Central Valley evangelizes in Chile

By Karen L. Willoughby

MERIDIAN, Idaho – Five members of Central Valley Baptist Church returned in late November from a 10-day evangelistic mission trip to Chile.

They were part of a team of 18 Americans – plus 36 from Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Kenya and Mexico – sent to one of “the driest places on earth” to share the gospel in Calama, a city of about 160,000 that receives no more than two-tenths of an inch of rain in a year.

“On this project the 54 participants worked with 15 churches in the Antofagasta region, shared the gospel 2,625 times and saw 1,202 professions of faith,” Central Valley Pastor Clint Henry told UI Connections. “The churches use Operation Andrew. So by the time we arrive, the people we go to see have been prayed for and their hearts are open to the gospel.”

The evangelism strategy called “Operation Andrew” – named after the Apostle Andrew who brought his brother Peter to meet Jesus – involves a church’s members identifying individuals to pray for, cultivating relationships, and in time extending invitations to them to hear the gospel message from a trained evangelism team member, with the goal of helping them become followers of Christ.

Central Valley Meridian partners in this ministry with International Commission, a para-church ministry started by Southern Baptists in 1973 in Seminole, Texas. International Commission is a covenant partner with the SBC’s International Mission Board, Henry added.

“I go overseas on mission trips in obedience to the Great Commission, because I love to see the power of the gospel at work,” Henry said. “I also go because it makes as much difference in my church as the one I serve overseas. 

“When I take people with me and they see God at work, they come home and want to see God at work here too,” the pastor continued. “Most of the time that happens when you’re sharing the gospel.” 

Central Valley Meridian has traveled on mission to 47 nations, many of them five or six times, as well as to 13 states across the U.S.A.

“Covid slowed things a bit and we’re trying to ramp things up,” Henry said. “We’re doing four or five overseas projects a year now. We’ll travel to Mexico, Thailand, Chile and Fiji next year.

“Years ago we went to Malta and only saw 20 decisions,” the pastor continued. “That was different. Most of the time if I take someone on one of these trips, they say they’ve led 30 to 40 people to Christ. 

“This year in Chile part of my team was passing through a small community and one of them said, ‘Hey! Let’s see if we can talk to the students at the school they were passing by. During lunch they spoke and many students made professions of faith. Imagine doing that in America.”

Central Valley Meridian leads mission trip participants in evangelism training before they leave, and when they return, the participants sit together on the stage to share their experiences and challenge other members to go on the next trip.

“We certainly have relationships with people in the places we go to frequently,” the pastor said. Henry knew the director of a mission agency in Ecuador, who knew Roy Vargas, a financial analyst in Costa Rica who left that field for the gospel ministry and was studying at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina. 

The mission agency director connected the two, knowing Henry’s interest in the growing Hispanic population in the Boise area. Vargas today is church planter/pastor of Central Valley Español, and founding co-director of Residencia de Plantación de Iglesias en Español, a church planting residency program for Spanish-speakers in Boise that Henry also helped start earlier this year. You can read the full article about the residency program here.

In addition to helping plant 14 churches in Idaho, Central Valley Meridian leads in several local ministries. The church gathers non-perishables every fifth Sunday for the local food bank. They offer a no-egg Easter Festival with bounce house, games, breakfast and gospel conversations; as well as candlelight services for the community on Christmas Eve.

The church has a relationship throughout the school year with Chaparral Elementary School’s teachers and students. Members lead in Child Evangelism Fellowship clubs at seven elementary schools in the area, and the church hosts and leads a “Launch Pad” site for high school “release time” religious instruction. VBS draws about 140 youngsters for a week each summer.

Central Valley members Brock and Jenny Jessup this fall started a Bible2School chapter in nearby Melba, Idaho, where with the help of several volunteers from Central Valley Meridian, they minister to 120 youngsters each week. 

The church also has partnered with SaturateUSA.org, which provides the church with free materials, including the Jesus film in 24 languages and gospel tracts. The church, which has adopted its zip code, sends members out to hang the gospel materials and church information on doors.

The church rallies around a theme each year. In 2025 and again next year, the theme is Make Heaven Crowded.

“I think this is my favorite theme,” Henry said. “We come up with our theme each year during our January staff retreat. Then we come back and share it with the congregation.”

When asked about Central Valley Meridian’s greatest challenges and best opportunities, Henry was quick to respond.

“The greatest challenge is affluenza,” he said, using a word he made up. “We have so much stuff, more than we need. To convince people they need something beyond this world is a challenge as we move farther and farther away from the gospel.

“That being said, I think there is something going on, on our campuses, and I hope the momentum created after the death of Charlie Kirk can be harnessed and keep going,” the pastor continued. “There are signs of revival all around if you know where to look. I hope the Spirit can fan those flames into a roaring fire.”