Where You Can Believe, Belong, and Become
Spirit of Praise Church rises at the southeast corner of Interstate 2 and Lewis Lane in Harlingen, Texas, a fixture on the landscape of the Rio Grande Valley for more than twenty-five years. The address is 25674 Lewis Lane, and the church office can be reached at 956-428-5050. The building sits along one of the Valley's busiest east-west arteries, a natural meeting point for families from Harlingen, San Benito, Combes, and the surrounding communities of Cameron County.
The church describes its purpose with a simple three-word motto: a place where you can Believe, Belong, and Become all God wants you to be. That motto shapes everything from the way greeters meet a first-time visitor to the way the staff pours itself out into the surrounding neighborhoods.
Senior Pastor Mike Sullivan and his wife, First Lady Barbara Sullivan, have been sharing God's love, forgiveness, and acceptance with the men, women, and children of the Rio Grande Valley for over a quarter of a century. The church was founded because the pastor had a vision for souls and a strong desire to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. As the church puts it: "There is nothing more amazing than the love and grace we have found in and through Christ. He is our everything! He has given us our purpose and identity and it is in Him that we live and move, and have our being! We live for His glory!"
Sundays at Ten, Wednesdays at Seven
The weekly rhythm is easy to remember. Sunday services meet at 10:00 a.m., and Wednesday night services gather at 7:00 p.m. Both are open to anyone who wants to worship, learn, and pray alongside the church family.
Worship at Spirit of Praise is expressive and Spirit-led. The Praise and Worship team, led by Mary Garza along with a group of gifted musicians, guides the congregation week after week into what the church describes as "the very throne room of heaven through anointed praise and worship." Visitors are invited to participate in whatever way feels natural - clapping, sitting, standing, kneeling, or dancing. The leadership's posture is clear: however you want to demonstrate your love for the Lord through our time of worship.
The preaching centers on the Word of God. The midweek service in particular is framed as a place to dig into Scripture together and let it shape the week ahead.
MoonWalkers: Children's Ministry
Children at Spirit of Praise are called the MoonWalkers - reflectors of the SON. The Children's Ministry is led by Linda McLean, supported by a team of volunteers who bring a wide range of talents and show up week after week to serve the next generation.
The children's wing is described as "a dynamic place where children find their identity in Jesus Christ." Each gathering includes the kids' own time of praise and worship, puppet shows, object lessons, games, and Christ-centered teaching. The curriculum is built so that the Bible is taught on a level easy for kids to understand and apply to their daily lives.
Each summer the children's ministry breaks out of the regular Sunday rhythm for the Kids Discovery Camp, an annual gathering that draws children from across the church for an extended time of teaching, games, and fellowship. The Christmas season brings a Children's Christmas Program that gives even the youngest MoonWalkers a place to shine.
World Changers and History Makers: Youth Ministry
Middle school and high school students at Spirit of Praise carry a name that doubles as a mission statement. They are called World Changers and History Makers, described as young people who "have a desire to make an impact on this planet by sharing God's love, acceptance, and forgiveness with everyone they come in contact with."
The youth ministry is staffed by a team of pastors and leaders who walk with the students through both the Sunday and Wednesday services. Names mentioned on the youth team include Pastor Jeanno, Rebecca Aquino, Bro. Rudy, Sister Suzanne, Bro. Justin, and Sister Amanda. Students gather at the same 10:00 a.m. Sunday and 7:00 p.m. Wednesday times as the rest of the church.
Outside of the weekly schedule, the youth ministry hosts an annual Teen Discovery Camp each summer, summer lock-ins, and seasonal events like a Teen Christmas Party. The youth space at the church is consistently active, giving teenagers a community of their own within the larger church family.
The Ladies of the Valley
The Ladies Ministry at Spirit of Praise draws women from across the Rio Grande Valley. First Lady Barbara Sullivan is described as "an outstanding anointed Bible teacher" and hosts a weekly Ladies Bible Study for the women of the church.
On a monthly basis, Pastora Sonia Sieger hosts a bilingual Ladies Conference at the church known throughout the Valley as "2 Hours with Jesus." The bilingual format is intentional. The Rio Grande Valley runs in both English and Spanish, and the conference welcomes women from both language communities to worship, learn, and grow together. All ladies are invited to come out and join "with your sisters in Christ, as we grow together in the beauty of His grace."
Men Around the Table
The Men's Ministry of Spirit of Praise keeps a long-standing rhythm around the breakfast table. On the first Saturday morning of each month at 8:30 a.m., the men of the church gather for a Men's Prayer Breakfast at Blanquita's Restaurant in San Benito. The format is unhurried fellowship and prayer, an opportunity for men in the Valley to step out of the week and into one another's lives.
In addition, the entire church gathers for a Church Prayer Meeting on the last Saturday morning of every month. Prayer is woven into the identity of the congregation, not added on as an extra.
Greeters, Ushers, Drama, and the Media Team
First-time visitors at Spirit of Praise are met first by the Greeters and Ushers, who serve at every Sunday gathering. Ushers help with the practical details of the morning, and greeters are there to welcome newcomers and make sure no one walks in unnoticed.
For those with theatrical gifts, the Drama Team brings Scripture and stories to life through skits and presentations during services and seasonal events. The Media Ministry is a second home for technically inclined volunteers: the team produces the church bulletins, maintains the church's online presence, designs PowerPoint presentations, edits video, runs television and video ministry, and manages social media channels on Facebook and Instagram. The church is "always on the lookout for skilled, qualified volunteers" in this area.
Canned Goods and Compassion: The Food Ministry
The Rio Grande Valley is described by the church as "a very beautiful place to live" but also "one of the most impoverished areas of the nation." The Food Ministry is one of the most tangible ways the church responds to that reality. Each week, members are invited to bring canned or non-perishable items that can then be distributed to families and individuals who come in with a simple desire: to feed their family or to have something to eat themselves.
The church's plea to its own people is brief and direct: "Please be generous." The Food Ministry operates as an ongoing outreach, and it is one of the easiest entry points for someone new who wants to begin serving alongside the congregation.
Beyond the Walls: Prison, Hospital, Nursing Home, and Juvenile Hall
Spirit of Praise takes seriously the Bible's instruction to remember those in prison and to pray for them and their families. Brother Tomas Garcia leads the Prison Ministry, traveling year after year to minister to those incarcerated within the Valley area.
The Hospital/Visitation Ministry reaches out to members who are hospitalized or homebound. The Nursing Home Ministry keeps the church connected to elderly members and friends who can no longer attend services in person. A separate Juvenile Hall Ministry extends the church's care to young people caught up in the justice system. All four of these ministries are coordinated through the church office, and anyone interested in joining can call 956-428-5050.
For those who want to volunteer their time and talent in less defined ways, the Ministry of Helps offers a flexible entry point. The church's posture toward its volunteers is gratitude: "We are so blessed to have you as part of our church family and we appreciate you far more than you may ever know!"
Healing Scriptures
The church's teaching extends well beyond the pulpit. One of the most distinctive tracks is the Healing Scriptures collection, which gathers passages from Genesis to Revelation that speak to God's promise of physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.
The teaching opens with 1 Peter 2:24 - "By His stripes you were healed" - and weaves through James 5:14-15, Isaiah 53:5, Mark 11:24, Psalm 103:1-5, Psalm 107:19-20, Isaiah 58:8, Malachi 4:2, Matthew 8:16-17, Mark 11:22-24, John 14:13-14, Ephesians 6:10, and many others. Members are taught that the Bible not only instructs them to pray but teaches them how to pray to receive healing (Luke 18:1). Theologically, the church frames the collection with a single promise: "When it seems you are all alone in your illness, remember that Jesus promised to never leave or forsake you. 'I am with you always, to the very end' (Matthew 28:20)."
Eternal Security: Once Saved, Always Saved
A second major teaching track lays out the doctrine of Eternal Security. The church teaches plainly: "Once a person has accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, he/she is forever saved."
The teaching walks through three lines of evidence. First, the scriptural evidence, drawing on John 3:15-18, John 10:28-30, Romans 8:38-39, Ephesians 4:30, and Jude 24. Second, the logical consistency of eternal security with the doctrines of salvation by faith, the inherent sin nature of man (Romans 3:10), and the impossibility of earning heaven by good works (Ephesians 2:8-9; Isaiah 64:6). The argument is that without eternal security, a Christian's standing would swing back and forth with each sin and confession - "a perpetual game of Russian Roulette."
Third, the church addresses the "new creation" objection: critics claim that eternal security gives license to sin. The church's response is that anyone who continues to "willingly and blatantly live in sin has not truly accepted Christ" and is not a new creation at all (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 2:19; 1 John 3:6; James 1:26). True saving faith produces a transformed life.
Walking It Out: Christian Discipleship
The Christian Discipleship track treats belief as the starting line, not the finish line. Drawing on the calling of the first twelve disciples (Andrew, John, Peter, Philip, and the rest), the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and the letters of Paul, the teaching outlines what it means to be a modern-day disciple of Jesus Christ.
The practical steps the church outlines are direct: study His Word daily and spend time alone with Him in prayer; become a member of a Bible-teaching church fellowship; seek out the companionship of other Christians who are growing with Christ; participate in ministry and meet the needs of other believers; and share what you are learning about Christ with others - just as Andrew, James, John, Luke, Matthew, Peter, Paul, and all the original disciples did.
A Growing Library for the Road
Alongside these teaching tracks, the church offers a 365 Scriptures for Fear Not collection (a year-long reading of verses that repeat the simple command "fear not" from Genesis to Revelation), a 52 Week Bible Reading Plan, Christian videos curated for sharing with friends, and books written by members of the Spirit of Praise family. An online video archive of archived messages and event footage extends the teaching through the week.
The Welcome That Lasts Twenty-Five Years
What ties it all together at Spirit of Praise is the conviction that the love of Jesus is meant to be shared. The church's own words say it best: "We desire to share the love, acceptance, and forgiveness we have found in Jesus Christ with every man, woman, teen, and child that will listen. We love God and we love people! We hope you will give us an opportunity to serve you as we serve Him!"
For more than twenty-five years, that conviction has shaped the church's Sunday services and its Wednesday gatherings, its MoonWalkers and its World Changers, its ladies' Bible studies and its men's breakfasts, its food pantry and its prison ministry. The corner of Interstate 2 and Lewis Lane is more than an address - it is a long-running, multi-generational effort to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Rio Grande Valley.