(November 26, 2000)

During World War II, Raul Garcia learned Hindustani and served as an interpreter for U.S. forces fighting the Japanese in Burma. He also planted a church. His church-planting fervor carried over to his ministry in the United States. Today, Garcia, 77, has shepherded the congregation of El Sendero de la Cruz (the Path of the Cross) A/G in San Antonio, Texas, for 50 years as the church’s senior pastor. It is one of the largest Hispanic churches in the area.

Pastor Raul and Bertha Garcia at El Sendero’s first building.

"My wife, Bertha, and I went with our family door to door in 1950 inviting children to vacation Bible school," Garcia says. "We had about 45 children attend. When we graduated them, we invited their parents. Those families became El Sendero church."

The church’s first building was a rented house. The landlord gave permission to knock out walls to make a sanctuary. In 1960, the congregation bought the building it remained in for the next 38 years.

Garcia’s son, Roy L. Garcia, his associate pastor, ministers in English. Associate Pastor David Castro ministers in Spanish. Garcia’s daughter, Sandy Sanchez, is the office manager. Daughter Marlene Pedroza and son Randy Garcia live in Texas and minister in their communities.

The church’s 38-year location.

"The key to growth and unity at El Sendero has been the willingness of many leaders to open opportunities of ministry to the people of our congregation and to the community," says Roy Garcia. Among the church’s outreaches are daily prayer meetings, benevolence ministries and home Bible fellowships.

Carmen Lira served as the receptionist at El Sendero during the final years in the second building. She feels blessed to be a part of the church.

"We have wonderful times of worship and Pastor Garcia’s preaching is so anointed," she says. "He is a caring and loving pastor."

But ministry does not stop with the pastoral staff. Lira has reached out to hurting people who have called the church.

"Sometimes when the pastor is not available, I’ve had the opportunity to pray with someone for salvation or healing," she says. She now serves as a bookkeeper at the new church.

"We really saw the hand of God during our move to our current location in 1998," Raul Garcia says. "We did not even have our other property on the market, but two churches bought the buildings for top dollar. We were able to get our current property on the busiest intersection in San Antonio, and this has contributed greatly to our growth."

El Sendero has built a 25,000-square-foot church and a 20,000-square-foot building for its Christian school, Sendero Christian Academy. Plans are under way for another 20,000-square-foot addition to offer more classrooms for Sunday school and the academy.

"We have 400 students now and a waiting list," Garcia says. "The school has been a big part of our evangelism in this community. The first year we had 71 students get saved."

Neyra Peñaherrera teaches kindergarten at the academy. "We have devotions with the children each morning and chapel with them on Wednesday," she says. "This year, about half the students in my class have already given their hearts to the Lord."

More than 1,000 people attend the English and Spanish services offered on Sunday morning. More are joining the church regularly, many through the development of home Bible study groups.

Jorge and Neyra Peñaherrera lead one of the groups. As many as 45 people have filled their home. Eight people accepted Christ during a recent three-week period.

The bottom line, Garcia emphasizes, is winning souls. From the students who come to Christ at the academy to the elderly who are touched by the church’s ministry to seniors, all ages are being evangelized by this thriving church as it moves into its second half-century with its founding pastor.

— Scott Harrup