Hispanic Ministries events focus on evangelism

Fabio Castellanos speaks at the Hispanic Leadership Conference in Avondale.

Pastors and leaders of Hispanic churches in the Arizona Southern Baptist Mission Network were encouraged to take steps forward in the essential work of evangelism in two recent major training events.

Renovación, the annual Hispanic renewal conference, was held in three cities this year: Yuma on Aug. 11, Tucson on Aug. 12 and Phoenix on Aug. 13.

The theme of the conference was “Evangelism Does Not Have to be Complicated: Practical Tools to Evangelize.” The 250 attendees, representing 29 churches, were challenged, trained and motivated to engage in evangelism.

The conference speaker was Carlos Astorga, senior manager of Spanish Publishing at Lifeway Christian Resources. He brought printed materials and Bibles to use in evangelism.

Carlos Astorga speaks at Renovación in Tucson.

Josue Castro, Hispanic Ministries facilitator with the Arizona Southern Baptist Mission Network, spoke at each location about the importance of evangelism and developing strategies to bring the Gospel to Hispanic communities.

“Each person was challenged to evangelize one person and give them the Bible they received at the conference,” Castro said.

Conferencia de Liderazgo, the Hispanic Leadership Conference, was held on Saturday, Sept. 24, at Avondale Baptist Church.

Fernando Amaro, senior pastor of Iglesia Bautista Resurreccion and director of Escuela Bíblica de Liderazgo in Phoenix, spoke on the “Culture of Evangelism.”

Fabio Castellanos, associate pastor of Iglesia Bautista Hispana Emmanuel in Kenner, Louisiana, and director of Spanish Online Educational Programs at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, presented a session on “Leadership and Christian Education.”

Hispanic pastors and leaders honor Fernando and Mirsa Amaro during the Hispanic Leadership Conference.

A total of 110 people gathered, representing 10 Arizona Southern Baptist churches.

Amaro was recognized on behalf of the Arizona Southern Baptist Mission Network for his many years of leadership in Arizona, and his wife, Mirsa, was recognized for her tireless help and support.

“At the end of the conference, the challenge of evangelizing the marginalized communities of the metropolitan area was launched,” Castro said. “Most of the attending pastors accepted the challenge to join efforts and share the message of salvation to those who need it.”

Irene A. Harkleroad, a freelance writer living in Carefree, is a member of Black Mountain Baptist Church, Cave Creek.