Jose Nater kneels in prayer with his son, J.D. Nater. First Hispanic Baptist Church of Easton hosted a special service on March 30, dedicating two North American Mission Board Approved intern ministry students, J.D. Nater and Eliud Reyes, to work with Hispanic congregations in Cambridge and Easton.
By Sharon Mager, BCM/D Correspondent
EASTON, Md.—First Hispanic Baptist Church of Easton hosted a special service on March 30, dedicating two North American Mission Board approved intern ministry students, J.D. Nater and Eliud Reyes, to work with Hispanic congregations in Cambridge and Easton.
J.D. Nater, son of First Hispanic Baptist Church of Easton’s Founder and Pastor Jose Nater, and J.D’s wife, Carolina have been working with youth developing two groups simultaneously. A youth group has grown from 5 to over 30 students in a few weeks. In addition, a young adult group called “Street Lights” is meeting in a cafe in downtown Cambridge. Jose Nater said the young adult group is also growing and has the potential to become a church plant reaching out to multicultural second and third generation Hispanics as well as every other ethnic group in English.
“It is amazing to see how the Lord moves and steers things around,” Jose said.
Jose said Eliud Reyes is, “…a mature Christian with unquestionable gifts and leadership…”
Reyes and his wife, Claudia will serve as an intern associate pastor in PIBH Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana de Easton. As part of his multiple tasks, he will be developing discipleship groups with the vision to start new cells groups and eventually new church plants. He is already developing one of those groups in St. Michael’s.
The service included a time of worship followed by a message from Jerry Wade, executive pastor of SonRise Church, Berlin MD.
Wade spoke about Timothy, the Apostle Paul’s young apprentice. Paul recognized Timothy’s special gifts and his spiritual maturity. Timothy became an ambassador for Paul and for Jesus and was eventually referred to as the lead pastor of the church in Ephesus.
Wade said Nater and Reyes, like Timothy, are men of God, prepared for this moment through their parents, pastors and the church.
“You must let this shape how you think, feel and act. It must touch every part of your life,” Wade said.
Wade charged the young men, some things a man of God must run towards and some things a man of God must always run from.
“Nothing will damage your ministry more than forgetting what to run from and what to run to,” Wade said. “ Guard what God has entrusted to you.
“By grace alone. Through faith alone. In Christ alone,” He said.
Wade prayed that God would empower the young men, keep them true and safe and give them the spirit of boldness.
Following Wade’s prayer, pastors in the congregation came forward and laid hands on the young men and their families and prayed over the young men, their wives and their children.