by Jon Konnerup
BBFI Mission Director
Our BBFI missionary families in Panama do good work, but there is so much more to do.
Situated on the thin piece of land bridging North and South America, the Republic of Panama, with an estimated population of 3.5 million, is the southernmost country of Central America. The capital is Panama City.
With the backing of the United States, Panama became independent from Colombia in 1903, allowing the Panama Canal to be built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. Revenue from canal tolls represents a significant part of Panama’s GDP. Panama is a country of demographic and economic contrasts. Although one of the fastest-growing economies in Latin America which dedicates substantial funding to social programs, poverty and inequality remain prevalent.
While the Panamanian government does not collect religious statistics on its citizens, various sources estimate that 80 percent of the population identifies itself as Roman Catholic and 15 percent as evangelical Christian. The Bahá’í Faith community, with one of the world’s seven Bahá’í Houses of Worship, represents an estimated two percent of the national population. Mormons, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Episcopalians, Jewish, and Muslim communities make up the rest of the major religions along with indigenous beliefs.
Jim and Phyllis Childress were the first BBFI missionaries to Panama arriving in October 1978.
While stationed there with the U.S. military, God gave Jim a burden to one day return and share the gospel with them. Through the years, the Childresses have had a part in starting and working with several Panamanian churches that are now led by local pastors. The church plant they are currently working with has grasped its responsibility of spreading the gospel worldwide with their Faith Promise giving doubling to more than $1,100 per month over the past two years. During their mission conference in March, in which I had the opportunity to participate, they increased the previous year’s missions giving by ten percent. Please pray that God will call a man from within the congregation to pastor this church.
The Childresses’ ministry is not limited to the cities of Panama, however, as they have expanded their outreach to churches in the countryside and regions neglected by the government and general population. They have adapted the “Star Trek” model by “going where no gospel ministry has gone before,” as many of these works are difficult to access. Sometimes they have traveled up to eight hours to preach the gospel in regions that can only be reached by foot, rivers, creeks, and horses.
Several years ago, a particular church was tasked to partner with a medical clinic in reaching the neglected communities in primitive areas. Boats and dugouts were used to reach the target communities where two clinics were held. During the four-day clinic, they were able to touch the lives of people from 23 different communities. A local pastor now plans to begin a work in that area beginning with the people affected by this outreach.
Jim and Phyllis recently held a Bible conference on the Atlantic coast and offered Bible college classes for eight men. When they first went to the coastal town of Saint Mary of Bethlehem (named by Christopher Columbus in 1502), a person would have been hard-pressed to find a Bible; however, since the onset of their ministry in this area, God has been at work. During this recent meeting, 237 people came from numerous mountainous and seacoast villages to attend the evening service. What a joy it was to see these people worship the Lord and open their Bibles for spiritual training.
There is a pastor who walks four hours with a machete to get to a village without roads to tell the people about the Lord. There are many villages hidden in the remote jungles. We are basically the only missionaries in the area. The Mormons don’t go; Pentecostals don’t go; and basically no other group apart from maybe a Catholic priest every once in a while. Soon Jim Childress won’t be physically able to keep going to reach these places. Someone has to help.
Efforts have been made to involve more church members in these ministries. In one clinic, the evangelistic team was made up of members from two Panamanian churches started as a result of the medical clinics. They now have medical professionals that have formed their own chapters of Operation Renewed Hope. Their medical staff can host their own smaller clinic efforts several times a year and also come alongside medical mission teams from the United States. Members of the Panamanian team have also traveled to Honduras, Mexico, Indonesia, Uganda, and Cambodia in an effort to assist Operation Renewed Hope by using medical clinics as a drawing card to preach the gospel.
Dan and Cricket Young have served as BBFI missionaries in Panama 27 years. They work with a number of churches in the Panama City area as well as Maranatha Baptist Church in Veracruz reaching the Kuna Indians. It was a blessing to preach in two of their church works including one of the Kuna Indian churches on the Pacific Coast. I enjoyed hearing them sing and watched as they listened intently as the Word of God was preached.
The Youngs report there are larger towns without an independent Baptist church. There are literally hundreds of towns with 5,000 people who have no Baptist churches. The Mormons send 100 new missionaries every year. At times, our missionaries feel they are falling behind in sharing the truth to the Panamanians while there are so many spreading their false doctrines.
While Arab communities remain unreached, the number of mosques continues to grow throughout the country. Recently, a Peruvian couple arrived with a desire to reach the large Jewish population which, to date, has had no gospel witness directed towards them.
Three major areas with Indian populations have limited outreach, discipleship, and church planting efforts among these indigenous groups.
The Kuna Indians have only had the financial influence from other Baptist groups since the 1950s. Because of the lack of sound doctrine, these struggling churches are more Pentecostal than Baptist. They have often been led astray by the false doctrines of those who come along and offer help.
Maranatha Baptist Church in Veracruz was the first independent Baptist church to work with the Kunas in Panama. The Youngs could use as many as ten families willing to go into the areas where the Kunas live and help nationals start churches. An influx of younger missionaries to help teach church leaders is needed. The Youngs along with the Childresses and the Corbellos can only do so much.
With the professional medical people in independent Baptist churches, they could provide more medical clinics and help young men who are called to ministry. Through a clinic, they could start with a core group of people who would follow up on those treated in order to start new churches. Most would need a mentor to help them in the beginning. They would also need the financial help that a missionary brings. With everything else they have on their plates, our missionaries in Panama are stretched too thin to be able to effectively help in this effort.
When asked about the need, Dan responds, “To say the least, we could easily have 25 missionaries come to Panama and still have areas where the people have no church. Five would be a great start!”
Thomas and Elvira Corbello, BBFI missionaries since 2006, are working close to the border of Costa Rica in the town of Puerto Armuelles. They have the only Baptist church in the area. Most people do not know what Baptists believe and the area is saturated with Pentecostal and Adventist churches. They also have the influence of the Catholic Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, there is even a place where devil-worshipers meet. Witchcraft is prevalent in their area. Because of the melting pot of religions, there is a lot of confusion about true Bible doctrine.
The Corbellos face daily attacks from the devil, but God always gives the victory. The Lord has blessed their first church, started in May 2009, with a good group of people. They are in the process of starting a Bible study in a small village about 40 minutes away from their town. Being in one of the poorest regions of the country, and what is referred to as “the forgotten city,” even the Panamanian Bible institute students seem to have no desire to go into that area.
The Corbellos also do medical clinics around the country, most in difficult access areas, in an effort to share the gospel message with the people there. They also help further train pastors by holding Bible institutes twice a year in the Atlantic coast ministry.
Stan and Jackie Sherwood were approved as BBFI missionaries to Panama in September 2011. While currently on deputation, they plan to reach the outcasts of society in the same region the Corbellos are working. They understand that our Lord truly cares for these needy souls and they have accepted His call to take the light of Jesus Christ into this very dark area of Panama. Would you consider having them come to your church to present their burden and passion? They need to raise their support quickly.
A number of Costa Rican missionaries, trained under the ministries of BBFI missionaries, have answered the call to Panama. They are doing a great work shining the light and making a difference in the lives of Panamanian people.
As they are far from finishing the task of taking the gospel to every creature of this small country, each of the missionaries has expressed the need for more help. Many parts of Panama still need a missionary to lay the groundwork for gospel-preaching churches that will make a difference. The northwest corner of Panama is without an independent Baptist witness. Most of central Panama is without a witness. Several on the Panama peninsula are struggling to get a lighthouse raised. One area close to Panama City is growing so fast that there is speculation that the government may declare it an independent province. At present, over 100 new housing projects ranging from $32,000 to $150,000 are under construction. They are short of committed workers.
Years ago Jim Childress said, “We could use 100 missionaries to make a solid gospel penetration of this country that was described in books as the cesspool of the world.” Today, he says, “I have been here 34 years. I have seen a few more missionaries come (not all have stayed) and the Lord´s request in Matthew 9:38 has yet to be answered in a positive manner.”
Our missionaries are desperate for more help as the opportunities are endless. Is there anyone else who has heard the call of God to go to these people in Panama who live in spiritual darkness?