[1]ORLANDO – What began as a week of evangelistic outreach has become an ongoing season of ministry for Hispanic Florida Baptist churches across Central Florida.
Follow-up reports from 14 Hispanic churches involved in Crossover Orlando show 2,237 people attended outreach events, 375 volunteers served and 105 people made decisions for Christ. In the weeks since, pastors have reported new families attending worship, previously inactive members returning and congregations making fresh commitments to community evangelism.
From Kissimmee to Palm Bay, churches hosted Vacation Bible Schools, family festivals, prayer ministries and other events intended to meet needs, build relationships and share the Gospel. Now, church leaders say, the lasting fruit is becoming evident.
For Julio Viera, pastor of Iglesia Cristiana Casa de Redencion in Kissimmee, one of the most encouraging results was seeing members of the local church become personally invested in reaching their neighbors.
“Many of them had not demonstrated a commitment to the church,” Viera said. “Now they are excited about more activities that will impact the community.”
Some people attended the church’s Crossover event after simply passing by, turning around and coming inside. Others arrived expecting to pay and were surprised to learn that the activities were free. The church ministered in both Spanish and English, and two families have begun attending as a result.
The event also helped communicate a message Viera hopes the community will remember: “The church is alive, and we are here for them.”
That renewed enthusiasm has already led the congregation to plan another community outreach. During a back-to-school event, church members will distribute backpacks and school supplies to local families.
At Iglesia Bautista Resurrección in Kissimmee, pastor Reynier Coro said Crossover provided “an extra boost of encouragement” for the church to share the Gospel intentionally.
The congregation has since established a monthly community evangelism calendar, turning a one-week emphasis into an ongoing ministry rhythm. Three families contacted during Crossover are now attending the church.
Coro was especially encouraged to see young people sharing the Gospel. The experience allowed them to put into practice what they had learned through evangelism training and Bible classes.
“According to their own words, it helped them confirm what they had learned,” he said.
Pastor Esteban Masuello of Iglesia Bet-El in Tavares also saw renewed engagement. The congregation contacted 90 people through four outreach activities, including drive-through prayer, a family festival and Harvest Sunday. Three people indicated they had received Christ, and some who had been absent from church for a long time have returned.
Masuello said the preparation itself strengthened the congregation. Church members began praying and planning months before Crossover, and they helped develop the outreach activities together.
For pastor José Duany Gutiérrez of Iglesia Bautista Hay Vida en Jesús in Orlando, Crossover strengthened unity through service, fellowship and shared ministry.
The church combined personal evangelism with efforts to meet material and spiritual needs. Gutiérrez said the outreach also helped neighbors discover a Hispanic Baptist church in their community, one that “not only preaches Christ but testifies about Him and truly lives out its faith.”
Although participating churches used different ministry models, he said, they remained united around the same Gospel.
“The Gospel unites,” Gutiérrez said.
At Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana de Palm Bay, pastor Ángel Izquierdo said a week of Vacation Bible School helped the congregation connect with its community in new ways. Through Crossover partnerships, the church presented the Gospel in English to children’s parents and relatives and in Spanish during Sunday morning worship.
Two families have joined the church, and four people who made decisions for Christ continue to be involved in the congregation.
Izquierdo said Crossover also helped church members understand that they belong to a larger Baptist family. Three members of the Palm Bay congregation served alongside another church during its outreach.
“One of the most valuable things Crossover provided was the joy of seeing our members understand the support of our convention family,” he said.
The experience also revealed opportunities to strengthen future outreach. Izquierdo encouraged churches – particularly smaller congregations planning large events for the first time – to receive additional training in logistics and community promotion. Careful preparation, he said, can help ensure that ministry resources result in meaningful community connections.
At Casa de Bendición in St. Cloud, pastor David Pérez said several families have continued attending church because of Crossover.
Approximately 10 people connected through the event are now attending, some regularly. One married couple arrived after attending the outreach and deciding they wanted to visit the church. Another couple plans to meet with Pérez to discuss formalizing their relationship and baptism.
The church also connected an English-speaking family that received Christ with an English-speaking pastor for continued discipleship.
“Crossover was a success in every sense,” Pérez said.
While the events varied from church to church, pastors consistently pointed to the same enduring results: believers strengthened in their witness, churches united in service and families continuing to hear and respond to the Gospel.
Coro said that shared mission was one of the most encouraging sights of the week.
“It was beautiful to see so many congregations from across the region sharing the Gospel in different ways,” he said. “Large and small churches were all intentionally advancing the Kingdom. A community being impacted by the gospel and a united church reaching the world for Christ.”
This article originally appeared at flbaptist.org [2].
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