New pastor in the pulpit at community church

Internationally recognized minister Mike Silva has stepped into the pulpit at Sisters Community Church.

The founder of Mike Silva International (MSI) has shared the Gospel with some four million people in 30 countries through evangelical festivals and ministry to some of the most impoverished populations on Earth, largely in Latin America. MSI does well projects, food and clothing distribution and provides medical clinics in addition to its festivals, which draw thousands.

The pastor will continue to operate MSI as he serves the Sisters congregation.

Sisters Community Church has seen turmoil in recent years, with personal and doctrinal differences dividing and fragmenting the congregation.

"I guess everybody in town knows that it's been a place of struggle and difficulty," Silva told The Nugget. "However, churches are like families. That stuff happens in families, too."

Silva said he hopes to be a peacemaker who can help the church "come back to center."

"I feel like I'm coming in with a clean slate, with no biases one way or another. I've got nothing to prove; I've got nothing to hide. I'm here to love people and serve God - and that's it."

Silva has the unanimous support of the church's elder board and the congregation.

"I led the pastor search team that looked at 37 applicants over a seven-month period," John Gerke told The Nugget. "When all 12 members of the search team read his résumé, each had the same thought: this is the man the Lord has in mind for Sisters Community Church, and for the Sisters community! We felt the Lord's conviction even more strongly as we went through our extensive interview process and we prayed. He was the only applicant who drew unanimous and enthusiastic approval from the search team. When he was interviewed by the eight-member elder board, it was the same story - unanimous approval, which no other candidate got.

"When the church congregation voted on whether to affirm Mike as our new pastor, a 75-percent approval was required by our constitution. Mike received 100-percent approval. The way he has been accepted and has reached out has given us proof that we heard the Lord correctly: Pastor Mike is His choice for us."

Silva and his wife Crystal moved here from Silverton. They have four adult daughters. They have always loved Sisters Country.

"Our favorite time of year is Rodeo," he said.

Over the years of visiting Sisters or passing through the area, he said, "I'd think to myself, 'Doggone - I'd love to live there someday.'"

Silva has spent 30 years in ministry, a calling he found when he was still a teen.

His ministry among impoverished populations has taught him perspective and humility.

"The poorest people here are so wealthy," he said. "The places we go, the poverty is unbelievable."

Silva is bound for the Azores in September, followed by a trip to El Salvador.

Church members are thrilled to have a pastor of Silva's stature in the pulpit.

Monte Kline, Board of Elders chairman, said: "Though he is internationally known, in humility he comes to be part of a team with our elders. It's like Michael Jordan decided to join our junior high school basketball team!"

For more information on MSI, visit www.mikesilva.org.

For more information on Sisters Community Church, including service times, visit www.sisterschurch.com.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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