Thursday, July 28, 2011

Three thousand-strong Iglesia de Dios megachurch is alive with activity

Iglesia de Dios' July 2011 youth retreat in Chattanooga

The Tennessean recently published a feature with five related stories on Nashville megachurches and their pastors. One of the five congregations featured was the Iglesia de Dios church on Trinity Lane, pastored by Jose Rodriguez.

According to the story about Iglesia de Dios, the congregation is 3,000 strong in a building built for 800, so there are 5 worship services on Sunday.  There are also 5 satellite congregations.

The church was founded in 1995, a year after the Rodriguez family came to Nashville from Venezuela for their son's medical treatment. According to an article in Latino-News.com, the family is from eastern Venezuela, in the Tigre municipality, Anzoátegui province.  Pastor Rodriguez has degrees in divinity and psychology.  He and his wife Vilma have five children: Erick Israel, Adriana, Josué, Moisés and Raquel.

The Tennessean links to an old web site for the Iglesia de Dios church; the new web site is at casadediosusa.net. The church's main Facebook page is facebook.com/casadediosusa, and the youth group has its own Facebook page at facebook.com/jovenesfuertesjf

Iglesia de Dios also has radio and TV ministries. The radio station, which has operated since 2004, is called Radio Vida, at 1130 AM and two other frequencies. Radio Vida's web site is radiovida1130.com; its Twitter ID is @RadioVida1130.  The TV ministry is a one-hour weekly program called Somos Vida, broadcast Saturdays and Sundays at 7:00 a.m. on Telefutura, Saturdays at 8:30 on Telemundo, and on YouTube at youtube.com/user/radiovida1130

Earlier this month, the church held a soccer tournament in Nashville called "Copa Vida" (photo gallery here) and a youth camp in Chattanooga called "Superheroe" (photo gallery here).

Both the Tennessean and Latino News report on the church's plans to open a new building on Dickerson Pike later this year.  Three months ago, the church made a video tour of construction progress.

The most recent episode of Somos Vida is below.




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