Hispanic church reaching out to community
By: Leon Tovey
JAMESBURG "We’re a small church with a big heart," the Rev. Maritza Batista said last month of the House of Prayer Mount Sinai, the Hispanic church she and her husband, the Rev. Pedro Batista, founded three years ago.
The church is the area’s only Hispanic church and the Revs. Batista said they want to see it grow from a small church with a big heart (there are currently about 50 members) to a big church with a big heart. The need for a Spanish-language church is especially great in Jamesburg right now, they said, because of the borough’s growing number of Hispanic immigrants.
The language and cultural barriers that many immigrants and their children face is one that can lead to long-term problems of crime and drug use, the Rev. Pedro Batista said.
That’s why the church makes an effort to get young members involved. On Sunday, youth members of the church put on an Easter performance, which included songs and a version of the "Passion Play." the church
"Young people are getting lost in drugs because nobody’s watching out for them," he said.
In an effort to raise the church’s profile in the community, the Batistas are planning a revival meeting for April 30. The event will feature the Rev. Luis Arzola, a Philadelphia-based evangelist, and the Christian hip-hop stylings of Elizabeth rappers Eli G and PBC, the Rev. Pedro Batista said.
"We would like to help the community," he said of the event. "We would like people to come and see and say ‘Yes, these people are here and we want to help.’ "
And they hope that desire to help will translate into increased membership in the church, he added. The congregation has recently begun holding its weekly meetings in a rented house at 177 Buckelew Ave., he said. It is the church’s fourth home in the past three years and the Batistas said they hope it is the last.
Increased membership might help the congregation raise the funds it needs to buy the house and settle in full time, the Rev. Pedro Batista said. Once the church clears that hurdle, he said, he and his wife hope to focus on long-term projects like establishing a food pantry and someday, maybe a Christian Hispanic radio station.
"But that’s for later," he said. "For now we focus on what’s happening now and we want to tell people to come on out and help the only way we can make a difference is with your help."
The church’s April 30 revival starts at 7 p.m. All are welcome and volunteers are still needed. For more information, contact the Rev. Pedro Batista at (732) 677-0251.

