Still sharing Jesus on the Costa del Sol

Howard and Sue Coley may have retired from leading Elim Spain but they aren’t heading for their deckchairs just yet. Here, they reflect on 35 years ministering on the Costa del Sol and share about a new project.

Howard and Sue, could you begin by setting the scene for us? Tell us a little about Spain and what it’s like faith-wise.

Sue: Spain is a really interesting place. For a long while people here thought anything non-Catholic was a sect or a cult – non-Catholicism has only been legally permitted since 1978. But things have changed because there has been a lot of immigration – especially from Latin, South and Central America, but also from English-speaking countries like the UK, Scandinavia and America.

Howard: The fastest-growing churches are the South American ones. It’s still hard ground spiritually, but we’re seeing God moving and unity is growing between different groups. What’s interesting is that most people don’t think of Spain as a mission field. A lot of what’s seen as “Christian work” – like building orphanages and schools – isn’t needed here. Instead, what Spain really needs is the gospel.

Sue: People need support too. We’re in Benalmádena and it’s a lovely place for a holiday, but underneath it is a world of struggles for local people, especially as the cost of living has rocketed and it can cost a month’s wages to rent a one-bedroom flat.

Tell us about Elim Spain.

Howard: We’re not huge, but we have a healthy, united group of five churches; two Spanish-speaking congregations in Cataluña and three bilingual ones in Andalucía. We planted two of those churches ourselves, and the third is pastored by our daughter and son-in-law, just down the road from us in La Cala.

Sue: Our aim is to fulfil the Great Commission. Matthew 10:8 talks about preaching that the Kingdom of Heaven is near, healing the sick, cleansing lepers, casting out demons and raising the dead, it’s about passing on everything we know about Jesus, making disciples and helping people fulfil God’s call on their lives.

You’ve lived in Spain for 35 years. What memories stand out from your time there?

Sue: Soon after we came to Spain I discovered that God trains people on the job. I was volunteering in a drug rehabilitation centre and was asked if I’d run a drama group. Everything in me was saying, “No, I don’t know anything about drama!” The leader promised to stay but disappeared during the second session. I was left with a group of Spanish-speaking men, thinking, “God, get me out of here!” He didn’t, but he did show me what I could do. We were involved there for a couple of years and our whole family got to see how real Jesus is and the miracles he can do. It was a good training ground.

Howard: Being honest, it’s been a rollercoaster with some real highs and lows, though with the lows you have to remember it’s not people you’re battling but a spiritual enemy. We once had someone trying to pull the church apart and it got so bad they tried to run Sue down in the street. You wouldn’t think that would happen in Benalmádena, where tourists come to make sandcastles on the beach, but that’s what the spiritual atmosphere has been like at times. We’ve had many joys though, too. We’ve created a teaching and development programme which means leaders here can be trained, ordained and have accountability, and they have unity of purpose now too. It’s great to have that structure in place for Elim Spain’s new leaders.

Sue: We’re also seeing the churches grow and have a great relationship with the town hall, who call us “the family church”. So when we look at what God is doing it’s very positive and we expect to see more growth.

Howard: We couldn’t have said that two years ago, but God has been so faithful. We’ve seen him come through for us in many situations. Another joy for us is that all our family – our three kids and four grandchildren – are here working together in various churches too. Our ten-year-old granddaughter plays the drums in our church praise band!

You’ve just retired as president and secretary of Elim Spain. Who’s taken over those responsibilities?

Howard: Gabriel Rivera has taken over as president and Manuel Torres as secretary. Then our son-in-law Dave Hodgson has also come onto the leadership as treasurer. It’s great because Gabriel, from Honduras, and Manuel, from Cataluña, are natural Spanish speakers living in Catalonia where two of our churches are, and Dave, being bilingual, can maintain our links with the UK.

Sue: Gabriel is a very strong man of God and he’s a good leader too. They’re all mature men. Elim Spain is in very capable hands!

You’re still busy with lots of other things, though. Tell us what’s next for you.

Howard: Church-wise, we’ll have more time to concentrate on our own church, which we’ve run since we planted it in 2000. We also oversee a few other churches and mentor some pastors, so we’ll continue doing that. We have a new project too. We own some land in the mountains where we are building a retreat. It’s called Casa de Judá – House of Judah – and the idea is that people or small groups will be able to come and have some time out there with the Lord. You can contact us at info@elimfamilyfellowship.com for more information.

Sue: Another thing we’d like to concentrate on is building closer relationships with churches in the UK. It’d be lovely to have more churches involved with what God is doing here. There must be loads of churches that could send small groups over for a couple of weeks, and if anyone wanted to come for longer there’s plenty to do! We could plant more English-speaking churches in the villages here tomorrow, but we need leaders.

Howard: It’s great to have time to do this, and also to have time to reflect. We can see how God called us to this work and has been with us all the way through. We’ve had times when we’ve laughed and times when we’ve cried, but when we couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel God has always turned up.

Sue: It’s an incredible privilege for two kids from the back streets of Leicester to be sitting on the Costa del Sol feeling we’ve had some input into what God is doing in this country!

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.