SAN ANTONIO—Baptist University of the Americas has stepped forward to become the lead partner with the Baptist General Convention of Texas on the Immigration Service and Aid Center Project, which seeks to equip churches to work within the law to help people with their citizenship issues.
The ISAAC Project will now be coordinated by Jesus Romero, a BUA professor of Spanish and chair of the department of modern languages. Housing the effort at the school also provides a place where church leaders and members can gain the immigration training that is necessary for congregations to become accredited to provide immigration services for Texans.
BUA President Rene Maciel said training ministers in how to serve their respective communities is central to the mission of the school, making partnerships with the ISAAC Project an ideal opportunity.
“Texas is a state populated from the beginning by immigrants. When this area was part of Mexico, it welcomed immigrants from Tennessee, Kentucky and the other Southern states. And Baptists, from those first beginnings, sought to minister to and reach with the gospel all immigrants who came to populate the region. The ISAAC program stands in that rich heritage of caring by Texas Baptists through the centuries of Baptist work here,” Maciel said.
“It is a privilege for us to be asked to partner with the Christian Life Commission and Texas Baptists in the ISAAC Project. We stand ready as a university to support and assist Texas Baptists in those programs and initiatives that fall within the realm of our mission of training leaders that can impact the world for Christ. We have great respect for (Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission Director) Suzii Paynter and we look forward to working together in this great ministry project.”
Launched in 2007, the ISAAC Project is designed to equip churches to assist people with citizenship issues as they can. Those ministries range along a continuum of holding English as a Second Language and citizenship classes to full-fledged accredited immigration aid centers in churches.
The effort was started as a partnership between the BGCT and Buckner International, but BUA has stepped forward to replace Buckner as the lead partner. Buckner is committed to continue assisting and supporting the ISAAC Project, but at a lesser level.
Before teaching at BUA, Romero worked with ISAAC to start an accredited immigration center in Brownwood. He taught 12 years at Howard Payne University and served as pastor of Iglesia Nuevo Amancer in Brownwood six years.
Romero earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Mexico, a master’s degree in Spanish from New Mexico State University and a doctorate in Spanish from the University of Arizona.
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He spent two terms on the BGCT Executive Board and also served as a commissioner of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission.
Five Baptist organizations have worked with the ISAAC Project to go through the training and create accredited immigration centers. More groups are working through the process and a host of churches have worked with ISAAC to start ESL and citizenship courses.
Paynter said she believes the ISAAC Project will grow and help Texas Baptists minister through its partnership with BUA.
“This relationship provides a place where Texas Baptists can turn to for answers to the immigration questions they are asked on a regular basis,” she said. “BUA becomes the place where Texas Baptists can receive immigration training and practical ministerial assistance in addition to their development of the next generation of Hispanic ministers.”
For more information about ISAAC, visit www.isaacproject.org .
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