How Will They Go If No One Sends? (Women’s Center in Jordan)
August 9, 2019
Burst Your Bubble
August 11, 2019
It is no secret that everything is bigger in Texas, and ministry opportunities among the Hispanic population are no exception. Huge Hispanic population equates to huge opportunities. The good news is that Brother Heith Mitchell and BMA (Baptist Missionary Association) Texas have big goals and big dreams for the great state of Texas.
Brother Mitchell states, “We have a huge kingdom opportunity in every Texas community. According to the 2015 numbers from Migration Policy Institute, there are 4.7 million foreign–born immigrants in the state of Texas, with 3.2 million of those from South and Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.”
He adds, “According to the Center for Immigration Studies, there are approximately 10 million undocumented immigrants in Texas and 31 percent of Texas school students are from immigrant households.”
As the second largest state in America in land and population, “there are currently more than 400 BMA Texas churches spread over the state and the opportunities are huge,” states Brother Mitchell.
The mission statement for BMA Texas reads, “Equipping missionaries who follow Christ in building missional churches with the support and intimate involvement of local BMA churches.”
Armed with that mission statement and the support of local BMA churches, one of the goals this year is to have “sixteen new English missions underway at a time, and a Hispanic work alongside every one of these BMA churches that is willing and has a burden to reach Hispanic people in their community.”
Here is a glimpse of the current Hispanic mission efforts, developments, and goals coming to fruition.
Arnulfo Maldonado & Michael Hight:
Brother Arnulfo Maldonado is the Texas Hispanic Missions Coordinator and leads the efforts under the direction of Brother Heith Mitchell, Texas Missions Director . Mitchell states that Maldonado, in addition to starting a Hispanic church in Spring, Texas, is also “tasked with connecting with existing Hispanic BMA churches all across the state and assisting BMA Texas churches in their effort to reach Hispanic peoples in their communities.
“The goal is to meet, assess, and equip men who will work alongside these churches. We count on existing Hispanic churches and new missions to produce new leaders to partner with these churches. Additionally, Brothers Arnulfo Maldonado and Michael Hight, BMA Missions Hispanic Church Planting Director, established a Bible Institute in Houston with 23 current students.”
Brother Mitchell states that, year to date, BMA Texas has “begun new works in Nacogdoches, Mesquite, and Splendora and is assisting missions in Jacksonville, Spring, and Livingston. We are also currently attempting to place regional coordinators and church planting hubs in East Texas, D allas /Fort Worth, Austin, Lubbock, and Houston.
“We have set also set up regular equipping and networking opportunities among Texas Hispanic churches and missions. Brothers Hight and Maldonado are working together to produce these regularly.”
Below are examples of the work God is doing through both the established Hispanic churches and the newer mission points of BMA Texas:
Harris County/BMA Texas Hispanic Churches –
The Harris County BMA network of Hispanic churches has started six churches together. “We are networking with these healthy missions–minded churches,” states Mitchell. He adds that “there are also several Hispanic missions and churches across Texas that were begun by Centro De Vida Church in Houston years ago, and they continue multiplying from Houston, Stafford, Tyler, to Dallas and Abilene, and other places in between like Brenham and Somerville.”
In addition he says, “BMA Texas congregations have started new missions and churches like Bethel, Dallas; Sand Springs, Mineola; and Suburban Wood, Humble.”
Here is a brief report on some of these missions and churches:
Antonio Hernandez, Pastor –
Antonio Hernandez is the pastor of Centro De Vida Baptist Mission in Stafford. His attendance is at 35, with four recent professions of faith, all of whom have been baptized and two are currently being discipled . They have two action centers, or cell groups, and their goal for is to multiply their attendance in their Sunday celebration services by the multiplication of their action centers and disciples.
Roberto Rappaccioli, Pastor –
Roberto Rappaccioli is the pastor of Centro De Vida Buenas Nuevas Baptist Mission that began in the home of Pastor Roberto with just his family, which included his two children.
Then it doubled from four to eight and grew to thirteen. Soon after that, they began looking for a locale to rent and since then, they have grown to 60 members. Last year, they had four professions of faith and one more this year with all five being baptized They are currently a mission of Centro De Vida Houston with Pastor Richard Robinson.
Jaime Henriquez, Pastor –
Jaime Henriquez is the pastor of Fuente De Vida Eterna Baptist Mission in Houston. This mission point began in mid-2016, and has 13 congregating in the home of the pastor. They are reporting three professions of faith, one discipleship, and two action centers as of 2017.
The mission appeared to take a hit when Luis Miguel and Melissa Santos, a Christian couple,were relocated to Norman, Oklahoma, due to a job change. Instead, Oklahoma gained a new mission point as this discipled couple immediately opened their home for Bible study.
Jaime Isaac García, Missionary –
Jaime Isaac Garcia is the pastor missionary to Nueva Vida Baptist Church in Cleveland, Texas, and missionary to Shiloh Baptist Church in Mesquite, Texas. He is working with discipleship and Bible study groups at both locations.
These efforts began in February of 2017 with a couple of families, including Brother Ismael Mendoza, a leader who is supporting Nueva Vida in evangelism and discipleship and forming new future leaders so they can, in turn, become disciple makers who make disciple makers.
Neptaly Ramón Molina Chirinos, Missionary –
The entire Molina family is serving in Nacogdoches, Texas, where they began in September 2016 going house to house, evangelizing with tracts, visiting with families, praying for their needs, and introducing themselves as missionaries of BMA Texas.
They now have a cell group comprised of fifteen, and are walking through discipleship together. Also, the pastor’s wife is leading a group of twenty women in the church’s ladies ministry known as Perla Preciosa (Precious Pearl). Four months later, on Sunday, January 30, 2017, Nuevo Renacer Baptist Church of Nacogdoches had its first public service with an attendance of 50, including special guests. Their goal is to expand through cell groups, fulfilling the Great Commission.
Wilfredo Núñez and Martín Juárez, Pastors –
Wilfredo and Martin lead Caminando Con Jesus Baptist Church in Humble, Texas. This church began as a mission of Suburban Wood before organizing into a Hispanic church with a reach of 120 people. They are currently discipling four people and preparing 23 students in their institute, with the vision of preparing men of God that will be church planters in Houston, other cities of Texas, neighboring states, and beyond.
Mitchell concludes by stating that “the burden of BMA Texas is to connect the 40 or so Hispanic missions and churches to the BMA and our mission effort as a whole. We want them to feel like equal partners with a voice in the movement as we work together to reach all people in Texas with the gospel. We believe that in five years we will be gaining kingdom ground in Texas as an association.”