Report of the

Joint Committee on Ethnic Church Planting

            The Joint Committee met numerous times during 2010 to assist and promote BFC Ethnic Church planting with its main focus on Hispanic church planting. We remain dependent on the work of the Spirit for direction: “not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”

            For El Faro, our first Hispanic Church plant in Allentown under Pastor Elliot H. Ramos’ direction, 2010 has been a year of numerical growth as well as growth in their financial giving and church outreach. A community outreach, Light in the Park, was held and 220 attended. Men are being trained to be leaders in their homes, at church and in their community. Pray that the Lord will provide two elders from this group of nine men as plans are underway which will, with the Lord’s enabling, eventually lead to Lighthouse graduating from Church Extension.

            The La Roca Hispanic Church in Reading under the direction of Pastor Carlos G. Rodriguez is also doing very well. Attendance has increased to a point where 130 to 140 people weekly attend the worship services. Eleven were baptized last year. Miguel Gonzalez is functioning as an assistant and youth pastor and has been a great encouragement with the work there. He passed his oral examination on the Articles of Faith and is now a Probationer ready for a call.

            The Ethnic Committee continues to spend the majority of its time mentoring the La Roca BFC in Merida, Mexico. Alfred G. Roberts, a member of the Merida Task Force, led a group of four from Faith BFC along with Ethnic Committee member Phil Yerrington in September to teach and encourage leadership and also encourage the church membership in the support of the leadership program. Brother Roberts reported the overall impression is the Merida Church is doing well. The Leadership Class was completed and six of the nine students satisfactorily finished the course. Two of the three that did not finish the course plan to retake the course. Brother Roberts, subsequently, has recommended that in view of the progress made by the leadership training at Merida, the ownership should be transferred from the Harleysville Church to the local Merida Church.

            The committee’s other concern for La Roca and Marcos G. Ramirez, the pastor of La Roca, is how can we help Brother Marcos plant daughter churches near Merida? Does the La Roca Church qualify as a healthy church and will they need financial help? Three families have already volunteered to commit to the church planting movement along with Brother Marcos. Three potential areas for the church plants have been suggested. The Task Force has been dealing with these questions and has expressed confidence in Brother Marcos’ leadership ability. A motion by the committee was passed to confer on Brother Marcos the title of Coordinator of Church Planting. David E. Gundrum has forwarded information to Brother Marcos to help him in his determination of what is needed in the Church plant at the Villa Magna Project. Also included was information on the evaluation of the candidate to be considered for the mission pastor of Villa Magna. Director Gundrum would like to meet with Brother Marcos as soon as possible to discuss church planting.

            Pastor Dave N. Schoen visited Merida in April from the 16th to the 19th and met with Brother Marcos and finalized arrangements for the Bethel BFC puppet team’s arrival. The Team came in July to train and integrate the teens of both churches in the puppet ministry which was presented successfully from July 16 to 31st.

             Note: The Ethnic Committee has designated Dave K. Schlonecker as the contact person for any ministry trips to Merida by our churches. Please contact Brother Schlonecker first if you are planning a trip to Merida.

            The Committee’s translation team is awaiting corrections following the initial printing of the BPL’s. A translation service is being checked out.

            Finally, we see the need to continue to encourage the BFC churches to reach out to the increasing number of ethnic people groups. Recent statistics show that Latino allegiance to Catholicism is waning and moving to other Christian churches or to no religious affiliation. What’s happening is that Latino religious affiliation is being “Americanized” and people claiming no religion at all has doubled. This presents not only an opportunity but also a challenge for His Church to reach the lost people in our land.

Joint Committee of Ethnic Church Planting: David E. Gundrum, Chairman; Donald S. Faust, Secretary; Miguel Gonzalez, Elliot H. Ramos, Alfred G. Roberts, Carlos G. Rodriguez, David K. Schlonecker, Dana E. Weller, and Philip E. Yerrington