Christians seek city’s transformation

Ask some Christians in Spokane about the power of prayer, and they’ll point to the example of Ruth Ruibal in Cali, Colombia.

In an effort to unite Cali’s evangelical community, Ruibal and her late husband, Julio, organized several all-night prayer vigils that each drew more than 50,000 people. Christians in that community believe it was their unity and prayers that led to the fall of Cali’s drug cartel in 1995, transforming a city once notorious for crime and violence.

Documented in a 1999 video created by a Northwest-based Christian organization known as the Sentinel Group, the Ruibals’ story has touched thousands of lives, including many here in Spokane.

“They began with prayer, but out of that prayer came the building of relationships among folks that did not did not talk to each other,” said Rodney McAuley, pastor of Antioch Foursquare Church in Spokane. “As they bridged those gaps, they began working together and speaking as a unified voice. Together, they overcame challenges.”

Invited by local Christians, Ruibal will visit Spokane this weekend to talk about the power of prayer and Christian unity. Her presentations are being sponsored by the Healing Rooms Ministries and Mission Spokane, an organization working to unite Christian churches in the area.

Raised in a Baptist home, Ruibal says she first became aware of her calling to the mission field when she was only 7 years old. After graduating from Columbia University with a master’s degree in public health, Ruibal traveled to Cali, where she taught in the state university’s master program and established the first nondenominational charismatic church in the city.

She met Julio Ruibal in 1973 while leading this small church and working as a short-term consultant for the World Health Organization. The couple were married in 1976 and spent a year studying in the graduate program at Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland. They returned to Colombia the following year with their baby, Abigail. They later had another daughter, Sarah.

In 1978, the Ruibals founded Ekklesia Centro Cristiano Colombiano (Ekklesia Colombian Christian Center), which now boasts a membership of more than 12,000. The couple felt called by God to help unite Cali’s evangelical community. In 1991, the Ruibals organized the first of several prayer vigils that drew thousands.

After receiving death threats, Julio Ruibal — known as the “Apostle of the Andes” — was gunned down outside a church in 1995 by people who opposed the spiritual transformation he sought. His death spurred pastors in Cali to break down denominational barriers and work together.

Later that year, the Cali cartel’s drug lords were captured or killed or turned themselves in to authorities. Those involved in the revivals say this was a direct result of prayer and Christians working together.

Although they also have received death threats, Ruth Ruibal and her daughters are continuing their ministry in Cali. Besides working as pastor of Ekklesia, Ruth Ruibal preaches and facilitates leadership conferences for pastors in South America and the United States. She has been interviewed on many radio and television programs, including the “700 Club.”

Cali was one of four communities chosen by the Sentinel Group for its “Transformation” video series. Based in Lynnwood, Wash., Sentinel describes itself as a Christian research and information agency “dedicated to helping the church pray knowledgeably for end-time global evangelization and enabling communities to discover the pathway to genuine revival and societal transformation.”

The video recently was aired on local cable TV channel 14. According to McAuley, many who saw it asked, “Why can’t that kind of transformation happen here in Spokane?”

Ruibal “will give us an understanding of how a group of folks with different theological perspective can overcome differences and still honor each other and work for a common cause,” said McAuley. “She has a lot to offer.”

People involved with Mission Spokane say they hope that what has happened in Cali also can transform Spokane, said Dan Grether, Mission Spokane’s secretary.

Although Spokane doesn’t have the level of crime and violence of the South American city, it is plagued with methamphetamine labs, poverty and other problems, he said.

That’s why in recent years, hundreds of Christians have come together to “petition for the Lord’s favor to come to this city,” Grether said. People already have seen a positive turnaround here, he said, citing several examples including the election of a new mayor and City Council members, Spokane’s winning bid for the 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and ministries in the West Central neighborhood.

“Our vision for Spokane is to see the whole church reaching out with the whole Gospel to the whole city,” Grether said. Ruibal’s example can show people how “we can stand united for our Lord and our city.”