Brothers and sisters in the faith of Jesus Christ and to all the Free Will Baptist churches, grace and peace to all the saints of Christ, the Savior;

My name is Hilarino Gonzalez, pastor of the Rosa de Saron Free Will Baptist Church, which was founded in 1958 in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. Last year the church celebrated 50 years, in spite of many problems, divisions, and all that can happen through time. But we have fought for this church—and for others also—to maintain unity in our fellowship.

Now, for the time being, I am at the Seminary of the Cross in Reynosa. With God’s help, we will have commencement on May 15. Some students will be graduating, others will continue studying. The Executive Committee of our Association has named me president of our honorable seminary.

Our day starts early on Monday morning. I get up at 6 AM to get ready for a week of classes, make the payments, buy what the seminary needs to function for the week, and take care of the needs of the students. I do all this with joy. I love what I am doing, because I am doing it for the Lord Jesus Christ.

So for the present time I am returning to Monterrey each Saturday morning to be with the church there for Sunday services. Then I return to Reynosa late on Sunday night. If the convention meeting this summer confirms the decision of the committee, I will resign from the church in Monterrey. I would, however, continue pastoring if I had a better vehicle to travel back and forth. Right now I am driving a 1988 4-cylinder caravan. It is very old and very tired; but I am not tired of doing the work of God. I do get tired of dealing with problems, but the work of the Lord does not tire me or my wife.

If the convention does ask me to stay and continue administrating at the seminary, I would like to make a request of my American brothers and sisters: Can you come and help us work at the seminary? We need repair work on all the buildings here, including electrical, plumbing, tile work in the kitchen, roofing work on the classroom building, and the electrical work on the tabernacle. So many thing need to be done.

We will offer you, for your convenience, fresh food—breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And if anyone needs a special diet, we will do everything we can to accommodate you. From May 16 until the last of July, my wife and I will be the only ones on campus to take care of the buildings, try to do some repairs, and keep the grass cut.

I know the situation is difficult and maybe you are hesitant to come to Reynosa, but I have confidence that God will take care of us and protect us. I also realize the economic situation is difficult, but even with that we must do what it takes to keep this seminary open. The seminary is preparing students to go out and serve the Lord.

We are waiting for you. Let us know if you can help through our friends at Berea Ministries. I have confidence in them. You can reach Director Chris Dotson on his cell phone by dialing (423) 523-2887 or by emailing chris.dotson@bereaministries.org.

Your friend and brother in Christ,

Interim President


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