September 25, 2023
Julio Guarneri, Executive Director-elect of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT), visited East Texas Baptist University on Monday, September 25, to deliver a special message during the weekly chapel service in Baker Chapel at the Rogers Spiritual Life Center. Guarneri, the lead pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen and first Hispanic individual to serve as executive director for the BGCT, challenged the campus community to reclaim the insurmountable peace only found through faith in Christ.
“The struggle for peace is real,” Guarneri said. “College students need peace. We all need peace. Our world needs peace. And the Bible tells us that peace is a product of the Spirit, and peace comes to us when the Spirit is in control of our lives. It’s not something we produce or fabricate. It is something that God alone gives to us.”
A devoted servant of the Baptist faith, Guarneri is known for being driven by the Great Commission and holds a passionate commitment to empowering missionally-minded churches. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Thomas Sanders introduced Guarneri to the campus community at the start of the chapel service and shared his excitement about hearing him give the morning address.
“Some of you are going to serve in churches and in leadership roles on church staffs within the Baptist General Convention of Texas,” Sanders said. “And you’re going to have years of opportunities to work alongside Dr. Guarneri as he helps lead our churches. The thing that excites me the most, and the reason that we invited him to be here today, is his strong commitment to discipleship, evangelism, and leading churches.”
At the close of his chapel address, Guarneri offered a reminder from Paul’s final exhortations in Philippians 4:8-9.
“Above all, we must remember that peace is the fruit of the Spirit,” Guarneri said. “It is the product of the Spirit of God being in control. When you trust God—when you let the Spirit be in charge, not only will you get peace, you’ll have the God of peace to be with you. What an incredible promise.”