An update from the Hispanic ministry director

North of the Border

by Rick Bowling

With millions of Hispanics living in the United States, it was important for Free Will Baptists to launch a Hispanic ministry. Before Trymon Messer retired from his position as director of the Home Missions Department, he addressed this problem and began the ministry. When Larry Powell followed him as director, he continued the strong support of Hispanic ministry.

God began to open doors and touch the hearts of Hispanic pastors from different Latin American countries, leading these men to help. At the same time, we felt a great need to open a Bible institute to train men and women to work in the churches.

Pastor Earl Hendrix of Inman, South Carolina, offered the facilities of First FWB Church as a home for the institute. Today, the Gwen Hendrix FWB Hispanic Bible Institute honors his wife, who gave faithfully to missions around the world through her church and WNAC.

To date, the institute has 130 graduates working in Free Will Baptist ministries. Twenty-five missionaries have returned to their homelands to begin Free Will Baptist churches while 17 others are hard at work in the States. God has been good, with an average of 3.5 mission works and 1.5 missionaries added to the ministry each year.

The work continues, and God is opening new doors of opportunity. Thousands have heard the gospel and received Christ as Savior. While many things have been accomplished, much remains to be done. Many of you have seen the Lord open doors to start Hispanic churches and have celebrated as souls are saved.

Pray for Hispanic pastors, their families, and their churches. Ask God to bless the Gwen Hendrix FWB Hispanic Institute as a correspondence program is started to make training available throughout the Americas.

About the Writer: Rick Bowling is director of Hispanic ministries for Home Missions. Learn more at www.homemissions.net.