History
Leslie M Gomez – Music Missionary
Leslie has served in music ministry since May 1973. Born in San José, Costa Rica. Since he has lived in the country, in Mexico and the United States, is bilingual and bicultural. Raised in a Christian since childhood, and has been active in evangelical churches (mostly Baptist) in several places. Receive Christ at 22 years of age, when at the same time gives his life to Christian service and music ministry. His parents began to study piano at the age of nine years, and there he discovered his aptitude for music. In April 1976 he married Claudia Japp, who was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and raised in San Diego, California. In 1984 born his son, Gabriel Marcos. In January 1985, Leslie was ordained in El Paso, Texas. Years later, adopted a newborn daughter, Lydia, Esther, in Mexico City. From 1989 he was appointed and sent to Mexico by Pan American Missions Inc.
Academic Preparation in Music and in Ministry
1970-1972 Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles, CA
Associate of Arts degree (Music major), June 1972
1973-1975 California Baptist University, Riverside, CA
Bachelor or Arts degree (Music major, piano performance), May 1975
1975-1978 Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX
Master of Music degree, History major, July 1978
1978-1984 Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX
Doctor of Musical Arts degree, History major, May 1984
Experiences in Ministry:
1979-1989 Casa Bautista de Publicaciones en El Paso, Texas
Title: Associate Director of Music
Responsible for the development and promotion of publications and recordings of Spanish music
Supervises and coordinates the stages of editorial development for new music
Creating products and compiles musical material by composers in Latin America.
Works as arranger and producer of recordings for various projects.
Works with local churches to test musical compilations before being published.
Joins the team that produces and publishes the quarterly magazine Prelude – Music & Worship
Traveling abroad to carry out the recently released product promotion
Contributes in the development of production accompanied by various complementary products such as: book of printed music, CD or cassette recording of the entire volume, CD track, CD rehearsal tapes for each voice part
1989 to present – Missionary in Mexico
Sent to Mexico by Pan American Missions Inc. along with his wife Claudia and son Gabriel.
Seek and take full advantage of opportunities for ministry through music and aim at evangelistic outreach.
• Founded the label “Pan American Music Ministry” in order to develop Christian music products, such as printed choral music, and its companion audio products. These are intended for distribution in Mexico but reach the market in the U.S. and Latin America
• Leslie is frequently invited as a conference speaker and lecturer in Mexico and in Latin America.
1990 The home church were the Gomez family settled had a congregation of approximately 300
Starting September Leslie was offered the leadership of the choir that had approximately 30 members.
1991 The church gathered for morning and evening worship.
At that time the worship was of traditional in style
Starting February 1991, we saw the need for two morning worship services due to incresing numbers.
1992 PSALM 133 for choir and orchestra is published, and premiered in San Juan, Puerto Rico”
“El Coro Canta” is published and recorded
Leslie forms the “CEUEM” (Choral Evangelical Union of the State of Mexico). It brings folks from various churches and denominations that participate in the “Family Festival” featuring keynote evangelist Luis Palau
Christmas concert “Eternal Light.” This is where we realize we can no longer continue doing large events in the current church site with a maximum capacity of 400. We had a larger than expected crowd and three concerts were done that afternoon and evening.
1993 Leslie formed a vocal ensemble (a hand-picked group), and called it “Remnant”. It became the core group for recording projects.
April = tour to Havana, Cuba with the vocal group Remnant
November = “El Coro Canta II is published and recorded
December = First Concert Pageant for choir and orchestra. Two back-to-back concerts with a total attendance of 3,200
1994 Leslie Gomez takes a leave of absence and accepts an invitation to head the music ministry at Bryant Street Baptist Church in Yucaipa, CA
1995 Pastor Luis Gabriel César restructures leadership: each of five main ministries of the church are now assigned to one “minister.” Leslie Gomez returns to Mexico (January) and was appointed Minister of Worship at PIB Satelite.
July = “El Vino a Mi” (He Came to Us) is published and recorded
May = a graded choir program focusing on children begins. We start out with 40 children.
We begin occasional “prayer vigils” which draws a significant crowd. This is a refreshing blessing to the church
September = Leslie Gomez invited Juan Carlos Albavera to join us and start a Christian music school
The congregation continues to grow and so we begin to hold three services on Sundays. We chose to go the contemporary style with one of the three services.
We present the “El Vino a Mi” concert, choir and orchestra at the Forum Felipe Villanueva. Three concerts are done that day with a total attendance of 3,400 and it is estimated that 300 people came forward to accept Christ as Savior and Lord.
1996 We begin to hold our larger community outreach events at the Salon Coronado with holds a larger capacity.
February = We officially started the “Escuela Cristiana de Musica” (Christian Music School) with 90 students
Aug = we hold a II Festival of Music and Worship at PIB Satelite. Edgar Cajas is our special guest.
Sep = We expand the age limit and we now offer music classes for children at the music school
Sep = We publish and record “Dios Con Nosotros (God With Us) with permission from Integrity Music.
Nov = We publish, record and premiere “Ve, Jonas, a Ninive” (Go, Go, Jonah) for children
1997 Jan = Wwe celebrate the churh’s 25th Anniversary. We have 2,000 attend and we use the “God With Us” musical production.
We publish and record “La Verdad Si Funciona” (Truth Works) for children
Jul = Our Children’s Choir does a concert tour to Puebla and Jalapa, Veracruz (featuring Truth Works)
We also have the God With Us concert with 125 voices and orchestra
Sep = Due to larger attendance at Sunday worship, we begin to hold four services, 90 minutes apart: 8.30, 10.00, 11.30 a.m and 1. 00 p.m. and we now have three praise groups.
Nov = Youth choir does an outstanding job with their production called “Esperar” (Wait)
Nov = our radio program begins which we call “Vision 2000″ at the 1440 AM station. The broadcast reaches the Mexico City metroplex. We offer counseling to those calling in at the station.
December = children’s choir present a Christmas concert for “Grupo Ideal”, with 1,200 attending, the crowd is mainly non-Christian.
We publish and record “Luz Eterna” (Evelasting Light)
We do two Christmas concerts with the CEUEM choir and orchestra. About 3,500 people attended. The highlight is that for the first time the program was broadcast live to most of Latin America with the collaboration of “Enlace” (Christian television network in Spanish).
1998 Easter Sunday — We do the “God with Us” with choir and orchestra in Tlalnepantla.
We publish and record “Nicodemo en la Noche” (Nick at Night) for children.
Sep = Due to legal problems, we see the need to relocate our office space
“El Fruto del Espiritu” (Inside Out) is published and recorded
Dec = We are fortunate to do our Christmas concert at the Cine Premier (concert hall equipped for major broadcasted events in the metroplex). We again do a professionally televised production and are able to transmit via satellite to most of Latin America. We hold two live concert with an attendance of 3,000 and close to 300 people receive Christ as Savior and Lord at Cine Premier.
2000 Feb = Leslie’s pianos arrangements “Selah II” are published and recorded
Mar = Leslie travels to Brazil to attend and participate in a worship conference in Rio de Janeiro in Latin America.
Sep = Trip to Havana, Cuba to participate in the annual music conference of the Baptist convention in the country.
= Trip to Merida, Yucatan in November to attend the Baptist seminary graduation. Leslie was commissioned to compose a song for the occasion entitled “The Coming of the Son of Man.”
2001 January = We begin to use Ministry of Drama in our worship services, using entirely original scripts.
July = Leslie is invited conductor of the closing concert of the IV International Choir Festival
Travel to Guatemala city to conduct and participate with an International Choir Festival (choirs from different countries, accompanied by an orchestra of 40 professional musicians from Guatemala.
Sep = We begin a fifth worship service to reach unsaved people (a “seeker sensitive” service on Saturday mornings
December = New publication and premiering of “Paz a los Hombres (We Will Know Peace)
December = conduct a select choral group to accompany Steve Green concert in Mexico
2002 Jan = we hold a 30th anniversary for the church at Lancaster Hotel with special music
February = The church choir’s tour to the state of Veracruz
Mar = We begin to hold outreach breakfast events on Saturday mornings with great results.
May = we start a new vocal/choral group of teenagers (ages 12-15)
Aug = We premiere a new publication entitled “DIOS EN NOSOTROS (GOD IN U.S). for a meeting of leaders from all across Mexico.
2003 Feb = (23 Feb) we graduate a first generation of students in our music school and it includes a big concert, choir and orchestra made up of students.
Abr = we hold a series of Easter week events in the new Holiday Inn Hotel Tlalnepantla: Thursday and Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Sunday three services with a total attendance of 5,237. Many people receive Christ as Savior and Lord.
May = Leslie celebrates thirty years of ministry.
Aug = We hold a major event and the congregation at an old hacienda that we would like to purchase “Hacienda San Miguel” attended by close to 3,000.
2004 20th and 27th of March, will have four private shows of of the Mel Gibson production “Passion of Christ” at the Mundo E Cinemex. Again, we have a great turn out, thousands of people and the gospel is presented, followed by an “altar call” if one can call it that at a theater. Many people come to the Lord.
Mar = Given the great number of people that have responded and attended our recent events, we begin a sixth worship service every weekend. This is exhausting, but sense a great deal of spiritual victory. Abr = we hold special outreach events at the Holiday Inn Tlalnepantla for Easter week.
June 27 = will have worship and a concert EXPERIENCING GOD, with choir and orchestra (Hotel Lancaster’s auditorium), attended by 1740.
2005 Leslie plans to introduce the Ministry of Continental Singers, the plan is to have its permanent presence in Mexico and form a group made up of Mexican youth for this worldwide ministry.
Aug = Leslie works with Gateway Church, El Cajon, CA coordinating a mission trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. We ministered in slum areas and orphanages and held events to reach children.
Nov = The Gomez bid farewell to Mexico and go to San Diego, CA to start the tedious process of residency requirements for Lydia with the U.S. Immigration. Another concern is to start a retirement plan that the Gomez family has never had.
2006 During this year, the Gomez family moves membership to Gateway Church in El Cajon, CA, and Leslie works as director of choirs at West Hills High School in Santee, CA
Claudia begins the arduous task of translating “Panorama Historico de la Biblia” (Historical Panorama of the Bible) into English (originally written in Spanish). Classes begin at Gateway Church.
2007 Jan 1 = Leslie and Claudia resign their post after16 years with Pan American Missions Inc.
Leslie is called full time to a church in Dallas, Cockrell Hill Baptist Church to serve the music ministry of two services in English and Spanish, respectively.
Leslie also initiates a city-wide chorus called the Coro Unido de las Iglesias en Dallas (Combined Spanish Choir for Churches in Dallas) which participates in local events
2008 Leslie is invited to teach music at Navarro College (community college). Also the Fine Arts Department at Dallas Baptist University calls on Leslie to teach a class in Ethnomusicology.
October = after years of red tape through adoption papers and immigration requirements, Lydia finally gets U.S. citizenship. This is a great triumph and joy, for Lydia now has the options in the future to study and live wherever the Lord leads.
2009 The economic downturn affects the finances at Cockrell Hill Baptist Church. Salary cuts and budget cuts limit the scope of the work.
2010 Cockrell Hill Baptist Church calls Porfirio Bas to come in view of a call as pastor for the Spanish service. Ed Pastor Cole continues as it has done, pasturing the English-speaking. A new generation of students graduates after completing the two years of the Historic Panorama of the Bible
PAM Missionary Focus Vol 1 Issue 1