Here’s D.J. Gorena’s personal story: “My story begins way back in 1966 when I was born in Brownsville, Texas. My twin sister and I were the youngest of the children in my family. We have been in church all of our lives. But one day, while in a week long children’s Bible camp, I came to realize how fearful I was of being alone for the rest of my life. I was only 9 years old, but even at that age I felt so alone. My cousin Becky told me of a simple message that would help me never to feel that way again. She said: ‘If you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and if you believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.’ She also told me that in confessing Him and believing in Him that He would come and live in my life where I would never again have a fear of being alone. I thought of what she told me for a time, then I just could not refuse to believe in Him! He was the answer to my loneliness, even at the age of 9 years old.
“I’ve learned since then that my life counts for something not because of something that I have done, but because the Lord Jesus Christ gave to me eternal life. What an exciting time to live my life in the Lord Jesus Christ knowing that I have nothing to fear–not even fear itself!”
D.J. Gorena serves as the Senior Pastor of the Sagamore Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas and he subscribes to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 of the Southern Baptist Convention. His ministry objectives are:
- Exalt the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that we are to exalt Jesus as Savior to all who believe in His Person and Work for their salvation by preaching salvation in Christ alone, by grace alone, by faith alone. (John 1:1-18; Ephesians 1:7-12; 2:1-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:1-4)
- Reach the lost for Christ. We believe that we are to faithfully spread the Gospel of Christ through evangelistic opportunities to those around us. (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-18; Romans 10:14-21; 2 Corinthians 5:9-21; 2 Timothy 4:1-5)
- Disciple the saved.We believe that we are to disciple believers in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ by training them in the practical application of the Scriptures. (Matthew 26:24-27; John 15:1-8; 1 Peter 2:4-12)
- Train believers to do the work of the ministry.We believe every Christian is given a spiritual gift and should be trained to utilize their gifts to edify and encourage the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:7-16; 2 Timothy 3:10-17; Titus 1:5-16)
- Minister to families.We believe that each member of the family ought to be trained in their specific roles in order that the whole family may glorify God together. (1 Corinthians 7:1-40; Ephesians 5:1-6:4; Colossians 3:18-25; 1 Peter 3:1-7)
- Cooperate in missions locally, statewide and internationally.We believe we should support evangelistic missions by giving of our finances, our time and our efforts in going on missions. (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-18; Acts 1:4-8)
In addition, D.J. Gorena is a graduate of The Criswell College in Dallas, Texas. He is currently seeking a degree in English and Creative Writing from the Southern New Hampshire University. He has been married for 26 years to his wife, Cheryl, and is Elijah and Giovanni’s Dad. His twin sister, Denise, passed away on June 27, 2014–she was 47 years old. Although she is with the Lord Jesus Christ now, D.J. Gorena knows that he is still not alone but has a future with Denise and the Lord Jesus Christ. You can read D.J. Gorena’s sermon he preached at Denise’s memorial service by clicking here.
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D.J. Gorena 