Living for the Cause (Domican Republic)
By Steve Brockell (in LaVega, Dominican Republic)
Our decisions always bring us closer to our destiny. This is why each decision in life holds great weight for the future. I began to understand the reality of this as a young man growing up in a preacher’s home. I was saved at the age of 17 when the Lord convicted me of trusting in myself instead of Christ’s work on Calvary. Alone in my bedroom, I made the decision to receive Christ and began my new spiritual journey.
As a teenager, I made many decisions for God, including a commitment to full time Christian service. Because of my call to preach and a love for music, I imagined that I would be an evangelist or perhaps work side-by-side with my father in the ministry. But God had different plans. While at Bible College, my father left the ministry, leaving our family splintered. I was also dealing with serious physical fatigue at school and had been hospitalized for several weeks. There were some very crucial decisions that had to be made.
Through wise counsel from a close family friend and pastor, I decided to change schools and complete my education in a Bible college in Maryland. This allowed me to be near my mother and help her through this difficult time. This decision would affect the rest of my life. While attending Independent Baptist Church and Institute in Clinton, Maryland, I met a wonderful young Christian lady named Julia Metcalfe and fell in love. We married in 1990 and served in many areas of our local church as we began making plans for our lives in the ministry. We were active in the bus ministry, Sunday School, and discipleship. However, in 1992 the Lord changed my plans yet again. During a missions conference at the church, I began to wrestle with the call to missions.
Although nervous, I surrendered to the call and asked the Lord to confirm it and lead me to the right field. The very next year, God brought Doug and Paula Hodges, missionaries to the Dominican Republic, to the missions conference. Through their slides and testimonies, God gave us the direction and assurance for which we were praying. Shortly thereafter, we went on a survey trip to the Dominican. We immediately discerned the Lord’s leading as we witnessed a great openness to the Gospel and a great need for workers.
In April 1999, after two years of deputation and 11 months of language study, we arrived in the Dominican Republic with our infant son, Alec. We set up house in the town of La Vega. I immediately began witnessing (with the help of Chick tracts) to the many taxi drivers that I met. Before long we were discipling 10-12 men in our home. This base of men and their families was the building block for our first church-plant. Abundant Life Baptist Church was officially started in January 2000.
La Vega is a very beautiful, traditional city that brims with social and sports programs and boasts a strong educational system. It is so economically diverse that wealth and poverty live within five minutes of each other. Although the dominance of the Catholic Church is very evident, this heritage seems to be more tradition than religion. We have found it a quiet place to live and a challenging place to minister. Our first impression of the Dominican people being open to the Gospel was true, but we soon realized that openness to hearing the Gospel and receptiveness to accepting the Gospel are two entirely different matters. Many are willing to hear but stall at the one pivotal word of decision-"commitment". The lack of commitment in the Dominican culture has been its own downfall-both socially and spiritually. Men do not commit to their families. Women do not commit to their children. Marriage is rare and immorality is rampant. But Christ is still the answer! In spite of the difficulty, our entire family is involved in getting out the message of Christ. Our two children, Alec (16) and Sophie (13), also work to get the Gospel out to as many as possible.
As in any new church-plant, there is much work to do. There is a regular schedule of preaching and teaching services. A men’s leadership class and a small Bible institute are being used to prepare workers for the ministry. I also devote time to personally disciple the young men who are called to preach. The soul-winning program is reaching new converts for Christ. The youth ministry is teaching the teens the importance of living for Christ. The church also places a strong emphasis on missions and they now support seven missionary families. Other ministries include a ladies’ ministry, children’s ministry, and several van route ministries.
God has blessed greatly using several special events during the year as well. Our anniversary services in January bring out the biggest crowds and we see many salvation decisions during this special service. On our tenth anniversary, we had 597 in attendance and 40 adults received Christ that day. The Ladies Encounter, which draws in close to 100 unsaved women is held in May. Vacation Bible School, intensive summer evangelism, and a Christmas cantata also work to overflow the building and bring a harvest of souls to Christ each year. We feel blessed to see God’s hand working through our labors and praise the Lord for the hundreds who have come to Christ in the last fourteen years.
Just two years into the ministry, the Lord blessed us with the purchase of an old abandoned house on the corner of a busy intersection. We remodeled it into a church building. After many renovations and much church growth, we need to expand. We are currently raising funds for the construction of a new auditorium for Abundant Life Baptist Church.
Each day is filled with decisions. God is always leading His people to new areas of growth and fulfilling His mission through those who are willing to make the right decision. We are thrilled to live our lives for the cause of Christ and the people of the Dominican Republic. We are asking God to send other workers to join us in this mission. How about you? What decision is God asking you to make concerning world missions? What you decide will affect tomorrow and eternity.
Our decisions always bring us closer to our destiny. This is why each decision in life holds great weight for the future. I began to understand the reality of this as a young man growing up in a preacher’s home. I was saved at the age of 17 when the Lord convicted me of trusting in myself instead of Christ’s work on Calvary. Alone in my bedroom, I made the decision to receive Christ and began my new spiritual journey.As a teenager, I made many decisions for God, including a commitment to full time Christian service. Because of my call to preach and a love for music, I imagined that I would be an evangelist or perhaps work side-by-side with my father in the ministry. But God had different plans. While at Bible College, my father left the ministry, leaving our family splintered. I was also dealing with serious physical fatigue at school and had been hospitalized for several weeks. There were some very crucial decisions that had to be made.
Through wise counsel from a close family friend and pastor, I decided to change schools and complete my education in a Bible college in Maryland. This allowed me to be near my mother and help her through this difficult time. This decision would affect the rest of my life. While attending Independent Baptist Church and Institute in Clinton, Maryland, I met a wonderful young Christian lady named Julia Metcalfe and fell in love. We married in 1990 and served in many areas of our local church as we began making plans for our lives in the ministry. We were active in the bus ministry, Sunday School, and discipleship. However, in 1992 the Lord changed my plans yet again. During a missions conference at the church, I began to wrestle with the call to missions.
Although nervous, I surrendered to the call and asked the Lord to confirm it and lead me to the right field. The very next year, God brought Doug and Paula Hodges, missionaries to the Dominican Republic, to the missions conference. Through their slides and testimonies, God gave us the direction and assurance for which we were praying. Shortly thereafter, we went on a survey trip to the Dominican. We immediately discerned the Lord’s leading as we witnessed a great openness to the Gospel and a great need for workers.
In April 1999, after two years of deputation and 11 months of language study, we arrived in the Dominican Republic with our infant son, Alec. We set up house in the town of La Vega. I immediately began witnessing (with the help of Chick tracts) to the many taxi drivers that I met. Before long we were discipling 10-12 men in our home. This base of men and their families was the building block for our first church-plant. Abundant Life Baptist Church was officially started in January 2000.La Vega is a very beautiful, traditional city that brims with social and sports programs and boasts a strong educational system. It is so economically diverse that wealth and poverty live within five minutes of each other. Although the dominance of the Catholic Church is very evident, this heritage seems to be more tradition than religion. We have found it a quiet place to live and a challenging place to minister. Our first impression of the Dominican people being open to the Gospel was true, but we soon realized that openness to hearing the Gospel and receptiveness to accepting the Gospel are two entirely different matters. Many are willing to hear but stall at the one pivotal word of decision-"commitment". The lack of commitment in the Dominican culture has been its own downfall-both socially and spiritually. Men do not commit to their families. Women do not commit to their children. Marriage is rare and immorality is rampant. But Christ is still the answer! In spite of the difficulty, our entire family is involved in getting out the message of Christ. Our two children, Alec (16) and Sophie (13), also work to get the Gospel out to as many as possible.
As in any new church-plant, there is much work to do. There is a regular schedule of preaching and teaching services. A men’s leadership class and a small Bible institute are being used to prepare workers for the ministry. I also devote time to personally disciple the young men who are called to preach. The soul-winning program is reaching new converts for Christ. The youth ministry is teaching the teens the importance of living for Christ. The church also places a strong emphasis on missions and they now support seven missionary families. Other ministries include a ladies’ ministry, children’s ministry, and several van route ministries.God has blessed greatly using several special events during the year as well. Our anniversary services in January bring out the biggest crowds and we see many salvation decisions during this special service. On our tenth anniversary, we had 597 in attendance and 40 adults received Christ that day. The Ladies Encounter, which draws in close to 100 unsaved women is held in May. Vacation Bible School, intensive summer evangelism, and a Christmas cantata also work to overflow the building and bring a harvest of souls to Christ each year. We feel blessed to see God’s hand working through our labors and praise the Lord for the hundreds who have come to Christ in the last fourteen years.
Just two years into the ministry, the Lord blessed us with the purchase of an old abandoned house on the corner of a busy intersection. We remodeled it into a church building. After many renovations and much church growth, we need to expand. We are currently raising funds for the construction of a new auditorium for Abundant Life Baptist Church.
Each day is filled with decisions. God is always leading His people to new areas of growth and fulfilling His mission through those who are willing to make the right decision. We are thrilled to live our lives for the cause of Christ and the people of the Dominican Republic. We are asking God to send other workers to join us in this mission. How about you? What decision is God asking you to make concerning world missions? What you decide will affect tomorrow and eternity.
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