This year’s diverse, multilingual graduating class reflects BUF’s expanding mission to prepare global Christian leaders. Students from South and Central Florida, along with Haitian, Hispanic, and English-speaking communities, gathered with family, friends, and distinguished guests to celebrate academic excellence, spiritual growth, and the advancement of Christian higher education.

“This historic class represents the heart and future of BUF,” said University President, Dr. Clayton Cloer, “Their accomplishments stand as a testimony to our founding vision and our continued commitment to train leaders who serve Christ around the world.”

Commencement ceremonies highlighted the growth of BUF Global initiatives and celebrated first-generation college graduates, ministry leaders, educators, and professionals equipped to serve in multicultural settings.

Baptist University of Florida extends its congratulations to the December Class of 2025 and looks forward to seeing them impact churches, communities, and nations with their calling and preparation.

For more information, visit www.buf.edu

Florida Baptist Disaster Relief and Send Network remain committed to supporting recovery efforts in Jamaica following the devastation of Hurricane Melissa in October 2025. The Category 5 hurricane was among the most powerful storms ever to tear through the Atlantic.

Billy Ray, a retired international missionary and minister who attends First Baptist Church Wildwood, and JD James, a member of Central Baptist Church in Monticello, were among the first Florida Baptist Disaster Relief team members to set foot on the ground in Jamaica. Joining Send Network in partnership with the Jamaica Baptist Union, volunteers worked to repair roofs on local churches.

Local churches have become sources of hope and help for people who are displaced and without access to daily necessities such as clean water and food. Functioning as relief centers, churches are distributing food and supplies to community members.

The team has faced challenges due to widespread infrastructure damage. With only one main road open, heavy traffic has hindered progress. Volunteers leave their hotel at 5:30 a.m. and make multiple trips to transport team members between the hotel and the church. “Traveling in hurricane-affected areas is always challenging, but Jamaica brought it to a whole new level,” James said. “Our group had to turn around several times after hours of travel because roads were washed out or flooded.”

Supply chain disruptions have also made sourcing materials difficult, with many suppliers out of stock on construction items needed for repairs.

“Serving was a great reset for me,” James said. “It was amazing to see storm survivors praising God for their lives being spared. Instead of looking at all the material things they had lost, they were grateful for the gift of life.”

Florida Baptist Disaster Relief plans to maintain a presence in Jamaica through December and potentially into 2026. The primary goal is to help local churches reach a place of healing so they can continue serving those in need in their communities.

James encouraged others to pray, give and serve in the affected areas “even after the news stories end. This will be a long recovery in heavily impacted areas, with rebuilding continuing for years to come.”

Editors Note: To provide financial gifts to aid Hurricane Melissa response efforts, visit the FLDR giving page.

Down a hallway, behind a closed door, Helen Doimeadios, a wife and mom of two, sits alone with a headset, a microphone, and a small screen showing what’s happening in the sanctuary. As the pastor preaches in English, Doimeadios quietly carries the message into Spanish for those listening through wireless receivers.

She doesn’t consider herself just a translator.

“I don’t translate word for word,” she explained. “I listen to the pastor and review the notes he shares, and then I interpret what he has said. Sometimes that can sound like a literal translation and other times it’s not literal, but the words carry the same meaning.”

Often, she translates with her eyes closed, concentrating fully on the pastor’s voice and the message he’s delivering.

“In that little room, my goal is to take Sunday’s message to everyone who came to hear it,” she said.

Doimeadios is one of three volunteers who provide simultaneous Spanish translation during Reality’s English service, a ministry that emerged as multigenerational Hispanic families began attending together. Children and grandchildren were fluent in English; parents and grandparents were not.

Translation became the bridge that allowed the entire family to sit under the same sermon while hearing it in the language of their hearts.

“Abuelita Sitting There, Not Understanding Anything”

At Elevate Church in Miami Lakes, the story started in a similar way.

Pastor Dan Rodríguez, executive pastor at Elevate, remembers sitting in the chapel years ago and watching families arrive together—parents, children, and abuelita in tow. The services were in English, the worship vibrant, the room full. But something didn’t sit right.

“We started noticing that a family would come to church, and they would have abuelita with them,” Rodríguez recalled. “We saw people who were not singing or not worshiping. They had that lost look. When we asked, we’d hear, ‘Oh, I brought my aunt, my grandmother, but they don’t speak English.’ And we thought, ‘You’re willing to sit here for an hour and not understand anything?’”

That burden led to action. Around 2015–2016, Elevate ordered translation equipment and began offering live Spanish translation during the English service, even before launching a Spanish-language service.

What began as a simple solution to serve a handful of families soon became the seed of something bigger.

“That translation ministry grew organically,” Rodríguez said. “It was really the heart behind launching the Spanish service.”

Today, Elevate holds a full Spanish service at 8:30 a.m. that now averages around 300 people in attendance, alongside larger English services later in the morning and early afternoon. Many who use the translation in the English services also know they have the option of worshiping entirely in Spanish at 8:30 if their schedule allows.

Rodríguez says the goal has always been clear: one church, one message, multiple languages, so that families can share the same spiritual conversation after church.

“Our vision is for the entire family to be able to worship together and then go to lunch and talk about what they heard,” he said. “Kids, adults, abuelitos; everyone on the same page.”

Translation as Teaching, Not Just Words

At Elevate, the translation team is intentionally small and selective. Right now, only two people regularly translate.

“That’s not accidental,” Rodríguez explained. “We’re very selective. You’re not just translating, you’re teaching. You’re basically preaching.”

Translators are often identified from within the church’s existing leaders. They are typically life group leaders or seasoned believers whose spiritual maturity and teaching gifts are already evident.

“We choose people who are already walking with the Lord and bearing fruit,” he said. “They’re not brand-new believers. We’ve seen them teaching. We’ve seen their faithfulness.”

Preparation is also key. Elevate’s internal goal is to have the sermon manuscript complete by Thursday each week. That allows the worship and tech teams to load slides and Scriptures and run full rehearsals, and the translation team to receive the message in advance.

“They get to read it, digest it, internalize it,” Rodríguez said. “If it’s a more complicated message, we’ll even schedule a one-on-one call to walk through it together.”

Rodríguez and other leaders will occasionally sit in and listen to the translation live to offer coaching.

“I’ll tell them, ‘You did a phenomenal job. Make sure to use inflection, make it your own content,” he said. “We want them to continue growing as teachers, not just translators.”

The church is also careful to care for the translators themselves. For now, Elevate offers translation only at specific services, ensuring translators serve one service and sit in another so they can also be fed spiritually.

“We Have to Reach Them Where They Are”

For Rodríguez, the translation ministry is deeply personal and profoundly missional.

He grew up bilingual, worked nearly 20 years in the corporate world (most of that with Apple), and learned early the importance of knowing the people you serve.

“One of the things ingrained in us was that you have to know your customer,” he said. “These are not customers. These are our people. You have to know where God has placed you.”

And God has placed Elevate in Miami, a city he calls a “melting pot.”

“We’ll always have a migrant community here,” he said. “People coming from other countries who are learning English but don’t fully understand it yet.”

That reality has shaped how Elevate thinks about ministry and how they’ll respond if future language needs arise.

“I’ve even thought, what if we started getting more Haitian families who need Creole?” he said. “We’re not here to entertain. We’re not charging people at the door. The whole purpose is to share the gospel and show people who Jesus is. If that means we have to show it to them in their language, then yes; translation is essential.”

“Our vision is to see Christ elevated, to connect people to Christ, help them grow in Christ, and serve Christ,” he added. “To do that, they must understand. We must reach them where they are.”

A Statewide Step: Simultaneous Spanish at the Florida Baptist Convention

This growing commitment to translation ministry isn’t limited to local churches. At this year’s Florida Baptist State Convention gathering, a new simultaneous transcription service of preachers and speakers was offered for the first time.

“As a convention staff we are continually trying to think of new ways to be ‘right beside you’ in your context of ministry life,” said Tanner Cade, communications and events manager for the Florida Baptist Convention. “The opportunity of expanding our translation services for gatherings reflects the wonderful multicultural family we have here in Florida, and we want to make sure as many as possible can actively participate in our meetings.”

Attendees were able to follow along by choosing from 10 different languages in real time as sermons, reports, and business sessions unfolded.

Just as Reality Church, Elevate Church, and others are making sure abuelita can understand the sermon on Sunday, the Convention is taking steps to ensure that language is no barrier to participation and partnership across the statewide family of churches.

Since then, Duncan has gone on mission to Cuba several more times and was excited to go with her home church this year. The nine-member mission team partnered with the Baptist Seminary of Havana where Mike Orr, pastor, First Baptist Church Chipley, gave an encouraging talk to students during the convocation to begin the new semester.

Training next generation of pastors

Earlier this year, as Orr celebrated 25 years at First Baptist Church Chipley, the church honored his name and service with the Mike Orr Scholarship to provide tuition for students at the Baptist Seminary in Cuba.

“Our pastor has a heart for training up the next generation of pastors,” Duncan said.

While in Cuba, the mission team presented the scholarship to its first recipient. “He was so grateful, and it was very humbling,” Duncan said. The recipient, a man saved out of the practice of Santeria and addiction, burned his idols when he began to follow Jesus and is now attending seminary to become a pastor.

‘Door is open for gospel’

The team also led vacation Bible school and worship services at Iglesia Bautista Salem de Arroyo Apolo. After hearing Orr preach about “renewing your first love” from Revelation 2, several people came to the altar.

“It is exciting to see how God is using the Church in Cuba. The door is open for the gospel there, and He is showing Cubans that true hope is found in a relationship with Christ,” Duncan said.

Orr also preached at Star of Bethlehem Church. There, the mission team provided and served meals for the local community.

The team served with a house church led by a husband and wife who open their home as a place of worship. There are more than 800 house churches in Cuba’s Western Baptist Convention. In this particular home, the wife prayed for 20 years for her husband to know the Lord. When he came to a saving faith, they both were baptized and saw the need for a place to worship in their neighborhood.

As the team shared the gospel of Jesus Christ in the community surrounding the house church, they saw idols from the practice of Santeria and received resistance from families who refused to forsake the idols. The team continues to pray for these Cubans.

First Baptist Church Chipley will continue to invest in spreading the gospel in Cuba through seminary scholarships and future mission trips. Dane Caldwell, missions pastor, Grace Church Bonifay, also joined the team. “I had heard that the church was growing in Cuba, and I couldn’t wait to see it. The leadership structure and plan for sending out the gospel amazed me. God has stirred a revival in Cuba, and Grace Church wants to be a part of it,” said Caldwell. Grace Church Bonifay is currently making plans to establish a long-term partnership with the Church in Cuba.

As a team, we came away spiritually renewed and encouraged by our Cuban brothers and sisters in Christ,” Orr said. “Spending time with them and sharing the gospel with others rekindled our fire for evangelism and gospel conversations.”

The event, organized by the North American Mission Board in partnership with the Florida Baptist Convention, was part of Send South Florida, a church planting initiative focused on reaching one of the most diverse and rapidly growing regions in the United States with the hope of Christ by helping churches plant churches.

Equipping leaders for kingdom impact

Participants attended breakout sessions focused on discipleship, leadership development, evangelism and outreach, and church planting, along with a special track designed for women in ministry. Each session provided practical training and biblical encouragement aimed at strengthening local churches and advancing the gospel.

“We want to see a movement of Hispanic churches multiplying disciples and leaders who will reach South Florida and beyond,” organizers said. “This gathering is about unity, collaboration, and equipping the local church to live on mission ‘Por Su Reino’ which translates to ‘For His Kingdom.’”

Keeping the gospel central

The conference featured keynote messages from José Abella, pastor of Providence Road Church in Miami, and Raudel Hernández, pastor of Summit en Español, the Spanish-language campus of The Summit Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, where J.D. Greear serves as lead pastor.

Abella encouraged leaders to remain faithful to their callings and to continue building strong, gospel-centered churches that reflect the diversity and vitality of South Florida’s communities.

Hernández reminded attendees that above every ministry program or leadership role, believers are called first and foremost to share the gospel with the lost. “Before we are called to anything else,” he emphasized, “we are called to proclaim Christ.”

United for the kingdom

Por Su Reino served as a visible reminder of the growing unity among Hispanic pastors and churches in South Florida, all sharing the same vision to see lives transformed by the gospel.

“Every time leaders come together with one heart and one mission, the kingdom advances,” one participant shared. “We leave encouraged, renewed and reminded that we are not alone in this work.”

Sponsored by the Florida Baptist Convention and supported by Miami Baptist Association, the event became more than a banquet—it was a mission moment, calling the church to intercede for seafarers, their families and the global maritime industry.

‘Those who go down to the sea in ships …’

“Those who go down to the sea in ships … they see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep” (Psalm 107:23–24). These words framed the day as speakers reminded participants of the unique opportunity God has given the church to reach seafarers with the hope of Christ.

“God has brought the nations to our doorstep in Miami,” said Julio C. Salas, executive director of ISM Port Miami, one of seven seaport ministries of the Florida Baptist Convention. “Every year, thousands of crew members from over 100 countries dock here. They carry with them the burdens of family separation and spiritual need—but also the potential to carry the gospel back to their homelands.”

Meeting an overlooked mission field

Each year, ISM Port Miami, which partners with Miami Baptist Association, ministers to approximately 30,100 seafarers—27,100 from cruise ships and 3,000 from cargo ships. At the International Port Campus, the ministry welcomes 180–200 crew members daily during high season and 75–100 daily during regular season.

Through hospitality, prayer and the ministry of presence, ISM helps seafarers connect with families back home, receive spiritual and emotional care, and hear the gospel. “Many of these men and women are far from home for months at a time,” Salas said. “They need a place to belong, a place to be reminded of God’s love and truth.”

Partnerships that advance the mission

Royal Caribbean generously hosted this year’s gala aboard Icon of the Seas, underscoring the company’s commitment to the well-being of its crew. “We are deeply grateful for Royal Caribbean’s hospitality and support,” said Salas. “Together, we can encourage seafarers to not only serve passengers with excellence but also to grow in love for God and others.”

The Florida Baptist Convention’s sponsorship of the gala highlighted its commitment to ministries that meet both physical and spiritual needs across the state.

“The International Seafarers Ministry is a powerful reminder that the Great Commission begins right where we are,” said Marc Johnston, director of community ministries for the Florida Baptist Convention. “Through partnerships like this one, our churches and associations are living out the gospel by reaching the nations that God is bringing to our ports. ISM is not just a ministry at the port—it’s a ministry of the local church, serving people who will carry the hope of Christ back to their own countries.”

A call to the churches

As a ministry “of the church, for the church,” ISM invited pastors and congregations across Miami, South Florida and beyond to consider seafarers part of their mission field. “The nations are literally coming to us,” Salas said. “By partnering together, our churches can engage in local international missions—reaching men and women from all over the world right here at Port Miami.”

Be part of the mission

Though the gala was a one-day event, the mission continues. ISM’s chaplaincy, outreach and care for seafarers depend on the prayers, volunteer service and financial support of churches and individuals.

To support this ministry, gifts can be made securely at www.ismportmiami.org/give.

ORLANDO–Four Florida Baptist leaders will be nominated to serve as 2025-26 officers of the Florida Baptist State Convention when the annual meeting convenes in Orlando, Nov. 10-11.

President

As previously reported, Brian Stowe, who has served as senior pastor of First Baptist Church Plant City since 2013, will be nominated to serve as 2025-26 president by Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola.

“I have watched Brian serve and lead during the past 10-plus years. He is committed to the Florida Baptist family.

“His joyful spirit comes from his commitment to Jesus and his full faith in the Word of God,” said Traylor, adding, “First Plant City is a strong evangelistic, disciple-making church with a deep commitment to Cooperative Program missions.”

Stowe served on the Florida Baptist Convention State Board of Missions for several years: 2016-17, 2017-20, 2021-23. He was president of the board and chaired the Administrative Committee 2019-21.

First vice president

Scott Wilson, lead pastor of First Baptist Church Melbourne, will be nominated by John Marsh to serve as first vice president.

Marsh, pastor, Bella Vista Baptist Church in Edgewater, said, “Scott Wilson is a man of high integrity, piercing intelligence and great humility. He has served with distinction at First Melbourne and on the State Board of Missions. Scott has a great sense of humor. I served with Scott on the search team that brought Stephen Rummage to serve Florida Baptists as executive director-treasurer, and in our many meetings his comments and observations were invariably wise and pertinent. Besides all that, he’s just a great guy and a lot of fun!”

Wilson served on the State Board of Missions 2019-22 and then served a second term 2022-25, serving as chair of the Denominational Committee 2023-25.

Second vice president

Milvian Lema will be nominated by David Leiva to serve Florida Baptists as second vice president.

Leiva, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Estrella de Belen Broward, said, “I am nominating Milly because as a pastor’s wife she understands the challenges and opportunities that involve ministering to the first generation of Hispanics established in our state and the second generation of Hispanics born here. Her perspective and experience can make a great contribution to the decision-making process that impacts the Florida Baptist ministry in our state and beyond.”

Lema, a member of First Baptist Church of Pompano Beach, served on the State Board of Missions 2022-25 and has been reelected to serve a second term 2025-28. She has served on the Loans Committee.

Recording secretary

Janey Frost, who serves at The Point Church (Jackson Campus) in Pensacola, will be nominated by her pastor Mitch Johnson to serve a fourth term as FBSC recording secretary.

Johnson said, “I am nominating Janey Frost for recording secretary because of her strong attention to detail, organizational skills, and commitment to keeping accurate records that serve our convention well.”

“Nobody gets too much encouragement, and we want planters to know they’re not alone in this.”

JACKSONVILLE–Nearly 200 Florida Baptist church planters and their spouses gathered Sept. 29-30 for a retreat focused on encouragement, equipping and relationship-building.

“Planting new churches is one of our mission imperatives as Florida Baptists,” said Stephen Rummage, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention. “Every new church creates a new opportunity for the gospel to reach people who need Jesus. That’s why gatherings like this one are so important — they remind us that we are stronger when we work together to start new congregations across our state and beyond.”

Although not the official theme, “stronger together” was evident throughout the retreat, beginning with an

energetic bilingual worship service led by two singers and a guitarist from a Iglesia Local in Jacksonville.

“Nobody gets too much encouragement, and we want planters to know they’re not alone in this,” said James Peoples, director of Send Network Florida. “Together, Send Network and Florida Baptists — it’s who we are.”

Peoples added, “We want to come right beside them in their planting. To have them and their wives spend time together, be loved, be encouraged, and also be encouraged by other planters — it’s just a special time. We want to do this periodically to encourage and bless them.”

The retreat began with a dinner and worship service followed by a sermon from Rummage, who preached from Isaiah 62:6-7.

“Don’t give up — God is working when you cannot see, and He can do more in an instant than we can do in a lifetime,” Rummage said. “You wait on Him when nothing seems to be happening. Then He will do more in a moment than you ever dreamed of.”

The following morning, spouses gathered for a brunch with encouragement-focused activities while planters attended multiple sessions led by Rummage on preaching.

“Dr. Rummage’s preaching workshop affirmed my conviction of the primacy of preaching as the best and highest thing I can do to serve my church plant. He said, ‘No matter the size of a church, the pulpit is the same.’ No matter what we may lack, the sermon can be well-crafted and delivered if the planter makes it a priority,” said Trent Griffith, pastor, New City Life Church, St. Johns.

Across the state, Florida Baptists are planting churches, and this event emphasized the love and family environment that backs each plant in every region.

“It’s always great to be in the same room with planters from across the state,” said Andrew Kappenman, co-lead pastor of 10:02 Church in Orlando. “We were encouraged and challenged to study and teach the Word, and we get to celebrate stories about how the Lord is working in our churches. It truly never gets old, and I am blessed to be a part.”

Throughout the retreat, leaders emphasized the cooperative spirit and shared ministry that fuel church planting across the state.

“There are a lot of things I could point to as highlights for the event. The time with Dr. Rummage was impactful and brought a ton of great points for how to effectively prepare a sermon. The time with other planters is always powerful as I get to connect with other men who are walking the same path and dealing with many of the highs and lows that I am. The time away from home with my bride is always a highlight! Spending time with her on the road and reconnecting over dinner and worship were fantastic,” said Bobby Brown, pastor of Remade Church in Port St. Lucie.

Pastor Vitaliy Morgun, from Ukrainian Baptist Church of Jacksonville, agreed, “It was a true blessing to gather in fellowship, receive encouragement and be renewed in God’s Word. The teaching, worship, and unity we experienced brought fresh vision and strength for the work of ministry.”

Rummage and Peoples also reminded attendees of the financial support that makes this possible.

“The Maguire State Mission Offering, which goes 100% to church planting, means every church in Florida has a direct hand in this vital work,” Rummage said. “Together, we’re multiplying churches so that more people will hear the gospel, trust Christ and be transformed by His grace.”

Pastor Vener Rafael never imagined that stepping into Miami Shores Christian Church in 2019 would be the beginning of a new chapter for his congregation. After years of the congregation feeling cramped in its North Miami location and struggling to find a larger space, Rafael had all but given up the search.

“I told the church, ‘If God wants us to stay in North Miami, we’ll stay.” I stopped chasing the ‘white whale,’” he said, referencing the elusive goal of finding a better facility.

Then the pandemic hit, and like many pastors, Rafael faced the challenge of safely bringing his congregation back together. That’s when he reached out to Miami Shores Christian Church—just a mile and a half away—to inquire about renting space there.

What happened next was unexpected.

Instead of simply agreeing to rent out the facility, the pastor of Miami Shores Christian Church suggested a different idea: “Why don’t we just worship together?”

And so they did.

At first, the two congregations held joint services. Though stylistically different, both churches worshiped in English, allowing for a smoother transition. Over time, it became clear that the Filipino congregation was larger and growing. After three months, Pastor Rafael was asked to take the pulpit permanently.

‘Legacy of faith’

What followed was a quiet and prayerful transition. The pastor of Miami Shores Christian Church eventually stepped aside, handing over not just leadership but also the future of the church’s legacy.

“Looking back, I realize it was like a long, unspoken job interview,” Rafael said. “He didn’t know me, but he watched how I led and preached. He saw that we were faithful to the gospel.”

By 2022, the transition was complete. Leadership had shifted; worship had stabilized, and legal ownership of the building was placed in an irrevocable trust—ensuring that the space would remain a place of worship for generations to come. If the Filipino church ever dwindles, the trust stipulates that the facility must be passed on to another church.

“This wasn’t just a building transfer,” said Rafael. “It was a spiritual hand-off. A legacy of faith was entrusted to us.”

‘God stepped in’

With a new space came new momentum. The church—now officially renamed the Filipino American Christian Church—has grown both in number and in spiritual vitality. The large sanctuary, adorned with chandeliers and traditional pews, has even helped make the church more inviting to unchurched Filipinos in the area, many of whom come from Roman Catholic backgrounds.

“It’s familiar to them. It’s not too far from what they’re used to, and that has helped us welcome new visitors,” Rafael explained.

The church continues to focus on sharing the gospel with the Filipino community throughout South Florida, while also welcoming people of all backgrounds. Services are in English, and the congregation includes members from various cultural backgrounds.

“We may be an ethnic church,” Rafael said, “but we are part of the body of Christ. The gospel is for everyone.”

Beyond its own ministry, the church has also opened its space to other congregations in need. Its former North Miami facility now houses a Hispanic church plant that had previously been meeting in a funeral home during the pandemic.

“We don’t charge them much—just enough to cover basic costs,” said Rafael. “We see it as stewardship. God gave us this, and we want to be faithful in how we use it.”

As he reflects on the past few years, Pastor Rafael is filled with gratitude and awe.

“There were so many moments of uncertainty. But when I stopped striving, when I let go, God stepped in. It wasn’t about chasing buildings anymore—it was about trusting His plan.”

And that trust has turned into a new home, a growing church and a legacy that lives on.

JACKSONVILLE–When Pastor David Uribe planted the new church Iglesia Local in Jacksonville, he wanted to reach the Hispanic community with a bilingual ministry that would have both multigenerational and multicultural impact.

This bilingual approach of reaching speakers of Spanish and/or English with the gospel has enabled the church plant to grow from the 10 to 15 people who started meeting at a park in 2022 to the current 130 to 150 who now meet weekly in the church plant’s own building.

Each week, Uribe preaches in Spanish, and his wife, Estefania, translates in English. This process enables them to reach the multiple generations that comprise the church’s bilingual membership, especially the younger generation.

The reality for many Hispanic churches in America, he said, is that the younger generation – the future leaders of the church – are leaving because they no longer feel they belong.

“They can speak Spanish, but their heart language is English. They comprehend in English and relate better to English. But at church they never speak the language of their heart. They are Hispanic, and they feel Hispanic, and they want to be with Hispanic people. But if the Hispanic church does not build a culture to reach them, they will leave,” Uribe said.

For churches to grow, they need to have this multigenerational and multicultural approach, he believes.

“You want to build space for all of the immigrants coming to our country who have to be reached and build space for kids growing up in this country in Latino households. As a pastor, you want them to belong in your church because those are the future of your church,” the 27-year-old church planter said.

‘A burden for my community’

At the age of 17, Uribe came to America and began working in student ministry. While in college, Uribe worked as a youth pastor and began ministry for youth events for Hispanic churches. He organized larger youth events in Florida that pulled students from smaller Hispanic churches that enabled them to have community together.

Uribe came from a large church in Mexico that was “ambitious, relevant and influential” in the community, but he noticed those qualities lacking in America’s Hispanic churches.

“God put a burden on my heart for the Latino church and the next generation, a burden for my community,” he said. “I felt the Lord telling me to go and do something about it. I felt God was calling me to ministry.”

He first felt God’s call to plant a church after he got married and was attending the church his wife grew up in. That’s when many of her friends, who were young adults like the Uribes, told them they were leaving that church because they felt they no longer belonged there, that there was no place for them.

“We were hurt by that, and that sparked a burden in me and a need in our hearts. That’s when I felt like the Lord was telling us to plant a church.”

 With approval from their church and the North American Mission Board, they started a year of prelaunch in 2022 with a group of about 10 people meeting together in a park. Most of the group was the couple’s family. But soon the group grew to almost 40 people, just inviting people from their own networks.

“We were a legitimate church plant,” he said.

‘In agreement in asking God for a building’

The young church plant started renting an event space but soon outgrew the space as it began offering ministry to children. The church plant then began renting space from a local church and holding its worship service at 2 p.m. on Sundays with small groups meeting on other days at the church.  The church has baptized 35 people in the past three years and continues to grow.

In January of this year church leaders and members began praying for the church plant to have its own building. “If two or more come to agreement and we ask, He will provide,” Uribe said in quoting Matthew 18:20. “We should be in agreement in asking God for a building. We are growing. Our vision is to seek God’s kingdom first in our local community and to bring transformation and joy to our city.”

In March, they learned their prayers had been answered with the offer of a church building from First Coast Churches, the local Baptist association. Another local church was disbanding and offered its building and property back to the association, which then offered it to Iglesia Local.

Bob Bumgarner, lead missional strategist for First Coach Churches, said Uribe is a good leader and a hard worker. He has been impressed with how quickly the church has grown and how young it is.

“If a church grows, it’s God’s favor of course,” he said. “Humanly speaking, God has brought a young man with energy and a great network and an ability to connect God’s Word to shepherd a specific people group.”

Renovations on the church building began in the spring and continued all summer, thanks to support from Florida Baptists’ Maguire State Mission Offering, First Coast Churches, other local Baptist churches and local businesses.

The church held its first services in its new building on Sunday, Sept. 7, with 230 in attendance, and Uribe said, “God has blessed us in many ways! We are expecting a really exciting season in our church and we love it!” He added that Iglesia Local leaders are already planning and praying about adding a second service.

“We are trying to keep that spirit of expectation. We don’t want people to get comfortable. We pray that God will use and help us to do more.”