Dallas Ministry Reaches Milestone
Dr. Richard Ramos II prays for the three newly baptized believers in Dallas, Texas.
June 23, Sunday, marked a new milestone for the Mega Manila Provisional Annual Conference when Dr. Richard Ramos II, our missionary in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area, baptized three individuals into new life in Jesus. Prior to their immersion in the waters of baptism, Pastor Richard asked the new converts, “Do you sincerely repent of your sins, renounce the forces of darkness, and confess that Jesus Christ is your Lord, Master, and Savior?” to which all three replied, "Yes."
True to their affirmative answers, the three have indeed turned away from their dark pasts to begin living as new creatures in Christ. One of those baptized confessed to having struggled with depression and same-sex attraction. Another was delivered from suicidal thoughts, and the third from marital struggles.
While these baptisms were not performed within the context of a church, it is but a small beginning of what we hope will become a new GMC church plant, primarily among Filipino-Americans in Texas. Pastor Richard expressed his excitement over what God has been doing these past few months. For quite some time, he, along with his wife Eva, a deaconess, and their two children, have been ministering to more Filipinos in the Dallas area, particularly through visitations, birthdays, weddings, and house blessings.
“After this baptism experience, I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to do something special for the Fil-Am community. My vision is to establish a new breed of Fil-Am church that is Spirit-filled, kingdom-minded, holy, and compassionate. They will be passionate about reaching the world for Christ, especially the Philippines.”
The three new brethren in the Lord are employed in a Filipino restaurant visited by the Ramos family in the fall of 2023. “I greeted the kitchen crew with ‘Happy Sunday, and God bless you and this restaurant.’ I saw their warm and welcoming smiles, and that's when our conversation started,” Pastor Richard recalls. This eventually led him to invite them to the Filipino fellowship which he had been leading for a few years. Four of them came and were warmly welcomed into the fellowship, which is composed of Christians already connected to other churches. After a series of meetings, three of the restaurant workers asked to be baptized.
The fellowship also assisted in the baptisms, which were performed in the home of one of its members. Pastor Richard further reflects, “After this baptism experience, I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to do something special for the Fil-Am community. My vision is to establish a new breed of Fil-Am church that is Spirit-filled, kingdom-minded, holy, and compassionate. They will be passionate about reaching the world for Christ, especially the Philippines.”
Photo courtesy of Dr. Richard Ramos, II
Celebrating the significance of this event, Pastor Luther Oconer, president pro tempore of Mega Manila PAC, remarked, “I am hoping that what the Lord is doing in Dallas through the ministry of Pastor Richard will be replicated elsewhere in North America. It can serve as a template for how migrant ministry can be handled in the Global Methodist Church.” Pastor Richard agrees, “The Fil-Am community has unique cultural and emotional challenges, values, and traditions. I believe American churches can help meet their spiritual needs; however, in other aspects of their lives, they are not equipped to effectively minister to them unless they intentionally address all these serious needs.” Let us continue praying for Pastor Richard and may God continue to open more doors for GMC Mega Manila among Filipinos overseas.
