The sinner in us is sanctified through the forgiveness of sins the saint in us is matured through the work of the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s Supper, also known as Communion or the Holy Eucharist, is that mystical experience whereby the broken and sinful Church is made holy and whole. These waters remind us of the grace of God that washes away our sins and sanctifies us. In the waters of Baptism, the Holy Spirit seals the believer as she or he publically affirms a commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and membership in His holy Church. This worldwide and beautifully diverse community of believers is sustained by the sacraments of Baptism and Communion. This Church is filled with a people who are at the same time sinners and saints-a people saved and sanctified not by their own works but by the finished work (grace) of their Savior. He ascended to heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father. On the third day He conquered sin and death and rose from the dead with all authority of heaven and earth in His hands. This Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit, suffered, died and was buried. His suffering places Him alongside all those victimized by unspeakable brutality and evil. Jesus shed redeeming blood for lost humanity and atoned for the sins of all who place their faith in Him. Jesus, fully God but also fully human, showed each of us the possibilities for humanity when in full alignment with the will and purpose of God. In Jesus, the unmarred image of the invisible God is seen perfectly. Jesus healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, fed the hungry, lifted the poor, set the oppressed free and raised the dead-teaching us that no one is beyond the reach of God’s eyes or His love. Jesus, fully God, walked among us revealing to a shattered world the heart and power of God the Father. In this act, God determined that what is irreconcilable for humanity can be redeemed and reconciled in Jesus. Menchaca is a member of the Greater Santa Barbara Clergy Association, Director of Life in Focus Education of Santa Barbara, Member of South Coast Task Force on Youth Safety of Santa Barbara, and founder of New Beginning Community Church.This is real love-not that we loved God, but that He first loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. He has a proven record of solid leadership skills and continues to establish many youth programs throughout the Western United States.Ĭurrently, Rev. He has also appeared on Fox Radio, providing insight on gang subculture. Menchaca has received many awards, collaborated with the County Sheriff and City Police Departments, and served on many community and county school committees and in the capacity of a gang expert and consultant to schools and adoption agencies. He also was a member of the Meth Task Force of Orange County, and a member of the Drug Store Program sponsored by the California Department of Justice. In that same year, he was appointed to serve as the National CPF Liaison to the UPCI. The next year, he served as the Director of Life in Focus Education and District Chaplain at Christian Prison Fellowship (CPF) of Southern California, becoming the first Hispanic in the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) to hold that office. Menchaca relocated to Los Angeles, California to become the Program Director of Calvary Recovery Center of Covina, California. Menchaca served on the Stanislaus County Community Gang Task Force. Soon after, he joined the Hispanic Leadership Council of Stanislaus County and served as Sargent of Arms and Vice President of the Board of Directors. Menchaca was appointed Director of Life In Focus Education (L.I.F.E.), a life skills program at the Modesto Youth Center (MYC), and in 2005, he was placed on the Board of Directors of MYC. The following year, he founded THUG Intervention, a gang intervention and group behavior program. That same year (2000), he co-founded the Boys to Men Youth Mentorship Program in Modesto. Menchaca’s leadership, the Prison Volunteer Program was adopted into the curriculum of multiple facilities including the Men’s & Women’s Safety Center, Juvenile Hall, Men's and Women’s Honor Farm, as well as the Sierra Conservation Center (Jamestown), with over fifty volunteers under his direction. In 1999, he became a licensed minister with the United Pentecostal Church International. Menchaca relocated to Modesto, California, and became a volunteer chaplain at the California Youth Authority in Stockton, California. He is married to his beautiful wife, Ruby, since 1985 and has four wonderful children. Born in Santa Barbara, California, he was one of nine children raised by his single, devoted mother. Gerardo "Jerry" Menchaca has been a youth advocate for more than twenty years.
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