FBC Sulligent links with Venezuela, Guatemala

First Baptist Church, Sulligent, recently became the first congregation in the state to link a past and a present international partnership of Alabama Baptists together in a three-way church cooperation.
  
In the coming months, the Lamar Baptist Association church will partner with a congregation in Venezuela — Alabama’s global partner from 2000 to 2005 — to help a church in one of Alabama’s current partner nations, Guatemala (see pages 7–11). The three churches will work together to plant a church near Guatemala City. “The reason that we have taken on the partnership is that we felt a sense of leadership towards that,” said John Nicholson, pastor of First, Sulligent. 
  
The idea began when First, Sulligent, became the first congregation to carry the work of Alabama Baptists into the eastern portion of Venezuela several years ago at the request of Anaco Missionary Baptist Church. 
  
When the state moved its official partnership to Guatemala and Ukraine in 2006, First, Sulligent, decided its work with Anaco Missionary Baptist wasn’t quite done. “We saw the opportunity really to engage more personally in the work of missions rather than go to a place and have some great experiences and really never have any contact again,” Nicholson said.
  
Nearly a year ago, the two churches established a three-year partnership. The cooperation will involve First, Sulligent, members taking more trips to Anaco and Anaco Baptists taking trips to work with Hispanics in Sulligent — their first international missions trip.
  
“My church is learning how to pray for other churches. We are learning how to work with missions. We have a vision of being partners with you,” said Robert Acosta, pastor of Anaco Missionary Baptist.
  
In the coming months, the leadership of the two churches will meet in Guatemala to work out the details of their partnership with Jerusalem Baptist Church in Guatemala City.
  
“This church in Sulligent and this church in Venezuela have never partnered together in another international setting before, and this will strengthen the relationship of all involved,” said Reggie Quimby, director of global partnerships for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. (TAB)