What does your job involve?
Coordinating the staff and overseeing the business functions of church operations.
Where were your born and raised?
I was born in Hialeah, Florida, and moved to Orlando when I was in the second grade when my dad, Rafael, came on staff at First Orlando in 1969.
What did you dad do here?
He was the minister of weekday activities and did that until about 1975. He was here when the Hippie movement was really big in Central Florida. He helped start a coffee shop, a thrift shop and what is our current CEC program. At the time, it was called Children’s World and began at about the time Disney World came to Florida. It was a childcare program. He also started a Spanish-interpretation ministry for the worship services.
Where is your dad from?
Cuba.
How large is the family you grew up in?
I have two brothers and a sister. I am the second oldest.
When and how did you come to know Christ?
I came to know the Lord when I was six years old under my dad’s preaching at Perrine Baptist Center, a mission center for the Mexican migrant community in Miami. The center was a part of FBC Perrine.
Because you have a light complexion, it would surprise people to learn that you were raised in a Spanish-speaking church.
My mother is from South Carolina, but does not have a light complexion. Believe it or not, fair skin actually goes back several generations on the Cuban side.
What was the first job you ever had?
The first job I ever had was at Publix at Orange and Michigan Avenues when I was 16. I was a bagboy.
Where did you go to college?
I started off at Stetson College, then transferred to Valencia Community College, where I got my A.A. I then went to UCF and got my bachelor’s degree in Education with an emphasis in science and physical education. I then got my Master’s of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
When and to whom did you marry?
I married Betsy Henry (daughter of First Orlando Pastor Emeritus Jim Henry) in 1983. We met here at church and pretty much dated all through high school and up until we got married.
How many children do you have?
Three sons.
How did you get into ministry?
Back in the late ‘70s or early ‘80s, our Student Pastor, Rick Blythe, gave me opportunities to serve. Actually, he called on me to serve when I was about 16 or 17. He came to me and said, “Danny, I need help with some things, will you help me?” Doing that really began to expose gifts that I had and began to use.
Have you ever done any long- or short-term missionary trips?
When I was a kid, I did several with my parents. We went to Mexico and Ecuador. Also, all throughout my time in the Student Ministry we went on different trips, including Pennsylvania and North Carolina. As an adult, my life has involved so much travel that I generally take my mission time at home.
Where else have you served?
I was on the staff here at First Orlando as an intern for four years. Also, I served at Roseland Park Baptist Church in Picayune, Mississippi, and at First Baptist Church of New Port Richey, Florida. I then became the executive director at David Ring Ministries for almost 10 years. I then started doing the same thing for various itinerant ministries. Some were music ministries, some speaking ministries. I call it “ministry management.” I basically handle the business side of ministries. To me, I don’t have a conflict between the ministry side and funding side of things. I’ve seen a lot of great ministries that didn’t focus on the funding and they ended up not lasting very long. It’s not just the money side — it’s making things effective. I believe God sends us the opportunities and it’s our job to manage those opportunities. It’s very much a matter of stewardship. That’s been my role everywhere I’ve been.
Have you done any non-ministry work?
I worked for about three years at an insurance agency here in Central Florida. That gave me the opportunity to spend time with my boys and spend a lot of time being involved in their lives. Most recently, I worked with a Christian tour operator, Templeton Tours. Maurice Templeton is a very good friend and has been a mentor to me for many years.
What brought you back to First Orlando?
Basically, Pastor David (Uth) called me. He told me that God impressed upon him that he needed someone who could lead people. We had not had a lot of interaction, but in the short time we were together, I think he saw that that is how God has gifted me. I don’t see myself as a leader of people, and the fact that other people identify that in me is a little bewildering. But if that’s how God wants to use me, then I’m happy to do it.
What was the turning point of your life?
Obviously, my family has had a huge impact on me. My parents were wonderful, godly people who instilled in us great biblical principles without making us bitter toward the things of Christ. A lot of preachers’ kids grow up angry, but my parents raised four great kids who went on to serve the Lord and are very involved in their churches. Besides that, I would have to say that it was Rick Blythe who really took a personal interest in me, and connected with me and called me to serve. That is what really set my course.
What are your most memorable ministry moments?
I call it a ministry experience, though it was not me doing something, but rather, me observing something. It’s been a great honor and thrill to be part of Brother Jim’s family and to watch him for the 28 years he was the pastor here. The greatest part of that was to watch him go through the personal struggle of saying it was time to transition (to a new calling). Other than his Lord and family, pastoring this church was his greatest love. But he loved obeying Christ even more. I feel very privileged to have been able to sit with him and watch his transition and see his obedience to Christ bring him greater joy than what had brought him the greatest joy for so many years. It taught me a lot about the journey of faith and how sometimes obedience is the highest calling. But watching him make tough, personal choices at what seemed was to his own detriment, was an amazing thing.
What do you like to do with your free time?
I enjoy just about everything. I enjoy running marathons and am addicted to it. I enjoy traveling with my wife and family. I also enjoy playing golf, riding Harleys and water sports.
If you weren’t in ministry, what would you be doing?
I could have sold insurance, been an attorney or even in sales.
What is your favorite Bible verse or portion?
I love the Old Testament. In seminary I had a professor named Dr. George Harrison — not the Beatle! On my second day of his class, he waltzed into the room with a copy of a report card, handed it to me and said, “I thought you might be interested in this.” It was Brother Jim’s Old Testament grade sheet from Georgetown College (in Kentucky). Dr. Harrison had also taught him. His class was very, very tough, but I took him every semester. Every day he read the passages of Scripture that he assigned to each of his classes alongside of the newspaper headlines of the day. He would then tell us that what separated the Bible from every great literary work is that any day you can read passages of the Scripture and they will relate to the front page of the newspaper. He livened our brains to the Scripture. So the Old Testament has always been fascinating to me. In fact, my three children are named after Old Testament people. I’m just intrigued by these people of faith, even though they were people just like us. My life verse is Philippians 3:10-11: “. . . that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
Is there something about you people would be surprised to learn?
That I’m part Cuban, was raised speaking Spanish and am bilingual. I’m not fluent enough to preach in Spanish, but am fluent enough to speak on the phone with someone and they don’t know that I’m not a full-blooded Cuban. My brothers and sisters all spoke Spanish to my dad and English to our mom and don’t have an accent in either language.