Hispanic Baptists worship and celebrate missions at Florida Baptist annual meeting
ORLANDO— At the 2024 Florida Baptist State Convention annual meeting, the Hispanic Fellowship gathering provided a vibrant night of worship, testimony and a strong call to missions. Held amid a backdrop of food trucks and family-friendly activities, the evening brought together Hispanic Baptists from across the state for a night focused on unity and missions.
The event began with families mingling over food and fellowship, creating a lively atmosphere as children enjoyed bounce houses before the worship service commenced. Grammy-nominated musician Ricardo Azocar and Jesus Alberto, former lead singer of Los Adolescentes, led worship.
Emanuel Roque, Hispanic ministries catalyst for the Florida Baptist Convention, introduced pastor Mike Orr, president of the Florida Baptist State Convention, who underscored the essential role of Hispanic churches in Florida’s ministry landscape. “Florida cannot be reached without you,” Orr stated, thanking attendees for their zeal in evangelism and encouraging them to continue their mission efforts.
A panel of missionaries followed, presenting an inspiring array of stories from Hispanic believers serving across the globe. Osiel Gonzales, a Cuban immigrant, described his journey from Cuba to his current mission in Colombia, where he will serve an indigenous tribe. Ledis, a Honduran missionary to Japan, shared her experiences teaching the Bible to those who have never heard the gospel and her calling to reach the Japanese in Nagasaki. Meanwhile, Lilian, originally from Egypt, spoke about her work with Muslim communities in Spain, noting the challenges of sharing the gospel in countries and cultures where Christianity is often restricted.
These missionaries’ stories highlighted a trend of Hispanic believers answering the call to international missions. Annel Robayna, the International Mission Board’s Hispanic church mobilization strategist, emphasized this theme, sharing a vision for every Hispanic church in Florida to send missionaries to the field.
“We are seeing God move, sending hundreds of Hispanics out to the nations,” Robayna, said, urging churches to support missions financially and through prayer. Myles Dowdy, Florida Baptists’ mission and ministries lead catalyst, echoed this sentiment, urging solidarity with Cuban churches facing recent natural disasters, including hurricanes and earthquakes, and asking Florida Baptists to pray for their courage and boldness to share the gospel.
The night’s keynote was delivered by Stephen Rummage, the Florida Baptist Convention’s executive director-treasurer, who preached from Isaiah 62 and the role of believers as spiritual watchmen. In a message resonating with urgency, he challenged the audience to stay vigilant and active in sharing their faith. “A watchman sees and warns … We must tell people and call them to trust Jesus for salvation,” Rummage said, urging attendees to remain relentless in prayer and witness.
The evening concluded with prayers for Rummage and his wife, Michele, and a special honor for recently retired Florida Baptist executive director-treasurer Tommy Green, and his wife, Karen, who were presented with a plaque in recognition of their service.