ANTIOCH BAPTIST CONVENTION, SONORA STATE, MEXICO

WE HAVE THESE RESOURCE NEEDS - SEE ALSO INDIVIDUAL CHURCH PAGE

PERSONAL PARTICIPATION
We invite and appreciate your personal group (or
individual) participationin building the Lord's kingdom
here in Hermosillo and Sonora in a manner that
spiritually develops both your group and us. If you
already have a discipleship or evangelism program we
will work to fit it to the situation here. If you want to
help us by your presence but don't know what to do,
here are some ideas:

(1) Praise and testimony programs with the
congregation or the youth.

(2) Lay or pastoral conferences by Spanish
speakers or with translator.

(3) Children's festival - As clowns, mimes, etc.,
give a Christ-centered program for neighborhood kids,
with some candy and/or simple gifts - the backyard
Bible club idea.

(4) Evangelism out-reach in the church/mission
neighborhood. Distribute THE JESUS BOOK or
similar tract, perhaps inviting to a later Christian movie
or program that you will put on. Go out paired with
ourpeople. A great opportunity for youth and children
who like to do clowns,puppets, and drama.


MATERIAL NEEDS - a note
The economic contributions of US Christians to
mission work here can be far more productive than the
average person would imagine. Here, just three hours
from the US border, even people in the middle-class
may earn less than $200per month, yet many expenses
are higher than in the US. Gasoline is $1.70 per
gallon. Many staple food items cost more than in the
US.
Most people simply do without and live a very
marginal existence. We have a number of brothers and
sisters who feel called by God to the ministry but who
must work full-time just tosurvive. Just $400 per
month from a US church could put a fulltime Christian
worker into service for God here.

Baptists and other traditional churches in
Hermosillo work largely with the lower-middle and
lower income levels. Baptist workers in Mexico have
always worked with limited resources, but the
situation is now more difficult.
The economic recession which began in Mexico in the mid 80's and became very acute after 1994 has had the positive
benefit of causing more people to look beyond the
material for the meaning of life. At the same time the
increased economic pressures and greater lack of
resources greatly restricts our ability to reach these
people with the Gospel.
There is now more than ever an opportunity for Christians in the US to make profitable investments and a very favorable impact on the growth of God's kingdom here.


SUBSIDIES FOR SALARIES : All of our churches
are self-supporting as to pastor and expenses although
some of the pastors serve at great sacrifice, living on
less than $200 salary while maintaining a outside job.

Our greatest need for monthly monetary
commitments is to support a church planting team (the
10/10/4 Project) and convention missionaries. For
example, the10/10/4 Project calls for four national
missionaries to form the church planting team.
Another example, the Mayo Indian region is an area
where God has shown us He is working. A fulltime
national missionary for that region would have a
number of already existing small works to develop and
opportunities for new works.

Another example, the need for a full-time missionary to work with churches throughout the state in discipleship, lay leadership development, church growth and church planting.

Beyond the members of the Antioch Convention,
there are dozens of little isolated or abandoned Baptist
works begun over the years by well-meaning groups
from the US but now left on their own. A number of
little towns or villages in Sonora could be positively
affected for Christ by a national missionary helping
these small works where often just a few families are
keeping alive the Light of God in an out-of-the-way
village.


SPECIFIC OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT
MISSIONARIES
1. Sister Yvon Ruiz: We have right now a Bible
institute- trained sister who is working as a medical
secretary but whom God is calling to fulltime missions
work. How will God send us the car and the $400
monthly she needs for expenses?

2. Pastor Jonatan Ramirez has been called by
God to full-time church planting in the Mayo Indian
region of southern Sonora. He has already started the
Hacienda Vieja Mission on faith. How is God going
to provide the pickup or van and $600 monthly he
needs?

3. Brother Felipe and sister Isabel Ramirez have
been called by God to spread the Gospel through their
La Hermosa Mission in the poor Solidaridad 3 barrio
in northwest Hermosillo, while earning their living in a
sales business. How is God going to provide the
support they need for full-time ministry?


ANTIOCH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
OPERATION EXPENSES $500 MONTHLY
Plans for the opening of our seminary in
September, 1999, call for $1,000 monthly expenses of
which we expect to cover $500 locally.

The churches or individuals who provide the other
$500 monthly are investing in Baptist leadership in
Sonora and Mexico for the next century.


THE ALBERTO MORALES BAPTIST CENTER
Named for the great pioneer of Baptist work in
Sonora, the AMBC serves minimally as our semi-rural
campground and retreat/conference center, but the
area is small - just two large lots (2,500 square
meters). There are lots available both to the north and
east which would allow needed expansion of the
facilities. $6,000-$10,000 is needed.


LUMP-SUM DONATIONS

Church Sites $3,000-$5,000
The 10/10/4 Project contemplates buying a total
of 12 church sites in the exploding and sprawling
"popular colony" areas of the northern, western and
southwestern edges of Hermosillo plus two more in
similar areas in Nogales and two in the Mayo Indian
region of southern Sonora.
Such areas are opened up (often unofficially) with minimum or no services (not even electricity and water -just roads graded out in the desert). Our plan is to get into the new area from the beginning to obtain a parcel of 2-3 well located lots and work with the people as they arrive and as we
develop our site. In a few such areas now two or
three years old there are opportunities to buy in the
$3,000-$8,000 range plots that are well located and
have utilities.


Seminary/Church $70,000-$100,000
This sum is needed to buy a large, prominently
located piece of land in the new boom areas of the
north of Hermosillo to develop our seminary and a
seminary church to be a model and center of activities
for Baptists of the city and state. $200,000-$300,000
will be needed to build a initial multi-purpose building.


Construction Teams $1,500+ Current Needs
We have a number of construction related
projects ready now for participation by US Christians
which involve the US group providing the money for
the materials that will be used.

Our Alberto Morales Baptist Center has sports
facility and other construction needs. The Nueva
Esperanza mission building needs a roof. The La
Hermosa mission is ready to begin the foundation for
a permanent building. The new Hacienda Vieja
mission needs a temporary meeting structure. There is
finishing work to be done at Bethel Hermosillo and
Ebenezer. Peniel is ready to launch into the
construction of a larger auditorium.. Maranatha is
ready to roof and close-in its sports area to have a
multi-use facility.

The 10/10/4 Project contemplates beginning the
development of each site with a temporary roofed
meeting place, then a temporary walled building and
finally permanent buildings. We presently have
missions in all three stages of development where US
groups can participate.


AUTOMOBILES
Some of our pastors simply cannot afford to have
a car, for example. The very dynamic and fruitful
pastor in San Ignacio, Jonatan Ramirez, goes
everywhere by bicycle or in a pickup borrowed from a
local shrimp cooperative. The very energetic pastor at
Bethel Hermosillo, Desiderio Espinoza, currently has
a old heap of a car to which he is continually putting
water in the radiator because he can't afford to repair
the broken seals in the motor. Pastor Fong at Sinai
Hermosillo and few other pastors and workers have to
depend on borrowing cars from family members or
simply not do as much as they would like.

There is both a need and an opportunity for US
Christians to help by donating or providing the money
to buy 4 cylinder vehicles (gasoline is now $1.70 per
gallon in Mexico) for pastors and missionaries.
Most needed are mini-vans, station wagons or pickups so as to give rides to members without transportation. It is
normally almost impossible to legally import used
automobiles to Mexico, but we expect there to open
up in the first six months of 1999 a special government
program allowing the easy importation of models 1989
and older. A few newer models can be used but we
most need good condition vehicles 1989 and older.
We can go as far as Tucson or Phoenix, Arizona, to
pick up good vehicles.

Alternatively, good condition used vehicles can be
bought here for under$2,000.

THE ANTIOCH BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL
SEMINARY
Our seminary project calls for the opening of first-
year level seminary (or Bible institute) classes in
September of 1999 using the facilities of two local
churches. The course material will be a mixture of
seminary extension material, classes taught by local
pastors, and intensive short-courses (modules) taught
by visiting instructors. A certain amount of remedial
teaching will be necessary as many of our prospective
students have limited education.

The plan calls for starting the 2nd year level in 2,000 and the 3rd year in2001, with a diploma or certificate class to graduate in May of 2002. It is still to be decided whether wewill offer the fourth or 'licenciatura" year.

The plans for a permanent home for the seminary
call for buying aprominent piece of land on the new
"Progreso" boulevard being developed on the northern
periphery of the city. Such a plot would cost $70,000-
$100,000 plus construction and would house both a
seminary and a seminary-church to be a model and
serve as a central point of Baptist activity in
Hermosillo and to attract the middle- and upper-
middle economic classes of the northern part of the
city.