House of Restoration and El Evangelia de Cristo

By Rev. Dr. Dustin R. Bannister, Director of CPR

And

Pastor Nelson Ramos, Lead Pastor of The House of Restoration Movement

The Gospel of Jesus Christ — the Good News of salvation, repentance, and reconciliation — knows no single language. In fact, as we dive into the Scriptures, we find many references to the various tongues, languages, and peoples who hear and accept this Good News.

For example, let us turn to Acts chapter two, and the address Peter gives to the gathered Pentecost crowd. According to the Scriptures, all who were gathered were amazed by the fact that they, in their own languages, heard this Good News. This moment was followed by hope and promise — a promise that God's Spirit would be poured out onto all peoples, and that these peoples would see and give testimony to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

For many of us English-only speaking Christians, we have never experienced the blessing of seeing peoples of other tongues and nationalities give praise and glory to our God and Father. However, through your gifts, prayers, and sharing of space and resources, we as Original Free Will Baptists have been able to witness firsthand the expansion of the Kingdom through the work of our Spanish-speaking House(s) of Restoration.

These works, currently located in the towns of Macclesfield, Micro, and Lucama, minister to upwards of 100 men, women, and children each week — and gather on Sundays to give worship and praise back to our God and our Faith, in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

House Of Restoration - How Did We Get Here?

For many decades, we as Original Free Will Baptists have supported the work of Spanish-speaking congregations, both domestically and internationally. These works have seen

countless lives submitted to Christ, and even more impacted for the sake of the Kingdom of

God. At present, we have three such works that are thriving in eastern North Carolina, all

operating under the name of House of Restoration.

House of Restoration - Simply put, God's house is a house that allows awareness and

conviction, restoration and transformation - all for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Through

these works in Macclesfield, Micro, and Lucama, both young and old are coming to know and worship Christ Jesus, and are even saying yes to serving Christ as ministers and church

leaders! As we said, nearly 100 sons and daughters of Christ gather in these spaces each

week to give their praise, participate in faith development, and then are sent forth to serve

their communities for the sake of Jesus Christ!

Leaders of the House(s) of Restoration - Overall, there are three pastoral leaders for the

House of Restoration, with the House of Restoration of Macclesfield's Pastor Nelson Ramos

being the lead for these Spanish-speaking houses of worship. Under Pastor Ramos's

leadership, we are delighted to watch Pastor Marcia Martinez shepherd the congregation of

House of Restoration of Micro (currently utilizing space within Micro OFWB Church), and

Pastor Marvin Rodriguez do the same with the House of Restoration of Lucama (utilizing

space at Little Rock OFWB Church). Together, these three men of God work tirelessly as multivocational ministers to see the Good News of Jesus Christ brought to their communities.

From Rev. Dr. Bannister - As Director of Church Planting and Renewal, part of my goal is to

support, encourage, resource, and connect ongoing church planting work back to the larger

OFWB and church-planting communities, and to make sure they have what they need to be

the hands of feet of Christ Jesus to those they are called to serve. However, I am limited in

this, especially when it comes to the language barrier between English and Spanish. Without

the constant work and encouragement of Pastor Nelson Ramos, the blessings these sons and daughters of Christ experience weekly would not be possible. And so, for the third week of April - Church Planting and Renewal month - Pastor Ramos will take a few moments to

introduce himself, share with you all his call, and bring you alongside the hope he has for the

Kingdom of God!

My name is Nelson Ramos, and I am originally from El Salvador, Central America. I gave my life to Jesus Christ when I was 14 years old and was baptized in my country. Since that moment, I have been dedicated to evangelizing and have worked to spread the Word of God.

Pastor Nelson and Mayra Ramos

Pastor Nelson and Mayra Ramos

In 1990, I moved to the United States of America. I wanted to attend a church with the same fundamental doctrine and faith I had been raised in. I found a church in Los Angeles, California, and became a very active member, eager to serve the Lord in whatever area I was needed.

In 2000, my family and I moved from Los Angeles, CA to San Antonio, TX. There, I met Manuel Rodriguez, a pastor from East Baptist Church and a part of the San Antonio Baptist Association (SABA).

A few years later, I married my wife, Mayra Ramos. Since then, our family has grown tremendously, and we are blessed with five beautiful children and three wonderful grandchildren.

In 2007, I felt the call to begin new church work as a church planter. As a result, my family and I moved to North Carolina, knowing that the Lord had called me to be a pastor in this area. For the past 18 years, I have pastored here in eastern North Carolina.

Through the ups and downs, God has been good to us, and we can truly testify of His undying mercy.

I am blessed to see God impacting the Hispanic community in our region. We are one of the very few Hispanic churches in the area of Macclesfield, NC, and beyond. People have given their lives to Jesus, been baptized, and even accepted calls into ministry service. We have seen many reconcile with the Lord.

Our goal is to guide, encourage, and equip brothers and sisters for the labor of the Lord. God is bringing revival to His church. I can see the Lord’s work through people being touched by the Word of God and changing their lives. God is truly transforming the community.

Thank you for allowing me to serve!