Fellowship Bible Church and El Shaddai have enjoyed a close relationship for many years, but many do not know the full story of God’s faithfulness over time with El Shaddai.

A Legacy of a Building

El Shaddai Christian Church sits on a serene corner of Concord and Nolensville Rd. adjacent to the winding Mill Creek in a historic church building dating back to 1804 on the site of a former log cabin.  Having a river or lake nearby was crucial for early churches to accommodate baptisms.  This congregation was known as the Concord Baptist Church, and its original mission statement was to “Go to the Nations”.  From the very start it was one of very few churches which had both Caucasian and African Americans in the congregation.  It later served as a camp site and military hospital for the Union Army during the Civil War serving about 8,000 men.  After the Civil War, a Sunday School annex was added to the main sanctuary building to accommodate the education of the many area orphans and poor children after the war.  It also served an important role as a community center for the people in the area. 

In 2005 El Shaddai purchased the historic Concord Church as a church plant for the growing Latin American community of Nashville, with over 16 nations represented in the congregation.  Their vision is strikingly aligned with the original mission of Concord Baptist Church, “Building disciple makers for Christ, to take the love of God to all the nations.”

The Origins of the Castro Family in Nashville and Planting of El Shaddai:  A Legacy of Faithfulness

Over 100 years ago a group of evangelical missionaries came to Colombia, South America to share the gospel. Although they were met by great resistance by the local Catholic priest, a young Carlina de Castro saw them worshiping God with joy and decided that they were not as her priest had described, and she came to faith in Christ and was discipled by them.  As a woman, Carlina raised her five sons as evangelical Christians and four of them became pastors.  When Margarita Cabrera met Carlina’s son Germán through business in Colombia, she admired his servant heart and deep devotion to God.  Germán’s faith led her to the Lord, and they soon married.  Germán and Margarita were transferred to the United States through a Swiss International Commerce Corporation, where he had worked for over 17 years as the International Marketing Manger for the Southwest region of the United States.  Six years later, the Lord revealed that they were to plant and pastor a missional church in Nashville for the many people coming from Latin American countries.  Germán renounced 23 years of service to his company to plant this church.  Miraculous initial funding soon followed, and El Shaddai was born.

The May 2010 Flood

Five short years after starting El Shaddai, the unprecedented Nashville flood destroyed much of greater Nashville.  El Shaddai, sitting near the usually tame Mill Creek River was also severely damaged.  Although the shell of the beautiful, historic brick walls remained, the electrical and HVAC systems were destroyed, as well as the content of the building, musical instruments, computers, Bibles, curriculum for the children, kitchen appliances, and furniture.  Other parts of the church, such as the roof and historic pews were severely damaged. 

Today—A Sturdy Building Built for the Future

Many Fellowship members remember the windy day when the Spirit of the Lord was blowing through our outdoor celebration when we announced that God through us had raised $850,000 to pay off the cost of materials for El Shaddai’s renovation.  (The members of El Shaddai had pledged to provide all the labor, valued at $600,000.)  Many are wondering about the status of El Shaddai’s reopening. 

First, it’s important to know that the conditions that led to the destruction of El Shaddai were unique, and important changes have been made since then.  One critical improvement is with the widening of Concord Road, deep culverts have been added near El Shaddai to absorb vast amounts of rainwater.  In addition, the runoff has now been directed far across the parking lot bypassing the church.

In terms of the renovation of the building, an architectural engineer was hired, who is knowledgeable in the field of flood protection.  All electrical outlets and the hot water heater are now over four feet above the ground, and the HVAC system is on the roof.  The lower part of the walls is now constructed from a composite concrete rather than sheet rock. 

As anyone knows who has built a house, there are usually a few glitches to work through before a project is completed.  For El Shaddai they are relatively simple.   First, they need to lower and enlarge the crawlspace vents and connect the alarm system to the fire department.  Once these changes are made, the building will be inspected, and then a Certificate of Occupancy will be released.  Then, El Shaddai can finally move home!  It is hoped that this can be accomplished within the next couple of months.

The Vision Continues

Many at Fellowship are aware that Pastor Germán died from complications due to Covid on September 1, 2021.  While it’s clear that Margarita still deeply feels the loss of her husband, best friend, and co-laborer in Christ, equally self-evident is her Spirit-filled determination to continue the Lord’s work at El Shaddai.  She clearly sees her role as a bridge to the future.  When asked if she’s lonely, she shrugs her shoulders and remarks, “I’m too busy to be lonely.”  With the support of other pastors, Margarita has assumed the role of lead pastor for El Shaddai which has been meeting at a nearby Nazarene Church.  She has also helped to spearhead a comprehensive music program “Sois Semilla” (New Crop) for 25 students from 1^st grade through high school.  These students are led by a group of 7 music teachers from Colombia via Zoom each Saturday and are instructed in piano, guitar, drums, Spanish worship music, conducting, and more.  She also continues to oversee English instruction for some members, while staying on top of all the renovations of the historic church building.

When they return to their church building, Margarita wants to continue El Shaddai’s mission of being a light in the community while making disciples and sharing the gospel with the nations.  To that end, El Shaddai has the following projects in the pipeline:

A dynamic community center
They hope to launch a summer Farmer’s Market in the church parking lot where locals can shop while being ministered to with live worship music.  They also want to have a ministry to the area senior citizens with mid-week lunchtime services, classes and talks in the Fellowship Hall, an adult playground, a connecting trail between the Nashville and Brentwood Greenway, and an arboretum.

A discipleship program
15 young men ages 25 to 35 years old are currently being trained as future leaders through the online program, Asbury Theological Studies.  El Shaddai hopes to expand this program in the new building.

Going to the Nations
This will involve both hosting overseas missionaries at El Shaddai thanks to the inclusion of showers in the new bathrooms, as well as linking arms with other area churches to minister to the nations who are coming to Nashville.  They also plan to grow El Shaddai into a fully bilingual and bicultural church as they serve 2^nd and 3^rd generation Latinos and beyond.  Prior to the flood they conducted mission trips to Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Cuba, and they hope to do more trips soon.

Building on a Strong Relationship with Fellowship

While many in the Fellowship body are aware of the strong financial commitment between Fellowship and El Shaddai during the Generous God campaign, many are unaware of the strong personal support many in the body have given to El Shaddai through the years.  Included are:

• Several members from El Shaddai joined Sandy Butters on a Missions trip to Peru.
• Prior to the flood, Tony Roberts’ and the members of his community group were ever-present at El Shaddai.  The men helped with yardwork, the ladies taught Sunday School, families tended the garden, and the youths cultivated friendships with other youths at El Shaddai.
• Teenager Rachel Worsham was all “in” helping with worship, Youth group, and tending the garden.
• Tom Moore comes every week to help with overseeing the renovation.  Margarita is certain that without him, the work would have come to a halt.  She appreciates that he uses the word “us” in describing El Shaddai and the ongoing work there.
• Richard and Joy Miller, who served with Margarita in Peru, have never stopped being friends.  For 3 years after Pastor Germán’s death, Richard has mowed Margarita’s lawn.
• Administrators Tom Claggett, Suzan Hicks, and now Jeff Gipe have been strong encouragers and supporters of El Shaddai.
• There are many others who have played instrumental roles through the years, and Margarita is grateful for each one.

Prayer Requests

• That the renovations would finish smoothly, and they would soon receive their Certificate of Occupancy.
• That someone would provide a connection to good, used furniture for use in their lounge, perhaps from a hotel renovation project.
• For the provision and financing of a Choir Director from Colombia to come for the summer and work with the students in “Sois Semilla”.
• For dedicated staff in the worship and building ministry.
• That they would continue to identify and grow future leaders.