Month: April 2024

Dios utiliza un “contratiempo” para abrir una puerta para la plantación de una iglesia hispana en Corpus Christi

El pastor Rubén De Rus ha experimentado personalmente la promesa bíblica de que a los que aman a Dios, todas las cosas les ayudan a bien.

De Rus, originario de España, obtuvo una visa de estudiante y vino a EE.UU. a los 20 años para estudiar teología en una universidad bautista de San Antonio. Allí conoció a su esposa, Azucena, y, poco antes de graduarse, fue reclutado para pastorear una iglesia en Colorado.

De Rus llevaba varios años pastoreando allí cuando descubrió algo que cambiaría la trayectoria de su ministerio: alguien que le había ayudado a obtener su visa religiosa, lo hizo de forma fraudulenta, obligando a De Rus a hacer algo que no tenía previsto: volver a estudiar para poder permanecer en Estados Unidos con su visa de estudiante. De Rus decidió cursar una maestría en consejería clínica, un camino que, según él dice, quizás no habría considerado si las cosas hubieran ido según sus propios planes. Durante ese tiempo, también trabajó en un centro de salud mental.

Poco sabía él, que Dios estaba trabajando y sentando las bases para el ministerio que beneficiaría al reino de Dios varios años más tarde.

En el 2018, De Rus y su esposa comenzaron a sentir que Dios los llamaba a salir de Colorado y regresar a Texas para estar más cerca de la familia de ella. El Señor abrió la puerta para que De Rus sirviera como consejero clínico en un refugio para niñas inmigrantes en el área de Corpus Christi—un puesto que ocupó durante cinco años, el último como director del departamento de consejería.

Con el paso del tiempo, De Rus se enteró de que la Convención de los Bautistas del Sur de Texas había identificado Corpus como una zona donde se necesitaban más plantadores de iglesias hispanos. Aunque De Rus no tenía planes de regresar al pastorado, Dios puso en su corazón que él podía ayudar a satisfacer esa necesidad.

Él comenzó el proceso de evaluación de plantadores a través de Send Network SBTC, la asociación de plantación de iglesias entre la SBTC y la Junta de Misiones Norteamericanas, a finales del 2022. Fue enviado con el apoyo de su iglesia, Yorktown Baptist Church en Corpus Christi, su pastor, Jonathan Brazell, y su cuerpo de ancianos. De Rus y su familia fueron oficialmente comisionados como plantadores en la Reunión Anual de la SBTC en noviembre de 2022, y plantaron la Iglesia Bautista South Side en Corpus Christi unos meses después.

Teniendo conversaciones, alcanzando familias

South Side comenzó a celebrar estudios bíblicos los domingos en el 2023, y a De Rus y su esposa se les unió una pareja de amigos, Miguel y Daniela Barreras, deseosos de unirse a la obra que Dios estaba haciendo. De Rus se sintió específicamente llamado a poner en práctica su experiencia y formación como consejero clínico a través de la iglesia, proporcionando sanidad interior a las personas que sufrían y vivían sin Jesús. Esa misión guio la forma en que South Side empezó a alcanzar a la comunidad.

La iglesia comenzó a ofrecer una serie de talleres llamados “Hablemos” que abordaban temas como la inmigración, la paternidad y otros. Estas charlas han ayudado a la iglesia a conectar con 10 familias que asistieron no sólo a las charlas, sino a la iglesia.

“Nuestro enfoque en este momento es trabajar con la unidad familiar, y nuestra misión es hacer discípulos de Cristo que crezcan en su obediencia a Dios y amor por los demás”, dijo De Rus.

De Rus dijo que ha sido sorprendente ver con cuántas personas el Señor le ha permitido a la iglesia conectar en tan poco tiempo. South Side ha visto abrirse una serie de puertas ministeriales, permitiendo a sus miembros ministrar a familias y personas vulnerables. Una de esas oportunidades ha llegado a través de un refugio local para mujeres, donde una mujer vio un anuncio en las redes sociales promocionando una de las charlas de la iglesia. Empezó a asistir, invitó a otras mujeres y, como resultado, varias han aceptado a Cristo y se han bautizado.

“Nuestro enfoque en este momento es trabajar con la unidad familiar, y nuestra misión es hacer discípulos de Cristo que crezcan en su obediencia a Dios y amor por los demás”.

—Ruben De Rus Tweet

South Side—que celebró su primer aniversario el 1 de enero de 2024 con la llegada de una persona a la fe en Cristo—tiene planes para ampliar su alcance en la comunidad. Pronto, se instalará una plaza comunitaria en sus facilidades, donde la iglesia ofrecerá clases de inglés (ESL) y diploma de secundaria (GED). Además, en mayo funcionará allí un consulado mexicano móvil para que los ciudadanos mexicanos puedan resolver gestiones de documentación.

De Rus—que es un pastor bivocacional y también trabaja como subdirector en un programa de familias de acogida—dijo que su oración es que Dios siga ayudándole a administrar bien su tiempo. Dijo que es un reto ver las grandes necesidades que hay con pocos recursos para atenderlas. Aun así, el plan es ministrar fielmente a las cerca de 40 personas que asisten regularmente a South Side mientras se siguen ofreciendo charlas y talleres para fortalecer a las familias, presentarles a Jesús y ayudarles a crecer en su fe.

“Cuando decides entrar por la puerta [de Dios], es increíble ver todo lo que hay detrás de esa puerta, que son oportunidades para ministrar a la gente”, dijo De Rus. “Estamos viendo gente que viene a Cristo, familias integradas, sirviendo, y creciendo en su relación con Dios y fortaleciendo sus relaciones padre-hijo y cónyuge”.

God uses ‘setback’ to open door for much-needed Hispanic church plant in Corpus Christi

Pastor Ruben De Rus has personally experienced the biblical promise that God works all things together for good.

De Rus, originally from Spain, obtained a student visa and came to the U.S. in his 20s to study theology at a Baptist university in San Antonio. There he met his wife, Azucena, and, shortly before graduating, he was recruited to pastor a church in Colorado.

De Rus had been pastoring there for several years when he discovered something that would change the trajectory of his ministry: someone who had helped him obtain his religious visa did so fraudulently, forcing De Rus to change his plans and return to school so he could remain in the U.S. on his student visa. He decided to pursue a master’s degree in clinical counseling, a path he says he might not have considered had things gone according to his own plans. During that time, he also took a job at a mental health center.

Little did he know, God was at work laying a foundation for ministry that would benefit the kingdom several years later.

By 2018, De Rus and his wife began sensing God calling them away from Colorado and back to Texas to be closer to her family. The Lord opened the door for De Rus to serve as a clinical counselor at a shelter for immigrant girls in the Corpus Christi area, a position he held for five years, the last serving as director of the counseling department.

As time passed, De Rus learned the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention had identified Corpus as an area where more Hispanic church planters were needed. Although De Rus had no plans to return to pastoring, God impressed on his heart that he could help meet that need.

He began the evaluation process for planters through Send Network SBTC, the church planting partnership between the SBTC and North American Mission Board, in late 2022. He was sent out with the support of his church, Yorktown Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, its pastor, Jonathan Brazell, and its elders. De Rus and his family were officially commissioned as planters at the SBTC Annual Meeting in November 2022 and planted South Side Baptist Church in Corpus Christi a few months later.

Having conversations, reaching families

South Side began holding Bible studies on Sundays in 2023, with De Rus and his wife being joined by friends Miguel and Daniela Barreras, who were eager to join the work God was doing. De Rus specifically felt called to put his experience and training as a clinical counselor into practice through the church, providing inner healing to people hurting and living without Jesus. That mission guided how South Side began reaching out to the community.

The church began offering a series of workshops called “Let’s Talk” addressing subjects such as immigration, parenting, and more. These talks helped the church connect with 10 families that attended not only the talks, but also church.

“Our focus at this time is to work with the family unit, and our mission is to make disciples of Christ who grow in their obedience to God and love for others,” De Rus said.

De Rus said it has been striking to see how many people the Lord has connected to the church in such a short time. South Side has witnessed a number of ministry doors open, allowing members to minister to families and vulnerable people. One of those opportunities has come through a local women’s shelter, where a woman there saw a social media ad promoting one of the church’s talks. She began attending, invited others to come, and, as a result, several have accepted Christ and been baptized.

“Our focus at this time is to work with the family unit, and our mission is to make disciples of Christ who grow in their obedience to God and love for others.”

—Ruben De Rus Tweet

South Side—which celebrated its one-year anniversary on Jan. 1, 2024, with a person coming to faith in Christ—has plans to expand its community outreach. Soon, a community plaza will be located on its premises where the church will offer ESL and GED classes. Additionally, a mobile Mexican consulate will operate there in May so Mexican citizens can legally resolve documentation issues.

As a bivocational pastor who also serves as an assistant director at a family foster care program, De Rus said his prayer is that God will continue to help him manage his time well. He said it is a challenge to see great needs with few resources to address them. Even so, the plan is to faithfully minister to the 40 or so people attending South Side regularly while continuing to offer talks and workshops to strengthen families, introduce them to Jesus, and help them grow in their faith.

“When you decide to walk through [God’s] door, it’s amazing to see everything behind that door—which are opportunities to minister to people,” De Rus said. “We are seeing people coming to Christ, families integrated, serving, and growing in their relationship with God and strengthening their parent-child and spouse relationships.”

Join me as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus

Iwant to personally invite you to join me later this year on our Experience the Holy Land Clergy Familiarization Trip in Israel.

The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention is hosting this 10-day trip from Dec. 26, 2024, through Jan. 4, 2025. The trip is available to senior pastors of SBTC-affiliated churches at a discounted price, which includes $1,300 in financial assistance provided by a generous grant from the SBTC Executive Board. Special pricing is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Senior pastors who wish to register must currently be pastoring an SBTC church. Their cost is $1,797 (after the grant has been applied). A second pastor from the same church may travel at the regular clergy price of $3,097, but only two pastors are allowed per church. Spouses can join the trip for $3,497.

You can scan visit sbtexas.com/israel for more information. Space is limited. I have been to the Holy Land several times and it has been a life-changing experience for me. I hope you will prayerfully consider joining us as we retrace the footsteps of Jesus and watch the Bible come alive before our very eyes.

I love you and I am honored to serve you!

Historic East Texas church is experiencing growth through evangelism, community connections

Mulberry Springs Baptist Church, about 15 miles northeast of Longview, doesn’t see a lot of traffic on a typical day. Yet the rural congregation—founded in 1892—is building a new worship space to seat nearly 800 people.

“We’re in a community of houses. We’ve got a little country store that just opened, but that’s it,” Pastor Danny Warbington said. “You’re not coming out here unless you live here, or maybe you’re going to make your way to Lake O’ the Pines, which is a beautiful place to camp and fish. Otherwise, we’re kind of in no man’s land.”

Before Warbington got to the church 18 years ago, attendance was a little over 100 and the discouraged congregation had moved back to its older, smaller meeting space. Things began to look up when the interim who preceded Warbington—an evangelist—started preaching the gospel and seeing people get saved.

“We began to implement the things that I know work—preaching the gospel, visitation,” Warbington said, noting he wanted to lead the church to build on those first signs of renewal. “I do believe people still want to know that you care.”

“We want them to know we want them to be a part of something great God is doing in the country.”

—Danny Warbington Tweet

After taking gift bags to the homes of visitors and getting involved in the community, including winning best float in a local parade, Mulberry Springs began to average 30 baptisms per year.

“We began to prosper and see God move mightily,” Warbington said. “About three or four years ago, we were number one in baptisms for churches our size in the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. It’s evangelism, evangelism, evangelism.”

The church now fills its 425-seat auditorium, and Warbington said the number of baptisms is a sign of health the church can continue to build on—literally.

“About seven years ago, we decided the Lord was calling us to build a new sanctuary because the house of the Lord was packed,” Warbington said. “We built a balcony and filled it up. We decided to turn our existing sanctuary back into what it was intended to be—a multipurpose gymnasium.”

The new worship space also will include six offices, five nursery rooms, and an upstairs mezzanine for children’s church.

“Our church is not rich. We have great givers, great tithers, but we’re just blue-collar people,” he said. “We prayed about a God-sized vision that only God can do.”

The church grows through children, Warbington said, noting that Mulberry Springs has a mother’s day out program twice a week with about 70 children and a homeschool co-op that meets Fridays with about 100 students.

A particular blessing to the pastor is that senior adults have told him that seeing people come to know Jesus has outweighed some of the changes the church has experienced, such as a new worship style.

“That adds to the growth of the church, because those who have been here so long are willing to give up the ground that is necessary,” Warbington said. “They’ve been so excited seeing new families and new faces. To see people saved and baptized, they’re going to rejoice no matter what.”

Each year, Mulberry Springs hosts an Engage conference where it displays the ministries of the church and encourages everyone to sign up to serve.

“We only have a few committees, and we have lots of ministries from missions to outreach to children,” Warbington said. “We constantly put before people that God has called them to serve and they need to find a place.”

The children’s director has a pool of about 45 people to draw from as workers, he said, and the church is known for a high-quality Vacation Bible School. The gospel is preached at VBS, and seldom are fewer than 10-12 children saved, he noted.

“Our people love VBS,” he said. “We go all out and the kids have the time of their lives.”

Something unique about Mulberry Springs is that every Sunday morning after the first song, men and their sons are called to the front to pray and ask God to anoint them to lead their families. Warbington said the church has been doing that for four decades.

Hallsville, the nearest community to Mulberry Springs, has an exemplary school system, which is attractive to parents working in nearby Longview, Warbington said.

“There are hundreds of homes. They’re going up everywhere. The number of people to reach is why we built the sanctuary. We’re talking about within 10 miles there are huge housing additions going up,” he said. “I really believe that we may have built too small. The potential is there.”

Mulberry Springs averages six to eight visitors per week, the pastor said.

“These are people searching for a church, and we visit them if they want. We want them to know we want them to be a part of something great God is doing in the country,” Warbington said. “Make evangelism and discipleship a priority. When you see people saved and the waters stirred, a lot of problems that people are focused on go away.”