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TBHC to mark 500th adoption with ceremony
Texas Baptist Home for Children will soon mark its 500th adoption, TBHC President Jason Curry told the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Board during its August meeting in Grapevine. A special celebration focusing on adoptions is planned at TBHC’s Waxahachie headquarters on Nov. 16—just before Ellis County’s official Adoption Day recognition and two days before National Adoption Day on Nov. 18.
By the time of the November celebration, the actual 500th adoption will have already taken place, said Scott Arthur, TBHC development supervisor, who noted that the festivities will honor all the adoptive families thus far.
“We are celebrating numbers 1 to 500,” said Arthur, adding that the November event will also mark the kickoff of the “For the Future 500” campaign to take the organization forward.
—Texan staff
Wildfires, storms send SBTC DR crews into the field to serve
Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Disaster Relief feeding crews deployed in Jasper, preparing meals for first responders and the community following August’s Shearwood Creek wildfires. About a dozen SBTC DR volunteers from Hillcrest Baptist Church in Jasper met their community’s needs, producing 100-150 meals per day over a three-day period from Aug. 24-26.
Wildfires near the Panhandle town of Lefors, which caused the evacuation of that community and school district on Sept. 8, also prompted the deployment of the SBTC DR Quick Response Unit from Pampa to serve first responders and volunteers.
Two SBTC DR chainsaw crews deployed to Tennessee the week of Sept. 10, said Scottie Stice, SBTC DR director. The volunteers assisted survivors of summer windstorms in an ongoing recovery effort. A future deployment to Maui may also occur, but SBTC DR help has not been requested at this time.
Meanwhile, West Brownsville Baptist Church continues its border ministry, with volunteers preparing almost 3,400 meals supplied by SBTC DR in August. The gospel was presented 2,882 times that month with 631 professions of faith seen by Pastor Carlos Navarro and his church members.
—Jane Rodgers
Several Texans named to SBC Cooperation Group
NASHVILLE Addressing “things we have never done before” in the history of the Southern Baptist Convention will permeate discussions of those who will present a report next June that could reassert or redefine what constitutes a church to be in friendly cooperation with the SBC, said President Bart Barber.
A 20-member Cooperation Group was named by Barber in September and came about from a motion at the 2023 SBC Annual Meeting in New Orleans that placed the group’s formation in Barber’s hands. Jared Wellman, pastor of Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington, will serve as chair.
Other members include Matt Henslee – associational missionary, Collins Baptist Association in McKinney; Jason Paredes, lead pastor, Fielder Church in Arlington; Jim Richards, executive director emeritus, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention; and Juan Sanchez, senior pastor, High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin. Tony Wolfe, executive director-treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention who formerly served as the SBTC’s associate executive director, will also serve on the group.
—Baptist Press
Move Conference attracts growing number of young adults
McALLEN BT Church hosted its third annual Move Conference on Aug. 25-26. More than 200 young adults attended—an increase of 40 percent from last year. The aim of the conference is to help adults ages 18-29 navigate life’s big challenges.
Guest speakers and breakout leaders focused on topics including discipleship, faith in the workplace, mental health, finances, career mapping, social media as ministry, and studying Scripture. One breakout session offered resume-building and interview tips, while another focused on spiritual disciplines and practices.
“I really believe this year we were challenged and encouraged to pursue Jesus to experience holiness more realistically,” said a conferencegoer named Angelo. “I definitely left refreshed and excited to seek out revival in my every day.”
“I wasn’t expecting the presence of the Lord to be there so quickly or be so strong, but Friday, as soon as worship started, I could feel Him and it was powerful,” added Jessica, another attendee.
—Jane Rodgers
Abilene church sees enrollment continue to rise at Christian academy
ABILENE When Abilene Classical Academy opened its third school year this fall at South Side Baptist Church, it did so with a growing number of students.
Enrollment at the school, which follows a three-day-a-week model and welcomes students pre-K through eighth grade, has swelled from 60 students to 125, said Blake White, South Side Baptist Church’s lead pastor. White said the school has its own 501c3 designation and is tuition-driven, but the church also gives support.
Article XII of the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 regarding education inspired the founding of Abilene Classical, White said. The school also met a local niche by being “robustly biblical” and “classically-oriented,” he added.
“We are coming alongside parents: Christ-centered, classical, collaborative,” White said.
—Jane Rodgers
