Annie Armstrong Easter Offering 2026 – Week of Prayer Day 7
Oscar and Wendy Ortiz’s church plant in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, is still very small and very new. But with help from Send Relief, Southern Baptist’s compassion ministry arm, their congregation is already laying the groundwork for a second new work in another nearby community that desperately needs a gospel witness.
DREAM BIG
RÍO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO
Their church plant is small. But their vision is big.
When Oscar Ortiz started Iglesia Bautista Esperanza Eterna in Río Grande, Puerto Rico, he knew one new church would not be enough.
“We desperately needed to plant more churches. So did we wait until we had more people? No. We prayed for help. And God answered.” -Oscar Ortiz
“Here, there are 46,000 people and almost no gospel witness,” Oscar says. “We can’t wait until we have lots of people and resources. We need to plant more churches now.”
Fortunately, Oscar and his wife, Wendy, have help. Send Relief, Southern Baptists’ compassion ministry arm, is sending volunteer mission teams to Loíza, a needy community where Oscar and Wendy hope to plant another new work. “Loíza is a spiritually dark place,” Wendy says, “but by serving the community, Send Relief is helping open doors for us there. They’re repairing homes and enabling us to build witnessing relationships.”
Now, a foundation is being laid for what will one day be a new church in Loíza. “We want to be a church plant that plants churches,” Oscar says. “And even though we’re small, now we’re seeing how God is able to do so much more with us than we can imagine.”
NAMB, AAEO, June 2025, Puerto Rico
Pray for…
- Send Relief teams to connect Oscar and Wendy to more people in Loíza who are open to hearing the gospel.
- God to raise up leaders in the church plant who can help start and grow a new work in Loíza.
- Doors to open in other nearby communities that need a gospel presence.