Fernando Gutierrez

Born: Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo)

Here: 23 years, 20 in Baton Rouge

Occupation: Pastor, Healing Place Church Spanish Campus in St. Amant

Why he came: He opted to stay after a visit to his brother who lived south of Dallas. Met his future wife, Melissa, then of Austin, a few months earlier while she was on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic.

What is now the fastest-growing Spanish-language congregation in the Baton Rouge area—nearly 300 immigrants attended a recent service—started somewhat humbly with a Bible, a calendar and a clock.

As pastor of the Healing Place Church Spanish Campus, Fernando Gutierrez likes to stress the similarities his sermons share with those of his parent church, rather than the differences. “It’s the same DNA,” he says. “We add a little Caribbean and Latin flavor to the music, but our core values are the same. We are a healing place for a hurting world with a heart for the community, the poor, the widows, the forgotten.”

For years Central and South American immigrants seeking spiritual communion in Baton Rouge often were among those forgotten. Healing Place assistant pastor Mark Stermer noticed this in the mid-1990s while delivering food to impoverished areas of the city. He says he felt led to provide these minorities with more than meals. The only problem was he didn’t speak Spanish. Using a Bible, a clock, a calendar and the necessary hand motions, Stermer broke the language barrier and began hosting Bible studies in his home. The first meeting was sparsely attended and the translations were broken and muddled.

Enter Fernando Gutierrez.

Stermer’s interpreter happened to be living with Gutierrez, a Dominican Republic native who had graduated from Jimmy Swaggart Bible College, and his wife, Melissa. Gutierrez made a strong, immediate impact as a regular interpreter and minister within Stermer’s Spanish-language church. A year later, Stermer and his wife began working with the homeless and Gutierrez stepped up to lead the group.

Today the church is in St. Amant, and it has exploded. Every inch of space is utilized for Sunday services, Bible studies, women’s small groups and youth worship nights. Gutierrez’s office is in a trailer. Plans are underway to add on to the building. Immigrants from Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico are among the regulars. Most have come from Texas, but some made their way from South Florida and Atlanta seeking work. “They all come from different countries, but we are basically one,” Gutierrez says. “It’s not so important where we’ve come from, but now that we’ve found this community that speaks the language, it’s where we are going.”

Many of the men work in construction as roofers and framers, or as pipe insulators for area chemical plants. Gutierrez estimates 95% are under 35 years old. These are young, working-class families with small children who have huddled together in a foreign country. The tight-knit community gathers around the church like a rallying post, a church that would not have formed without them. It turns out Gutierrez was the right person with the right message at the right time.

The church’s message, Gutierrez says, is new to them. The men learn the importance of being a good husband and father. The women are gaining self-esteem and hearing for the first time that they are valuable within the church and society as a whole. Last year Bethany World Prayer Center began a Spanish-language service—other congregations will surely follow suit—but the movement started with Mark Stermer and Fernando Gutierrez.

“There is nothing better for them than to hear the word of God and teachings of life in their native language,” Gutierrez says. “I know. I’ve been here 23 years, and I still think in Spanish.”