Featured Articles
¿Son dignos del perdón?
Por Savannah Marten
Hay momentos como creyentes que definen nuestro caminar con Cristo de una manera monumental como el momento en que recibimos el don de la salvación, nuestro bautismo o al recibir una palabra profunda del Señor que altera la forma en que vemos una situación. Todos estos “momentos Ebenezer” se destacan como monumentos en nuestro caminar con Cristo. Para mí, uno de estos momentos fue en 2017. Dirijo el Centro de Embarazo del Gran Toledo, un alcance centrado en Cristo a las mujeres que enfrentan embarazos no deseados. Nuestro ministerio estuvo en un local donado en un lugar único, justo al lado de la última instalación de aborto funcional de nuestra ciudad.
Al buscar la visión del Señor para este lugar, ahora llamado el Refugio, nos sentimos fuertemente inspirados a considerar el hecho de que, si bien había muchos programas increíbles para las mujeres que entraban en un centro de aborto, pocas estaban disponibles para las mujeres que estaban saliendo, las que habían tenido un aborto. El Señor nos recordó que es el mismo Dios para las mujeres que salen de un centro de aborto que para las mujeres que entran. Y así nos aferramos al tipo de Dios que se paraba en la puerta trasera de un centro de aborto con los brazos abiertos, listo y dispuesto a recibir a estas mujeres y hombres en sus brazos para darles sanidad, perdón y restauración.
Sin embargo, ahí no se detuvo el Señor. Un día durante la renovación de El Refugio, había quedado para limpiar después de que todos habían ido. Una de las oficinas tiene un hermoso ventanal, uno que merece una vista increíble, pero la vista por esta ventana resultó ser la puerta trasera del centro de aborto. Mientras barría el suelo, miré por la ventana y oí al Señor decir casi audiblemente: “Te traje aquí para enseñarte a amar a tu prójimo como a ti mismo”.
Me congelé, y lo dijo de nuevo: “Te traje aquí para enseñarte a amar a tu prójimo como a ti mismo”. Y así, la alfombra fue sacada de debajo de mí. El Señor no nos había traído a este lugar sólo para poder ministrar a mujeres y hombres que habían experimentado un aborto. Nos había traído aquí para llamar nuestra atención, y quería empezar conmigo.
En estos últimos años de trabajar en El Rufugio mi forma de pensar se ha desmoronado. Había entrado en esta obra porque me importaba desesperadamente la justicia por los no nacidos, que es el corazón de Dios. Pero como cualquier otra cosa, podemos construir nuestras ideas de amor, misericordia y justicia en torno a nuestra propia humanidad. Fue fácil apoyar mis convicciones provida solamente en la realidad de que es fácil luchar por los bebés pequeños en el útero. Esos preciosos bebés no son pecadores ni rotos. Pero ¿qué hay de la madre sentada en la silla de nuestra recepción de clientes en el Centro de Embarazo? Tal vez es una adicta; tal vez ella es una stripper; tal vez ella está queriendo tener un aborto porque ella simplemente no quiere ser incomodada. ¿Y qué hay del padre del niño? Tal vez esté sentado en el auto afuera, drogado. Tal vez esté presionando a la madre de su hijo para que aborte porque no quiere ser molestado. ¿Qué pasa con los hombres y las mujeres que ya habían tomado una decisión? ¿Y el personal del centro de abortos? Los que estaban al lado de nosotros eran groseros. Bailaron en el estacionamiento gritando obscenidades. Se presentaban todos los días para facilitar la misma cosa contra la cual estábamos luchando. Este tipo de persona es mucho más difícil de amar en nuestra humanidad.
Debo admitir que en 2017, cuando estaba en esa oficia, tenía una jerarquía de mis convicciones provida. Y ahora el Señor me hizo mirar al mismo lugar y a la gente a la que había atribuido el estatus de enemigo. Dios los llamó mi prójimo y me mandó amarlos. Desde entonces, hemos trabajado para fomentar relaciones increíbles con las mujeres que trabajan en el centro de aborto. Cuento a algunas de ellas como queridas amigas. Hace unos años, nos asociamos con una iglesia local y creamos algunos regalos de Navidad bastante extravagantes para las mujeres que trabajan en las instalaciones. Nos habíamos estresado acerca de cómo entregar esos regalos. ¿Cómo el personal de un Centro de Embarazo entrega regalos de Navidad al personal de un centro de aborto? El Señor nos dijo: “Llévalos como si llevaras un regalo a cualquier vecino”.
La pieza más grande que el Señor desmoronó de mi corazón y de los corazones de quienes trabajan y se ofrecen como voluntarios en el Centro de Embarazo fue el miedo. Creo que Jesús sabía por qué necesitaba usar el término específico, “vecino”. Vecino significa cerca de uno, y cuando nos acercamos a alguien es mucho más difícil atribuirle el estatus de enemigo a las personas con las que interactuamos y conocemos.
Esta jornada nos ha movido de un constructo humano provida a un constructo bíblico “pro-creación”, y es así de sencillo: Dios creó a cada persona en el vientre de su madre. Él está locamente apasionado por su creación y nos manda como sus seguidores a estar tan locamente apasionados por ellos en cada etapa de su desarrollo. La provida tradicional tiende a centrarse en el principio (la vida en el útero) y al final de la vida. Pro-creación dice que todas las cosas desordenadas en medio son igual de dignas de nuestro amor. Pro-creación toma el corazón de Jesús, que dejó su lugar cómodo en el cielo para nosotros. Sanó en el día de reposo, y no amó su propia vida hasta la muerte. Se fue a la bancarrota por la creación.
Lo realmente sorprendente es que estamos viendo el personal salir del centro de aborto. Vemos a más personas entrando por las puertas de Refugio, y vemos que el 98 por ciento de nuestros clientes en el Centro de Embarazo toman decisiones que confirman la vida. Pro-creación funciona. Tal vez para ti, no estás trabajando con mujeres o personal con mentalidad abortiva en un centro de aborto. Tal vez para ti sea un compañero de trabajo duro. Tal vez la situación de Covid o la tensión racial te ha hecho atribuir el estatus de enemigo a la gente. Tal vez es alguien que vota o adora de manera diferente. ¿Cómo es la pro-creación para ti? Por más cliché que suene, ¿qué haría Jesús? Claro, volteó mesas. Puso los sistemas patas arriba. Sin embargo, a medida que volteó mesas, no volteó a la gente. Por lo general cenaba con la gente, y lavaba los pies de la gente que era más difícil de amar. Eso, mis amigos son pro-creación.
Sobre el Autor
Savannah Marten se ha desempeñado como Directora Ejecutiva del Centro de Embarazo del Gran Toledo en Toledo, Ohio, desde 2016. El Centro alberga tres ministerios: una clínica médica limitada para mujeres y familias, atención después del aborto y Soul Purpose, un ministerio nacional que eleva a las mujeres en edad universitaria en su valor, mérito e identidad. Savannah trabaja con centros de embarazo en todo el país para ayudarlos a alcanzar el sueño de Dios para sus comunidades. Ella y su esposo, Ryan, asisten a CityLight Church, y la Iglesia Bíblica Abierta en Toledo, Ohio
Savannah apareció en la edición del 20 de abril de 2020 de Christianity Today.
On August 1, 2026, three fast-moving wildfires swept across the Spokane area, fueled by a frightening combination of high winds and dangerously dry conditions. The Old Trails, Autumn Lane, and Fairview fires, collectively managed as the Spokane Complex, damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures and forced thousands to evacuate.
Seven Open Bible and Open Bible-affiliated churches serve communities throughout the Spokane area, and all were affected in some way by the fires. Three, however, found themselves in the immediate path of the most destructive blaze, the Old Trails Fire. Turning Point Church and Foundation Church were placed under a Level 3 evacuation, displacing members of their church families, while Riverside Real Life Church lost its building entirely. Pastors from Turning Point and Riverside share what they witnessed as fire swept through their communities and how, amid tremendous loss, they saw God provide through the generosity, prayers, and practical care of the Church.
From Melissa Stelly,
Executive Pastor of
Turning Point Open Bible Church:
The pillar of angry smoke on the horizon immediately filled me with dread as I drove to the grocery store. High winds drove the flames across parched land so fast that one firefighter marveled that he couldn’t have outrun it, even if he tried. Hundreds of people desperately fled their neighborhoods, clogging the few roads out as flames appeared in their rearview mirrors. There were heartbreaking stories of people calling family members to say goodbye because they didn’t think they would escape in time
And yet, not a life was taken.
And yet, not a life was taken.
Our church was placed under a level 3 evacuation, and many of our people were displaced from their homes, either losing them completely to the flames or due to toxins that bathed their houses from the burning around them. Immediately, our church family responded with calls and emails, offering their homes to those impacted, along with gift cards, money, clothing, and even animal care. Spokane leaders met at the local high school, inviting faith leaders, non-profits, educators, and government to join together to streamline resources, establish a relief system, and collaborate. Since then, Spokane churches have recognized a deficit in crisis response and are organizing a network of churches to spearhead emergency and crisis response in our city.
I am proud of our church body’s immediate mobilization, which gave generously and put faith into action by meeting needs, opening homes, and volunteering at shelters and outreaches. One woman in our church, who lost her home to the flames, tearfully shared how overwhelmed she was by the support she received. The church family gave her stacks of gift cards, bought her clothes, generously gave to the church to meet her financial needs, and called her constantly to pray with her.
As a pastor, I witnessed this verse in action: “To equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:12 NIV).
From Kelly Armstrong,
Lead Pastor of
Riverside Real Life Church:
Our church, Riverside Real Life Church, and the entire surrounding neighborhood were destroyed by the Old Trails Fire that hit the Spokane community. Because of our location at the center of the damage, hundreds of people who call Riverside their church were displaced from their homes, at least temporarily. Praise God, most were able to return after one to two weeks; the number of homes lost in our congregation was in single digits. Many homes in the neighborhood my family lives in were destroyed, but thankfully, our home was spared, and we returned home after nine days.
The response of our community and beyond has been amazing. I’ve been contacted by hundreds of pastors and churches from all across the country and most significantly, from all across the Open Bible family. I am convinced that the prayer on our behalf has made a difference as God has opened one door after another. On September 6th, we had our first Sunday service since the fires at a middle school near where the church building was located. We came together, standing room only, to reconnect, worship God, and envision the future.
There are significant complications, but they are not barriers for Him.
Through the generosity of churches all over the country, we’ve been able to give significant financial assistance to families and individuals who’ve lost their homes, restart our small group system, launch a mobile Sunday service that we can be proud of, and continue our mission to “Reach the World for Jesus.”
I’m full of gratitude to every person and church who’ve supported through care, finances, and prayer. When church leaders ask how they can pray, I tell them, “Please pray for God’s favor in the rebuilding process. There are significant complications, but they are not barriers for Him.”
Thank you, Open Bible friends and family. I couldn’t be more grateful for your care and support; it has meant the world to me.
In the midst of tragedy, God’s goodness and glory were evident. As Pastor Melissa Stelly said when sharing her story, “The Lord preserved, the Lord provided, and the Lord used His Church to serve.” But nothing expresses God’s grace over Spokane better than Isaiah 61:3:
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
Isaiah 61:3 (NIV)
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
About the Author
Hannah Bemis currently serves as the editor and director of Message of the Open Bible. She always wanted to do too many things when she grew up, and God has been kind enough to let her do most of them in different seasons. Those seasons have included raising little ones at home, teaching, writing, and staff pastoring, with Hannah’s most recent adventure being planting and pastoring College Street Church in Newberg, Oregon, with her husband, Jordan. After Jesus and all her favorite people, she spends the remainder of her passion on pizza and dark chocolate in equal measure.
I am proud to have been a credentialed minister with Open Bible Churches for over four decades. What a privilege to have served in a variety of contexts across our wonderful family of several hundred congregations in the US, along with several thousand globally. Over those decades, God has gradually expanded my understanding of what it means to belong to His Church.
I’ve enjoyed the enriching experience of embracing so many of the distinctives of what makes Open Bible, well, Open Bible: our unwavering commitment to Scripture as the inspired, authoritative Word of God; our resolve to plant and sustain healthy, vibrant local churches; our passion for the fullness and gifts of the Holy Spirit operating in our daily lives; and so much more.
And yet, with the beauty of these ecclesial distinctives so evident in our movement, I believe I have come to realize that what we share together as our core values and practices are not completely unique to us. As a matter of fact, when we take a step back and consider just who is a part of the Body of Christ, we can discover that we have much in common with our brothers and sisters across the US and around the world. It took one unexpected friendship to deepen my understanding of what it means to belong not only to Open Bible Churches, but to the Church.
A humbling experience for me has been to receive grace and love from others who are different than me even before I was prepared to offer the same to them. One example for me comes from my years as a participant in the International Catholic-Pentecostal Dialogue. This ongoing annual conversation was begun in the 1970s by David du Plessis, the Pentecostal known as “Mr. Pentecost,” and Father Kilian McDonnell, a Catholic theologian, and continues to this day. When I attended a session of this Dialogue for the first time in 1993, I was so focused on my disagreement with Catholic doctrines and practices that I was not in a place to show much hospitality. But over the next several decades I got to know the Catholic co-chair, Father Kilian, quite well. I was amazed at how well he knew Pentecostals like me, how much he wanted to learn more, and how much he cared for us. He was respectful, honest, and compassionate. We didn’t agree on everything, obviously. But he became a mentor to me, showing me how to treat others who were different than I was. And we became friends. He passed away last year at the age of 100, and I was honored to attend his memorial service. That experience changed how I think about the global Church.
The following numbers paint a remarkable picture of the global family that shares our evangelical, Pentecostal, and charismatic faith. According to the 2026 Status of Global Christianity report, more than 1.1 billion Christians around the world identify as Evangelical, Pentecostal, or Charismatic. Of those, approximately 676 million are Pentecostal or Charismatic believers.
That global family is wonderfully diverse, including classical Pentecostal denominations like Open Bible Churches, independent charismatic networks, Catholic Charismatics, and charismatic believers within many Protestant traditions (Anglican, Methodist, etc.).
So why do these numbers matter? They remind us that we are part of something much larger than ourselves. We are not alone, and we are certainly not “small.” Along with our evangelical, Pentecostal, and charismatic brothers and sisters around the world, we are a fierce contingent in the Lord’s army. It’s both humbling and encouraging to remember that we belong to the CHURCH in all its vastness.
But that doesn’t mean we have to give up our wonderful heritage, culture, and beauty that make us Open Bible Churches. We have something to contribute to the rest of the Church. I’m reminded of the prophetic word delivered a few decades ago at one of our conventions: “Open Bible Churches is a vital organ in the Body of Christ!” That statement has never been more true.
“Open Bible Churches is not ‘the Church.’
Open Bible Churches is part of the Church
— a wonderful part,
but a part.”
And yet, we also do not want to be guilty of isolation or sectarianism. Open Bible Churches is not “the Church.” Open Bible Churches is part of the Church. A wonderful part, but a part. So, it is healthy for us to remember our brothers and sisters in other denominations and networks, to pray for them, and even to cooperate with them in community and regional initiatives so that together we may faithfully steward our callings and responsibilities to advance the Kingdom of God on the earth.
One of the most important ways we can grow in unity as believers is to start by acknowledging and valuing diversity in the Body of Christ. God didn’t make us all the same. Unity is not uniformity. The old adage still rings true: “in essentials, unity; in non-essentials, diversity; and in all things, charity.” May we agree to disagree with one another with clarity, respect, and most of all love. We can embrace grace and truth at the same time, and indeed we are called to it.
No doubt you know some followers of Jesus in your community (and probably in your own family) who do not belong to Open Bible Churches. The invitation for us all is to love them, to be grateful for all that we share with them, and to offer some space (and some grace) for our differences. This is not easy. In fact, it is hard work. Remember the words of the apostle Paul: “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:1-3 NIV). If maintaining unity was easy, Paul wouldn’t have needed to admonish us to “make every effort” to do so.
Jesus reminds us that unity isn’t just for our benefit: it’s one of the clearest testimonies to a watching world.
But if we are willing to pay the price of seeing God’s big Church, and loving it the way He does, we’ll be more Christlike, and we’ll participate in being an answer to one of the last prayers Jesus prayed before He went to the cross on our behalf: “…that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:22-23 NIV). Jesus reminds us that unity isn’t just for our benefit: it’s one of the clearest testimonies to a watching world.
Together, let’s allow the Lord to give us eyes to see the breadth and beauty of His Church, recognizing and loving our brothers and sisters in Christ in such an obvious way that we actually become answers to the prayer of Jesus in John 17. Amen?
Here are a few resources that explore some of these issues related to Christian Unity:
That They May Be One – Podcast
That They May Be One – Film
PCCNA Christian Unity Commission
Forum for Unity
International Charismatic Consultation
Global Christian Forum
About the Author
David Cole has been a credentialed minister with Open Bible Churches since 1984. He is currently Professor of Historical Theology at The King’s University in Southlake, Texas. He is also involved in a variety of initiatives related to his calling to encourage the pursuit of unity among believers in Jesus, and to that end currently serves as chair of the Christian Unity Commission with the Pentecostal/
Charismatic Churches of North America. He and his wife, Julie, are parents of four, grandparents of ten, and are currently located in Newberg, Oregon, where they attend College Street Church.
I woke up unable to speak. A breathing tube filled my throat. Machines surrounded my hospital bed. I was confused, intubated, and lying in an ICU room with no memory of how I got there. But strangely, I was not afraid. In the middle of the chaos, God gave me an unexplainable peace.
I motioned desperately for paper and pencil so I could ask two questions: What happened? And where is George?
My son’s father explained that I had been in a serious car accident. The car was completely destroyed. I had been found trapped beneath the steering wheel with severe facial injuries.
That morning — January 22, 2026 — had started like any other Thursday. I got ready for work, buckled my 18-month-old son George into his car seat, and pulled out of the driveway expecting an ordinary day.
It became anything but ordinary.
My neighbor, who had left home at the same time I did, later explained what happened. We were both driving around fifteen miles per hour when the car I was driving suddenly lost control. I still do not know why, and I have no memory of the moment itself.
By the grace of God, George was almost completely untouched.
The car hit a cement light pole, crossed into oncoming traffic, and was struck head-on by another vehicle. Both vehicles spun, and the car I was driving slammed into another cement light pole.
By the grace of God, George was almost completely untouched.
The back windshield shattered directly above him, yet the glass never harmed him because of the position his car seat landed in. The entire back left side of the car was crushed inward, but George had been seated on the back right side. Even now, I can only thank God for His protection.
I was taken by ambulance to the hospital and admitted into the Trauma ICU. Doctors told my family that I had suffered severe head trauma resulting in a brain bleed. I was also bleeding internally in my abdominal area, and they began preparing my family for the possible loss of my pregnancy.
… the doctors did not know the God my family and I serve — and how merciful He is.
But the doctors did not know the God my family and I serve — and how merciful He is.
My family immediately began to pray. Members of my church, Open Bible Church of Homestead, began arriving at the hospital, and soon an entire army of people was interceding for me.
During those first two days, I drifted in and out of consciousness and remember very little. But one moment remains clear in my mind: I heard the song “I Surrender” by Hillsong Worship playing in my hospital room. The lyrics, “Like a rushing wind, Jesus breathe within, Lord have Your way, Lord have Your way in me,” stayed with me and brought a deep sense of comfort in the middle of everything happening around me. In that moment, those words became my prayer as I quietly prayed, “I leave this in Your hands.”
After three days in the ICU, I was successfully extubated and began making remarkable progress. Ultrasounds showed a happy, active baby, and the bleeding had stopped.
On the fourth day, I was transferred out of the ICU into intermediate care before eventually moving to the medical-surgical floor. Doctors then began preparing me for maxillofacial surgery to reconstruct my face after multiple fractures.
On January 30, I underwent an eight-hour surgery. By God’s grace, the procedure was successful, and another ultrasound afterward showed my unborn baby remained active and healthy. On February 3, I was finally discharged and able to return home.
Since then, my recovery has gone smoothly. I am now twenty-eight weeks pregnant and waiting expectantly for the arrival of my baby. Through every frightening moment, God gave me strength and peace, and I never doubted His mercy.
Today, I am a living testimony of His grace.
About the Author
Thammy Castro is a behavior technician living in Miami and a soon-to-be mother of two. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her family. She is a member of Open Bible Church of Homestead, where her parents, Jose and Maria Castro, serve as pastors.