Coming Together

Churches Unite for Baptisms of New Members
October 27, 2021

RESERVE, N.M. – On July 31, the Reserve and Grants Seventh-day Adventist churches celebrated the addition of new church members with a baptism in Reserve, N.M. This Holy Spirit-produced celebration combined the ministries of Jerry Pinzon, former pastor of the Reserve and Grants churches, and their current pastor, David Merling.

In 2013, Jerry Pinzon became the pastor of the Grants and Reserve churches. In the following years, he conducted several Revelation seminars and developed a close friendship with Dale Knighton, a member of the Grants church, and the Swenson family, members of the Reserve church. Those friendships blossomed and led to Pinzon officiating the marriage of Dale to a young woman by the name of Ambrosia. He also began Bible studies with Elias Swenson, the youngest of the Swenson family. 

Although Pinzon left the Texico Conference in 2017 to pursue a master’s of divinity degree at Andrews University, he continued to give Elias Bible studies. Most recently, Pinzon returned to the Texico Conference; although he is now pastoring a new church district, he completed his Bible studies with Elias. Ambrosia and her daughters, Isela and Amara, also became increasingly convicted of their desire for baptism and responded to the gospel call. On the Sabbath morning of the baptism, it only seemed right to honor the faith of the Swensons, who had built a baptismal tank with the expectation that their son would use it, by combining these four young people in a joint baptism and led by Pinzon. Both churches are ecstatic to welcome each member to their respective churches. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

By David Merling, Pastor