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After seasons of adversity, FBC Vidor cuts ribbon on recovery center for women
T
he story of the Women’s Care Center, a ministry of First Baptist Church of Vidor and its non-profit partner, Main Street Ministries, is one of perseverance and faithful pursuit.
When the ceremonial ribbon was cut in front of the center on June 4, it marked the latest point on a timeline that stretches back more than a decade. That chronology includes two historic storms, a global pandemic, and more God moments than one can count.
But first, the specifics: the center will provide a safe, sober-living environment that can house up to 10 to 12 women at a time. Those women will spend their days working through a 12-step recovery program to help with substance abuse issues, receiving support, guidance, and Biblical counseling, and—most importantly—hearing the saving message of Jesus Christ.
During a ceremony at the church prior to the ribbon cutting, FBC Vidor Pastor Terry Wright challenged his congregation to commit to loving and serving the women God will bring to the center. “Lord,” he prayed, “we commit to having the compassion you have, the love you have, and the desire you have to see lives changed.”
About 13 years ago, Wright was invited by Nathan Lorick, SBTC’s evangelism director at the time who now serves as its executive director, to join a group of pastors on a vision trip to Florida. The group visited First Baptist Church of Leesburg and its pastor, Charles Roesel, who led the church to start a number of ministries aimed at meeting practical needs that would open doors to sharing the gospel in the community. Among those ministries was a women’s shelter funded partially by a thrift store.
Upon returning home from the trip, Wright challenged leaders in his church and at Main Street Ministries to pray about starting a similar ministry to serve not only Vidor, but Southeast Texas and beyond. The church already owned a 12,000-square-foot building donated by James Moore, a deacon from nearby First Baptist Church of Groves, who gave an additional $65,000 to help renovate the building for ministry purposes. Soon after, God began to provide leadership to start a center for women, and a thrift store was opened to help provide funding.
Progress, however, was halted in 2017 with the arrival of Hurricane Harvey, which put more than half of the city of Vidor under water. In 2019, work was slowed by Tropical Storm Imelda, and the following year brought the COVID-19 pandemic that once again hindered efforts to open the center. A rare freeze in 2021 caused pipes to burst in the building that would house the center, leading to yet another remodeling project.
“It just seemed like there were so many catastrophes, but God is so good in His timing. He always sees the big picture, and His timing is perfect.”
“It just seemed like there were so many catastrophes,” said Cara Freeman, FBC Vidor’s director of women’s ministry, “but God is so good in His timing. He always sees the big picture, and His timing is perfect.”
What felt like discouraging delays at the time opened other doors of opportunity, including allowing time for the hiring of Women’s Care Center Program Director Gena Rogers. Rogers’ personal testimony includes watching family members struggle with substance abuse. She will be joined at the center by a couple of other employees, as well as volunteers from the church who will be called upon to minister to the women who come to the center.
“We pray that God uses the Women’s Care Center to change the lives of women and their families,” Rogers said. “We want them to have a personal relationship with God and give Him all the glory.”
