Harlingen newspaper reports pastor’s passion for worship

The Valley Morning Star printed an article in its “Slice of Life” section Aug. 15 featuring the nontraditional ways of Valley Praise, a contemporary worship service run by Associate Pastor Aaron Saenz of First UMC, Har-lingen.
Valley Praise services are offered every Sunday at 10 a.m. at Gutierrez Middle School in Harlingen.
A rock band provides “transitional music with blends of modern and contemporary music, stuff you hear on the radio” in an effort to connect with a younger crowd, Saenz told the Harlingen newspaper.
He said he relies heavily on multimedia and video clips like “Field of Dreams” to demonstrate “how the scripture relates to mainstream society.”
Two Sundays ago, the Star reported, the service attracted its largest group of the summer—108 people.
Saenz, a 24-year-old former youth minister, said the church continues to grow every Sunday.