State Hispanic leaders meet in Miami

By Lauren Urtel
May 23, 2008

MIAMI (FBC)—Nearly 400 of Florida’s Hispanic church leaders were urged to ‘never forget their fellowship with the Lord’ at the annual meeting of the Hispanic State Fellowship held May 16 at Iglesia Bautista Estrella de Belen in Miami.

Under the theme “Para Que El Mundo Crea,” (“In order that the world believes”), keynote speaker Javier Sotolongo encouraged pastors to focus on their personal relationship with Christ.

“Never forget your fellowship with the Lord, that is the most important thing to reach the world,” said Sotolongo, pastor of the 900-member host church.

Noting that many Hispanic churches face economic problems, “we have discovered that when we focus on our problems we don’t grow,” said Sotolongo, through an interpreter. “Even with people giving less and people moving, that can not stop us from doing missions. In the middle of crisis, the secret is to keep sowing and keep growing.”

Sotolongo advised pastors to avoid the tendency of the church of Ephesus.

“At a quick look, the church of Ephesus was doing well— they were of sound doctrine and active in service but at a serious look, this set off the alarm,” said Sotolongo. “They had lost the fire of affection, and true worship and service had disappeared”   

“We can have it all right, even have the right doctrine, but how about our first love? You must never forget that your first love is Jesus Christ.”

The fellowship’s time together is part of cultivating that relationship, said Sotolongo. “It is important because we get to know each other and have fellowship. We get to see what someone is doing in another part of the state.”

The fellowship provides inspiration to and promotes the development of Florida’s Hispanic leaders and churches.

“I praise God for the great quality of our Hispanic pastors and leaders and for the vision they have to reach the lost to Christ,” said Frank Moreno, director of the Florida Baptist Convention’s Language Division.

“The state fellowships are an integral part of the Florida Baptist Convention” said Moreno. The Hispanic State Fellowship as well as other language fellowships that exist in the Florida Baptist Convention were created after the Language Division was formed 15 years ago.

“The creation of these state fellowships has been a blessing to the language work in our state,” Moreno added. “Our language division staff regularly meets with the leadership of the state fellowships and together we develop the annual program of each fellowship tailored according to the existing needs.”   

Breakout sessions offered during the annual meeting were in the areas of technology, challenges faced by youth and cultivating relationships. Led by state pastors, leaders asked questions and discussed their own challenges.

A special missions presentation by volunteer coordinator Jose Molliner discussed the partnership between Hispanic churches in Florida and Kentucky.

Many of the state’s Hispanic churches participate in that partnership by sending people to one or two mission trips per year. They also assist with resources to church planting projects or any other major needs that an existing church may have.

The partnership, established in November 2006, is a three-year agreement between the Florida Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention and is the only one in the Southern Baptist Convention.

During the first year of implementation, five churches responded and 35 people participated. The projects resulted in 135 professions of faith and 41 recommitments.

“We have an opportunity without precedent to impact thousands of people,” said Molliner. “We are building a missionary bridge between Florida and Kentucky. We have to be courageous and respond”  

Additionally, the fellowship’s mission work in Costa Rica has resulted in 137 salvations and 341 recommitments.

New mission opportunities were approved during the business session of the meeting. For 2008, the Hispanic churches undertook six projects, including one to the Dominican Republic.