Fernando Rocha focuses on church leadership training in Costa Rica through Academia Cristiana Ministerial (AMC - Christian Ministry Academy).
Recent Updates: Rocha Update 2025 May, Rocha Update 2024 April - Marcos
In February 2023, Fernando and Sylvia moved from their ministry at Ebenezer Church in Tijuana, Mexico to Costa Rica where Fernando is working with 3 other pastors (Edier Urbina, Francisco Bustos, and Jaime Prieto) to provide Christ-centered, Bible-based training to church leaders throughout Costa Rica through AMC. In December 2024, AMC had its first graduating class from its 2 year program which is derived from GBC's 2 year Discipleship Training Program. As the Dean of the Academy, Fernando takes a lead role in guiding the academy, organizing the classes, preparing the class resources for both the online and the in-person class meetings, coordinating with teachers, recruiting students from churches all over Costa Rica, and fostering a positive learning environment for each student. He loves the opportunities to engage more deeply with each student, helping them succeed in the classwork and then incorporate what they have learned in church ministries, in their personal walk with God, and in discipling others.
Since over 50% of Costa Rica's population live in the Greater Metropolitan Area of San Jose, the country's capital, Fernando and Sylvia have located themselves in this large urban area in order to facilitate contact with many churches to promote the availability of AMC's training classes. They are joyfully and gratefully immersed in the life of a church near their home, uplifted by the preaching and worship of Christ as well as the fellowship among the believers and the gospel outreach of the church.
Fernando and Sylvia are both very excited by this new opportunity to serve God's church. It is a new adventure for them in a different country with a different culture, even though the language is still Spanish. They are both enthusiastic and committed to service that strengthen's, encourages, teaches, and grows the church in Costa Rica.
Fernando Rocha Del Valle grew up in Central California and was a gang member starting at the age of 10. The next 15 years of drugs, crime and violence placed him in many areas of the California penal system: Juvenile Hall, California Youth Authority, and finally, California Department of Corrections. He was a double slave – on one hand to sin and on the other to the State of California. Because of his lifestyle, he was looking at being in prison for life because of California’s Three Strikes Law. Instead, he chose deportation, since he was an undocumented immigrant.
Fernando thought he had everything under control, but it was God’s providence that he would be deported. After having lived in the United States for 25 years, his sudden move to Mexico was quite a shock, and he became depressed and felt lost. God had placed Fernando in a situation where he had no other option but to look to and to trust in Jesus. There he found Ebenezer Bible Church and Eagle’s Nest, a colony east of Tijuana. Though Fernando had heard and ignored the gospel throughout his life, God appointed this time for him to understand it.
“When I heard the precious message of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, all I could do was recognize my disobedience and ask God for forgiveness now that I knew that the gospel was real and was for me.”
In the 20+ years since that time, he has been growing in Christ and serving at Ebenezer church, alongside his wife, Silvia. He was pastor at Ebenezer church for many years, training up Bruce Moscoso who has served as pastor/elder alongside Fernando for several years, as well as other men preparing to become elders to work alongside Bruce. With Ebenezer Church in good hands, Fernando and Sylvia have moved on to serve in Costa Rica.
Prayer Items:
- Praise for how the Lord fills lives with joy, gratitude, and blessings.
- For Fernando to be bold and effective in promoting the availability and value of AMC to churches in Costa Rica
- For the AMC students to learn the Bible truths well and to use them personally and within ministries in their churches
- For God to provide for their financial and insurance needs.
- For the Costa Rica government grant Fernando and Sylvia's request for a long-term visa.