Although the body of literature on the influence of women in Pentecostalism is growing, the significant contributions of many Hispanic women remain underreported. One such woman is Esther Melendez Gamez.

Born in 1929, Gamez grew up in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico. Her father died when she was an infant, and Gamez lived with her grandmother until her mother remarried. Her stepfather was a baker, providing a modest living for the family that soon numbered 11.

As a young girl, Gamez was a dedicated Catholic, lighting candles at Mass every Sunday. Despite being unable to understand the Latin service, she was curious about all the things she saw at church.

Each Sunday, Gamez walked past a display of Bibles and wondered what secrets they held. When she finally asked the priest, he exclaimed, “No! No! No! Only priests are allowed to read that book!”

Happiness in Christ

At age 10, Gamez attended an Easter service at her aunt’s Assemblies of God (AG) church, Asambleas de Dios Mission. The girl was amazed to hear a sermon in Spanish. She listened closely and understood every word.

The message title was “Felicidad en Cristo,” which means “happiness in Christ.” The word “felicidad” captured the young girl’s attention. But the highlight of the service for Gamez was receiving a Bible in Spanish to take home and read.

That night, Gamez sat in her kitchen reading the new Bible. She did not understand all the things she read, so Gamez stopped and asked God to help her understand the secrets of this valuable book.

Gamez went outside and looked up at the night sky, imagining “felicidad” spelled out in the stars. Returning to the house, she picked up the Bible and read Psalm 8: “When I consider your heavens … the moon and the stars … what is mankind that you are mindful of them?” (verses 3–4).

An overwhelming feeling came over Gamez, who began to weep.

She prayed again, “Is this You, Jesus? If it is, I want this joy that the man spoke about. Please forgive me of all my sins and make me Yours.”

Gamez wept, prayed, and read all night until it was time for school.

After this, Gamez went to her aunt’s house every weekend and attended the church without telling her Catholic parents. At Christmas, when the entire family attended the AG church together at the aunt’s invitation, they were surprised to see young Gamez take the stage with the congregation’s other children.

Gamez started praying and fasting for her family. She eventually led her parents, grandmother, and siblings to faith in Christ. The AG church’s pastor, Alberto Torres, baptized Gamez alongside her family members.

Answering the Call

Even though she did not see other women speaking in her church, Gamez felt a growing desire to study the Bible and share it with others.

When Gamez was 15, a physician in the community recognized her intellectual potential and offered to provide tuition for her to attend medical school. However, Gamez felt drawn to ministry and developed a plan to work in a local Bible school’s office to pay for classes there.

Around this time, Torres asked Gamez to speak during a Sunday night service. The teenager fasted the entire week, while praying, studying and writing. After her sermon, many responded to the altar call. Gamez knew this was what she was supposed to do with her life.

Gamez prayed, “Is this You, Jesus? If it is, I want this joy that
the man spoke about.
Please forgive me of
all my sins and make
me Yours.”

In 1945, Gamez became a licensed AG minister. She wanted to attend the district meeting in Chihuahua but had no money to buy bus fare or the hosiery women were expected to wear at the time. Her mother took out a loan to help with these expenses.

Soon, Gamez started preaching in northern Mexico and across the border in Texas. With no steady income, she lived on whatever offerings she received. Gamez did a lot of fasting during this time — sometimes intentionally and sometimes of necessity.

With the help of fellow ministers Demetrio Bazan Sr. and Alice Luce, Gamez also attended Latin American Bible Institute in Los Angeles for a year.

Church Planting

When Gamez was 17, Torres, who was serving as presbyter, asked her to plant a church in Carreras, a town in Durango, Mexico.

A young man had previously tried to plant a church there but quickly left town as people fired guns at him and shouted, “We do not want Protestants in our village!”

Hoping the men of the village would not shoot at a teenage girl, Torres handed off the assignment to Gamez.

Gamez held Bible studies in the homes of some sympathetic community members. Two women from the group donated lots for the building of an adobe church.

Traveling across the border into Visalia, California, as a field worker, Gamez picked cotton, grapes and oranges. With her earnings, she hired workers for the building project.

Gamez and seven other teenagers carried water from a nearby river to make adobe bricks for the new church, Templo Betania. After finishing the construction, Gamez led the congregation as pastor for nearly four years.

The church still stands today. Gamez preached during a service marking its 50th anniversary. Several members of the teenage construction crew who went on to become ministers attended the celebration.

Persevering

During her time in Carreras, Gamez received a letter in English from church officials asking her to declare “on what scriptural basis you are pastoring a church as a young woman.” (Upon hearing a full translation of the letter, she realized it was mostly her age and inexperience that were causing concern.)

Gamez wrote back, saying, “The Lord is saving children and adults, baptizing them in the Spirit with signs and wonders, men and women are being delivered at the altar from a stronghold of Catholicism mixed with ‘hechizerias/brujerias’ (casting of evil spells).”

After returning the letter to her presbyter for mailing, Gamez heard nothing else regarding the matter.

Gamez went on to pastor a church in La Noria, Durango, and two churches in California.

After marrying Mario Gamez in 1954, she co-pastored with her husband until they retired, both at 85. Gamez says Mario, who died in 2017, was her biggest supporter and encourager in ministry, even typing her sermons during their final years together.

Gamez also served as the first Women’s Ministries director of the AG’s Pacific Latin American District, establishing conventions and ministries for women and young girls while encouraging them to embrace God’s calling on their lives.

In 1990, Gamez became the first woman in the district elected to serve as a sectional presbyter.

Ongoing Ministry

At 94, Gamez continues to preach. A member of Visalia Assembly of God in Visalia, California, she also teaches a Spanish class for seniors and serves in a ministry to the Jewish community.

Six years ago, Latin American Bible Institute awarded Gamez an honorary doctor of ministry degree. And in 2020, the Assemblies of God recognized her for 50 years of service as an ordained minister, capping off 75 years of full-time ministry.

Gamez embodies the pioneering spirit many early Hispanic Pentecostal women exhibited while pursuing their callings in little-known places. They blazed a trail for the hundreds of Spanish-speaking women now serving as evangelists, pastors, missionaries, church planters, and district and national leaders.

This article appears in the Summer 2023 issue of Influence magazine.