On Thursday October 28, 2021 a group from the New Mexico Annual Conference (NMAC) led by Bishop Earl Bledsoe met with Bishop Rodolfo Rivera and conference leaders from the Northcentral Annual Conference (CANCEN) of the Methodist Church of Mexico. We met in a local venue in Juarez, Mexico to have a signing ceremony of the “Covenant of Shared Ministry between the NMAC and the CANCEN” and to strengthen the fellowship between the representatives of both conferences.

A powerful moment during the ceremony occurred when Bishop Rivera gave Bishop Bledsoe the official lapel pin of the Methodist Church of Mexico. Bishop Bledsoe, in return, gave Bishop Rivera his Episcopal ring. Other gifts were exchanged among the participants to symbolize our mutual partnership.

The Covenant Agreement will: a). allow the sending of delegates to the Annual Conferences with voice and vote privileges in order to learn from each other and strengthen ties between the conferences. B). establish ties between the educational institutions of CANCEN and the Lydia Patterson Institute of El Paso TX. c). create opportunities for joint missional work. d). open the opportunity to have pulpit exchanges across the border.

This Covenant Agreement was properly presented and officially approved in the month of June of 2021 by the respective Annual Conferences of both entities, and its implementation has been delegated to a binational Border Ministry Team which will organize and coordinate all ministry efforts outlined in the Agreement.

Let us pray for a successful ministry and a strong witness of the Gospel in the border region through the efforts of the Border Ministry Team representing both conferences.