podcast description: Jeff Anderson came to church plant but God had another plan!Jeff is the one of the founding members Contracorriente Ministries which is a ministry that  seeks to inspire a generation of young people to be passionate about living the teachings of Jesus Christ in their culture. The ministry is located in Santander, Spain and can be found on the web at www.contracorriente.org Jeff is from Chicago and offers many tips for churchplanters. A few of my favorites are

1. Many Spanish churches don't have much for their youth
2. Video and Audio are a big need for the younger youth churches
3. Camps and summer programs are great resources for churches  

Jeff and his family are meeting a major need in Spain. The youth culture is hurting and in great need for guidance.  Jeff is also a part of another youth ministry called La Industria (www.la-industria.org).  It is a 9-month discipleship program which focuses on the arts and faith. As a church planter headed to Spain I am planning to keep a strong connection with this guy to better learn how to serve the young people of Spain.

contact info: jcanderson@contracorriente.orgI look forward to seeing Jeff and his family this summer-Ryan

Podcast description: Josue Fajardo and Tony Vasquez have taken a personal interest in this needy area of the city.  Lavapies is one of the neediest and most ethnically diverse communities of Greater Madrid. Listen to Josue Fajardo (Church Planter) as he walks us through the city and shows us the needs and future vision of this outreach in the city. At the time of the interview, the ministry was a vision, that had not yet come to fruition. I do not know the current status of the ministry contact Josue for the details.

I found this interview helpful to understand the cultural diversity of the city and the churches. For any church to reach inner city Madrid, Lavapies is the hotspot for the down and out hurting and helpless. If you are compelled by this interview to be involved with this kind of ministry, do it! Get involved and conisder the call.

Contact info: Josue Fajardo is a Methodist Church Planter in Madrid his church while in the suburbs. jfajardom@aol.com

FYI: The picture I posted is an example of the modern architecture throughout Madrid.The Salem church is not yellow and I do not currently have a photo of it; but it's very modern as well.

Background of the Church:  Teaching Pastor, Jose Luis is a key leader to this  booming church in Madrid. The church has been around for 20 plus years and hit a turning point when it began to integrate the Purpose Driven Strategies from Saddleback Church. http://www.purposedriven.com 

The church today is in a new facility and is continuing to grow. The church service runs roughly around 1,000 plus people throughout the weekend.  

Background of Interview: Miguel was the one who invited Jose Luis to the Purpose Driven conference some years ago. They have continued their relationship still today. It was fun to do this interview because it was conducted in between services in a small room next to the sanctuary. You can hear the racket in the background and the charged worship team as well. It all adds to the experience.

I wanted to share this with you while I wait for the other podcasts to finish being edited.

This was an awesome Christian Music Festival with a record-breaking attendance. There were to my knowledge 8,000 plus people there from all over Spain. It was an inspiring evening with brothers and sisters from all over the country. The goal was to build Christian Unity! They hit their goal. Great Music and Good News!

I must share a humorous one particular moment. I glanced across the crowd, taking note of the flags representing different provinces throughout Spain. Then it caught me. In highflying colors was the Lone Star, Texas Flag! A proud cowgirl was waving it while running through the crowd, laughing and being applauded by her Texan friends!

I thought to myself, "Only a Texan would have the pride and audacity to wave their flag in this festival."