they would suspend in-person worship services temporarily and begin streaming services in English and Spanish online for “a few weeks.” The next day, Gov. Abbott issued an executive order that essentially placed Texas under a lockdown.

“We had 30 days to move to our new location—during the lockdown,” Elizondo said.

Since it was providing an “essential service,” the church successfully moved to its new site but made plans to continue to provide online-only worship and Zoom Bible study for an extended period to ensure its members’ safety.

Dramatic increase in giving

Elizondo told church leaders to expect decreased giving, and he assured them he would take on a part-time job if necessary to avoid putting the church in a financial bind.

“Amazingly, our giving increased. It went up about 30 percent,” he said. “People gave more when they didn’t have to see me in person. It’s humbling.”

The church began allowing members who wished to meet in-person for worship services to gather in mid-summer last year, but it did not fully reopen until January.

Both the English-language service and the Spanish-language service not only filled the allotted space in a portable building, but also filled multiple overflow spaces.

“On a really good Sunday before COVID, we might run as many as 240 combined in two services,” Elizondo said. “On Mother’s Day this year, we had 300.”

Attendance has continued to rise, and members have continued to give. New Life at the Cross Church received a loan from the Baptist Church Loan Corporation, and construction recently began on its new building. Barring delays due to supply chain disruptions, the church hopes to move into its new facility next summer.

‘It’s a God thing’

“We could seat 150 in our old sanctuary. There will be 600 seats in the new one,” Elizondo said.

So far this year, New Life at the Cross Church has baptized 22 new believers. While the congregation continues to be predominantly Hispanic, more than 15 percent of its members are Anglo, and some African American families also attend.

“So, we hope to become more multiethnic and multicultural,” he said, noting the Spanish-speaking members represent multiple nationalities. “COVID did not stop the Great Commission.”

Elizondo takes no credit for the congregation’s growth at a time when many other congregations continue to struggle.

“It’s not a strategic plan. It’s a God thing,” he said. “It shouldn’t have worked the way it did. God has moved and led. We’re just grateful to be on the journey.”