Way Too Many Characters
(and a Happy Ending)
Church Planting in Plainfield, Wisconsin
Jack Austin, left, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, meets with Yunior González, church planting pastor of Iglesia Bautista Evangelio Eterno in Plainfield, Wisconsin. This Spanish-speaking congregation, started by Calvary Baptist, was also helped with grants from Generate and Baptist Church Planters.
Pastor Jack Austin doesn’t speak a word of Spanish. Neither do the people at his church, Calvary Baptist in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. They are unlikely candidates to plant a Spanish-speaking church. But they did, in the nearby town of Plainfield, and now we are standing outside Iglesia Bautista Evangelio Eterno (Eternal Gospel Baptist Church).
How did it happen?
It’s not what you know; it’s who you know. And this case, Jack Austin knows a lot of people.
He runs down a long list of names and interlocking organizations that partnered on the project. I’m writing furiously, trying to keep up, and then I remember a classic bit of storytelling advice: Don’t have too many main characters.
That’s going out the window, so hang on.
José Guadalupe Castillo sings during a Sunday service at Iglesia Bautista Evangelio Eterno. José is a preacher and a deacon at the church.
The story begins several years ago when Pastor Carlos Gutierrez led several people to Christ, including many members of the Castillo family in Plainfield. The group borrowed space from First Baptist Church, a congregation that dwindled and then dissolved in 2017. First Baptist deeded its building to Calvary Baptist in Wisconsin Rapids, which quickly recognized the opportunity to establish a Hispanic ministry. Calvary formed a steering committee with its church leadership, Baptist Church Planters, and Carlos. The project moved forward until Carlos suffered declining health and passed away.
Still interested in planting a Hispanic church, Calvary Baptist turned to Shawn Haynie for help.
Pastor Yunior González greets the family of Saul Meji during a Sunday service. Pastor González says this area of central Wisconsin has enormous potential for growth, since it’s home to 10,000 Hispanics and Latinos.
Who is Shawn? This is where the backstory gets complicated. In the 1950s, the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism sent missionaries to Chile and planted Baptist churches. In 1992, eight of those churches partnered with others to form Adelphos, a Chilean mission agency that sends missionaries to Mexico City, Paraguay, Ecuador, Cuba, Romania, India, the Philippines . . . all over the world. You can guess what happened next. These Chilean churches planted by American missionaries chose a new field of ministry—the US.
Searching for an American representative, the Adelphos leaders connected with Shawn Haynie and his wife, Tina, who were former Baptist Mid-Missions missionaries to Chile (I hope the reader is still following this). Shawn became the director for Adelphos USA.
Felipe Castillo, right, is joined by Zabdiel González, left, and Felipe’s brother Víctor Castillo in leading the music for Iglesia Bautista Evangelio Eterno.
From there, the rest of the story falls into place. Jack Austin met Shawn Haynie, who remembered a Cuban pastor living in Florida, Yunior González. Connections were made, and in 2022 Pastor González joined Calvary Baptist as a church planting missionary, accompanied by his son, Zabdiel. Meanwhile, Yunior’s wife, Marilyn, and daughter, Keren, were delayed with complicated immigration issues, but these were finally resolved in 2023. With the whole family united in Wisconsin, they joined Baptist Church Planters as full-time missionaries.
Not to complicate things, but a word needs to be said about partnering organizations. Calvary Baptist organized an army of volunteers to clean out the church building and renovate the parsonage. Then they received significant grants from Baptist Church Planters (missions support), its ChurchCare division (buildings and grounds management), and the GARBC’s Generate (electrical repairs and window replacement). Calvary Baptist committed $1,000 a month from its missions budget, plus additional support for legal fees, vehicle repairs, and medical bills. Another $1,000 a month comes from the Wisconsin Association of Regular Baptist Churches, with several other churches considering monthly support.
Pastor Yunior González preaches in Spanish at Iglesia Bautista Evangelio Eterno (Eternal Gospel Baptist Church) while Victor Castillo translates the message into English.
Baptist Church Planters also asked Shawn Haynie to become its Facilitator for Care of Latin Missionaries, a part-time role that he carries out while simultaneously serving with Adelphos USA. (If this is getting confusing, it helps to take notes: FBC, CBC, BCP, ABWE, WARBC, GARBC, and Adelphos USA.)
“Working together has been tremendously encouraging,” Jack says.
Now Pastor Yunior González stands at the door of the church, a classic white frame building with gothic windows and a landmark belfry. He senses the enormous potential, ministering in a region with 10,000 Hispanics and Latinos—and no gospel-preaching church until now.
From left, Yakelin Castillo, Amanda Castillo, and Guadalupe Castillo listen as Marilyn Verdasco teaches their Sunday morning youth Bible study class.
Marilyn Verdasco, right, hugs one of the children following a Sunday morning service. Marilyn is the wife of Pastor Yunior González.
“I have a pastor friend in Florida who rents a storefront,” Yunior says. “Before the service they have to put out the seats, and afterwards take them up again. They have no permanent space.”
Then he looks out on his auditorium and adds one more thought.
“We want to fill our building.”
