MIDLAND The Rev. Jorge Romero began working as a professional musician in his hometown of Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, and first visited Midland in 2003 as the bassist in a Christian band.
But he had always felt drawn to the ministry and after stepping in at a small church here when the pastor left, the Rev. Romero became associate pastor of The Gathering Church in 2009 and lead pastor three years later.
Having changed names from the First Church of the Nazarene in 2006, the congregation moved to Suite 2 in the Kingsway Center at 3303 W. Illinois Ave. and it averages 120 people at each of its 9:30 and 11 a.m. Sunday services.
“I let the text speak through the big ideas in the words of Jesus,” Romero said. “The Lord’s Prayer is recited a lot, but if you look at it closer, it’s a guide for personal, intimate prayer. Jesus’s disciples asked him, ‘What do you say when you are alone with God, when it’s just you and him in prayer?’
“You’ll notice that he doesn’t say, ‘My father,’ he says, ‘Our father.’ He includes us, which is a good reminder that we approach the father with Jesus. He prays with us.”
Romero graduated from high school in Juarez and qualified for ordination at Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs. He has completed 100 hours of class work at God’s Bible College in Cincinnati. He and his wife Norma have three children.
“We hear a lot about forgiveness and grace and God’s loving us as we are, but I like to remind people that we don’t have to stay as we are,” he said. “Jesus loves us as we are, but he doesn’t leave us where he finds us. The Gospel is a transformation. It will probably be a lifetime journey, but hopefully we won’t get stuck waiting for Jesus’s return but will be transformed.
“I emphasize that when you find yourself worried or scared about something, don’t pray just for things. Pray for the transformation that can be found in Christ.”
The Rev. Mark McCuistion, pastor of the First Church of Nazarene in Odessa, said Romero “is a people person who is loving, caring and kind.
“Jorge is a passionate communicator,” McCuistion said. “He wants to help people.”
