Elmore Association sees continued growth in Hispanic ministry

By Grace Thornton

Correspondent, The Alabama Baptist

When Jim Jackson thinks of the course Hispanic ministry has taken in Elmore Baptist Association in the last couple of decades, it makes him smile.

“Initially it wasn’t part of our strategy,” said Jackson, director of missions for Elmore Association.

And then everything changed when a few members of Riverside Heights Baptist Church, Tallassee, discovered some Hispanic families were living in their neighborhood.

‘Quite a boost’

“They took them food and invited them to church,” Jackson said. “Then they found a lady who could teach Sunday School in Spanish. Then they found a pastor.”

And, Jackson said, the whole thing came as kind of a surprise to him — a good surprise.

“That first Hispanic pastor was Tom Snyder, a former missionary to Honduras, and he came into the associational office one day and asked me if I had any Spanish materials,” Jackson said.

He didn’t.

But about two hours later, he got a shipment of materials from LifeWay Christian Resources — all in Spanish.

“Somebody must’ve made a mistake — a good mistake,” he said with a laugh. “It was quite a boost, affirmation to me that we were doing the right thing.”

And it’s a thing that’s still going strong, according to Carlos Lemus, director of Hispanic ministries for Elmore Association.

They recently ordained two new pastors, Yoni Martinez and Sergio Guerra, in a recent service in the place where it all started —
Riverside Heights Baptist.

“God has really blessed,” Lemus said.

The two new pastors — both from Guatemala — were already actively involved in ministry in the area before their ordination and had been trained through the Spanish-language Bible Institute held at Indian Springs Baptist Church, Birmingham, on Saturdays.

But much like the development of Elmore’s Hispanic ministry, the men’s journey was a bit of a surprise.

Martinez, for instance, was on a path to being a Catholic priest in Guatemala when “one day he decided to turn his eyes north and literally walk north to find out what the purpose for his life was,” Lemus said. “He got to the United States, and he found Christ here.”

Lemus discipled him and he grew into a leadership role in the Hispanic church at Riverside Heights.

Guerra also grew into the leadership of that church under Snyder, Elmore Association’s first Hispanic pastor, and took over the church after Snyder retired.

And as these pastors are leading churches and even more Hispanic men are being trained at the Bible Institute, ministry in the area continues to grow, Lemus said.

Potential for more

In addition to the church at Riverside Heights, a Hispanic congregation meets at Thelma Baptist Church, Wetumpka.

But Elmore Association has the potential to have “at least three missional churches here” for Spanish speakers, Lemus said. Most in the area are from Guatemala, but some also are from other language groups, such as Mayan.

“There is a large population of Hispanics there in Tallassee and Thelma (Baptist) is doing an excellent job there,” Lemus said, noting that the association is always looking for ways to expand the ministry. “Praise God we are multiplying. We’re not closing churches, we are opening churches.”