The annual Hispanic Evangelism Conference will be held at White Oak Conference Center from Apr.25 to Apr. 26. The conference will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday and conclude at 9 p.m., and continues Saturday from 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.

The conference reaches hundreds of Hispanics each year—in 2002, attendees came from 25 churches and seven states, including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. A pastor from Nicaragua also attended.

The event has seen much growth in recent years, and is open to Hispanics of all ages and nationalities.  Mini-conferences this year will be led by individuals who are experts in the field of missions and church planting, including an English conference entitled, Working with Hispanic Ministries in a Southern Baptist Culture,” led by James Orr, Director of Missions in the Pee Dee Baptist Association. 

Not only will attendees learn from Spanish-speaking leaders, but there will also, for the first time, be three mini-conferences led in Portuguese for Brazilians, and one mini-conference related to the Cooperative Program.

Speakers at the event includes Dr. B. Carlisle Driggers, executive director-treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, and Rev. Bobby Sena, National Hispanic Specialist with the North American Mission Board (NAMB).   Donna Thomas, who has served as a missionary to China, India and the former Soviet Union, will share her experiences in working with other cultures.  There will also be new sessions held on Vacation Bible School and the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU). The WMU is also providing programs for children who attend the conference.

According to Ali Velasquez, Associate Church Starting Strategist with the Church Multiplication Group, SCBC, the focus this year relates directly to Empowering Kingdom Growth (EKG).

“The focus of our third annual Hispanic Conference is Evangelism and Missions and our responsibility of multiplying churches,” Velasquez said.  “We are fortunate to have Dr. Carlisle Driggers sharing the purpose of EKG with the Hispanics of South Carolina.”

Registration for the event is $30 per person, or $5 for children aged 0-5, and due by April 18.    For more information, contact the Church Multiplication Group, SCBC, at (800) 723-7242, ext. 5800, or email michelleharter@scbaptist.org.