Fidencia Vazquez and her family moved to the Charlotte area from Washington state four years ago, and like many newcomers, they quickly gravitated toward Mooresville.

After two years surrounded by growth and change, the Vazquezes wanted to find a way to better connect with their new community. When a friend invited them to attend a small church in Statesville, they took her up on her offer.

What they found when they attended church at the Hispanic Baptist Mission of Statesville, located at Front Street Baptist Church, was a homecoming. The church had only seven members, but Vazquez and her family immediately felt welcome.

“We felt like God was there with us, as a couple and a family,” she said.

Another part of the appeal of the small church was because it was such a fledgling organization. Vazquez knew that she was needed and that she could help. “There was a lot of work to be done,” she said.

That spirit of hard work and camaraderie also emanated from the church’s pastor. Daniel Moore Garcia and his wife, Lupita Moore Alvarez, both professional counselors, have made it their mission to help Latin Americans make their homes in North Carolina and find solace and support through a study and knowledge of God.

Now, just two years after founding Misión Bautista Hispana de Statesville, the church has grown from a membership of seven to a membership of between 60 and 90. It now offers a variety of services and programs, including Spanish services, classes to help church members learn English, and programs for children and women.

The Statesville mission has been so successful, in fact, that the Moores are planning to start another mission – right here in Mooresville.

Beginning in August, the newly established Hispanic Baptist Mission of Mooresville will make its home at First Baptist Church on Church Street. They will operate in partnership with the South Yadkin Baptist Association and the Baptist State Convention in North Carolina, and will have the support of the Statesville mission and Baptist Church Camino Del Ray in Charlotte.

The Mooresville mission will begin by offering Vacation Bible School on Aug. 3 and 4 from 6 to 8:30 p.m., a picnic on Aug. 5, and will have Spanish services every Sunday, beginning Aug. 6, from 4 to  5:30 p.m.

There are a number of Hispanic outreach programs offered by area churches, including Peninsula Baptist Church, which offers a Bible study, and St. Theresa Catholic Church, whose Latino coordinator helps to organize Spanish mass every Sunday at 2 p.m., festival celebrations, and other activities.

But this is a first for First Baptist. In the church’s 125-year history, it has never held a service in Spanish. Dr. Jim Royston, pastor at First Baptist, said he’s looking forward to what the mission will bring to Mooresville, and to his church.

“I’m very excited. We see great potential for outreach to the Hispanic community. Daniel has a wonderful reputation for being a very effective pastor. We’re looking forward to partnering with him,” Royston said.
Moore, too, is looking forward to the partnership. He said Royston has made the transition to Mooresville an easy one. Royston, he said, “has opened the door for anything we need.”
Like the Statesville mission, the Hispanic Baptist Mission of Mooresville will offer a number of services and programs for children, youth, women, and married couples. They plan to hold a women’s reunion and family conferences once a month and hold Bible study on Wednesday nights at Vazquez’s house.
More important than just the programs, said Moore, is what they can achieve. “This is the melting pot for Latin Americans. It’s a great opportunity for us to share the word of God,” he said.
Many people in Latin America, he said, are coming to America to find freedom. What the mission can provide, he said, is more than the American dream: It can help them “find the real liberty there is in Jesus Christ … the freedom and life there is through God.”
The partnership with First Baptist Church, said Moore, is a wonderful opportunity for Hispanics and American people to get together, share this message, and “transform their lives.”
Vazquez said Mooresville is lucky that the Moores, and their message, are moving into the area. “It’s a great blessing to have them,” she said.

For more information on the Hispanic Baptist Mission of Statesville, call 704-871-0898, ext. 211, or visit www.misionbautista.org. For more information about the Hispanic Baptist Mission of Mooresville, call Fidencia Vazquez at 704-799-1504.