EL PASO, Texas (BP)–A Hispanic has been named general director of the Baptist Spanish Publishing House (Casa Bautista de Publicaciones) in El Paso, Texas.
Jorge Enrique Diaz, a native of Guatemala and 22-year employee of “Casa Bautista,” was named general director, replacing retiring International Mission Board missionary Ted Stanton.
The publishing house, which was started by Southern Baptist missionaries 97 years ago, designs and publishes Bibles, curriculum, books, music and other printed and electronic resources. It distributes its materials to Spanish-speaking individuals, churches and institutions in more than 40 countries.
Though IMB resources and personnel have supported Casa Bautista throughout its history, the publishing house is increasingly self-sufficient.
While the board still funds special projects, it no longer contributes to Casa Bautista’s operation, Diaz said. Three missionary couples and one International Service Corps missionary are serving at the publishing house.
“I am convinced that the BSPH has matured and the time has come for it to make it on its own, be self-sufficient, grow and make a significant contribution to the International Mission Board’s effort to evangelize, plant new churches and help believers develop in their Christian growth,” Diaz said.
“The curricular materials from Casa Bautista de Publicaciones are not translations or adaptations of materials in English, but materials written in Spanish by Hispanics for Hispanics,” Diaz said.
Diaz has served at the publishing house as director of the Bible teaching department, marketing director and director of the resource design and development division. Before going to the BSPH, he served as president of the Baptist Theological Seminary of Guatemala and as an educator, preacher and pastor in Guatemala, Colombia and New Mexico. He is the third Hispanic to lead Casa Bautista.
Peggy Jones, the board’s Richmond, Va.,-based associate for the Middle America region, was a member of Diaz’s congregation when she served overseas as a missionary.
“Jorge is a person who loves the Lord and is committed to seeing that every person in the Spanish-speaking world has an opportunity to hear or read about God’s love for them,” she said.
–30–
(BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: JORGE DIAZ. For information about Casa Bautista publishing projects, email Diaz at [email protected]. General information about Casa Bautista: http://www.casabautista.org/.
