A GOOD BEGINNING
BMW began work in northern Mexico in the state of Chihuahua in the 1960s. God has blessed this ministry with eight congregations that are now under the leadership of national pastors. This has allowed BMW to move into other areas of the country. Donna Wohlfert is currently in Chihuahua concluding the BMW ministry there by serving the national churches as a Christian Education instructor and consultant.

GUADALAJARA, JALISCO
Guadalajara is the largest city in this incredibly needy area of Mexico. It is the second largest city in the country, with a population of over six million. In 2002, BMW missionaries Dick and Angie Ludy moved from Chihuahua to Guadalajara to plant a church there. Along with Susan Rodriguez, they have started a cell church in a new area of this urban center. Becky Vannest, a tentmaker who has since returned to the USA, assisted with the youth ministry for some time.

The opportunities to start churches in the area are limitless. If BMW had 10 more church-planting teams in Guadalajara it would only begin to meet the need. We also need to reach out to the rural areas and eventually move into the neighboring states. The State of Jalisco has 124 municipalities (counties). Several of these counties have no believers at all, and many others have only a handful of Christians.

For more information on BMW in Guadalajara go to www.churchplantmexico.com

ZACATECAS, ZACATECAS
The population of this scenic Mexican state is 1,367,692. Greater Zacatecas City is home to 261,000, but there are 600,000 residents within a 35-mile radius of the capital. Other large urban populations are about an hour from Zacatecas City. Aguascalientes, a city of about 1,000,000 and the capital of its own state of Aguascalientes, is only ninety miles from Zacatecas City.

The state of Zacatecas is located in the north central part of Mexico and straddles the Tropic of Cancer. Zacatecas City is more or less in the center of the state, approximately 415 miles southwest of Laredo, Texas and 480 miles southeast of Delicias, Chihuahua, where the Larry Baird family has ministered for fifteen years. The State of Zacatecas is bordered by the Mexican states of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon on the north, San Luis Potosí on the east, Aguascalientes and Jalisco on the south, and Nayarit and Durango on the west. It is a major gateway to the central part of Mexico because of two main highways that intersect at Zacatecas City from northern states. Four more highways continue south or east into central Mexico from this point.

The state of Zacatecas is as odd-shaped as many others in Mexico, and on a map it looks ironically like a person walking with a heavy load on his back. Along the southern border, there are several indentations which makes for interesting driving. Zacatecas' 28,225 square miles make it slightly larger than West Virginia. Click to enlarge map

EVANGELICAL PRESENCE
Zacatecas State is located in what many Mexican evangelicals call the "Circle of Silence" in which the evangelical presence constitutes less than 2% of the population. The 2000 Mexico census places Zacatecas State at 1.94% Protestant (slightly less if one only considers Evangelicals). It ranks fifth of all thirty-two Mexican states with the fewest Evangelicals, and the need for church planting there is great.

BMW IN ZACATECAS
Church planting in Zacatecas takes into account all of the above factors as well as the fact that other BMW missionaries are ministering in nearby Zapopan, Jalisco, which is about four hours by car from Zacatecas City. Larry and Lilia Baird and their family are anticipating moving to this location in August, 2007 when they have returned from their furlough. Kevin and Crystal Elworth plan to join them once they finish language school sometime during the summer of 2008. The Bairds' goal is to plant churches with the focus on national involvement from the beginning of the church-planting process. It is also their goal to train nationals specifically to plant churches in this region and thereby multiply their efforts.

When the Elworths arrive on the field, their initial focus as they serve with the Bairds will be university outreach. The ministry vision the Lord has given them for the city of Zacatecas, in addition to acquiring additional ministry skills through the mentorship of the Bairds and assisting them in the early stages of this urban ministry, is to establish relationships with these students through various means. (A special emphasis will be making contact with students from rural mountain regions.) As young people understand their need of Jesus Christ and trust Him as their Savior, Kevin and Crystal will seek to disciple them, and eventually go with them back to their homes and equip them to reach their own communities. Eventually, they desire to minister in the rural areas of central Mexico, particularly in the mountain villages that have yet to receive any gospel witness. They would like to found a pastoral training center in a rural setting, but church planting will be the focus of their ministry using various Scriptural, innovative methods as God directs.

If you would like to help in Mexico or if we can be of help to you, please contact Rob Heijermans, Area Director for the Americas.

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