I. SPECIAL NEWS.
1. Special Information from Dominican
Republic.
A special and creative training program for dominicans missionaries
called Plan Macedonia, has been started by pastor Francisco Manolo
Martinez Sarita and his wife Mirtha, in Primera Iglesia Bautista
of Puerto Plata. First four candidates started the program living
for 4 months with the Martinez receiving theological and practical
training, they also did missionary work with Martinez supervision.
This Church recently also celebrated its 25th anniversary. Four
new churches have been started by it, and one more is the result
of one of those four. This is a strong missionary Church as it
currently has 8 new missions. There is also a college with 600
students supported by the Church.
Another strong Church in this country is the Iglesia Bautista
Internacional in Santo Domingo leader in baptisms and numerical
growth last year. They mainly work with professionals under leadership
of his pastor and his wife Miguel and Kathy Nuñez, both
physicians.
Theological Education is provided by the Dominican Baptist Theological
Seminary, which is looking for governmental official recognition.
Last year, Dr. Justice C. Anderson was teaching History and Homiletics
as Guest professor there.
Other relevant events in Dominican Republic have been the congress
CENTRIFUGA, a summer activity for teenagers with focus on evangelism,
and the Annual Women Congress, with the participation of Amparo
de Medina from Cali, Colombia. Dominican Baptists have also celebrated
15 years of Bertha Aquino de Domínguez as the first missionary
commissioned by the Dominican Baptist Convention. She has been
working in church planting, in religious education in all churches
and as professor at the Baptist seminary. Missionaries from the
IMB-SBC and the Brazilian Baptist Convention are working with
Dominicans Baptists.
(Source: Dr. Pablo Siebenmann, Director of Dominican Baptist Theological
Seminary and Missionary of IMB-SBC in Dominican Republic for 28
years)
2. Special News from Mexico.
Last year it was reported a total of 1440 churches with a number
of 176 new churches and 6,422 baptisms, as well as 372 missions.
However, the outstanding report from Mexico is that 2001 it has
been dedicated by the Mexican Baptist Convention as the year of
the Baptist theological education as the Mexican Baptist Theological
Seminary is celebrating this year its centenary. In 1901 the missionary
A. T. Watkins started a Theological School in the Northern part
of the country, after struggles especially during Mexican Revolution,
the school was re-opened under the current name in 1917 with collaboration
of both Northern and Southern Baptist Missionaries and the Mexican
Convention. Currently, the Seminary has its quarters in the suburbs
of Mexico City, the largest city in the world with a big challenge
for the future. The Centennial activities have included trips
of the Seminary choir and staff to the cities where the Seminary
was working before, celebrating special worship services and leaving
commemorative plaques in those places. The last event is planned
for October 2001 in the campus of the Seminary.
(Source: Statistics of CNBM and Personal
accounts)
II. SOME PROJECTS.
1. History commission of Mexican Baptist
Convention (CNBM).
This commission works under the leadership of Dr. David Livingston
Montemayor. He reported to CNBM last year, to have some booklets
ready to be published by his own familiar publishing editorial.
They are especially works about the pastoral work of his father
Cosme G. Montemayor. However, some of those booklets are of general
interest as: Biography of Tomas Westrup (one of the founders of
Baptist Work in Mexico), History of Biblical Society of Mexico,
and History of Baptist Seminaries in Mexico.
(Source: Annual Book of Reports of CNMB 2000)
2. Translation of Baptist History
Books in progress.
From his work Baptist History (three volumes), published in Spanish
by the Spanish Publishing House in El Paso, Texas, Dr. Justice
C. Anderson is preparing an English version with the purpose to
publish a book about Baptists and other evangelicals in Latin
America. He expects to finish this project in two more years.
(Source: Dr. Justice C. Anderson is member of this BH&I Commission
and he gave me this information to share in this meeting, he regrets
be unable to attend due to other commitments but he sent his regards
to the members and attendants to this meeting)
3. Fellowship and Work of Evangelical
Historians in Latin America.
During the last Congress CLADE IV organized by the FTL, September
2000 in Quito Ecuador, a Fellowship of Evangelical Historians
has been officially established. This fellowship is planning the
I International Congress about the History of Protestantism in
Latin America and the Caribbean. The preliminary information is:
Place: Universidad Nacional Mayor San Marcos, Lima Perú
Date: September 2002
Topics: Protestantism, Liberalism and Modernity; Protestantism,
Tolerance and Religious Freedom; Protestantism and Politic Power
in Latin America; Protestantism and Education in Latin America;
and Pentecostalisms in Historical Perspective.
More information: Tomás Gutierrez (Perú) Email:
tgutierrez1@terra.com.pe
(Source: Personal Information)
Thanks for the opportunity to share,
Dinorah B. Méndez