Fifty Years of Lima Encounter with God: A Legacy of Transformation in Peru

The year 2023 has meant a new, hopeful dawn for the Evangelistic Movement of Lima Encounter with God (LED) in Peru. It has been 50 years of fervent prayer of servants full of the love of the Lord working for his Church and a Latin American city thirsty for the love of a God who changes lives.

In 1973, a diverse team of pastors and servants of various nationalities joined together to form the Evangelistic Movement of Lima Encounter with God (LED) in Peru. The venture had a significant impact, generating fervent growth in new churches. Years later, Ricardo Abrams, a member of LED’s founding team, defined the vision as “a saturation evangelism effort in a Latin American capital city, with the purpose of changing the history of that country through evangelism.”

In his work The Fire in the City, pastor-writer Javier Cortázar compares the beginning of LED with the “day of little things” prophesied by Zechariah. Over 50 years, this movement has grown, borne fruit, and become a living testimony of faith. Cortázar presided over LED in two key periods, from 1990 to 1992 and from 1996 to 2001. He shares the crucial stages of its development in his book. In his closing message of the conference that marked the 50th anniversary of LED, Cortázar told of taking risks for the greater purpose of expanding the Kingdom of God.

Pastor and mentor Wilson Chavez was one of the first Peruvian pastors to join the movement and has left an indelible mark on the history of LED. In his opening and closing messages of the LED conference, Chavez highlighted his gratitude for God’s support and presence during this time. The closeness and active presence of God, his loving heart and grace, have made LED what it has become from its beginnings until today, hoping that it will continue and multiply for the next 50, 100, 150 years until Christ’s return.

Kenn Opperman, Eugenio Kelly and Alfred Smith, who started the movement, shared their perspectives on LED. For Opperman, it is an attempt to evangelize and change the history of a Latin American country through the gospel. Kelly highlighted its nature as an evangelistic church-planting movement, while Smith described it as an evangelistic enterprise that reveals the normal life of a church.

In an interview with Opperman’s children, Craig Murray of Church Ministries International (CMI), said they recall glimpses of their parents’ life: “LED was a work of the Holy Spirit, a picture of the glory of the Lord painted by the brush of the Holy Spirit.” Kenn Opperman and Roy LeTourneau, who were only in their early twenties, formed a friendship around a common vision, and dedicated their lives to it, paying the price with true passion, obeying God’s call for multitudes to know Christ.

In his book Mission in the City,[1] Dr. Miguel Ángel Palomino, rector of the Latin American Theological Faculty (FATELA), highlights the uniqueness of LED as more than an evangelistic program. According to Palomino, it is a manifestation of the sovereignty of God, guiding beyond structured plans, with the Holy Spirit leading the way. LED is revealed as a genuine movement of evangelism, discipleship, and church growth in an urban context, rooted in the biblical mandate to preach the gospel.

The growing need for trained leaders led to the creation of the Lima Encounter with God Bible Institute (IBLED) in 1976, with 22 students beginning a five-year program of ministerial preparation.

This Institute was the precursor of the Alliance Bible Seminary of Peru (SEBAP). Since 2002, its theology program has been accredited by the Latin American Association of Theological Education Institutions (ALIET). Currently, SEBAP has extensions in metropolitan Lima, in the interior of the country, and international agreements in El Salvador, Honduras, Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, the United States, Mexico and Japan, with students of various nationalities in its virtual system. The history of SEBAP is a narrative of growth, evangelistic commitment and ministerial training that has left a lasting mark on the work of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) of Peru.

LED has evolved into a dynamic movement that has impacted more than 64 churches in the Lima area. This fraternal effort of the C&MA of Lima churches has a clear vision: to expand the Kingdom of God to the world. In its mission to fulfill the Great Commission, based on Matthew 28:18-20, LED has planted churches with C&MA principles, making disciples of Jesus Christ in Lima, in Peru, and in the world. With more than 48,000 members passionate for Christ, the movement has inspired evangelism in cities such as Arequipa, Trujillo, Iquitos, Chiclayo, Piura, Huancayo, Cusco, Tacna and Tingo Maria.

Beyond national borders, LED has taken the message of the gospel to Ecuador, Chile and Colombia, responding to the need to spread the gospel outside of Lima. National pastoral teams have sent pastors to other countries – pastors such as Enrique Mendez, who has spent nearly four years planting a church in Barcelona, Spain.

LED faces new challenges in a world that seems to be moving away from faith. However, its focus on prayer, the centrality of God’s Word, and the training of leaders after God’s heart continues to make a difference. The challenge is greater, but with gratitude to the Lord the movement is ready to continue extending the Kingdom of God until Christ returns for his church.

In commemoration of these 50 years, from October 26-28, 2023, more than 7,000 young people gathered in Lima to express their devotion to God’s faithfulness. The Christian Alliance Youth, a pioneer generation, stood out, sharing the emotional story of the beginnings of LED and advising the new generations. The afternoon was full of emotions and gratitude, with 12,000 hearts remembering the hymns of the past and glimpsing a future led by the new generations.

On this anniversary, the King of kings was glorified, and tribute was also paid to those whose hearts and efforts contributed to the development of this movement.

Inspiring testimonies, and tributes to figures such as Pastor Alfred Smith, who emotionally received a plaque in gratitude for his significant work, added to the participation of global delegations, marking this milestone with the singing of a birthday song by 12,000 members, symbolizing the unity of this extensive spiritual family.

Some 15,000 people gathered in the Ex-Amauta Coliseum on the last day of the celebration. Together, they praised and glorified God for his faithfulness, goodness, and support throughout this remarkable journey. Fifty years of history was celebrated, thanking the Lord for his guidance, celebrating the achievements, and looking with expectation toward a future where Lima Encounter with God remains a constant spiritual movement.

[1] Palomino, Miguel Ángel. Mission in the City. Focus on the Lima Encounter with God Movement. New Advertising Image. Lima, Peru. February 1990 edition