JAM Newsletter: Jerry Ramirez

Briefly describe your call to ministry:

In August 1986, I was still working on wrapping up plans on attending college and I was not 100% sure where I would end up for my college years. I was attending Sunday night church, nothing special just an old Sunday night church service. During the invitation, the Lord confirmed for me what he had been doing the entire summer, I was just a little slow. I remember the prompting of the Holy Spirit when He was calling me to salvation and that August evening my call to ministry was just a plain. I am grateful that the Lord made it clear for me, just in case I thought He was kidding.  

Why did you choose HPU?

After attending Wayland Baptist University for a semester, I quickly realized that Wayland was not the place for me. I attended New Mexico Junior College and Odessa College, and my parents encouraged me to move on and to get serious about my education. I had a close friend that was attending HPU and with the help of my parents, that is how I ended up at HPU.  

How has Howard Payne shaped your ministry? 

The people that I met during my time at Howard Payne from professors, classmates or friends in the community have shaped my ministry. The Lord has used these relationships to open ministry doors for me. Another benefit for me was during my time as a member of my local Brownwood church. This led to my first full-time ministry position at the Coggin Avenue Baptist Church. Since I had the privilege of serving at CABC for several years, I was able to meet many other students that came through HPU. One of my greatest relationships was a professor of mine at HPU, Dr. Robert L. Smith. I had the joy of living with Dr. Smith and his wife, Ethelyn. One of the greatest lessons I learned from time with the Smiths was generosity. I saw it lived out firsthand. Today, I still treasure many of the relationships from my Brownwood and HPU days.  

What is it like serving together on staff with other HPU alums? 

I love it! I knew Justin as a high school student here in Lubbock and he served as an intern with me when I was the youth pastor here at FBC. When he decided to do his master’s at HPU, I was excited. I met Evan when he came as our youth pastor five years ago. I was excited to have another Yellow Jacket on staff with me. I had my gut full of working with guys who graduated from the Gold and Green school. There is a great bond when you are able to talk about the school where we received a graduation and when we talk about certain people who influenced our lives at HPU, it is not a stranger that we speak of when we talk to our fellow HPU colleagues. 

What would you say to a student considering studying ministry at HPU? 

You will love it. Brownwood is a great place to live and the people are incredible. You will not regret your decision!

What excites you most about your work?

Every day is different. I am excited about what I do and look forward to each day.

What has made a significant impact on how you do?

As a young person, I watched ministers at church to see what they did. It helped me see ministry as a career choice.