{"id":23856,"date":"2026-02-27T07:58:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T12:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/?p=23856"},"modified":"2026-02-26T15:39:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T20:39:22","slug":"a-church-plant-a-classroom-and-a-calling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/es\/2026\/02\/a-church-plant-a-classroom-and-a-calling\/","title":{"rendered":"A Church Plant, a Classroom, and a Calling"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:24px\">I knew in college that God was calling me to give my life to ministry in the Church as well as to teaching students. With determination and the excitement that only a 20-year-old, new Christian girl can have, I said yes and got truckin.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A few years later, I met my husband at a church plant in Northeast Texas. We continued volunteering there for two years, got married in 2012, and within three months were hired as youth pastors in Beaumont. While we pastored, I also taught at a local middle school. My students began inviting classmates to youth group, and soon we were busing kids to church.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"957\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/The-Contreras-family-celebrates-their-1st-large-gathering-of-Pine-Hills-Church-at-Silver-Rail-Elementary-in-Bend-Oregon-on-September-10-2023-957x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23862\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.934583127775037;width:357px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/The-Contreras-family-celebrates-their-1st-large-gathering-of-Pine-Hills-Church-at-Silver-Rail-Elementary-in-Bend-Oregon-on-September-10-2023-957x1024.jpg 957w, https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/The-Contreras-family-celebrates-their-1st-large-gathering-of-Pine-Hills-Church-at-Silver-Rail-Elementary-in-Bend-Oregon-on-September-10-2023-280x300.jpg 280w, https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/The-Contreras-family-celebrates-their-1st-large-gathering-of-Pine-Hills-Church-at-Silver-Rail-Elementary-in-Bend-Oregon-on-September-10-2023-768x821.jpg 768w, https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/The-Contreras-family-celebrates-their-1st-large-gathering-of-Pine-Hills-Church-at-Silver-Rail-Elementary-in-Bend-Oregon-on-September-10-2023-1436x1536.jpg 1436w, https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/The-Contreras-family-celebrates-their-1st-large-gathering-of-Pine-Hills-Church-at-Silver-Rail-Elementary-in-Bend-Oregon-on-September-10-2023-1915x2048.jpg 1915w, https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/The-Contreras-family-celebrates-their-1st-large-gathering-of-Pine-Hills-Church-at-Silver-Rail-Elementary-in-Bend-Oregon-on-September-10-2023-560x600.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 957px) 100vw, 957px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>The Contreras family celebrates their first large gathering of Pine Hills Church at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, on September 10, 2023.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the success, something in us was stirring. Texas was flat, Southeast Texas was humid, and we didn\u2019t sense a long-term call to the Bible Belt. We\u2019d always wanted to visit the Pacific Northwest, so one summer we took a two-week trip, visiting cities from Seattle to San Francisco. One thing stood out immediately: the lack of churches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As we continued driving, something radical happened. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was home\u2014even though I didn\u2019t know a soul in the entire state. We felt a pull to be somewhere that desperately needed Jesus. We wanted sun and mountains, and for me, it had to be Oregon. When we returned home, the dreams began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After research, prayer, more trips, and a vivid nighttime dream from God, we knew Bend, Oregon, was our destination. There are no \u201ccultural\u201d Christians here. Most of the population wants nothing to do with Jesus. We felt called to live as faithful followers of Jesus in this place and eventually to help plant a church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-right\"><blockquote><p><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#327b80\" class=\"has-inline-color\">I was determined not to be another example of an angry, condemning Christian, but instead a listener and a questioner.<\/mark><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Within three and a half years of moving to Bend, we took a youth ministry position with an Open Bible church in Redmond, about twenty-five minutes away. It was a meaningful season, but God continued to remind us why He had brought us west. Six months into that role, COVID shut everything down. During that time, our lead pastor, Chuck Gustafson, invited us to attend a church-planting conference and asked whether we had ever considered planting a church. Many conversations later, we found ourselves flying to an \u201cassessment center\u201d to determine whether we were fit to be church planters. Joke\u2019s on us\u2014they said yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That confirmation aligned with what we already sensed. We knew the specific area of southeast Bend where we felt God calling us, and we began taking \u201cdream drives.\u201d The moment we entered one particular new-build community, I knew: this was our neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"478\" height=\"411\" src=\"https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Pre-service-prayer-before-a-Sunday-gathering-for-Pine-Hills-Church.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23867\" style=\"width:350px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Pre-service-prayer-before-a-Sunday-gathering-for-Pine-Hills-Church.jpg 478w, https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Pre-service-prayer-before-a-Sunday-gathering-for-Pine-Hills-Church-300x258.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 478px) 100vw, 478px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Pre-service prayer before a Sunday gathering for Pine Hills Church.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On September 10, 2023, Pine Hills Church held its first gathering at Silver Rail Elementary. That same year, I began teaching at a middle school on the affluent side of Bend. The school was progressive and open to nearly everything except Christianity. Though nervous, I chose to be honest about who I was. I put our church sticker on my water bottles and added to our \u201cTell Your Story\u201d bulletin board that I was a co-pastor of a new church. My openness led to questions that I had to tiptoe around or answer privately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I quickly felt more observed by both students and staff. Students shared fears that I would judge them or that I would stop caring for them if they were honest. They had all heard stories about \u201cChristians.\u201d I became even more intentional about being a nonjudgmental, nonanxious presence. I was determined not to be another example of an angry, condemning Christian, but instead a listener and a questioner. For some of my students, I was the first Christian they had ever truly known. By simply being honest about my faith, walls built by misinformation and fear began to fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-right\"><blockquote><p><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#4a4ca1\" class=\"has-inline-color\">God had called me not only to ministry in the Church, but also in the classroom.<\/mark><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over that first year, I built trust with fellow staff members, my students, and their parents. Near the end of the year, I received an email from Ashley, the mother of my student Carter. Ashley had been deeply involved in New Age spirituality. She intentionally introduced her son to many belief systems, everything except Christianity. But Carter had begun asking questions and had mentioned \u201cMrs. Contreras\u2019s church.\u201d I hadn\u2019t realized how closely he\u2019d been listening, but he had. That June, Ashley asked if they could visit our church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The very next Sunday, they walked in, observed quietly, and listened. After the service, Carter approached me, eyes gleaming. He loved it! Then weeks passed with no return. A month later, they were back.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Carter-and-his-mother-Ashley-after-their-joint-baptism-684x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23868\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6679821372935922;width:247px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Carter-and-his-mother-Ashley-after-their-joint-baptism-684x1024.jpeg 684w, https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Carter-and-his-mother-Ashley-after-their-joint-baptism-200x300.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Carter-and-his-mother-Ashley-after-their-joint-baptism-768x1150.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Carter-and-his-mother-Ashley-after-their-joint-baptism-1026x1536.jpeg 1026w, https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Carter-and-his-mother-Ashley-after-their-joint-baptism-1368x2048.jpeg 1368w, https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Carter-and-his-mother-Ashley-after-their-joint-baptism-scaled.jpeg 1710w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 684px) 100vw, 684px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Carter and his mother Ashley after their joint baptism.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ashley told me she had felt compelled to begin reading the Bible. Within months, she was on a quest to discover everything within it; she was hungry, and she was finding answers. Carter gave his life to Jesus, and so did Ashley. On Sunday, July 27, 2025, we got to baptize them both in the Deschutes River. That moment was a powerful reminder that God had called me not only to ministry in the Church, but also in the classroom.&nbsp;His Spirit empowers us to live boldly and wisely wherever He places us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All of us are called to ministry. Jesus\u2019 command in Matthew 28 to go into all the world wasn\u2019t just for pastors or church planters; it was for everyone. Teachers, lawyers, parents, janitors, coaches\u2014anyone with breath in their lungs is called to make much of Jesus. The calling is simple: listen well, build trust, and love faithfully. When we do, we become the hands and feet of Jesus, right where we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:35% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Contreras-headshot-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23858 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Contreras-headshot-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Contreras-headshot-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Contreras-headshot.jpeg 1148w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Nicole Contreras<\/strong> is a full-time wife, mom, pastor, and teacher living in Bend, Oregon. Her hobbies include reading, writing, shopping, snuggling with her daughters and her dogs, and being with family! Originally from Texas, Nicole and her husband, Aaron, moved to Oregon in August 2016, then planted <strong>Pine Hills Church<\/strong> with their two daughters, Aubree and Ellee, in September 2023. Nicole and Aaron are typical Bendites who love coffee, hikes, camping, mountains, snow, and being outside.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I knew in college that God was calling me to give my life to ministry in the Church as well as to teaching students. With determination and the excitement that only a 20-year-old, new Christian girl can have, I said yes and got truckin.\u2019 A few years later, I met my husband at a church [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":23859,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[391],"tags":[401],"class_list":["post-23856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventures-in-church-planting","tag-mar-apr26"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A Church Plant, a Classroom, and a Calling - Message of the Open Bible<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/es\/2026\/02\/a-church-plant-a-classroom-and-a-calling\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Church Plant, a Classroom, and a Calling - Message of the Open Bible\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I knew in college that God was calling me to give my life to ministry in the Church as well as to teaching students. 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