Pickens Association church reaches out to other Hispanic churches

Once a month in the Tuscaloosa area, a rare type of worship service is held.
   
Looking through the windows, one sees a crowd of people of various ages dressed in their Sunday best, singing, praising and worshiping God.
   
But opening the doors to take a closer look, a visitor will find the members of three to four Hispanic churches. 
   
The sounds of Tex-Mex- and Tejano-style praise songs and greeting, prayers and preaching in the Spanish language by Hispanic pastors and laymen fill the air.
   
Welcome to the fulfillment of the dream of Pastor Marcos Jimenez of Nuevo Vita, Aliceville. Translated as “New Life,” Nuevo Vita is a Hispanic Baptist church located in the south of Pickens Baptist Association.
   
Begun as a mission of the association and meeting at West End Baptist Church, Aliceville, the church recently moved into a building at the Pentecostal church in Aliceville and is on its way to becoming independent, according to Gary Farley, director of missions for Pickens Association.
   
“It’s never been fully constituted, but I think of it as a church,” Farley said.
   
He noted that the association’s churches have given good support to Nuevo Vita. “People in all those churches are really interested in seeing something happen (in Hispanic ministry),” Farley said.
   
And something is happening as Nuevo Vita has grown and begun to reach out to other Hispanic churches, he noted.
   
“One of the visions Marcos has had is having fellowship among the Hispanic congregations (in Pickens and Tuscaloosa counties),” Farley said. “It moves it to a whole new dynamic when you have that many people gather.”
   
For Jimenez, fellowship is key to the meetings. “We need to have fellowship with other (Hispanic) churches,” he said. “We get to know each other and (maintain) unity. I can learn from the other pastors, too.”
   
The most recent meeting was a prime example of that. Nuevo Vita and the Church of the Community of Christ, Tuscaloosa, met together with the Evangelical Church of Christ Is Coming Soon in Northport to host Pastor Miguel Andres from the Pentecostal House of Prayer in Florida.
   
Hailing from the United States, Mexico and Central and South American countries, the audience of 75 — mostly men but including some women and children — gathered in the unair-conditioned Northport storefront church the evening of Aug. 20.
   
For three hours, the members prayed, worshiped and fellowshiped, ending with a meal of tacos and rice at 10 p.m.
   
With Jimenez interpreting, Pastor Saul Campos of the host church declared the night of worship a success. “It’s a success because [my] purpose was to worship together with many churches around the city,” Campos said.
   
Initially the meetings began between Jimenez’s church and the Alberta Spanish Mission, sponsored by Alberta Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa. The churches would alternate traveling to visit with each other. Jimenez began promoting the meetings with the other Hispanic churches in the area, which led to more churches joining in.
   
He said he hopes to have many more meetings like the August one, where several churches can meet once a month, at a different church’s place of worship each time.
   
“We have a good time, we testify and we can get a lot more people together (at once),” Jimenez said.
   
The next gathering is scheduled for late September, which will be a time of fasting and prayer for families, children, soldiers, the country and any other needs the Hispanic churches have, he said.
   
“It will be a time for churches to grow in community and for people to come together and see Jesus,” Jimenez said. “The Lord will make a way for any need we have.”