Rev. Oviedo began serving Nuevo Nacimiento, his first appointment as a licensed local pastor, in 2023. There were only eight people coming to worship on a Sunday; the church had no parking lot, the roof was damaged, and the walls and ceilings on every floor needed repair.
Rev. Oviedo was not deterred. He recalled, “Before I came here, people told me, ‘Paterson is an ugly place.’ I don’t hear that. If we’re
here, Paterson is beautiful. If I have the Holy Spirit in my heart, everything can be changed little by little. Together, we do a lot of stuff with Jesus Christ… I know who I am, and I know who is with me. It’s fine.”
Rev. Oviedo saw the possibilities, while others saw only the pitfalls. Immediately, he took to the streets, inviting people to come and worship. Little by little, attendance began to increase as word of mouth spread. Rev. Oviedo called the roofing company to have the roof fixed and started working with the building to turn it into a place where people would be glad to gather.
The smell of fresh paint hung in the air in the best possible way on the day I visited Rev. Geraldo Oviedo, pastor of Nuevo Nacimiento UMC in Paterson, NJ. He immediately ushered me downstairs to the church’s basement, the site of the recent renovations.
“I called this the ghost room,” Pastor Oviedo joked, as he showed me the basement gathering space, “Everything was green, green, green.”
A year later, the space is totally transformed. The walls are freshly painted in a light cream color, and the floors have been freshly finished with a light oak stain. Everything looks fresh, clean, and new. Rev. Oviedo was proud of the progress the church has made in renovating the space. “We have spent a year working every single day. So many people come to help us.”
Not only has the space been transformed, but so has the church. When Rev. Oviedo started, there were eight people on a Sunday; now more than 60 people are actively connected with the congregation.
The growth came through personal invitation, as Rev. Oviedo invited people to worship, and they, in turn, invited friends and
neighbors. “The people come because they need the church. They need God… always after the service, we try to do a small coffee time so that people can connect.” Part of that fellowship time is the practice of compartir—which in Spanish means to share. People share their needs—maybe they need a job, maybe they need housing—and then those who are gathered share resources and community connections. “We try to help each other,” shared Rev. Oviedo.
In addition to sharing help over coffee, Nuevo Nacimiento offers a clothing closet upstairs for recent immigrants. Those who have need are welcome to come and shop for free. Some visit only once; some return and connect more deeply with the church.
Carlos is one person who has connected with the church through their outreach ministry. He arrived in Paterson from Venezuela and needed a job. Rev. Oviedo helped to connect him with a local deli that was hiring, and now Carlos comes every Tuesday, his day off, to help fix things around the church.
Nuevo Nacimiento has recently launched a music ministry program. Rev. Oviedo and his wife offer free music lessons to young people and adults in the community. They teach piano improvisation downstairs next to the main gathering space, and more keyboards and guitars are stationed upstairs in the main music room. More and more students are coming all the time. They regularly help in worship, often leading a special song.
Growth came through Rev. Oviedo’s vision, his connection with Jesus Christ, and a relentless commitment to bless the city of Paterson in every way possible. May God continue to richly bless Nuevo Nacimiento as they faithfully serve their community.