Shelby Association pastor excited about Mexico missions

In the Mexican city of Merida, Yucatan, a spark of hope has turned into a flame for serving God and restoring the lost to Jesus Christ.
   
While in Merida preaching and delivering the first of the Pat H. Carter Lectures to Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary students, John Harris, interim preacher at Riverchase Baptist Church, Hoover, witnessed God’s work firsthand.
   
“Meeting devout, vibrant Christians well-trained for service caught me a little by surprise,” Harris said. “This experience — the third international missions experience for me — was especially invigorating spiritually and educationally.
   
Named for a retired Southern Baptist missionary to Mexico who served as a church planter in Mexico and president of the Mexican seminary for many years, the lecture series was hosted by Word of God Baptist Church, Merida.
   
Like many churches in Mexico, the host church does not have a building of its own. Consequently, its 100 members must meet in the dental office of one of its members.
   
“They come in and put away all his dental supplies and set up for the children, youth, babies and adults,” Harris said.
   
“The waiting area and receptionist’s area is large enough for the congregation to meet for worship,” he said.
   
Before working on their own house of worship, Word of God Church raised money and bought nearly six acres of land to build a campus for the seminary that began as the Oral Studies Center in Vera Cruz, Mexico, in 1986.
   
Currently, seminary classes meet in the dental office, the pastor’s home and The Baptist Church of the Messiah, another local church.
   
Although a group of Texas Baptist men provided funds for the foundation of the first phase of the seminary campus, the church still needs to raise about $200,000 to complete the project.