The Viola Family
Reaching Panama
Impacting the harvest field of Panama with the Gospel by Reaching, Preaching, & Discipling
Matthew 28:19-20
The Plan:
Reach-Disciple-Plant-Repeat
Second Term Goals
- Relocate to the city of Santiago in the province of Veraguas, which is the halfway point between Panama City (the capital) and David (currently the biggest city in West Panama).
- Search for and rent a location for the future church plant to meet.
- Begin reaching into the city of Santiago with the Gospel and start teaching, preaching, and making disciples.
- Start a Bible Institute within the first three years after the inauguration of the church plant to train new pastors and church leaders.
- Continue to research areas in need of a church plant.
The Need of Workers in Panama
Situated on the thin piece of land bridging North and South America, the Republic of Panama, with an estimated population of 4.2 million, is the southernmost country of Central America. The capital is Panama City. Many parts of Panama still need a missionary to lay the groundwork for gospel-preaching churches that will make a difference. The northwest corner of Panama is without an independent Baptist witness. Most of central Panama is without a witness. Years ago Jim Childress a BBFI Missionary to Panama said, “We could use 100 missionaries to make a solid gospel penetration of this country that was described in books as the cesspool of the world.” Today, he says, “I have been here 34 years. I have seen a few more missionaries come (not all have stayed) and the Lord´s request in Matthew 9:38 has yet to be answered in a positive manner.”
The Province of Veraguas
Most people in Panama, especially in the Province of Veraguas (pop. of nearly 260,000), do not truly know what Baptists believe and the area is saturated with Pentecostal and Adventist churches. They also have the influence of the Catholic Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Mormons. Witchcraft is also prevalent among the natives in this area. Because of the melting pot of religions, there is a lot of confusion about true Bible doctrine.
The City of Santiago
Santiago is the provincial capital of the Veraguas Province, and it is the halfway point between the capital city of Panama and the city of David, which are both about 3 1/2 hours away. There are about 110,000 people in the city of Santiago, and currently, there are only two other Independent Baptist Churches (besides our church plant). We are also currently the only Baptist Missionaries in the City and the Province, which is saturated with Catholicism, Non-Denominational, Pentecostal, Mormonism, Church of Christ, and Seventh-Day Adventist Churches. There is also another town called Atalaya, which is 5 minutes away from Santiago, with a population of about 17,000. So within a 7-mile radius of downtown Santiago, there are about 127,000 people.
There is much work to be done in this area of the world, and we are praying that the Lord will send more workers into the harvest field of Panama.
Viola2Panama 