Growing Unity and Evangelism in Yaguita de Pastor
By the grace of God, the conferences on creating a culture of evangelism appears to be bearing real fruit. Francisco reports exciting developments in Yaguita de Pastor, where a spirit of unity and evangelism is flourishing. Following the conferences on building a culture of evangelism, two churches – Francisco’s and Pastor Smith’s Haitian Baptist church – have joined forces in a beautiful display of collaboration. When the conference was held with Francisco’s congregation, Pastor Smith and Pastor Menor attended. Pastor Smith then asked us to bring the conference to his church, which we did recently. These conferences created the opportunity for believers of different cultures to come together and it now has formed a beautiful bond between these Dominican and Haitian believers.
This partnership was sparked by a practical need: Pastor Smith’s congregation needed a temporary place of worship while their building undergoes renovations. Francisco’s church opened its doors to them, and this act of hospitality has blossomed into a powerful partnership. They are now working together, supporting each other, and sharing resources – a powerful testimony to the community, especially given the current tensions between the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
On Saturday, March 1st, this unified effort led to a joint evangelistic outreach in the “Los Surier” neighborhood of “Las Charcas.” Both congregations participated, with musicians from the Haitian church providing music and Ramón, a member of Francisco’s church, delivering a message based on John 3:16. The message focused on the exclusivity of salvation through Jesus Christ and called people to repentance.
Francisco sees this outreach as the beginning of something bigger – potentially a new area for evangelism and small group Bible studies. He expresses his joy and honor to be part of God’s work through the Gospel, acknowledging the role of BCMS ministry and the entire team in fostering this culture of evangelism.
Francisco shared the following:
“My experience and how honored I am to be part of what God is doing through the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and with the BCMS ministry and the entire team.
From the moment the Lord moved Brother Antonio Salgado, who showed his concern for us and taught us that we need to be intentional as brothers and as local churches, with the proclamation of the Gospel, we have been developing a culture of evangelism in our area of Yaguita de Pastor in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
And this has been a great blessing, to the point that we have connected with churches and brothers from different cultures and, in fact, we share with our brothers and we sing together. We have connected with other churches to work together. We are grateful to the Lord Jesus Christ for His goodness to all, and we share and have everything in common, like food and medicine.
Our challenges are to continue growing in grace, and we long to work together with other churches to reach the lost together. All glory to God.”
This movement has led to connections with churches and individuals from different cultures, fostering a sense of shared faith and resources. Francisco highlights the shared meals, medical supplies, and the joy of worshipping together as expressions of this unity.
Looking ahead, Francisco and his group desires to continue growing in grace and expand their partnerships with other churches in the area in an effort to saturate the community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that others may come to know Him.
SOLI DEO GLORIA
