By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer
NATCHITOCHES, La. (LBM) – Westside Baptist Church has embraced a cross-cultural approach to the Gospel and has reaped a spiritual harvest this year as a result.
Since January, 22 individuals have expressed their faith in Christ to and been baptized by the Natchitoches congregation. Ten of those – half were Hispanic – were baptized in a joint service, Aug. 2, of its Anglo and Hispanic congregations. The average Sunday worship attendance is 407, including 35 for the Hispanic service.
Most of the decisions took place during M-Fuge camp at Mississippi Christian University, Clinton, Mississippi, June 22-26. During the camp, 10 out of 45 students made decisions for salvation.
“One night during our church group sharing time, I was prompted to ask, ‘Are we stuck in the follow through?’” Student Minister Peyton Spears told the Baptist Message. “’Why are we not taking that next step?’
“When I asked who wanted to talk about salvation or be baptized, 10 hands went up out of 45 students in the room,” he continued. “It was a great night that set the stage for a powerful moment when we celebrated the students’ baptisms. This was cool and really powerful to see 10 students take that step boldly and do it together.”
Ten students were baptized by Westside Baptist Church, Aug. 2, during a joint service of its Anglo and Hispanic congregations. Most of the decisions took place during M-Fuge at Mississippi Christian University, Clinton, Mississippi, June 22-26. During the camp, 10 out of 45 students made decisions for salvation. Submitted photo
Mikayla Slaughter, a junior who has attended Westside her entire life, took that step of obedience two years after she had accepted Christ. She did so alongside her good friend Kallie Guidroz and the other eight students.
“We all have been going to church, some longer than others,” she said. “It was cool we all got to do that publicly. It was nerve racking to think about doing this, but once it happened, I wasn’t scared.
“For those who put this off for a while like me, don’t be scared,” she continued. “Just do it.”
Westside Hispanic Pastor Gaby Ruiz said he was proud of the students for publicly declaring their faith through baptism.
“It allowed us to have a little slice of Heaven,” he said. “As Scripture says, we will one day confess that Jesus is Lord. During the service, we have multiple nations represented who were worshipping Christ together.
“We just celebrate and praise God that we were able to witness not just one or two, but 10 baptisms, and it’s just evidence that God is still saving people,” he said. “He’s still changing lives and He’s still building His Church.”
Ruiz, who became pastor of the church’s Hispanic congregation in February 2020, has enjoyed seeing Hispanic members integrate into the life of Westside. First, he encouraged the children to start attending Sunday morning classes with the English-speaking youngsters. Within a couple of years, the youth and their parents followed.
Additionally, the two congregations periodically share a meal on Wednesday evenings, host fundraisers for camp, and have a combined Sunday worship service where praise and worship music as well as messages are shared in English and Spanish.
Beyond the baptisms, Westside continues to focus on helping its members grow deeper in their relationships with Christ through discipleship training on Sundays and Wednesdays. On Sept. 3, the church will launch a Thursday evening worship service and fellowship for college students (and others who are 18-26 years old).
“We desire to mobilize the church to fulfill its purpose of making disciples of Jesus Christ,” Pastor Zach Anderson said. “As we look to the Great Commission, we can see that we are called to both make and mold disciples.
“We strive to help our people understand that church isn’t just an organization they belong to, but a part of who they are as followers of Jesus Christ,” he continued. “It is very important for us that our people get plugged into small groups that emphasize the need for living in biblical community. As the church is growing, we want to make sure our focus is on the Lord and bringing Him glory in what He has called us to do. Roughly 50 percent of the surrounding area in Natchitoches Parish is unchurched. We want to find ways to engage our community to see Jesus through us. We don’t want to be the best church in our community; we want to be the best church for our community.”
