New pastor at ‘Mision Bautista' looks forward to serving here By ROBBY LUCKE Staff The new pastor of Sparta's Hispanic mission and his wife want to serve the Lord and the community on three fronts. Santiago and Elaine Reales hope to share the gospel with local Hispanics and offer Christian training and activities. They also look to provide information and help to Hispanics with other needs, such as interpretation and health services, and to help the relationship between Hispanics and the rest of the community. The Hispanic population in Alleghany County has exploded in recent years, growing from 85 people, or less than 1 percent of the county in the 1990 Census, to 530, or almost 5 percent in 2000. That would not include most of the seasonal migrant workers here.

AT FIRST BAPTIST — The Rev. Don McNair and his wife, Joyce, pause for a photo with new Hispanic Mission Pastor Santiago Reales. With Reales is his wife, Elaine, and son, Benjamin.

Sparta's First Baptist Church established Mision Bautista de Sparta (Baptist Mission of Sparta) as part of its ministry about four years ago. Pastor Reales is the mission's first full-time leader. He, Mrs. Reales and their nine-month-old son Benjamin came to Sparta in October. The church held an installation ceremony for the Rev. Reales Nov. 11.

Santiago and Elaine Reales were both born in Colombia in South America. The Rev. Reales accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior in 1987 at a youth camp in Barranquilla, Colombia. He became active in church, and that is where the couple met, at Calvary Baptist Church in Barranquilla. Both studied at Atlantic University in Colombia, where he earned a degree in architecture, she a degree in business administration. Mrs. Reales also studied computers and English there.

The Rev. Reales started work as an architect in 1993. The call to youth and Christian education ministry came about two years later. "In 1995 I felt the need to work in a specific field, training young people in many areas," he said.

He enjoys serving as a spiritual and personal guide to others. "I feel comfortable with this ministry. It's like a passion to be involved with this with people," said Reales.

He was a bi-vocational minister for a while, continuing to work as an architect until 1999, when the couple came to the U.S. He studied theology at Hispanic Baptist Theological School in San Antonio, Texas. Reales was ordained to be a Hispanic pastor in the U.S. in March 2000 in San Antonio. Last summer the Realeses served as student missionaries in Brentwood, Tenn.

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