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Raúl Torres, 55, once was a "big man" in his hometown of Juncos, Puerto Rico. A successful businessman, he owned a nice house, three cars, and a nightclub.

Today, he pastors Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispa–a in Elgin, Illinois, and his neighborhood knows him for his special table ministry. School children, juvenile offenders, and families in crisis turn to him when they need a listening ear or a straight answer.

Torres's life changed on January 24, 1982, when he attended an evangelistic rally in Juncos at the invitation of his sister. Torres had given up his father's Christianity years earlier. But at the service, he felt the Holy Spirit confront him.

During the invitation, Torres, in tears, came forward, followed by his wife Migdalia and their three boys. Yearning for inner peace, he stopped pursuing money and started following Jesus.

"I learned money is not happiness," he says.

As he became more active in a local church, his pastor encouraged him to go to seminary. In 1986, he moved from Puerto Rico to the Chicago area to attend Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. After graduating, the American Baptist Church/USA called him to start a church in Elgin, and he became involved with the community in a number of ongoing ways.

Torres tells his life story at public school assemblies and works with young prisoners. For the past six years, he has volunteered as a community chaplain with the Elgin Police Department. John Deck, senior police chaplain, describes Torres as a "peace maker. He's very compassionate and soft-spoken." When Deck hears of a crisis involving a Spanish-speaking family, he's quick to call Torres.

Wherever Torres goes, he sits down with people around a table, and discusses their problems before giving biblical counsel.

"The table is the centerpiece of all my ministry," he says. Torres's table ministry is fruitful, as Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispa–a today averages 140 for Sunday worship.

Torres is once again a big man, but now he's not working for material wealth, but heavenly riches.

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