Eduardo “Lalo” Hinojosa, 81, a pastor influential in the growth of Mennonite congregations in Brownsville and the South ­Texas border region, died June 3 in Houston.

His work with youth at Iglesia Menonita del Cordero made lasting impacts on the surrounding neighborhood, and his vision lives on where he was last a pastor at New Life Christian Center in San Benito.

He and his wife of 58 years, Maria, began serving as youth leaders in 1969 at Cordero, eventually becoming youth pastors and serving alongside Hinojosa’s brother Conrado. The couple saw heavy drug selling and usage in the neighborhood in the 1980s, prompting them to start a Friday night ministry with the youth group offering alternative activities in the community.

The couple were also house parents to Mennonite Mission Network’s Mennonite Voluntary Service unit in Brownsville, where Hinojosa was the program’s director. They helped start New Life Christian Center in 1994, eventually becoming senior pastors. They were among seven elders honored Feb. 9 at Mennonite Church USA’s Hope for the Future conference.

South Central Mennonite Conference’s announcement of his death noted Hinojosa was an important part of the conference and all its South Texas churches.