Posted: 12/17/04
El Paso Baptists' 2004 church-starts
nearly double previous year's number
EL PASO–Baptists in El Paso already held their annual church-planting banquet, but they've got room at the table for others who want to help them start churches.
They had plenty to celebrate at this year's banquet, reported Josué Valerio, director of missions for El Paso Baptist Association.
“In 2003, we started 16 churches, but by the end of this year, we will have started 30 churches in 2004,” Valerio said. “This is a remarkable accomplishment for one association with limited ministry resources in an impoverished area. We thank God for this blessing.”
And Baptists in El Paso expect that blessing to multiply, he added. In 2005, they hope to start 50 churches. That goal is part of a 10-year plan to start 500 congregations that will reach 75,000 people–10 percent of the population of the border city on the far tip of West Texas.
“We could not do this alone; we have partners,” Valerio said. In addition to local contributions–such as the funds raised at the annual church-starting banquet–El Paso Association teams up with others to launch the churches.
Those partners include the Baptist General Convention of Texas and its Church Multiplication Center and Texas Baptist Missions Foundation, as well as Caprock-Plains Baptist Area, which includes the Caprock, Llanos Altos and Staked Plains Baptist associations. In addition, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has offered to help the association start Spanish-speaking churches as part of its partnership with the Hispanic Baptist Convention.
The association has raised $62,800 so far this year. The money will be used in 2005 to start congregations and to provide matching funds for purchasing property.
In the past two years, the association has helped start Spanish, English, bilingual, Chinese and African-American congregations.
Church-starting in the city has an international flair, Valerio said, citing the “constant flow of family and activity that occurs daily across the border … with Juarez, Mexico.”
With 54 established churches, the association has 42 mission congregations in the start-up stage. And only 19 local churches have the financial strength to help start the missions, he said.
Consequently, the association is looking for other church-starting partners, Valerio noted. “Anyone who wants to be a co-sponsor (of a new congregation) is welcome,” he said. “We stretch our budget to the limit.”
For more information, contact Valerio at El Paso Baptist Association, 2012 Grant Ave., El Paso 79930-1017; (915) 544-8671 or e-mail josue-epba@sbcglobal.net.
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.