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| KBC Churches Embrace Hispanic Ministries |
| Release Date: 03/27/2008 |
DANVILLE -- Hispanic ministry is becoming an increasingly popular focus among Kentucky’s churches and associations as they work with the Kentucky Baptist Convention to meet the needs of a fast-growing ethnic population within their own communities.
“Kentucky is changing a lot. I arrived in Kentucky in 1992 and there was almost no Hispanic population here. Today we have more than 70 Hispanic churches and missions in the state,” said Carlos De la Barra, who was hired by the KBC last year to work as an ethnic associate.
Years ago, most of the work Kentucky Baptists did with Hispanics was geared toward migrants that came to work in tobacco or on horse farms, De la Barra said, but now Hispanics live in the state year-round and many reside in Kentucky’s cities.
“This influx of people from a different culture opens the door to missions and is an opportunity for Kentucky Baptists to be part of the Great Commission by telling them the good news of salvation,” De la Barra said.
The South District Baptist Association, which includes Boyle County as well as sections of Garrard, Marion, Washington and Casey counties, has demonstrated a strong commitment to Hispanic ministry.
“Our folks have been very generous in what they have placed in the budget for Hispanic work,” Jim Clontz, director of missions for the South District association, said. “Our association gives about $20,000 a year, and that's out of a total budget of about $105,000. That's about 20 percent.”
About seven years ago, the association developed an interest in ministering to Hispanics who had moved into their community. Churches in the association helped form the Bluegrass Hispanic Ministry, which aids Hispanics in the Elkhorn, Mercer, Nelson and South District associations, Clontz said.
The association has Hispanic ministries based at Southern Heights Baptist Church in Danville and at Community Baptist Church in Junction City. They also have a jail ministry at the Boyle County Detention Center, as well as a Bible study group at Lancaster Baptist Church.
“We’re very eager to reach out to Hispanics,” Clontz said. “We realize they’re a growing ethnic group, and our people have been very supportive of our ministry to them.”
The South District association’s newsletter often lists specific needs the Hispanic ministries have, and church members have responded with tremendous generosity, Clontz said.
Beech Fork Baptist Church in Gravel Switch donated a church van, the pastor of Parksville Baptist Church in Marion County gave a mini-van, and the chairman of deacons at Lancaster Baptist Church donated a car.
“These are all used vehicles, but our Hispanic ministry can still use them for several years,” Clontz said, adding that the church van is now used for transporting Hispanics to and from the ministry sites as well as to conferences across the state that are aimed at Hispanics, such as the KBC’s Hispanic Evangelism and WMU Conference every February.
Other donated vehicles, Clontz said, are given to the pastors of the Hispanic missions because they typically have limited incomes.
“In addition to that, First Baptist Church in Junction City gave a large number of coats as well as bedding -- quilts, comforters, those kinds of things,” Clontz said. “And then one of the families out at Beech Grove gave furniture. Another person in our association gave a full-size mattress set and a full set of china, and several others have given miscellaneous kinds of things.”
W.O. Wilham, the South District’s DOM emeritus, demonstrated his support of the association’s Hispanic ministry by donating a large quantity of home goods and items that belonged to his wife, who died last year.
“They’re concerned about evangelism and winning the Hispanics to Christ,” Clontz said of the Baptists in his association. “They’re eager to be involved in the local church.”
The South District association has joined with the KBC, the North American Mission Board, and the Elkhorn, Mercer, Nelson and Central associations in supporting a missionary, Job Juarez, who serves as a strategist for the Bluegrass Hispanic Ministry. Juarez said his job is to identify possible opportunities for Hispanic ministry, locate the resources to accomplish the ministry and serve as a mentor to Hispanic pastors.
Some of the barriers Juarez has encountered while assisting KBC churches in Hispanic ministry, he said, include a difficulty uniting the two people groups, an obvious language difference and perceived cultural obstacles.
“I have spoken with many members of our churches where they don't realize how close our cultures are, how Hispanic culture is so similar to American culture,” Juarez said. “Many people say, 'Do you guys eat this?' And I say, 'Yes, we do.' 'Do you guys have TV?' 'Yes, we have TV.' They think that because we're Hispanic we're like another culture.”
But he has seen significant progress, especially within the South District association.
“The KBC, the associations and the churches have a heart for reaching Hispanics in Kentucky,” Juarez said. “The amount of resources and effort involved in planting Hispanic churches is really awesome, and I'm thankful for that. I'm blessed by having a chance to work with a convention like this.”
The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. For more information, visit www.kybaptist.org.
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Release prepared by Erin Roach, KBC communications |
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