Baptist and Assemblies of God Churches on Mission in Baja California, Mexico
Last week my wife and I were able to be in Northwest Mexico, in Baja California, where I have been mentoring the BC Baptist Convention. Now we are mentoring Assemblies of God churches there as well. On Friday pm, we mentored FBC of Ensenada, where I am also mentoring Bethany Assembly of God. Not only are both the baptist and assembly of God churches being mentored, they are together sending their first cross cultural family to North Africa together! It is a joy to mentor both of these churches, and see that both are more interested in Jesus's Mission to make disciples, than to even further their own denomination.
On Sunday am I was able to preach at Bethany where we had dozens of people respond to the invitation to obey Christ's mission. After preaching at Bethany in Ensenada, my wife and left immediately and drove to Tecate, where I also mentor FBC there, and was able to teach our last module; "Where do I fit in?". This module is designed to take the entire church through a process of personalization and for every member to find their Kingdom assignment in missions and in ministry. I love teaching this module, because this allows the church to literally mobilize every one of it's members to intentionally live their lives on mission with God, whether it is in a missional project locally, or a national project or as a missional champion for a project in the ends of the earth. It helps every Christian to understand that our mission on earth is directly linked to Christ's mission and what He wants to accomplish among the nations.
On Saturday we were able to be back in Tijuana at Camino de Salvacion, (Way of Salvation Baptist Church). They were very proud of their new Mission Statement sign that is in the church for all to see. Pastor Jose Antonio wants every member of his church to know why they exist, it is not to build a church building or even to hold services, but it is for them collectively to fulfill Jesus's Mission on earth as His Body both by making disciples in Tijuana and in all nations at the same time. That is the reason that this baptist church of 50 members has now sent it's first full time worker to Central Asia (I wrote about her in my last update). But not only are they making disciples in Tijuana and Central Asia, but they are making them among Haitian refugee's.
They have been housing over 50 Haitian refugee's in their very small church building since last Oct! Some would ask, why would this small baptist church send 75% of their offering to support a full time worker in Central Asia, and then use their small facilities to house refugee's? It might have something to do with the purpose statement they have developed as part of the Global Focus missional process. It states: Camino de Salvacion exists to glorify God; being and making disciples that utilize their gifts to take the Gospel from Tijuana to every ethnic group on earth.