BRONX, NY – “By the grace of God, we are here to feed the people,” yells a bald man with a tight pink shirt and khaki pants on into a microphone. He stands before a long line of people, ranging from energetic children to the hungry homeless, as they patiently wait for their turn to serve themselves a plate of salad, sandwich, and a bag of chips. Civilians standing in Virginia Park are at the least a bit curious to see what’s going on in the humongous crowd, as the bald man stands in the center of it all holding a Bible in his hands. “We came in because we knew it was time to give back to the community – we just did not expect these results,” said the bald man Juan Rivera, church pastor of Iglesia Pentecostal Jesucristo Reina (typically acronymed as IPJR), located just one block away from the park.
After serving as a leader for another local church in the Parkchester neighborhood, forty-six year-old Rivera decided to break off from the church after witnessing it slowly crumble from the inside. In 2010, he figured the best thing he could do to give members of that old church a more dedicated service to God was start a church himself – quite literally starting from the bottom. What once began in just his home with only eight members has flourished into a small church located on Leland Ave. with over forty members total.
“I’m blessed to have seen this growth happen before my eyes,” Rivera said. “We were in my house for months and I didn’t believe how fast we grew. Now I have my sister with me, I have close friends I’ve known for years in my church. From eight people, we grew to forty-five members total.”
Member and Sunday school teacher Maria Cruz filled herself with pride when describing Rivera’s journey from an ordinary church member to finally establishing himself as a pastor. “I’ve known him for over twenty years,” said Cruz, “and no one is more dedicated than he is. He cares for each and every single one of us, and I’m proud to call him my pastor.”
Since starting the church, he has engaged with parishioners on a personal level. “I have had members of the church call me at 2am because they feel they are being attacked spiritually, and I am always there for them and pray for them, even if I have work in the morning” Rivera said. This level of care extends to beyond the church, as he has started projects such as the one mentioned earlier to feed the local Parkchester community.
Member of over two years Consuelo Iglesia stated that her first experience with the church was all because of a simple stroll to a nearby supermarket. The journey to the supermarket came to an abrupt halt when stopping by Virginia Park. “I heard a man preaching from the park with a megaphone. I wasn’t in a rush so I stopped and listened to what he had to say,” Iglesia said.
From then on, Iglesia became a true team player to the IPJR church community – now serving on the Sunday worship team at seventy-two years old. Rivera has paved the way for members to get involved in any way he can, with training programs for members to grow spiritually and serve for the community – both within church and outside church.
“People have come up to me asking to be a Sunday school teacher or to be on the worship team,” said Rivera. “If I see a true passion for something and we have a lack in that area, I don’t see why not. Why not help the person grow and get closer to God?”
Around thirty-five of the total forty-five official members are aged fifty and over, with Rivera himself, his sister, and some of the children of the other members being the only member under fifty in the church. London School of Economics epidemiologist Dr. Mauricio Avendano conducted research on social participation and depression within the elderly. and has concluded that church-going for individuals over the age of fifty keeps depression away and serves as a “coping mechanism during periods of illness in later life.”
It’s interesting to apply the study to church members of IPJR, as members such as Rey DeLeon, a Sunday school teacher, has acknowledged the church as something he looks forward to every week. “I live for this – planning out my weekly lesson plan and teaching to the church. I thank God for the blessing he has given me in finding this church.”
When opening the doors of the church, members find themselves in an average-sized room with two sets of rows of chairs besides them. Walking straight down members will find the altar of the church, where a giant podium is situated for Rivera to put down his Bible and microphone while preaching – and a painted cut-out of the Earth is behind it all, with the words “Jesucristo Reina” behind (literally translated to “Jesus Christ Reigns”). Services typically start off with sunday school, which then leads into a small break. After the break, members come back to the main room, where the entire church is filled with the sounds of Scripture and worship songs. Finally, Rivera ends the day by preaching a message that he spends the entire week preparing.
While plenty have found solace within the church, outside programs have included – such as the already mentioned events that Consuelo Iglesia just so happened to stumble upon – preaching in the nearby park, giving food out to the homeless, and partnering with other local churches to start up a summer vacation Bible school. “People have loved what we have done in just the couple of years since we started here,” Rivera said when speaking on projects he has done. “We’re always looking for ways to grow and give back.”
When asked about what he plans to do next, Rivera simply stated: “Grow. I’m always looking for how we can grow the church because I’m always thinking of the next step. I would love to eventually move into a bigger church, and God-willing we’ll get to that point sooner than later.”