nineteen hundred and forty-six - Amazon Web Services

258 SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
LATIN AMERICA
EVERETT GILL, IR.. Secretory for Latin America
The Road to Peace in Mexico
A. P. PIERSON
The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness
and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.—Romans 14:17
Southern Baptist mission work in Mexico extends over a territory about
twice the size of the state of Texas, with a population of nine million people.
From El Paso, Texas, in the north it extends fifteen hundred miles south to
Acapulco, Guerrero. On this field you can go from mountains that are covered
with snow to the hot jungles of the tropics, and in this territory there are many
industries, the most important of which are agriculture, mining, and cattle
raising.
As in all parts of Mexico, the people of the Southern Baptist field are
divided into three classes. The upper class, generally made up of the rich
element in which the white race is more or less predominant; the middle class,
the majority of whom are a mixture of the white with the Indian race; and
the lower class, made up of the working peon group. This latter class has a
large Indian element, in many cases Indians of pure blood.
In our field we find twenty tribes of Indians: Tarascos, Mixtecos, Zapotecas,
Cuitlalecos, Cocas, Teules, Tepecanos, Hucholes, Guachichiles, Tepehuanes,
Tarahumaras, Pueblos, Apache, Conchos, Tobosos, Coahuiltecos, Mayos, Yaquis,
Opatas, Seris y Pimas. Work among the Indian tribes is carried on by the
National Baptist Convention of Mexico.
In our Southern Baptist Mission we have some sixty churches. The largest
churches are located in Guadalajara, Morelia, Toluca, Torreon, Juarez, Saltillo
Chihuahua. From these centers have grown other churches and many missions.
During 1945, special emphasis has been given to evangelism. A large number
of the churches had one or more series of special meetings, some having
as many as three during the year. Reports are not yet complete on the number
of baptisms, but the figures will go well over three hundred.
There is in our churches a great need for better organized, Christian,
educational work which shall lead to larger success in winning others to Christ.
Much interest has been awakened in the vacation Bible school, and more of
these were held in 1945 than in any other year. Three of our associations
have voted to organize Baptist Training Unions in the churches within the
associations. However, these organizations have to be studied and the plans
adapted to the needs of each field.
Two institutes for pastors, two encampments for young people, and two
extension schools were held during this year. These meetings were well attended,
and the courses presented the newer methods of B.T.U. and Sunday school
work, as well as that of daily vacation Bible schools. There has been so much
interest shown in the encampments that five have been projected for 1946,
which will give us an opportunity to train many needed workers.
IMPERATIVE NEEDS
During the past year we have felt the need for buildings that will be
adequate for the educational needs of our growing churches. Over 50 per cent
of our buildings had made very little or no provision for departmental work.
Therefore many of our churches are now engaged in building campaigns.
Due to the scarcity of native workers, most of our native pastors are carrying
double work. We have many churches without pastors and the need
for trained and active leadership is so great that the work is not going forward
as it would if consecrated men were available.
Again I mention the need for a good Baptist hospital in Mexico, on our
Southern field. Our people have no place to which they can go with confidence
when they are sick. We could have a well trained staff of Mexican Baptist
doctors, as there are already eight men on the field working toward this end.