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Heart and Soul: Preaching Across the Divide

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Pastor Jesse Wood, the cross border pastor with followers each side of the US/Mexican divide, here with kids in Sonora, Mexico

05/01/2018 GMT

Preaching Across the Divide

BBC World Service - Heart and Soul, Preaching Across the Divide

Pastor Jesse Ferguson and his parish, which straddles the US/Mexican border.

Once Pastor Jesse Wood finishes  Sunday morning service, he drives to another part of his parish for the next, which just happens to be on the other side of the US/Mexican border.

Naco Christian Church serves a small but devout congregation, Jesse Wood, its pastor spends hours in his pick-up, driving around meeting and praying with his parishioners.

His journey routinely takes him across the US – Mexico border, because his church straddles these two countries 

Division and misunderstanding are real and potential problems.  Pastor Jesse responds by using the gospels to teach that all barriers must be done away with, not by disregarding or destroying boundaries but by learning to interact with people on a level that transcends those boundaries.  

Will Grant attends the bi-lingual services, Jesse delivers a service in the US on Sunday morning then drives four blocks to deliver a service in Mexico in an attempt to find unique ways to connect with people. 

Will travels with Jesse, deep into the Mexico countryside to meet Maria, struggling to make a living from the scrub countryside and how her faith sustains her.

The call by President Trump for a huge wall to halt the migration from Mexico was hugely controversial and Will finds whether it has divided the worshippers on the US side of Naco Church and their Mexican counterparts.

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