January 19, 2000

Tyler church transplant
brings life from death
___By Ken Camp
___Texas Baptist Communications
___"The majority of our membership has been older folks. We've just been dwindling away, with most of the ones remaining being homebound," Johnston said.
___At the same time the congregation was aging, the surrounding neighborhood was

SETH JOHNSTON (center), pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Tyler, emphasizes ministry opportunities in the neighborhood to Paul Saylors (left), director of missions for Smith Baptist Association, and Pastor Salvador Sanchez, just before Hillcrest gave its facilities to the new Hispanic Baptist congregation. (Photo by Orville Scott)

becoming largely Hispanic. Once the church made the tough choice to disband, the decision to give its property to a Hispanic Baptist congregation came easily, the pastor said.
___"Rather than continuing to struggle to try to make the bill payments, our people unanimously voted to sign over the property to a Hispanic church that could carry on the work of Hillcrest in this area," Johnston said. "We felt it was God's will, and this is God's facility anyway, not ours."
___Sanchez, pastor of the Hispanic congregation, compared the transfer of property to a relay runner passing a baton.
___"If you keep the baton, you will lose the race. You stay in the race by passing the baton to another member of your team at the right time," he said.
___Green Acres Hispanic Mission had been meeting in a home that became a missions annex of Green Acres Baptist Church, and Hillcrest's Hispanic ministry met in the sponsoring church's family life center. The consolidated Hispanic congregation is moving into a sanctuary that seats up to 175 worshipers. The new Hispanic church anticipates about 80 people in weekly Bible study and up to 100 in worship almost immediately, Sanchez said.
___Although the congregation has not selected a name yet, Sanchez expects the church to choose a name incorporating both "Green Acres" and "Hillcrest," honoring the congregation's heritage.
___A "sweet spirit" by everyone involved characterized the transition, Johnston said. In part, it was because the members of the churches had grown to know and love each other in the last year.
___The Hispanic and Anglo congregations had worked together on Vacation Bible School last summer, shared fellowship meals together and worshiped together every fifth Sunday.
___The cooperation of the Tyler congregations offers an "outstanding example" for other aging churches in transitional areas, said James Semple, director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas State Missions Commission. Through its Church Starting Center, the BGCT has contributed $2,500 to the project.
___"The unselfishness of Hillcrest Baptist Church and the willingness of the Hispanic congregations to be of service provide a beautiful model of the kind of cooperation needed if we are to reach our state with the saving gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ," Semple said.
___Paul Saylors, director of missions for Smith County Baptist Association, said the transition worked well because Hillcrest had "a vision for maintaining a witness in its community."
___When the time came to disband Hillcrest, Johnston offered assurance to homebound members that he would continue to minister to them as long as they wished. On Jan. 2, Hillcrest issued letters of transfer to its remaining members.
___"I advised them to go to church somewhere that their talents and abilities could be used," he said.
___"There is too much to do not to be busy."
___Johnston is taking his own advice. On Jan. 16, the 67-year-old pastor began a mission north of Tyler, sponsored by First Baptist Church of Lindale.
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