As I jogged this morning, I prayed for the Northwest Baptist Missions conference to begin today in Salt Lake City.  Around 3:00 pm, we were on our way out of town. 

 The Trip Down to SLC 

The Interstate from Idaho Falls to Salt Lake is interesting.  (1) I thought about Dennis and Melanie Rodgers, who just moved this past week to Shelley, Idaho, to serve as a church planting couple under the umbrella of Northwest Baptist Missions.  (2) Cruising through the lava lands, I thanked the Lord for another new young pastor, ministering at Calvary Bible Church in Blackfoot, Idaho. (3) Seeing the big Elko tourist billboards on I-15, I chuckled to myself, thinking of my good buddy, Aaron Young, who pastors Grace Baptist Church in that wild cowboy town. (4) And have you ever seen the big white cross on the interstate in front of Grace Lutheran Church as you enter Pocatello?  Every interstate in the country needs one of these.  For some good proclamation of the Word in Poky, go hear Colan Deatherage at Pocatello Baptist Church.  (5)  Just a little further down the road, I saw Inkom Community Bible Church.  And on past Devil’s Creek Reservoir and Malad, I noticed Calvary Baptist Church in Tremonton, Utah.  KJV-only preacher, Cooper Abrams, will preach the devil out of anyone. (6)  In Ogden, we stopped at a gas station Subway.  For five to ten solid minutes, a big guy (probably 6’8’’, I’m sure) peppered me with Judaism—he is training to be a rabbi.  At first, he thought I was a Mormon, so I gave him a HI4LDS business card.  For sure, friends, there are the teachings of one Rabbi that I am primed and pumped to hear!

Grace Baptist Church in West Valley City

Wow, I was a little taken back by the building of Grace Baptist Church when I arrived here in West Valley City.  First time for me to see this place.  I liked the main attraction—the towering cross—it grabbed my attention immediately.

 

To kick the conference off (NWBM knows how to have some fun), we heard from Martha Best in her ventriloquist act with “Rusty”, the little guy sporting a prize-winning mustache.  Mostly, this funny duo talked about what was growing on the mission director, Ron Ehmann’s upper lip, the lessons of Noah’s ark, and why God created man first:  “To give him a chance to say something first”

Matt Johnson’s Testimony

How do you follow such an act?  The host pastor, Matt Johnson with greetings stepped behind the pulpit: “We want to thank you all for coming, and we want to be a blessing to you.  God has been better to us than we deserve.”  And he read some wonderful words from Colossians 1.

 

For most of his opening remarks, Matt testified how “God used a bunch of people who didn’t know anything and who were weak” to construct this building.  Two and a half years ago, as they met for worship in an older, dilapidated building with no windows in the small auditorium, Wally Higgins and Matt discussed the possibilities of a new meeting house.

 

God led them to a very kind LDS bishop, Dave M., who patiently worked with the pastors through the financing of a new piece of property he sold to them.  And where the church family went through trial after trial with contractors who cheated them, they saw God’s loving compassion and tender grace.  Through God’s providence, Robert Higgins uncovered a large grant writing for their building project.  They are not out of the woods yet.  I think they still owe around a half million dollars.  But everything currently is appraised for $2,425,000.00.  We shall see what God does with this church family in the days ahead.  Matt ended his testimony by saying, “Glory goes to God. . . . God built more than a steel building.  He built lives.  He built for us a trust in Him.  We learned more of God’s goodness, more of God’s character.”

 Western Women and their Mustaches  (Comic Interlude)

When the mission director, Ron, got up to speak, I wondered why he was so distracted. Suddenly, all these women in the pews had mustaches.  Some of them sported better mustaches than the famous sinister villain who dueled with Dudly Doo-right.  In his laughter, Ron was almost speechless.  I paraphrase his words, “Ah, Mrs. Cason, you did take a large dose of Miracle-Gro.  This is classic.  Thank you, ladies.  The West—where all the men are good-looking—and the women . . . hmmm . . . are strong.”  And then I think he did share something about hopefully desiring that this stuff doesn’t leak out to the media. 🙂  But bloggers are off the hook, right?

 Music

I always enjoy the music in these conferences.  In one of the songs, a trio of ladies sang, “Your Grace Still Amazes Me, Your Love Still a Mystery.”  I worshipped our glorious Triune God.

 Main Speaker – Dave Shumate (click here for a brief biographical blurb of this Harvard grad) – First session of the conference 

I offer you the outline he handed out to the audience.  I strongly urge my friends in ministry to get the audio recording.

Reaching American Hispanics:  A Great Opportunity and Responsibility

(Tonight, is not the “how to” but the “why”)

I.  Our situation – The mission field among us (John 4:35)

     A. Recent increases in U.S. Hispanic population

1.  From 1996-2006, the US Hispanic population increased from 28.1 million to 43.7 million, an increase of  15.6 million people. (The census probably undercounts Hispanics – 43 to 50 million.)

2.  The United States Hispanic population is now greater than the population of every Spanish-speaking country except for Mexico

 

      B.  Anticipated future growth

1.  Relative youth of the Hispanic population

a.  Median age for Hispanic Americans is almost 25.8 years younger than that of Non-Hispanic White population.

b. 35% percent of American Hispanics are under the age of 18.

c.  Significantly more Hispanics are in prime childbearing years.

            2.  The Hispanic population is expected to increase to 102.6 million by mid century, constituting 24% of the nation’s population.

      C.  Rapid spread of the Hispanic population around the country

            1.  The largest Hispanic populations are still located in a few states, particularly in the Southwest.

            2.  However there has been a great migration of Hispanics within the country.

                       a. “Hispanics have spread throughout the country faster than any previous immigrant group.”

                       b.  We should see this as the providential hand of God.

 

II.  Our opportunity – why we must act now

 

     A.  We have a window of spiritual receptivity among Hispanics

 

             1. Hispanics are relatively open to the Gospel

“Hispanics are showing more receptivity to the evangelical message than ever before in the history of this country.”

             2. American Hispanics identify themselves as 70% Catholic,  23% “Protestant” and  6% No preference/Other

             3. The Catholic hold on Hispanics, in many cases, is not very strong

                      a.  Shortage of priests

                      b.  Cultural Catholicism (sort of like cultural Mormonism compared to the devout)

                      c.  Conversions from Catholicism

“Evangelicalism is on the rise with Latinos in the United States and in Latin America, though Catholicism remains strong. . . . Each year, as many as 600,000 U.S. Latinos leave the Catholic Church for other Christian denominations.”

      B.  We have reason to believe that the window will not stay open forever

            1.  Extensive efforts by false religions to influence this group

                      a. United Methodist (liberalism) – they are projected to spend 3.8 million in 2005-2008 in reaching Latinos.

                      b. Cults

                      c. Islam – this will be the group that angry, underclass young people will be attracted to

            2. Influence of the popular culture

            3.  The assimilation of the second generation

                      a. Linguistic assimilation

                      b. Cultural assimilation

                      c. Attitudinal assimilation

                      d. Implications – The question is not, as some fear, whether, Hispanics will assimilate to American culture; the question is to which American culture will they assimilate?

 

III.  Our responsibility – passing the torch

       A. The concept of passing the torch (Matt. 28, 2 Tim. 2:2)

       B.  Our responsibility for passing the torch

       C.  The attitude for passing the torch (HUMILITY)

       D.  Another opportunity to pass the torch

 

__________

 

***to my friends engaged in biblical missions:  I first heard Dr. Shumate on this topic in San Francisco, California.  He shares maps, diagrams, charts, and stirring exhortation in fleshing out this outline.  Get the audio recording.