David N. Guel, Texas Baptist pastor and church starter, died June 20. He was 78. He was born Jan. 25, 1944, in Houston to Margarito Guel and Virginia Diaz Guel. The youngest of four children, he grew up frequently attending the church where he would eventually meet his future bride. At age 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. During his eight years of service, he was stationed in multiple places, including Wiesbaden, Germany; Washington, D.C.; and Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. During his time in Vietnam, Guel felt God’s call to the ministry. He earned his GED while still in the service, and enrolled in Houston Baptist University upon returning home. David ultimately earned a master’s degree and doctorate from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His early years of ministry focused on evangelism. In his last year in Vietnam, he and fellow servicemen prayed for a Vietnam veterans-led evangelism event. Their prayers were realized in 1970 at Delmar Stadium in Houston. With the help of Houston-area pastors, it was a successful, miraculous week. On Dec. 23, 1972, he married Cecilia Miranda in Houston. As a couple, they committed to starting English-language Hispanic churches. He was recognized as Pastor of the Year in 1986 by the language missions division of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Home Mission Board. He was then called to serve as a church starter with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and in a dual assignment was appointed as a home missionary with the North American Mission Board. In that capacity, he was instrumental in the establishment of several hundred new churches in Texas. He also influenced churches and pastors to continue the same work both domestically and abroad. Later in his ministry, David became an advocate for strong and compassionate immigration reform and led groups to Washington, D.C., to meet with elected officials to discuss immigration issues. He served more than five decades in fulltime ministry and continued to give his time to churches after he retired as opportunities arose. He is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Cecilia Miranda Guel of Houston; sons David Stephan Guel and wife Lauren of Waco; son Eric Nathan Guel and wife Brandi of Waco; daughter Deborah Guel of Houston; and seven grandchildren. His family will receive visitors from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on July 6 at the chapel of First Baptist Church of Houston Loop Campus. A celebration of life service will be held at 1 p.m. on July 7, 2022 in the chapel of First Baptist Church of Houston Loop Campus. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Texas Baptist Men Disaster Relief.
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