Zach & Maria-Jose Viola

Zach & Maria-Jose Viola

Matthew 28:18-20

The Call

We believe that answering “the call” is serving the Lord God full time in the ministry, wherever He may direct you. God has given me the opportunity to be prepared and equipped for His work by attending and graduating from Boston Baptist College and through serving on staff at the Florence Baptist Temple (FBT)  under the mentorship of Pastor Bill Monroe. I have had the opportunity to serve in every ministry of FBT and to lead the Children & Missions Ministries of FBT.

The Lord has now opened up the door for an amazing opportunity for us to take the Gospel to a new group of people, and to work alongside Stan & Jackie Sherwood in Panama to reach more souls, disciple new believers, and train new leaders in anticipation of planting indigenous churches throughout Panama. Please pray for us as we prepare to do the work of harvesting the white fields of Panama.

The Lord has granted us the great and amazing opportunity to serve Him by taking His Gospel of Good News to the white harvest fields of Panama as missionaries. He has opened the door to allow us to work alongside Stan & Jackie Sherwood, being an answer to their Matthew 9:37-38 prayer, with the goal of planting local indigenous churches all throughout Panama.

Currently we are on deputation raising the much needed financial & prayer support to reach Panama. It is our desire to partner with mission minded churches and individuals in the Great Commission as their representatives on the field. We are passionate in our efforts to connect God’s people and His resources with His plan of reaching every creature with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

There is much work to be done in Panama and far from enough workers. Currently there are only 3 BBFI and 2 CMC Missionaries in Panama, which now has a population of over 4.2 million people. The Province of Chiriqui, where we will be working, has a population of nearly 500,000 but unfortunately you can count on one hand the number of Baptist Churches in the area.

Many missionaries have went to Panama but very few have stayed. Many of the Baptist Churches that have been planted throughout Panama in years past have turned to Pentecostalism, due to the lack of discipleship and training of leaders. There are still hundreds of towns all over Panama that have more than 5,000 people in them and are still without an Independent Baptist Church.

While Panama is a beautiful country, it hides a very dark and sinister enemy. Satan has a foot hold in Panama and he has no desire to lose any ground. Nearly 85% of the country claims to be Catholic, while the other 15% claims to be Protestant. However, 63% of the 15% of Protestants identify as Pentecostal.

Every year the Mormons are sending around a 100 missionaries. Islamic Mosques are rapidly appearing all over the country. Seventh-Day Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses are quickly expanding in the smaller towns of Panama. Witchcraft is still highly practiced among the native tribes, who make up 12% of the total population of Panama. The need for Baptist Missionaries is great, for there is much work to be done in order to counteract these false doctrines and religions that are being taught. Most importantly there is much work to be done to get the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ out among all the people groups of Panama. More workers are desperately needed in the white harvest fields of Panama.

Will you prayerfully consider joining in helping our ministry through finances and prayer? For with your help we can reach, preach, & disciple the people of Panama, train new leaders, and plant more local indigenous Baptist Churches.

Pastoral Intern
Zaviar Thompson
Christian Service
Christian Law Association