September 21, 2010 – Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico…[Libna Stevens/IAD]
Seventh-day Adventist leaders in Ciudad Juarez continue to be concerned about the safety of their church members after the murder of two young Adventists last week. Jose Ines Martinez, and his sister Maribel Martinez, both active members of the Zaragoza Adventist Church, were found shot to death in their vehicle on Sep. 12. Both were among 17 victims killed in Juarez within a 24-hour period, according to a local news report.
Jose Ines Martinez, 18, and Maribel Martinez, 26, were killed as they waited for their sister to return from a visit to a nearby clinic.
“We believe that this was another case of mistaken identity,” says Pastor Jose Luis Jimenez, president of the church in the North Mission office. Jimenez says a witness overheard the shooters say that they had shot the wrong people as they stood by the vehicle immediately after the shooting.
“We are saddened to have lost these two young people,” says Jimenez, who attended the memorial and funeral services last week. “This is the second time this year that our church in Zaragoza has been hit hard by violence.”
Earlier in May, a pastor and his head deacon were killed while they sat in a vehicle after visiting members’ homes.
“Jose was an active master guide and Maribel was an active soul-winner in the church and active in the small group ministries,” says Jimenez. Maribel Martinez is survived by her husband and five children ranging from 6 to 13 years of age.
“We know that we are living in difficult times, yet our members continue to be committed to the mission we have to accomplish, in serving God and supporting the work,” Jimenez says, who oversees some 106 congregations from his mission office in Chihuahua. “We continue to warn our members to take precautionary measures toward safety by not staying in one place or in a vehicle for very long and not traveling at night.”
Church leaders at the North Mexican Union headquarters in Montemorelos, Nuevo Leon, continue to be concerned about the safety of their members in their entire region.
“We have prepared a document with recommendations for the safety of our members as they do missionary work and this will be voted in our upcoming committee meeting,” says Pastor Luis Arturo King, president of the church in North Mexico. “We know that the Lord is with His church and we are encouraged in what can be accomplished for the growth of God’s work.”
