First Hispanic Baptist Church
A place to grow in God's grace

The brothers Ariel and Elda Hernández began their eternal life in 2020. They were married for 53 years and had 3 children.

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Brother Hernández was born in Matamoros, Tamaulipas on April 28, 1944, to his parents Rev. Adolfo Hernández and Mrs. Ida Yánez de Hernández. Brother had 2 brothers and 4 sisters.

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Sister Elda was born in Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas on August 3, 1942, to her parents Rev. Isaías Rodríguez and Mrs. Bertha Arizpe de Rodríguez. Sister had 5 brothers and 4 sisters.

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Brother Ariel Hernández came to the United States in 1966 to study at the Missionary Baptist Seminary in Little Rock, Arkansas. Before coming to study, he asked for Sister Elda's hand in marriage.

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They married in 1967 and Brother Hernández continued his studies. In 1968, they had their first daughter, Elda.

The following year they moved to Lakeland, Florida, where Brother Hernández continued his studies at Florida Baptist Schools and Seminary. In Florida, their daughter, Olga, and son, Ariel Jr. were born.

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Brother Hernández accepted the Call to pastor his first church in Immokalee, Florida in 1971. He lived there with his family until 1978 when he accepted the Call to the First Mexican Baptist Church in Brownwood, Texas. In Texas, he pastored the church and ministered to students at Howard Payne University.

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In 1980, Brother Hernandez and his family moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas to work with Cuban refugees at Ft. Chaffee, under the direction of the Southern Baptist Convention. Brother Hernandez served as a chaplain and helped refugees reunite with relatives in the United States or find a sponsor so that each person could be productive in society. However, Brother Hernandez always said "Every person has a soul that needs to be won for the Lord," and that was of the greatest importance to him.

 

When his mission at Ft. Chaffee ended, an opportunity opened with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Arkansas Baptist Convention, and the Bartholomew Baptist Association, to open a Migrant Center in Hermitage, Arkansas. Once again, Brother Hernandez moved with his family to Warren, Arkansas, and began his mission to reach the souls of migrant workers in the area. He worked tirelessly, preaching and teaching about the love of God and the path to salvation until 1996, there at the Migrant Center.

 

Aside from sharing the word of God, the pastor and his wife helped find employment for migrants, encouraged and promoted education, and improved the legal status of many people. But the most important thing was encouraging each person to serve the Lord.

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Brother Hernandez and his wife raised their children in Warren, Arkansas and sent them to school. Sister Hernández was always a faithful companion of Brother Hernández, supporting him in the ministry and always supporting the students with scholarships and advice. Sister Elda had her restaurant, "Dona Elda's", and later had a pine tree plantation company, "Growing Quality", for 7 years with other partners.

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In 1996, the Hernández, in the company of other Christian brothers, founded the First Hispanic Baptist Church in Hermitage, Arkansas where they served until 2020 when they went to the presence of the Lord.

 

The Lord continues to work in Hermitage, Arkansas.