Presenting for the first time at the Museum of South Texas History is Mauro Sierra III, who will discuss the history of Pentecostalism in the Rio Grande Valley. Sierra’s presentation “Los Aleluyas: A Socio-Cultural History of the Apostolic (Pentecostal) Movement in the Rio Grande Valley” will be presented during the Sunday Speaker Series program on Sunday, July 14, at 2 p.m. in the museum’s Courtyard Gallery.
Pentecostalism, as we know it, branched out from the Azusa Street Revival of 1906 in Los Angeles, California. In 1914, a theological division split the Pentecostal Movement into a traditional Trinitarian faction, and the Oneness (or, Jesus Only) Movement. The Pentecostal Movement began to arrive in the Rio Grande Valley as early as the 1920s and, in the 1930s, a Oneness Pentecostal church was established that would lead to the forming of the Apostolic Assembly of the Faith of Christ Jesus, Inc.
A minority church, filled with minorities, Apostolics in the Rio Grande Valley showcase alternative religious beliefs than those of the mainline Catholic and Protestant churches found in the region. This presentation will showcase the struggles and discrimination, as well as the successes, of the Apostolic Movement in the Rio Grande Valley.
Sierra is the director of the Apostolic Archives of South Texas and a professor with the International Apostolic Bible College of Donna. Sierra is also a Dual Credit Faculty Member at La Joya Early College High School and teaches U.S. History and AP Macroeconomics.
Sunday Speaker Series is included in the fee for regular museum admission. FRIENDS of MOSTHistory are admitted free as a benefit of FRIENDship and must present their FRIENDship card at the Admissions Desk.
This program is made possible with generous support from the Carmen C. Guerra Endowment. Mrs. Guerra was deeply committed to supporting educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley. This named endowment was created at the museum by her family to honor her memory and to continue her commitment to providing opportunities for education to the community.
About Museum of South Texas History
The Museum of South Texas History is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is located in downtown Edinburg at 200 North Closner Boulevard on the Hidalgo County Courthouse square. Hours of operation are from 1 p.m.–5 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday. Founded in 1967 as the Hidalgo County Historical Museum in the 1910 Hidalgo County Jail, the museum has grown over the decades through a series of expansions to occupy a full city block. In 2003, following the completion of a 22,500 square foot expansion, the museum was renamed the Museum of South Texas History to better reflect its regional scope. Today, the museum preserves and presents the borderland heritage of South Texas and Northeastern Mexico through its permanent collection and the Margaret H. McAllen Memorial Archives and exhibits spanning prehistory through the 20th century. For more information about MOSTHistory, including becoming a FRIEND, visit MOSTHistory.org, like us on Facebook, follow on Twitter, find on YouTube or call +1-956-383-6911.