The origins of JUMELI (Spanish abbreviation for Free Methodist Youth) are in Mexico, where international missionaries Esteban and Cris Flores grew up. As a teenager, Esteban was mentored by his youth pastor, sparking a ministry journey that now spans 25 years. When he married Cristina Hernández, she joined him in that calling, partnering with him in youth ministry and other leadership roles within the church.
Esteban and Cris helped organize the first JUMELI Summit, which was held in Colombia during Holy Week 2024. That event united 150 youth and young adults from 10 countries. “I’ve always thought we needed a youth movement, and I believe the 2024 Summit helped launch it,” Esteban reflects.
Stepping down after a decade as lead pastors of a transformational church in Hermosillo, Mexico, Esteban and Cris have now joined the Latin America team as full-time international missionaries. Today, they steward the growing JUMELI movement while also networking globally. They will attend the Better Together conference in Asia this month to connect with FM youth leaders in that region and are partnering with the Awakening Movement, which grew out of the 2023 Asbury Awakening. The Awakening Movement links Gen Z leaders in discipleship bands across the U.S., U.K., Australia, Germany and now Latin America.
The Floreses have also traveled to 11 countries across Latin America, leading youth and young adult events and guiding 27 leaders through a diploma in youth ministry. They are energized by seeing young people make decisions for Christ, grow in their identity in Him, and develop as leaders equipped to serve their generation.
“In Latin America, we develop healthy leaders. That is the first pillar of our mission statement,” explains Area Director Dr. Ricardo Gómez. “While we had strong discipleship resources for children and adults, nothing directly focused on youth. Esteban and Cris are filling that gap. We don’t hold events for the sake of events – we use them to begin or reinforce important processes. The first JUMELI Summit sparked the movement, and we are excited to see how the second one will reinforce it.”
The next JUMELI Summit is scheduled for April 2-5, 2026, in Lima, Peru. Organizers expect 400 youth from 19 Latin American countries and are inviting young people from the U.S. and Canada to join in this celebration of cross-cultural collaboration.
For more information, please contact Cris and Esteban (estebanycrisflores@gmail.com) or Ricardo (ricardogomeziml@gmail.com), or use this link to register: https://forms.gle/xDqfbDtKtNtAe5wc7.
