ASSEMBLIES OF GOD
Matching Funds Help Open Two Churches in New Jersey
Iglesia Rio de Vida
Lakewood, NJ
Stanley and Rosemary George from Lakewood, New Jersey, have planted two churches with Matching Funds provided by AGTrust, in cooperation with Church Multiplication Network.
The Georges planted Iglesia Rio de Vida as a Spanish-speaking church in Lakewood in 2011. Next, while replenishing the original $30,000 they received in AGTrust Matching Funds, they were awarded more Matching Funds to launch an English-speaking campus, River of Life Church, in 2017 in nearby Jackson.
Initially at Iglesia Rio de Vida, Pastor George implemented a model for community evangelism and engagement that worked well and the congregation grew in number and in maturity.
“It is great to give money to church planting and missions because these two ministries result in peoples’ lives being changed. And the Matching Funds concept is key to helping transform America one community at a time.”
—Church Planter/Pastor Stanley George
He then quickly recognized that a significant emphasis on personal discipleship and lay ministry training was needed. A Spanish-language, Berean School of the Bible study center was established at the church, which effectively complemented the discipleship program.
“Our vision for the church is for each person to be a disciple, make a disciple, and change the world,” Stanley says. “We want leaders who are biblically trained and Spirit-filled, that can help change the world.”
In the past several years, Iglesia Rio de Vida has trained and credentialed numerous members of the congregation, including a Peruvian woman who immigrated to the United States but is now serving in Romania as a missionary associate.
Two more believers credentialed through the church currently assist in church leadership — one as campus pastor and the other as assistant pastor — while Stanley and Rosemary focus on the newer campus in Jackson.
“When you plant a church in a community, that community is never the same,” Stanley says, “Through the church God will begin to save the lost, heal the sick, and change the lives of the people in that community.”
Baptismal service at Iglesia Rio de Vida
