Dr. Hugh Redmon and his team are winning souls to Christ, one “hola” and “hello” at a time. Since 2012, some 50 to 200 Hispanic students gather on Tuesday evenings in Panama City to learn English. Volunteers from various churches run the faith-based education program from January through May, free of charge, except for a $25 workbook fee.
“We use English as a way to share the Gospel,” Hugh said. Many students filter in from the congregation of the First Hispanic Baptist Church of Panama City, which goes by “la Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana de Panama City,” on Facebook.
“Our English as a second language program is one of the largest in Bay County,” Hugh said. Both the language ministry and the Hispanic church congregation meet on the campus of the First Baptist Church of Panama City. The latter meets on Sundays at 12:30 p.m. and has up to 250 attendees from 16 countries.
“Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life, and nobody gets to the Father except by Jesus. There is no other way, only through Jesus,” said Rudy Quinonez, who came to Christ two years ago. Originally from Guatemala, he has been here for seven years and found the invitation to the language class on Facebook. He now plays bass guitar, sings in the musical praise team and is in charge of a weekly Bible study group with eight other people. They meet in homes of church members. “The church is my family,” he said.
The students break out into smaller groups on the church campus using interactive games and conversation to learn. Pedro Rodriguez was at his last class for the course and paused to comment. “I learned a lot. They explain well, and the games are engaging.” Originally from Venezuela, he is a construction worker here. “I work on Sundays, but hope to come to church.”
Marisa Travers, one of the volunteer teachers who has worked with English as a Second Language (ESL) in the school system for 30 years, has witnessed the fruits of the church’s language program. “Every semester I see four to five people coming to Jesus. They start coming to our church and say we are family for them.”
Pastor Hugh, also known as Hugo, the Hispanic form of his name, wanders the classes checking in with a contented smile. Even though he spearheads the Hispanic ministry, he is not of Hispanic descent. Still, he grew up in Costa Rica for 18 years, where his parents were missionaries. After graduating from seminary in the U.S., he served as a missionary in Venezuela for 30 years. “That’s how I came to love the Hispanic people,” Hugh said. He married a Venezuelan woman named Betsy in 2009. She earned a doctorate in Christian counseling and serves as worship leader in the church.
With a lifetime in ministry work behind him, Hugh plans to retire in three to four years. Still, he’s taking steps to ensure the continued success of the Hispanic ministry by developing Pastor Israel Urbina, the associate pastor, to take his place leading the Hispanic church services and overseeing the language program. Israel is originally from Peru and earned his master’s degree in theology. His wife and assistant, Evelyn Solis Urbina, also earned her master’s in theology.
The Urbinas will move the language classes and Hispanic services to the former site of Springfield Baptist Church. The building was demolished in 2022 after suffering heavy damage during Hurricane Michael in October 2018.
With Springfield Baptist’s congregation scattered to new churches, a handful of remaining members invited the Hispanic ministry to join theirs. They will soon have a permanent location instead of being an offshoot ministry that borrows space. Since April 2025, they have been officially the First Hispanic Baptist Church of Springfield, with Hugh as its pastor. Redmon points to building plans on his office wall. “We hope to break ground this fall,” he said. “This was a huge blessing to us.”
With the church and language classes having a reciprocal mission of winning souls and following Christ, he is pleased to see his legacy continue. “My passion is to share the Gospel across cultural boundaries. The Bible says before Jesus returns, the Gospel will be preached to all people.”
To learn more about the First Hispanic Baptist Church of Springfield, follow them on Facebook, or contact Hugh at hughredmon@gmail.com.
