Archive for April 1st, 2008

I think Ellis’ idea of beginning by telling each of our stories is a great one. Even though we may know a lot about each other. It is always surprising to find out things about each other through means like this. Having this kind of background will help us understand each other better and the context from which we engage the dialogue.

So here’s my story:

I was born in 1965 in Mexico City (DF) where my parents had felt called to do evangelistic and discipleship work with the students at the University of Mexico. I was a toddler when I had my first experiences with guerilla-style student protests and with the Olympiads (1968 at the Aztec Stadium). My father, Carlos Julio Guarneri, was born in Monterrey, studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nuevo Leon and was converted from Roman Catholicism through a student movement led by an independent Anglo missionary (Emil Aanderud) and by a Baptist teacher (Mariluz Gutierrez). He surrendered to the ministry and was prepared for it by intense one-on-one discipleship with Bro. Aanderud. My mother, Elizabeth Martinez, was born in a town near Monterrey, graduated as an early childhood educator; having grown up Presbyterian, she was involved in the student movement and was hired as a missionary by Bro. Aanderud’s mission. My parents married on April 1st 1964 and moved to Mexico City where I was born.

After five years, my parents moved back to Monterrey in order to continue working with students and in order to plant a house church. It was at this house church at the age of 7 that I made a clear commitment to trust in Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior under the leadership of my mom who was teaching the Children’s Bible class. Children’s Bible classes, Vacation Bible School, Bible Clubs, the life of the congregation and late-night college student fellowships at my home were all part of my formation as a young believer. I was baptized by my father at the age of 12 in a river about 1 hour north of Monterrey where our congregation would have a day of celebration outdoors.

Shortly after I was baptized, I went to Mexico City with my parents for a missions conference. At that conference Mexican believers were encouraged to leave Mexico and be missionaries to another country. My dad felt that call was for us. The options were Argentina, California or Texas. After prayer and deliberation, the decision was made for Texas. In 1978, we sold most of our belongings and moved to Edinburg, Texas. Though my father’s initial plan was to plant house churches to reach Hispanics for Christ, he ended up pastoring established Hispanic Baptist churches. He supplied the pulpit at various Hispanic Baptist churches in the Rio Grande Valley and eventually was called to pastor the Primera Iglesia Bautista in Beeville, Texas. It was through this church that I was introduced to the “big 3 C’s:” Convencion, Congreso and Campamento. From age 10 until about this time (age 15) I really felt distanced from God, hung out with the wrong crowd and experienced a period of rebellion and disillusionment which ended up in a reaffirmation of Christ’s lordship on my life. If Ellis’ biggest sin was chasing cheerleaders, then he’s a saint compared to me but I won’t go into that here. It was at Congreso 82 in Houston that I surrendered to God’s call on my life for vocational ministry. In 1983, my dad accepted the call to pastor Calvary Baptist Church in Freer, Texas. That was my senior year in High School. In May of 1984, I graduated from Freer High School and was licensed to the ministry by First Baptist Church of Freer. That summer, at youth camp, I would meet Monica Soria, who would later become my bride. (Actually, I had met Monica 2 years earlier but that’s another story). Later that year, my dad accepted the call to pastor the Hispanic department of Parkdale Baptist Church in Corpus Christi. Calvary mission of Freer asked me to stay as their pastor. So began my vocational ministry, attending college in Corpus Christi and commuting on the weekends to Freer.

I was later called to be the youth minister of Calallen Baptist Church in Corpus Christi (an Anglo congregation). It was during my ministry there that I married Monica. Monica’s father, Jose Isaac Soria, was a bivocational pastor of Hispanic Baptist churches and a Spanish teacher at Robstown High School. In addition to these churches (Primera Odem; Primera, Rockport; Primera, Sinton, etc., etc.), Monica and her parents, (Diana Munoz Soria is her mother) were members of Primera, Corpus Christi; Segunda, Corpus Christi and El Mesias, Corpus Christi.

Subsequently, I pastored Primera Iglesia Bautista in Taft, Texas; planted the Shalom Baptist Mission in Corpus Christi under the sponsorship of Iglesia Bautista Mesias (Salvador Cervantes was the pastor; it was this church that ordained me to the ministry); and served as minister of education and youth at the Segunda Iglesia Bautista in Corpus Christi, before coming to Iglesia Bautista Getsemani in Fort Worth (A.E.; “after Ellis”), where I have been for the last 14 years.

I graduated from Texas A&I (now A&M) University (Kingsville, Texas) with a Bachelor in Secondary Education in 1990 and from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Fort Worth, Texas) with a Master of Arts in Religious Education in 1998. I am currently at the end of my third year in the Ph D in Leadership Studies program at Dallas Baptist University.

Monica, who has been my wife and companion, graduated from the same university as I with a Bachelor in Elementary Education and from Texas A&M in Corpus Christi (formerly CCSU) with a Master in Mid-Management. She has been a school teacher, housewife, and ministry companion. Together we are parents to Joshua (21), a junior at Dallas Baptist University; Rachel (13), a 7th grader tennis player; Mia (10), a 5th grader who loves cheerleading; and Stevan (8) a 3rd grader who is a die-hard Star Wars aficionado. Our two male English pointers, Canelo and Espresso, keep us on our toes also.

I thank God for my family and for the opportunity to serve him in our church which has really been a second family to us.

Beyond the local church, I have been part of a couple of exciting groups: LeadersEdge, TarrantNet and Plaza Global. These have to do with sharpening leaders with a vision to transform their community and their world. I look forward to being a part of this on-line community! Thanks for the opportunity.

Julio Guarneri, Getsemani, Fort Worth