Massanetta Story: Walk A New Way

Because of the generosity of people just like you, Massanetta Springs provides a place for people to be the person God created them to be. Because of the generosity of people just like you, Massanetta Springs is a place where people find their calls to ministry in new and exciting ways. Hiram’s transformational story is one of hundreds we could tell because of the generosity of people just like you. Your gift before August 31, 2025, will ensure that Massanetta stories continue now and for years to come.

“I was in a dark place with the Church.” When Hiram was first invited to be a leader at Middle School Conference in 2008, his church experiences had left him feeling betrayed, unwanted, and wounded. As an openly gay and “unapologetically Latino” man, many places in the Church asked him to hide parts of himself.

Hiram wasn’t sure about his place in the broader Church that did not accept him fully, and even more uncertain about accepting an invitation to provide leadership. He wondered, “Do they really want me, or do they just want a Latino face in their pictures?”

However, the invitation to lead at Middle School Conference came from a trusted friend, with the promise that, “This would be different.” And so Hiram bravely packed his things (and his skepticism) and came to Massanetta Springs for the very first time.

Hiram quickly learned Massanetta Springs was, in fact, different. “I found I could be my whole self!” At Massanetta Springs, Hiram found a place that welcomed, loved, and supported all of who God was calling him to be. The Christian environment he found was different. It was the kind of community he had longed for. It was healing.

“I remember the theme scripture at my first Middle School Conference was the people who took their paralytic friend, broke the roof in, and laid him before Jesus.” During that conference, he felt like the paralytic: broken and burdened. And all these Massanetta friends were carrying him and laying him at the feet of Jesus so that he could get up and walk a new way.

“Massanetta Springs saved my ministry. It opened the door for me to see myself in the Church again. It gave me the confidence to go back home and get involved in my local church, presbytery, and so much more.”

Practicing what you preach is crucial to Hiram, and it’s one of the reasons he keeps coming back. “If I’m going to give my time to a place, I want it to be somewhere where what we preach and what we do are the same. Massanetta Springs is that place for me.” Hiram knows he can be all God calls him to be at Massanetta, and he’s seen that happen for others too. Hiram says he loves to spend time at Massanetta. It’s a place where he comes to recharge, to be “constantly reminded of the grace of God.” What a gift.

It’s the generosity of the Massanetta community that makes stories like Hiram’s possible. Your gift before August 31, 2025 will help so many walk a new way in faith through transformational Massanetta Springs Experiences.