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Pastor Leads Wisconsin Church from Guatemala
Confirmed
In Short: Esdras Paredes, an immigrant pastor, leads his Wisconsin congregation from Guatemala, where he was separated from his church.
At Ven y Descansarás Church in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, members gather for a service where Pastor Paredes is projected on a screen, preaching remotely.
Paredes' journey began in Esquipulas, Guatemala, during the civil war, where his father, an Assemblies of God pastor, received death threats.
In 2025, Paredes flew to Guatemala to visit his critically ill mother and apply for an immigrant visa, advised by his lawyer.
The pastor's separation highlights the challenges faced by immigrant pastors leading their congregations remotely.
He’s not in place yet,"" a member of the pastoral team tells the congregation in Spanish.
He’s not in place yet,"" the team member repeats, emphasizing the ongoing struggle.
Paredes' absence affects not only his family but also his spiritual community, as he leads Bible studies and moderates a men’s WhatsApp group.
The pastor and his wife, Wanda, lost $1,350 to a scam involving a fake immigration judge.
Religionnews reports that at least 25 immigrant pastors have been separated from their congregations during Trump’s second term.
What this adds
The pastor's separation highlights the broader issue of immigrant pastors being detained or deported, affecting their congregations.
The incident underscores the financial and emotional toll on immigrant pastors and their families due to immigration policies.
What's confirmed
- “If the pastor is now connected, then we will …” a member of the pastoral team tells the members in Spanish, then stops to listen.
- RNS has identified at least 25 publicly reported cases of immigrant pastors separated from their congregations during Trump’s second term.
- And it also shows the toll a pastor’s separation can take, not only on a family, but a spiritual community.
- Esdras’ immigration story began in Esquipulas, Guatemala, less than 10 miles from the Honduras border.
- He said his childhood was shaped by violence during Guatemala’s civil war.
- His father, an Assemblies of God pastor, had received death threats as religion became a flashpoint in the war, and he urged Esdras and his older brother to seek asylum in the U.S. The teenagers crossed the border without authorization and immediately turned themselves in to immigration authorities, Esdras said.
- “He’s not in place yet.” While the team at Ven y Descansarás (Come and You Will Find Rest) scrambles to fix Esdras’ internet connection, people at the Pentecostal church in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, part of the Church of God denomination, are asked to get up and greet each other.
- Their preacher is more than 2,000 miles away in Guatemala.
- He leads Bible studies, moderates a men’s WhatsApp group and keeps up with members’ lives.
- On nights like this one, the limits of leading his church remotely are evident.
- In the summer of 2025, he flew to Guatemala to visit his mother, who had been critically ill in the hospital, and on his then-lawyer’s advice, apply for an immigrant visa at the U.S.
What's still developing
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