Hispanic Baptist Leaders

Yesterday was the last day of the 2009 Hispanic Senior Adult Summit.  About 170 Hispanic Senior Adults registered and gathered at the First Mexican Baptist Church of San Antonio for 3 days of fellowship, worship, training and fun.  It was a refreshing time!  I enjoyed spending time with this great group of hermanos, so full of life and love for God and each other.  Many of them have known each other since their youth!!!  Our lives were truly blessed as we served them (Isn’t that always the case?).

The theme for the Summit was “A Cheering Cloud” and was based on Hebrews 12:1-2.  Through seminars, music and sermons, seniors were challenged to serve as witnesses to and supporters of those generations that follow them; to live a legacy worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

On Tuesday morning, during the devotional time, participants reflected on the subject of legacy.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines legacy as “something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor.”  What are we transmitting to today’s generation?  What are they receiving from us?  If I died today, what would I like to be remembered for?

When a trainer is teaching youth how to improve and give their best, he may use three main techniques.  First he says, “Others have done, and you can do it too.”  Second he says, “Just think how much it will help you physically to do this.”  And then he says, “Now, look a others – see how they do it.”

The author of Hebrews in chapter 12 verses 1 & 2 uses these same techniques to encourage us in the Christian race. 

First he says, look at the winners (v. 1a).  The great cloud of witnesses was presented in Hebrews.  They are the heroes of the faith.  Now, the idea was not that these men and women are in heaven watching us, like in a stadium, as we run the race.  The word “witness”, in this context, does not mean “spectators”. 

A martyr is “a person who sacrifices something of great value and especially life itself for the sake of principle.”  And the New Testament word for “witness” comes directly from the Greek word for “martyr”.  These people, the cloud of witnesses, the heroes of the faith, are not witnesses of what we are doing; but are giving witness to us that God will help us finish the race.

What a beautiful legacy!  Telling others, “Others have done it, you can do it too.  I have done it, you can do it too.  The Lord is with you!  You are not alone.”  When was the last time you shared these words with a younger Christian?

Secondly, he says look at yourself (v. 1b).  Athletes used to wear training weights to help them prepare for events.  No athlete would compete using the weights since they knew they would only slow them down.  Also, too much weight would affect the runners endurance. 

As part of the legacy that we leave those that follow us, it is necessary that we get to the point of sharing with others where we have failed and encourage them not to make our same mistakes.  For this, we must be honest about our weaknesses, and have a heart full of love and compassion for those younger than us.

Lastly, he says look at Christ (v. 2).  Why must we look at Christ?  Because he is our supreme example, and He is the only one that can make it possible for us to finish the race.  

Some say: “It is not how you finish that matters, but how you live.”  This I heard said of Ray Combs, the host of the show Family Feud from 1988 to 1994, who committed suicide in 1996 after several business failures.  He had done many good works during his life, and somehow they were supposed to eclipse the manner of his death.  Others say: “It is not how you live that matters, but how you finish.”  Have you ever heard someone say this?  “I’ll live my life however I want to.  I’ll make Christ my Lord when I’m old or about to die, and then do the right thing.”

These two ways of thinking are wrong.  It is equally important how we live and how we finish.  Why?  Because how we live and how we finish is part of our legacy to those that come behind us.

We must constantly, every minute of our lives, point others through Christ through our words and our actions.  He is the supreme example and has all the power to help us finish the race victoriously.   

Louis Pasteur, the pioneer of immunology, lived in a time where thousands of people were dying of rabies every year.  Pasteur had worked on a vaccine for years.  When he was about to begin experimenting on himself, a nine year old boy, Joseph Meister, was mauled by a rabid dog.  The boy’s mom asked Pasteur to experiment on her son, but he struggled with the decision.  Experimenting on Joseph involved significant personal risk since he didn’t have a license to practice medicine and he could face criminal charges if something went wrong.  But after seeking counsel from his colleagues, Pasteur proceeded to inject Joseph with the vaccine.  After 10 days, the boy lived.  

Decades later, among all the things that Pasteur could have asked to be put on his headstone, he only asked for three words: Joseph Meister Lived.  All he wanted to be remembered for was that Joseph Meister lived.

Truly, the greatest legacy we can leave behind is those that live eternally, those whose lives are transformed because of us.

I know that most of us are not senior adults, but without a doubt, we are all aging everyday and everyday are getting closer to our death.  With that in mind, what do you want to be remembered for the most?  We will all leave a legacy.  The question is, what kind would it be? 

While Sprint and Verizon have been arguing over who has the largest 3G cellular network, Hispanic Baptists must make serious strides to develop their own “3G  network” – one that will minister to third-generation Hispanics and beyond.

The Numbers

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, second and third-generation Hispanics currently make up 60% of the total Hispanic population.  By the year 2020, they will comprise 66% of the Hispanic population.
For Texas, this means that of the 9 million Hispanics in the state, about 6 million of them are second or third-generation.

The Language

A 2007 report of the Pew Hispanic Center showed that “fewer than one-in-four (23%) Latino immigrants reports being able to speak English very well.”  Among second-generation Hispanics, the number increases to 88%.

A full 71 percent of third-generation Hispanics over age 18 claimed English as their dominant language.  Twenty-seven percent claimed to be bilingual.  By this third generation, only 2 percent spoke primarily Spanish.  This is according to a report from the American Political Science Association.

For Texas Baptists, this means that English can be used to reach out to about 88% of second-generation Hispanics and an astounding 98% of third-generation Hispanics.

The Need

As Hispanic Texas Baptists, we find ourselves facing an amazing paradox.  We are linguistically and culturally poised to make a dramatic impact in the communities that are experiencing an increasing Hispanic influence around our state and the nation.  At the same time, we face a leadership crisis.

Hispanic Baptist leaders can tell you how states like Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee, among many others, are increasingly coming to Texas to seek out Spanish-speaking Baptist pastors and ministers.  This means our 300 or so pastor-less Hispanic churches are competing with higher-paying conventions and associations from other states.  In the face of need at home, we are increasingly exporting ministerial talent.

When it comes to third-generation Hispanics, this leadership vacuum is at exponential levels.  We are told that 66% of Texas Hispanic churches minister primarily in Spanish and 33% minister bilingually from the pulpit.  Only 1% of the approximately 1,400 Hispanic Baptist churches in Texas are ministering in English. 

This means that less than 15 Hispanic Baptist churches in the entire state are working to reach the nearly 6 million second and third-generation Hispanics in the state!

The New 3G Network

Thanks to the Convención officers and Rolando Rodriguez at the BGCT’s Office of Hispanic Ministries, Convención 2009 will serve to initiate this much needed network of churches, pastors, leaders and communicators that minister to third-generation Hispanics.

Your input in the form of ideas and recommendations for this time is greatly appreciated.  To share about your “3G Ministry,” your interest and ideas, post comments here or email them to us using the contact form here.

It’s time to build the largest 3G Network in the United States!

Rev. Jesse Rincones serves as pastor of Alliance Baptist Church in Lubbock. You can also find this article in the March 2009 edition of La Vision.

Perhaps I am getting too nostalgic in my old age and I begin to pay more attention to dates, anniversaries, funerals and the like.  But several events have caused me to reflect recently.  Forgive me if I sound a bit melodramatic, but it feels to me like the passing away of Bro. Rudy Sanchez signals the end of an era.  At the same time our youth and singles CONGRESO celebrates its 45th anniversary.  This is a whole generation!  I am humbled by the reminder that I was called to ministry at the 1982 Congreso (27 years ago) and that I was licensed to the ministry shortly after High School graduation in 1984 (25 years ago).  Interestingly, the same month and year I was licensed to the ministry at the age of 19, my friend Frank Palos began his ministry at the BGCT.  As the longest tenured Hispanic employee of the BGCT, he has recently been recognized for his 25 years of service.  These events bring, for me at least, to the forefront several topics of discussion regarding the legacy or legacies that we have been left and that are passing on.

One of those topics for me is that of mentoring.  Who has mentored us?  Who have we mentored?  How significant has this been?  How important should it remain as we pass the baton to the next generation?

 Another topic is how outward-focused were our churches and events a generation ago?  How was the evangelistic fervor evident 25 to 45 years ago?  (It seems to me that it was a primary focus of our work but I may be mistaken)  How have we grown in that?  Have we become more outward-focused than a generation ago or has the opposite happened?

What about youth?  How important was youth ministry in our Hispanic churches in those years?  How were these youth integrated in the overall fabric of our churches and Baptist work in general?  How many of our current pastors and leaders were produced by the youth ministries of that era?  Was this effective?  If so, in which ways?

What about cross-cultural ministry?  How were the leaders of our Hispanic Baptist work in Texas of a generation ago innovative and effective in cross-cultural ministry or not?  How far have we come in this respect?  

Lastly, how were our leaders of a generation ago visionary in respect to cross-vocational domain networking?  In other words, how were they able to see the impact that their youth could make for the kingdom, not only through being pastors and missionaries but also doctors, lawyers, teachers, counselors, social workers, etc. etc.  I understand that one of the early purposes of Congreso was to encourage our youth and singles to pursue higher education and to be encouraged in their quest for professional careers so that we could multiply the leadership base of the church’s next generation?  Where are we today in this respect?

I would like to invite our writers to post on any of these topics or other related topics in the next few weeks.  The posts may be reflections, memoirs, or suggestions.

Julio Guarneri

Getsemani, Fort Worth

I have enjoyed reading Dr. Albert Reyes’ post about Dr. Rudy Sanchez here and on his pandulce blog. I have also enjoyed the articles published in the Baptist Standard and on the North Dallas Family Church website. (See links to these below).

Bro. Rudy was not my pastor but he was nevertheless an encourager and his ministry has blessed me in so many ways. I first came in contact with Bro. Rudy Sanchez as I attended Convención each year as a young man. I was encouraged by his no-nonsense assertiveness. I watched him as he interacted with people, as he spoke from the platform (whether preaching, speaking as a messenger, or leading as the president) and noticed his enthusiasm for the Lord’s work, his concern for our youth and singles, and his determination to advance the cause of the kingdom. He would often honor those Hispanic leaders who had come a generation or two before him. He referred to them as “Los paladines de la obra bautista en Texas” (a graphic image of a champion knight to refer to the heroic service of those pioneers of the Baptist work among Hispanics in Texas). Though he referred to people of the caliber of Josue Grijalva, Leobardo Estrada, Ignacio Gonzalez, Carlos Paredes, Fortunato Gonzalez and others who came before them, I count Dr. Sanchez as one of those “paladines.” His desire to work across denominations and vocational domains to advance the cause of Christ, his ability to relate cross-culturally in the denomination, and his tireless efforts to see Hispanic work on the same playing field as its Anglo compliment mark him as such. We were all proud the day that Dr. Albert Reyes was elected the first Hispanic president of the BGCT, but it was a few years before that Dr. Rudy Sanchez broke ground by becoming the first Hispanic chairman of the executive board of the same institution!

Bro. Rudy Sanchez encouraged me with affection and words. He would see me at denominational events, spoke words of encouragement to me and hugged me with affection. That was significant to me. I saw him doing that with other young ministers also. He had a deep sense of connection with those who had come before him and those who were coming after him. He made it known that he was confident about the leadership that God has raised among us. May we be encouragers to those God is raising up and will raise up after us!

Though not explicitly stated below, Dr. Sanchez was also pastor of Primera in Fort Worth. This is significant because it is during his pastorate there that he met and married Hna. Ruth. It is significant to me because many of the members of my congregation were members of Primera then and remember him fondly. In fact, because of this connection, I have had the privilege of celebrating wedding anniversaries and officiating funerals for families in my church that loved him and whom he loved also. On one occasion, a family in Fort Worth that had not attended any church for many years asked him to officiate a funeral. Bro. Rudy agreed but asked if I could also officiate. This was his way of lovingly connecting a family with a local church. It was also a way of his communicating to me his trust of my pastoral leadership. It has been about ten years since this incident and that family continues to attend Getsemani faithfully every Sunday. What a lesson in pastoral ministry!

I am grateful to the Lord for the opportunity to have known Bro. Rudy, to have been encouraged by him and to learn from his leadership.

Julio S. Guarneri, pastor

Iglesia Bautista Getsemani

Fort Worth

On Saturday, I learned that my former pastor, Dr. Rudy Sanchez passed away in Dallas, Texas. He served as pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista (First Mexican Baptist Church) of Corpus Christi, Dallas, Bryan, and Trinity Baptist Church of Houston. He is survived by his wife Ruth, two daughters: Rhoda (Rev. Vincent Gonzales) and Rebekah (Chris Layne) and three sons: Reggie Sánchez, Scottie Sánchez, and Herman Splatt.

Dr. Rudy Sanchez

The Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 7pm at Northway Baptist Church in Dallas and an Interment Service will be held at 10 am on Friday, February 13th at Rest Land Cemetery in Dallas.

I would not normally write about a personal friend on this blog. However, Bro. Rudy was my pastor when I answered a call to vocational ministry in 1974. I walked forward in the service during a revival to respond to an invitation to vocational ministry. I felt the Lord moving my heart in that service. Bro. Rudy took me under his wing and put me to work, immediately. He affirmed my fragile sense of calling and put me to work taking me at my word and heart. He gave me a responsibility in the children’s ministry, youth ministry and within one year provided an opportunity to preach my first sermon in a public congregational service. If you have heard me preach lately, you have heard me recount that experience. About 34 years have passed by and I am still preaching the same gospel. I am one of many of his sons in the ministry to include Frank Palos, Dr. Gus Reyes, Dr. Delfino Aleman, Joe Rojo, Charlie Diaz, Dr. Ellis Orozco, and the list goes on. There are many who will read this blog and will also add their names to the list of those who were formed for vocational ministry under Dr. Sánchez’ leadership or influenced by his life and ministry.

I have been asked to participate in the funeral services as one of the ministers to remember his life and ministry. Bro. Rudy taught several lessons through his example. He taught me to see the community as his parish rather than merely the congregation that met on Sunday. He demonstrated the value of engaging pastors and priests of other denominations while fiercely advancing the Baptist vision of Kingdom work. He never forgot his life journey as an orphan and found ways to serve the least of these: the orphan, the widow, the poor, the sick, the prisoner, and the oppressed. He taught me how to love the larger Baptist family and demonstrated that you enact change by personal involvement rather than critiquing from a distance. He taught me to expect much from the Texas Baptist Family and to dream for better days to advance the Kingdom. Most of all, he taught me how to be a pastor by taking the time to attend an awards ceremony at my high school Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps. He made time for me. To this day, I remain amazed but remembered how important it was for me to have my pastor there. I tried to replicate that value in my pastoral ministry but I am sure I missed of few of those divine appointments. Please take time to pray for Bro. Rudy’s family: Ruth, Rhoda, Vincent, Rebekah, Reggie, Scottie, Herman and their grandchildren as they remember their dad and grandpa.

Written by: Dr. Albert Reyes

Other articles written on Dr. Rudy Sanchez
Baptist Standard
North Dallas Family

I know what you’re thinking, Hispanic Youth Ministry, this should be good. You think that because Hispanic Youth Ministry, depending on the church, is so unorganized that you can only do the best you can.

Don’t get me wrong, I am so thankful for the experience that I had and it was an honor serving Hispanic Baptist churches in Texas and it continues to be that way. Many say that the best way to learn is by doing and that is exactly how I learned to do this type of ministry. In other settings I would not have been able to do what I did the past six years. The reason is because so many churches require a youth leader to have some type of ministry related degree or training or experience for that matter. All I needed to qualify was to be active in the youth group before hand and to be a good responsible person that the “hermanas” can speak for whenever needed. So my calling to ministry was the first step and the second was getting involved in the youth leadership meetings.

Hispanic Youth Ministry does have its weak points but I think its because Hispanics are used to doing things on the fly and last minute. That is why we give people invitations to Quinceanera’s the day before the event. Then call everybody on Saturday to tell them that the location has changed. It’s awesome and informal at the same time.

The best part of Hispanic Youth ministry is also the worst part of youth ministry, the budget. Put a dozen youth ministers in room and ask them about what kind of help they need in their Hispanic church where they serve. I can almost guarantee you that its going to be budget. Once you have a set budget you can do the activities that the youth want to do.

I must admit, the best part of Hispanic Youth Ministry was coming up with activities to do for free. You’d be surprised what youth will do with marshmallows and string. Since youth act up in my lessons I often make them act out verses to get back at them, and they get creative. Maybe it was those dollar cheeseburgers that I would give away to the winning team. Nonetheless it doesn’t take a lot of money to start up a youth ministry inside a Hispanic church. Especially when BaptistWay Press has free bible studies for youth.

To all Hispanic Youth ministers reading this, hang in there and thank you so much for your service in our churches. People are afraid of Hispanic Youth ministry because of all the challenges that come with it but I know that the experience and creativity that I gained is priceless and the many youth who received Christ under my leadership as well.

Blessings!

Although our church is not currently seeking a full-time worship leader, we are constantly evaluating our effectiveness in this area.  The challenges of music styles, multi-generational congregation, bi-culturalism and, in our  church’s case, bilingualism are great.  I found this article interesting in its discussion of a search for a worship leader:

http://tinyurl.com/5jsv3t

I find the discussion very relevant to our particular context.  Add to that the challenge of addressing the cultural needs of the congregation.  In our case, there are 13 countries represented in our pews, not to mention that just in Mexico we have mariachi’s, nortena, spanish pop, cumbia’s and tropical, to name a few.  Now, keeping it bilingual is not the biggest challenge but it does make things a little more complex.

Though the author seems to assume that choir music is performance only and worship teams automatically involve the congregation in direct worship, I believe this is oversimplified.  This may be more the norm than the exception but times of contemplation and meditation are possible while choirs are singing.  But most importantly, some worship teams could be in danger of being more into performance than into worship leading.  It is important that the worship leaders and worship team members actually be worshiping and that they are seeking throughout the worship service to engage the congregation in worship, rather than getting through the song and onto the next song.

I couldn’t agree more on the necessity of quiet reflection, meaningful prayer times, scripture reading and affirmations of faith as integral parts of the worship experience, not as added side ingredients to the “main” thing which is the music.

I would like to hear what your experience and thoughts are on the subject.  Please post or comment.

 It looks like one of our very own authors of Rdestino is going to be speaking at Congreso at Baylor University. His name is Sergio Ramos. Congrats Sergio, I know you are going to be a blessing to our young Hispanic Baptist youth of Texas. If you are a Pastor or Youth leader, the Congreso 2009 website has launched and has all the information that you need for registering your young people for this life changing event.

Keep Congreso in your prayers, many Hispanic students across Texas will attend and make decisions for the Lord. They are the future faces of Hispanics in Texas so lets do what we can to educate them about the Lord and about making right decisions.

-God Bless

Tomorrow (10-2-08) is the 40th anniversary of the Tlatelolco massacre in Mexico City (http://events.mx.msn.com/Matanza68.aspx).  Interestingly, I was there!  I was only 3 years old but I was there.  I often saw students who would overturn city buses and burn them in the street as demonstrations, police who would respond with tear gas.  My mom, my brother and I would be walking down the street and she would grab us to run for cover.  Students would often run from police into churches to hide.  On October 2, 1968 my parents and I were at a revival in a church from where we heard the shooting of the Mexican army that killed untold numbers of unarmed students.  Some students came running into the church during the revival and heard the gospel preached.  Some people say that the reason Mexico did not become communist like Cuba is because president Diaz Ordaz squelched the student revolution.  But these students were unarmed and were not looking for a military revolution but for a demonstration that would bring about change.  Today, 40 years later, there is still political, economic and religious turmoil and uncertainty in Mexico, the U.S. and in most of the world.  There are still young people who are looking for change and for an answer.  The only hope and the only answer is Jesus Christ.  Let us pray for our children, our youth, our nation and our world that they may come to know the true answer! (John 14:6)  Let us strive to find ways to bring about social justice in the name of Christ that there may be peace on earth!

The Pew Hispanic Center is a great resource on Hispanic issues.  UPI had a a story (back in August, which is eons ago in internet time) on Pew’s findings regarding Hispanic student trends (h/t brenda):

A study says the number of Hispanic students in U.S. public schools doubled from 1990 to 2006 to about 10 million children.

The Pew Hispanic Center in Washington said Tuesday that the growth spurt accounted for 60 percent of the overall growth rate in public schools enrollment and the trend was likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

“In 2050, there will be more school-age Hispanic children than school-age non-Hispanic white children,” Pew said in a written statement.

Now we just need to help them graduate.

PS: The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life is another favorite for research, news and discussion.