by David Villarreal, CABC Minister of Missions and DBF Board Member
“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 1:3-6
In the fall of 2015, Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco, Texas recognized the profound gospel work that was taking place in Dénia, Spain and signed a covenant of partnership with La Iglesia Evangélica Bautista La Trinitat de Dénia or Trinity Baptist Church (TBC). The Baptist Church of Dénia has called this coastal city home for more than 102 years. In fact, it is one of the few churches in Spain where an evangelical church has remained for more than a century. Today, the church in Dénia is the largest Baptist Church in a 4-hour radius and serves as a “mother” church to several other churches in Spain.
Our goal is to work together in expanding the Kingdom of God in Spain and around the world. One of the ways this is being fulfilled is by partnering with TBC to plant 5 churches in cities surrounding Dénia where there is no evangelical presence over the course of at least a 5-year partnership. TBC has since established Houses of Hope or church plants in the nearby towns of Bellreguard, Benissa, Javea, Ondara, and Pedreguer.
Another essential part of our partnership that takes place on the campus of Trinity is Alfa & Omega School, which serves over 400 students aged pre-school through 10th grade. For the last 3 years, CABC has partnered in this work by bringing over 7 different missions teams resulting in over 100 members of our church serving in the school. From our first visit, it became evident that the school and its leaders have done an exceptional job connecting with the community. Apart from Alfa & Omega being the only private evangelical school in Spain, it is also the first and only school to have a platform that seeks to bring in the whole community and is used as an outreach program. This is why we are delighted to celebrate and support this work through the Light for the Future project. CABC recently voted to support this incredible new vision and project by donating over $12,000 to see the gospel shared with students and their families. Alfa & Omega is a light in the darkness, a refuge among the storms of life. Therefore, we at CABC want to echo Paul’s heart and give thanks for the power of partnership. I am grateful to CABC for their generosity and TBC and Alfa & Omega for their vision and partnership in the gospel.
