Amid salsa, meringue and cumbia music, pastor preaches the Word through radio

APOPKA (FBW)–Enrique Sanchez, pastor of Iglesia Bautista de la Trinidad in Apopka, is celebrating this month the seventh anniversary of his weekly radio program, “Los Treinta Minutos de Dios” (Thirty Minutes with God.) Polls show that he is heard by more than 4,000 families weekly in central Florida.

“In the middle of the salsa, merengue and cumbia music, I preach the Word of God,” Sanchez said.

Colombia-born Sanchez, with his wife, Clarita, and their two daughters, joined Trinity Baptist Church in Apopka in 1988. The family had diligently prayed for God to send them to the church where He wanted them to serve, and were puzzled when God directed them to an Anglo church. At the time, the family spoke no English.

Through his new home church and with the encouragement of pastor Virgil Lovett, Sanchez immediately began ministering to the Hispanic residents of the Orlando suburb. Sanchez told Florida Baptist Witness God “put it in my heart” to preach to every corner of Florida, the United States and the world. He began to pursue a radio ministry when he officially began serving as pastor of the Hispanic mission of Trinity Baptist eight years ago.

When Sanchez approached the manager of a secular Hispanic radio station about airing a half-hour evangelistic program, the manager quickly said no.

“He said to me, ‘You are crazy!’” Sanchez said. “’Nobody is going to listen to your program.’”

The manager relented, however, and scheduled Sanchez to speak at 6 a.m. every Saturday. Sanchez had to leave for the station early enough to pick up the technician who operated the sound controls. Sanchez said the Lord started to bless his program so quickly that the manager sold more airtime to Hispanic pastors. Soon Christian programming could be heard on the station all day Saturday.

When the station was sold to “American contractors,” the station cancelled his program, since all programming now would be in English.

“We started to pray, and God immediately opened a door on another secular Hispanic station,” he said.

“Los Treinta Minutos de Dios” is heard every Saturday at noon on Salsa 1030 AM.

The station will soon expand beyond central Florida to the Internet, fulfilling Sanchez’ mission of a worldwide mission, he said.