Trenton Cooper said there wasn’t a very big Southern Baptist presence in his area in 2018.
And if a fire had had its way, that presence would’ve gotten even smaller.
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In 2018, flames engulfed the sanctuary of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Juneau, Alaska. It was a crushing blow to a congregation that had been dwindling for years, and they could’ve decided to close up shop.
But instead, they took on a massive renovation project. And what they didn’t know was that God was writing a story of growth in a way they didn’t expect.
Called to reach Spanish speakers
That same year, pastor Mario Morales and his wife, Migda, arrived in Juneau, commissioned by the North American Mission Board to plant a church for Spanish speakers. The plant — called Rescate Church — began meeting in the old sanctuary of nearby Glacier Valley Baptist Church, a congregation that also needed a boost.
Fast forward to 2022, and Cooper became Glacier Valley Baptist’s pastor to lead it through a revitalization process. He connected with Mario and began a close partnership with him and his church.
A year later, their path would converge with Emmanuel Baptist, which had continued to decline.
The church “closed its doors, but its final members and pastor wished to see the building utilized to support a Southern Baptist cause,” Cooper said. “They gifted the building to Glacier Valley Baptist Church with a covenant agreement that Rescate Church would be able to utilize the building until they could support it themselves.”
And Glacier Valley Baptist would serve as steward of the property as Rescate grew to self-sustainability, he said.
“The facility that Rescate was using on our main campus was our older sanctuary which we are now in the process of demolishing due to deterioration,” Cooper said. “So a new renovated facility for Mario’s growing church seemed to be the perfect situation for all three churches.”
‘Blown away at the continued growth’
And on Nov. 9, they celebrated together the milestone that Rescate had become self-sustaining.
“I’ve been blown away at the continued growth God has continued to bring Rescate through Pastor Mario’s efforts,” Cooper said. “His part-time job at Home Depot has proven to be an incredible outreach opportunity for him. He even led the stores’ manager — originally from El Salvador — to the Lord, and he is one of their stalwart members now who was very helpful throughout this transition process.”
The whole situation has been a blessing to Glacier Valley Baptist and to the Juneau community at large, Cooper noted. He said it has been “amazing to see the Lord take difficult situations and use them for His glory.”
“Glacier Valley undertook this during a time of revitalization where our budgets and manpower were stretched thin,” he said. “Pastor Mario was starting this venture from scratch in a place where there is not a large Hispanic population and very little Southern Baptist presence.”
And the dwindling Emmanuel Baptist suffered the fire then weathered the renovation project.
“They really wanted to see their church building utilized for Southern Baptist missions,” Cooper said. “This entire story is a testament to Romans 8:28 — ‘We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.’”
