Nelson and Lucy Guerra

Nelson Guerra trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior in 1973 while completing his second year of college in Honduras. From that moment, Nelson became a follower of Christ wanting to learn more about God's plan for his life. He immediately started to witness to others in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, his hometown. As a result, he started and led a weekly Bible study.


In 1975 Nelson moved to the United States to study at Florida Bible College. Daniel Sierra, missionary and FBC graduate, was instrumental in Nelson attending FBC. There he met and later married Lucy Davila, who had come from Wally and Jane Morillo's ministry in Pharr, Texas. Upon graduation he was ordained as pastor in the Hispanic Christian Church of Miami.


In 1980 Nelson and Lucy went back to Honduras. They joined the team he had left in Tegucigalpa. The challenging thoughts of reaching the world with the gospel revolutionized the small church. Soon the vision expanded to plant churches throughout Honduras. Missionary teams were sent to plant churches in two neighboring countries in Central America. Dreaming larger dreams, the vision expanded to reach all of Latin America.


As the churches multiplied, and under Nelson's leadership, Great Commission Latin America (GCLA) was born. Today 25 churches have been planted in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Venezuela and in three Hispanic-populated cities in the U.S.


During his ministry in Honduras, Nelson served as Pastor of Great Commission Churches in the cities of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. He also was President of the Honduran National Association of Churches, Chairman of the Franklin Graham's Evangelistic Association Crusade in Honduras, Board member of the Great Commission Association of Churches and World Vision Honduras.


In 2002, GCLA's headquarters moved to the "capital city of Latin America": Miami, FL. Here Nelson serves as GCLA's director and as Pastor of the Great Commission Church of Miami.


God has used GCLA to help rebuild communities that have been affected by hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters. In 1999 and in partnership with Samaritan's Purse, more than 5,400 houses were built in Honduras and El Salvador to benefit the families whose homes were destroyed by Hurricane Mitch.


Today GCLA has many community outreach programs throughout Latin America: medical clinics that serve thousands of people a year, nutrition clinics, orphanages, Christian daycare centers and a support center to minister to HIV/AIDS infected families. Different projects have been created to help poor families be self sustained: a bakery, a tortilla factory, a tilapia farm, and others.


More than 500 short term missionaries from US churches are mobilized each year to minister in different GCLA churches in Latin America.


From two small Bible study groups in the 70s, GCLA has developed into more than 6,500 people attending weekend services, 3,000 committed members, 645 small group leaders and 34 ordained pastors. The GCLA pastors are all committed to the vision of having a "growing church in every important city of Latin America."


Nelson and Lucy reside in Miami. They have six children, Karisa Rivera (27), married to Abelardo Rivera, Irene (25), Susan (23), Marcos (21), Karen (19) and Nelson Andres (15). They have one granddaughter, Madison (2). All their children share their parent's vision to make disciples in every nation as Jesus Christ commanded in Matthew 28.


Great Commission Latin America, Inc
12905 SW 132nd Street, Suite 2A
Miami, FL 33186
Tel: 305.252.1223 - Fax: 305.252.4042
Website: www.reachinglatinos.com

Florida Bible College Reunion in Atlanta Labor Day Weekend 2008

The Alumni Association is sponsoring a Florida Bible College gathering which will be held over the Labor Day weekend, August 29-September 1st, 2008 in the Atlanta area. Your immediate registration will help determine the size of the facility that we will require.

At this time we are asking for a $25. registration fee (which does not cover lodging or meals) The registration fee is $25. if we receive your registration by January 31st, $35 if received by February 1st and $45 if received after March lst. A fee schedule and further details on the reunion will be posted at a later date.

HCC taps attorney, FBC Alumni for consultant for board

FBC alum Roddy Jurado (ThB '96) was recently appointed to the Hillsborough Community College board of trustees by Florida Governor Charlie Crist. The following appeared in the Tampa Bay Business Journal on April 12, 2007:

HCC taps attorney, consultant for board

Gov. Charlie Crist has appointed Andrew L. Graham of Tampa and Rodrigo "Rod" Jurado of Temple Terrace to the Hillsborough Community College board of trustees.

Graham is an attorney for Trinsic Communications, the principal operating subsidiary of Trinsic Inc. He will succeed Chappella I. Hill for a term beginning April 11, 2007, and ending May 31, 2010. Jurado will succeed William "Edward" Gonzalez and is also appointed for a term beginning April 11, 2007, and ending May 31, 2010.

Jurado is a management consultant for the Profitable Group. He previously worked as the director of outreach and development for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Tampa. He received a bachelor's degree in philosophy and another in exercise physiology from the University of South Florida and a master's degree in leisure behavior from the University of Illinois, a release said. Jurado also holds a bachelor's degree in theology from Florida Bible College.

Both appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

The board of trustees administers HCC in accordance with the board of governors of the State University System of Florida.