Gospel Momentum in Spain

With Ed Omara, Norman Pedd and Norman’s son Nathan

An update from Joselo Mercado, Lead Pastor of Iglesia Gracia Soberana de Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, and SGC Key Leader for our work in Latin America…

From Friday 24th to Saturday 25th October, I had the privilege of participating in a remarkable men’s conference held in the city of Córdoba, Spain. The gathering brought together around 400 men representing 48 churches from across the nation. What made this event even more striking was that it reached that number without any paid promotion or external publicity—the hunger among the churches for gospel-centered teaching was the true catalyst. The sense of unity, spiritual vitality, and eagerness to learn was palpable from beginning to end.

The conference was organized by a coalition of local evangelical churches with a deep desire to see men transformed by the gospel and equipped to lead their families, churches, and communities faithfully. Although the event was planned primarily at the local level, it carried a national flavor because of the broad representation from multiple regions of Spain—Madrid, Granada, Málaga, Santander, Valencia, and beyond.

Group of pastors before the conference.

The sessions ran from Friday afternoon through Saturday evening, featuring teaching, worship, small-group discussions, and Q&A moments. I had the honor of preaching four times throughout the conference and participating in a panel discussion where attendees asked practical questions about applying biblical truth to real-life struggles faced by men today.

Each teaching session focused on showing how the gospel is not merely a set of doctrines to affirm but a living power that transforms character, relationships, and leadership. My goal was to lead these men to see that biblical masculinity flows not from cultural expectations or personality, but from knowing Christ deeply and being shaped by His humility, sacrifice, and servant leadership. 

The time was deeply edifying and relational. Many pastors expressed gratitude that these conversations moved beyond methods and strategies to address the heart of pastoral life. Several mentioned that they had been longing for spiritual refreshment in their own souls, and that this time together rekindled their sense of calling and dependence on God’s grace.

Worship at the Men’s Conference.

A Testimony of God’s Strength

On a deeply personal level, this trip was also a testimony of God’s sustaining grace. As many know, in recent years I suffered multiple strokes that significantly affected my health and physical endurance. Preparing and traveling for a conference of this magnitude would have been humanly impossible not long ago.

Yet throughout the weekend in Córdoba, I experienced a tangible miracle of God’s strength. Not only did He sustain my body to stand and preach four times in two days, but He also gave me spiritual vitality and deep biblical fellowship with brothers and pastors from all over Spain.

There were moments during worship and after teaching when I was moved to tears—aware that every word spoken, every conversation shared, and every breath taken was a gift of grace. The Lord reminded me again that His power is perfected in weakness, and that the work of ministry is never about human ability, but about the faithfulness of the Great High Priest who intercedes for us.

Many men who knew about my health challenges expressed how seeing me serve and preach encouraged their own faith. It became a living example of what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:7:

“We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”

What God did in Córdoba was not just about sermons delivered—it was about the gospel embodied in weakness and grace.

With Pastor Israel Sanz and his wife

Relationships and Fellowship

One of the greatest joys of the weekend for me was spending extended time with Pastor Israel Sanz, who serves as one of the key leaders in the Spanish gospel movement. Our time together was encouraging and strengthening. We discussed ministry challenges, the development of leadership pipelines, and the importance of building gospel partnerships across Spain and Latin America.

My wife Kathy also had meaningful fellowship with Israel’s wife, Damaris, and several other pastors’ wives. They shared their own experiences of ministry, challenges in supporting their husbands, and the need for mutual encouragement among ministry families. Kathy returned deeply refreshed by the time of prayer and fellowship with these faithful women.

Additionally, Ed O’Mara, pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Turin, Italy, and SGC Area Leader for Europe, attended the conference, accompanied by Norman Pedd, a Sovereign Grace church planter serving in Santander, northern Spain. Having them present brought a sense of partnership and shared mission, which was is encouraging to me.

Ed likewise expressed how encouraged he was to see the advance of the gospel in Spain—to see churches growing in sound doctrine, healthy leadership, and gospel unity. He commented that witnessing this work firsthand gave him renewed faith to believe that God can do the same in Italy. The time together with Ed and Norman also allowed for important conversations about how we can strengthen our family of gospel-preaching churches throughout southern Europe.

Pastor that was saved during outreach in Seville in 1992. He was 15 at the time, and is now the pastor of the church that was born out of the outreach.

Encouragements from the North of Spain

Following the conference, Kathy and I traveled to northern Spain, where we spent time with Norman Pedd and his family. Norman is planting a church in Santander, a city of great beauty but also great spiritual need. We had dinner with his family and heard firsthand about the joys and difficulties of pioneering gospel work in a post-Christian region.

It was humbling and inspiring to see his perseverance and his family’s faithfulness. They are building slowly, meeting with new believers, and forming the foundations of a healthy local church. Our time together included prayer, counsel, and mutual encouragement. It reminded us that God is at work in places where fruit may take years to appear—but His promises remain sure.

Conclusion

In summary, the Córdoba men’s conference was an extraordinary expression of unity, hunger for truth, and gospel-centered transformation among the churches of Spain. The event gathered 400 men from 48 congregations—without promotional resources—because the Spirit of God is stirring genuine renewal.

The opportunity to preach four times, lead a Q&A, meet with pastors about the practical implications of the gospel, reconnect with a church born from the 1992 missionary outreach in Seville, and witness God’s sustaining power in my own body and spirit made this weekend profoundly significant.

The fellowship with Pastor Israel and Damaris Sanz, the encouragement shared with Ed O’Mara and Norman Pedd, and the follow-up visit to northern Spain all contributed to a time filled with gratitude, vision, and renewed hope.

We return thankful to the Lord for the doors He continues to open in Europe and confident that the same gospel that is bearing fruit in Spain will also bear fruit across the continent and beyond.

With Norman and his family, including wife Barbara in Bilbao.