Plaza Global Sparks New Hispanic Mission Network
SAN ANTONIO--Visit most any Latin-American city and you will find a plaza that serves as the intersecting point for its community. With its park benches and porticos, the plaza is designed to bring people together in conversation so relationships can grow, information can be shared and community life can be strengthened. Recently BUA and partner WorldconneX hosted a Plaza Global of their own. The first-of-its-kind event brought together a group of thirty creative Hispanic leaders and mission practitioners for two days of conversation on emerging trends in global mission.
As conversation became contagious the Plaza Global group concluded by making some exciting plans for launching a new Hispanic Missions Network at this year’s Hispanic Evangelism Conference on February 2-3 in San Antonio. Buckner International will join BUA and Worldconnex as a leading partner.
Along with presentations from Albert Reyes, Carol Davis and Bill Tinsley about the growing influence and effectiveness of Hispanic mission workers, participants shared testimonies from fellow pastors and lay leaders whose Hispanic churches are actively engaged in global missions. “There was a tremendous synergy and richness of experience and knowledge that was stimulating in this conversation,” said Julio Guarneri of Getsemani Baptist Church in Ft. Worth.
A recurring theme quickly emerged around how Hispanic churches are discovering the rich treasure-house of Kingdom-building skills and gifts that exist in their congregations. Pastors Rolando Rodriguez and Campo Londoño both shared how men in their respective churches had discovered how they could use their labor and business skills on the mission field. Rodriguez’s Cockrell Hill congregation in Dallas has been working in Laos which is closed to traditional missionary work, but his men helped launch a fish and frog farm now run by a Laotian congregation. In a predominantly Muslim country in Northern Africa, men from Londoño’s Houston area church are helping launch a fish house to support missionaries and embed them in local community life.
Turns out, the bivocational lifestyle and skills that are so familiar to many Hispanic leaders are proving to be some of the most vitally needed talents in this new era of mission.
A key feature of Plaza Global were conversation groups that brainstormed ideas for engaging more Hispanic churches in mission. Elizabeth Tamez was energized by the conversation saying, “During our two days of continuous meetings and sharing of what the Lord is doing at our locales, I was overtaken by the heightened awareness of Him working in our hearts as leaders, pointing us all in the same direction. He has bestowed in each of us different gifts, talents and experiences to contribute, but with the same vision for the future of our joint involvement as a Hispanic mission force.”
“I have high expectations for this group,” said Victor Rodriguez of San Antonio. “I felt a combined effort within this meeting that will see tremendous fruits in the months to come within our churches.”
NEWS RELEASE
January 8, 2007
Brad Russell, BUA Communications