Tag: Featured

Lives ‘forever changed’ as SBTC DR Ida response resumes

GOLDEN MEADOW, La.—“Blue tarps everywhere. Piles of debris that were once someone’s life. Houses moved off foundations, roofs torn off and laying in yards that are a block away from the original homes. Homes with walls missing, twisted metal that once was a carport or storage shed or someone’s mobile home.” So wrote Southern Baptists of Texas Disaster Relief volunteer Sue Robinson in late October of the lingering devastation from Hurricane Ida, which made landfall Aug. 29.

Robinson spent five weeks in the Bayou State, arriving in Alexandria with three other SBTC DR volunteers even before Ida struck, to help Louisiana Baptist DR establish a statewide response.

After weeks as an incident management team leader in the Alexandria area, Sue Robinson joined relief efforts in Golden Meadow, where teams from Texas and other states conducted feeding and recovery efforts until the end of October, when operations paused for lack of available volunteers from Texas and other state conventions.

Nov. 7 saw a resumption of that work with Baptist DR recovery teams from the Kansas-Nebraska convention and First Baptist Pflugerville arriving, supported by a feeding team from the Pflugerville church. Other DR volunteers on site include a shower/laundry unit manned by volunteers from Calvary Baptist of Beaumont.

Another SBTC DR recovery crew is scheduled to rotate in Nov. 14 as teams try to complete the remaining 36 job requests from survivors.

The Golden Meadow deployment has been fruitful. Scottie Stice, SBTC DR director, praised not only the volunteer DR crews but also First Baptist Church of Golden Meadow for its outreach to the community.

“The church, under Pastor Matt Chouest, has done a tremendous job of serving the community from the beginning,” Stice told the TEXAN.

A large distribution center located in church facilities served as a clearinghouse for supplies for folks in need who did “drive-thru shopping,” giving their lists to church volunteers. Church members gathered the needed items from the organized stockpile and loaded goods into cars, a system geared for efficiency and to maintain COVID protocols, Stice explained. The distribution has been scaled back as needs have decreased.

COVID protocols have been observed during the entire Ida deployment, Stice confirmed, noting that SBTC DR teams had ministered in 17 different during the Ida crisis.

In addition to the lengthy Golden Meadow deployment, SBTC DR crews have served in the following locations and capacities: incident management at Forest Hill near Alexandria; laundry and/or shower support at West Monroe, Denham Springs, Minden, Gonzales; mass and quick response feeding at Denham Springs, Gonzales, Houma and Jean Lafitte; recovery work at Hammond and Morgan City. SBTC DR has also rented or provided equipment as needed in New Orleans, Ponchatoula, Jean Lafitte and Houma.

The area near Golden Meadow is scenic, despite the reminders of the recent storm. Shrimpers cast their nets along the nearby intercoastal waterway. The beauty is beyond the physical, however, as many in that area of the Bayou State have trusted Christ as Savior or renewed their faith through prayer with Baptist chaplains and DR volunteers.

“There were seven salvations the week I was there,” Stice said.

“Lives are forever changed,” Sue Robinson affirmed on Facebook.

“Many unsaved survivors both saw and were told of Jesus’ wonderful grace and mercy, with several accepting him as their Savior and Lord,” SBTC DR volunteer Joe Hartness also posted on Facebook. “And isn’t this what we’re about, fellow volunteers? Sharing Christ’s amazing love.”

SBTC DR Ida response as of Nov. 1

Volunteer Days

Volunteer Hours

Meals Prepared/Served

Spiritual Contacts

Professions of Faith

Richards, Lorick to address Annual Meeting on Day 1

FLINT—The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Annual Meeting kicks off today at Flint Baptist Church on the outskirts of Tyler.

Among the highlights on today’s schedule will be the ceremonial passing of the torch from SBTC’s first executive director, Dr. Jim Richards, to his successor, Dr. Nathan Lorick. A recognition dinner for Dr. Richards and his wife, June, will be held at 4:45 p.m. Richards will then bring the Biblical Challenge sermon beginning at 7:20 p.m.

Lorick will address the meeting with a Biblical Challenge at 8:15 p.m., and he and his wife, Jenna, will greet attendees at a come-and-go welcome reception at 9 p.m. (immediately following the evening session).

Registration information

Pre-registration ends at noon today. Messengers are encouraged to call their church office to be registered as a messenger. Registration will also continue onsite throughout the Annual Meeting.

Those unable to attend the Annual Meeting in person can follow the main sessions by watching the live stream provided online. Registration is required.

Tell us your stories!

Make sure to check out the SBTC and the Texan on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram for powerful stories, live tweets and up-to-date info from the Annual Meeting.

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If you are an individual or church leader and have a story you want to tell, you can use the hashtag #sbtcAM21 or submit info using this link.

Texan campaign invites churches, individuals to share testimonies

Scripture instructs “the redeemed of the Lord to say so” (Psalm 107:2). The Texan is giving Southern Baptists of Texas Convention churches and individuals a way to “say so” in a way that will be heard across the State of Texas and beyond.

The Texan has unveiled a campaign called “What’s your story?” on its digital and print platforms. Using a form on its website, the Texan is offering churches and individual followers of Christ a chance to share what God has done or is currently doing in their lives.

Texan Editor Jayson Larson, who joined the SBTC in September, said one of his mandates is to tell the stories of what God is doing throughout the convention’s nearly 2,700 churches. Yet the idea of sharing testimonies, he said, is often misunderstood and, in turn, becomes a major part of worship that goes missing in our conversations and gatherings.

“As a church member and, later, as a pastor, I’ve heard so many followers of Jesus say they don’t really have an ‘interesting’ testimony, so they simply don’t share them,” Larson said. “The truth is, if you are in Christ and he is in you, you have a story to tell. So it’s exciting that the Lord might use the Texan as a bullhorn for believers across Texas to tell their stories and shine a light on what he is doing in their lives and in their churches.”

Church leaders and individuals interested in sharing what God is doing are encouraged to click the “What’s your story?” logo on the homepage of Texan.Digital and fill out the form, including contact information. A Texan representative will follow up with each person who provides information, which could then be used in either the print or online editions of the Texan.

So what’s your story?

Mabank church goes from gift to giver for God’s glory

MABANK—Grace Community Church enthusiastically voted recently to forward 15 percent of a significant monetary gift to missions, demonstrating by faith that God is able to supply their needs when they are generous to others.

The giver? According to Pastor Michael Cooper, someone who occasionally attends the church but isn’t a member and who “believes in what God is doing at Grace Community Church” handed a large undesignated check to him after a worship service.

Cooper said he immediately recognized the gift as a “direct answer to prayer” because the church of about 150 people is at maximum capacity in its current worship space and has been praying about next steps.

Before considering a new building, though, the church was motivated by the principles of Scripture to give generously, Cooper said.

With 2 Corinthians 9:8-15 as their guide, the church voted—no questions asked—to forward 6 percent to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, 5 percent to the Kauf Van Baptist Association, 2 percent to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions, and 2 percent to other missions and ministries supported directly by the church.

The total amount forwarded is larger than the church’s annual budget was when Cooper became pastor eight years ago.

When Cooper placed the recommendation on the screen at the church business meeting, the “sheer excitement of our folks” was “palpable,” he said. “Before I could make the motion, people were already giving seconds and saying, ‘Let’s do this. What are we waiting for?’”

After being diligent to give to others, Grace Community’s building committee is researching the costs of constructing a new worship center, believing the gift is a “green light” from God to proceed. The church property straddles three counties, Cooper said, and is strategically located to serve a booming population.

“What was given was actually over the number that I had in mind to start our initial building project,” Cooper said. “We can legitimately right now start pouring concrete.”

The pastor chose to keep the gift amount confidential for publication and said, “Our people are still talking about it a few weeks after, saying they’ve never been part of a local church that loves missions to the extent that we do and actually puts that into practice.”

Give & Go: Garland church’s partnership with IMB underscores the “why” of giving to Lottie Moon offering

The stories got Lee Varnado’s heart pumping.

The visiting International Mission Board missionaries told of their work discipling new believers and paving the way to start new churches. It didn’t sound like an easy task, but the engineer couldn’t help but get excited and yearned to go.

Varnado watched as members of his church, North Garland Baptist Fellowship, rose to the task of partnering with the IMB missionaries. He heard more stories as the church sent one, two and even three different teams overseas to minister. The stories were a little different in the physical tasks the short-term missionaries from North Garland told, but the essence was always the same: “God is working in amazing ways!”

Finally, the day came for Varnado to minister in Ecuador and see the benefits of churches partnering with IMB missionaries firsthand.

“Before we even arrived, we were part of their strategy for bringing the gospel to an unreached people group,” Varnado said, explaining they underwent months of preparation for their assigned tasks. “As soon as our feet hit the ground, they had us plugged in and being productive.

“This was no vacation or missionaries carting us around like tourists. It was missions in its purest form—believers working together to share Christ’s redeeming love.”

North Garland is no stranger to partnering with IMB missionaries. The church has struck up partnerships in all corners of the globe. Barry Calhoun, North Garland’s director of missions and support ministry, said it was a way to help them become more “holistic” in ministry by praying for those who have not heard about the saving grace of Jesus Christ, giving to missions through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering which supports the very missionaries they partner with and sending laborers to the nations.

"The IMB knows how to take a people group from unreached to reached, so we just hopped on their wheel instead of reinventing it."

Barry Calhoun, North Garland Baptist Fellowship Tweet

Rather than reinvent the wheel on “going to the nations,” North Garland joined the IMB in its work. Their missionaries were already trained, knew the language, established relationships and had strategies that involved how to enter a ministry in a specific country and how to exit, leaving the work to local believers. Calhoun said this “entry-exit” plan was one of the most appealing aspects because they didn’t want to create something that would be dependent on them but something reproducible by locals.

“I can’t imagine trying to figure all of that out on our own. The IMB knows how to take a people group from unreached to reached, so we just hopped on their wheel instead of reinventing it,” Calhoun said.

by the numbers

Through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, Southern Baptists have given more than $5 billion to international missions yielding:

new missionaries

new Churches

people baptized

new believers

heard the gospel

The partnerships look different in each place and even from visit to visit. Varnado’s team was made up of professionals who taught workplace skills. The workshop was used as a way to gain trust in a new community. Another partnership in Sub-Saharan Africa involved sending church member George West to live onsite with missionaries for two months in Madagascar. The semi-retired judge house-sat another missionary’s home and lived within walking distance of the church’s partner. He worked in conjunction with local believers in going door-to-door to share the “Creation to Christ” stories. West walked around the community with a translator visiting and sharing while two local believers walked the countryside.

“Because I had been to this location many times to minister, our partner had confidence to send me out with a translator. He didn’t need to babysit every day. He trained me on what was needed and set us loose,” West said.

The judge acknowledged that he benefited from the relationships already established by their IMB partner and the numerous trips North Garland made to this community. He and the translator were welcomed into homes for the sole purpose of listening to the stories of God.

“Having a person onsite like this is important. They know where to go and where not to go,” West said. “They pass on relationships to you. They have a vision and a strategy. I was blessed to be one small part of the bigger picture of reaching this people group with the gospel.”

The Good, the Bad & the Gospel

Ministering in a hurricane zone is an exhausting – but rewarding – calling

As hurricane season nears each year, many pastors—especially those in the storm-prone Golden Triangle of Texas—watch weather reports with a mix of angst and awe: will their churches and communities be spared, or will the next hurricane deliver yet another gut punch from the Gulf of Mexico, leaving their congregations and neighborhoods reeling?

It takes a special person to be a disaster pastor.

Theological training isn’t enough. One must know how to mobilize volunteers, marshal resources … and sometimes man a chainsaw, mud out a flooded home or operate a ham radio.

Daniel White of First Baptist Church Kountze and Terry Wright of First Baptist Church Vidor are just two of hundreds of Southeast Texas pastors who know firsthand about the human and spiritual challenges of living—and ministering—in a hurricane zone.

A DR whirlwind

The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season is just about over—it begins June 1 and lasts through the end of November. Its arrival each year sets into motion a train of thinking and a posture of preparation for pastors that can leave their minds swirling.

“Your mind just starts going through what you need to do,” White said. “What preparations do we need to make? Who is evacuating from among the congregation? Whose home will need to be checked on? Which church members have generators?”

It can be overwhelming, said White, a long-time Southern Baptists of Texas Disaster Relief volunteer who also became a part-time SBTC DR associate in 2015.

Involvement in disaster relief has characterized White’s pastoral career for the last 15 years. While pastoring First Baptist Eagle Pass in 2006, he was recruited by Scottie Stice, then director of missions of the Del Rio-Uvalde Baptist Association, to use his ham radio skills to run communications for SBTC DR.

White quickly trained to become a credentialed SBTC DR volunteer.

“There are other groups out there doing DR, but very few can minister in the way that we do,” White said. “Very few are sharing the gospel.”

He got a chance to employ his DR skills sooner than expected when a tornado hit Eagle Pass within a month of his training. Immediately, he phoned Stice and then SBTC DR Director Jim Richardson, both attending the National SBDR Roundtable in Alabama. Stice and Richardson hopped a plane back to Texas to arrange for help for Eagle Pass and Mexico, also hit hard by the twister.

“It’s been a whirlwind ever since,” White said.

First Baptist Eagle Pass opened its doors to hundreds of SBDR volunteers following the tornado: mass feeding crews and recovery teams, all of whom ministered on both sides of the Rio Grande.

“There were cots and sleeping bags everywhere. One volunteer even slept in the baptistry,” White recalled.

“Daniel’s churches always serve as ministry centers for us,” Stice, SBTC DR director, said. “They open their doors whenever we need a staging area or facilities.”

First Baptist Kountze: above the storm

Tornadoes may be rare in Eagle Pass, but hurricanes and floods are common in Southeast Texas, as White found out soon after assuming the pulpit at First Baptist Kountze in November 2015. A major storm system dumped record rainfall, causing flooding in Lumberton and Deweyville. FBC Kountze, located 25 miles north of Beaumont, opened its doors as a staging ground for relief efforts.

Then came Harvey in 2016, which pummeled Aransas Pass and the Gulf Coast with damaging winds and days of torrential rain which stalled over Houston before moving to the Golden Triangle.

Although out of Harvey’s path, FBC Kountze became, at the county’s request, “a shelter of last resort,” a respite stop for evacuees awaiting transport to larger shelters.

They came. And they stayed, as many as 60-70 at the height of the crisis.

So what does a small church do when faced with such a daunting task?

Said White: “The best we could.”

They wrangled cots and accepted donated food from grocery stores and restaurants. Volunteers from the church and other congregations came to cook. “We made it happen,” White said. The fact that FBC Kountze had established SBTC DR teams in place helped.

When most evacuees cleared out after a week, White and the congregation still fixed meals for those remaining and for first responders.

“When disaster happens, the community can rely on us. Our involvement gives us a good image in the community. We have a witness and a testimony. Sometimes people get involved in our church who might not otherwise.”

Daniel White of First Baptist Church Kountze Tweet

“When disaster happens, the community can rely on us,” White said. “Our involvement gives us a good image in the community. We have a witness and a testimony. Sometimes people get involved in our church who might not otherwise.”

First Baptist Vidor: a tale of four storms and a pandemic

A mixture of involvement with SBTC DR and Texas Relief/Rebuild is a hallmark of Pastor Terry Wright’s DR ministry at First Baptist Vidor. With four hurricanes in 14 years directly impacting his church, Wright understands the challenges of living through
disaster.

“Rita, Ike, Harvey, Imelda—four major hurricanes and seven smaller storms that caused some kind of response,” Wright said, summarizing the weather events affecting the church from 2005-2019.

Wright said Harvey was the worst by far. The Category 4 storm stretched resources thin across the region and damaged half the church’s property.

The buildings at FBC Vidor that did not flood were used to shelter families who had lost their homes and relief groups who came to help.

Then Imelda struck in 2019 with a vengeance.

“Everything we owned was flooded during Imelda except for the office building,” Wright said. Suddenly there was “no place to go” for services.

A recent merger with the former Northwest Baptist Church on the north side of Interstate 10 eased the situation as FBC Vidor focused efforts on repurposing that property while dealing with insurance and other issues in rebuilding the main campus.

FBC Vidor moved into the old Northwest Baptist Church property. Then the pandemic hit, complicating things because the facilities were not large enough to allow for COVID protocols and social distancing.

“Imelda made the pandemic very, very hard on the church,” Wright admitted.

Yet these days the waters are smoother.

“We are back into our regular facilities,” Wright said, noting that both sanctuary and educational spaces damaged during Harvey and Imelda have been remodeled.

The process has been lengthy, involving insurance challenges resulting from the settlements of multiple claims, but the church emerged without having to take on additional debt, Wright noted with gratitude.

Disasters demand a plan

In the Golden Triangle region, the only things certain are death, taxes and storms.

When a hurricane is brewing in the Gulf, Wright said “an immediate apprehension” sets in. He and his staff adopt a mindset of preparedness.

“You not only have your own property to prepare [for a storm], but you have to prepare for insurance issues. Do you have the right documents?” Wright said. “You have to prepare your people, too. There will always be folks who do not have a place to go. The church helps them in evacuation.”

“You not only have your own property to prepare [for a storm], ... You have to prepare your people, too. There will always be folks who do not have a place to go. The church helps them in evacuation.”

Terry Wright of First Baptist Church Vidor Tweet

Wright called the safety of his people the “first priority,” adding that every story is different. “Some you cannot really prepare for. You have to wait and see what happens and come back and deal with it.”

The staff has a procedure it executes when a hurricane warning or watch is announced. Church members are notified electronically of the threat. Staff members identify people’s needs. Others secure the buildings and property. They prepare for the aftermath, ensuring there is fuel on site and that the church’s generators are operational. The church’s “rolling stock”—trailers, vans, buses—must often be relocated to higher ground. Deacons and members help the staff with the process.

The preparation alone can exhaust a church days before a storm actually hits.

Rita’s evacuation was the largest in U.S. history, Wright said, occurring when the trauma of Katrina was still fresh. Houston was evacuated first and many headed eastward to the Golden Triangle. Then the storm changed course and came there.

Evacuation was a surreal event, Wright said, proving for many to be just as stressful as what they would encounter in terms of damage after the storm.

Harvey brought more than its share of flooding. “There was water in Orange County deeper than anyone living had ever seen,” Wright said. “Senior adults lost all the mementos of their lives. If you didn’t flood, your house became a dormitory for people whose houses had flooded.”

Month after month of people helping people took a toll, he added. The stresses on church staff, leadership, and members were constant.

“You have to be careful that it doesn’t take a toll on your relationships,” said Wright, who has pastored his home church for nearly three decades. “Heavy stress brings out the best and worst in people. It affects the family. It affects the church family.”

With crisis comes opportunity

Even so, there is a refining process that can happen for the churches that trust the Lord to work all things together for good in the midst of challenging seasons.

“Hurricane Rita changed our church for the better,” Wright said. “We saw spiritual maturity. We learned what really mattered and what didn’t. People and the Lord are what matter.”

“Hurricane Rita changed our church for the better. We saw spiritual maturity. We learned what really mattered and what didn’t. People and the Lord are what matter.”

Terry Wright Tweet

His congregation experienced blessings in the crisis: enriched fellowship, renewed commitment, the chance to show younger generations the benefit of denominational cooperation. Wright also said he personally received the blessing of getting phone calls and texts from people across the nation who have previously assisted his church after a storm—including from SBTC executive director Jim Richards (who has since retired) and chief financial officer Joe Davis.

Like White, Wright affirmed that disasters also provide gospel opportunities. Recalling the old gospel song, “The Lighthouse,” which depicts Christ as a lighthouse in times of storm, Wright said the Lord also expects the church to “be a lighthouse.”

“In your community, people who have been hard-hearted toward the gospel—their hearts are softened,” he said. “When you minister in a tangible way, when a mud out unit pulls up and they stop and build a relationship, preconceived notions about the church vanish. Hearts melt.”

Though the physical and mental toll have been heavy, Wright admits that his story and the stories of other “disaster pastors” is one that mimics the biblical account of Jonah—who was “stretched beyond his comfortable comfort zone.”

“If you had told me 35 years ago—I was a church planter—that this is going to be what you do, [be] a disaster pastor, I wouldn’t have gotten in line,” Wright said. “Who wants to be in that group?”

Only those who are called to it.

In McAllen, pastor sees image of God in every person

MCALLEN—First Baptist Church in McAllen has a closeup look at the border crisis, and Steven Gaither, the church’s pastor, said despite the challenges, “we are still called to see the image of God in every person.

“How do you help hold the line for what is right and legal, and how do you also love your neighbor as yourself? How do you function as the Good Samaritan?” Gaither said. “I think that’s part of the unique challenge that’s here on the border.”

In some churches in the Rio Grande Valley, border patrol agents worship alongside first generation immigrants, Gaither said. Some immigrants in a congregation may have gone through the proper channels, he said, while others may not have.

“It’s really heartbreaking because we know the rules of our country, and we are for them, and we want things to be done in an organized manner, but we also know there’s a face of desperation that is the immigration crisis and that many people are fleeing from horrific situations, and they’re looking for help,” Gaither told the TEXAN.

On a recent flight to Dallas-Fort Worth, Gaither estimated 60 percent of his plane was filled with people seeking asylum being flown to different locations.

“What I noticed on that flight was a lot of young families with young children, and everyone looked scared—like they’d never been on a plane before, and they didn’t know where they were going,” Gaither said.

The pastor felt compassion for the people on the plane and couldn’t imagine their stories.

“It’s really easy to lump everybody into the same category and demonize people and their motives, but it’s different when you look into a child’s face, when you look into a scared mama’s face, when you look into a young man’s eyes and you realize this guy is desperate and he doesn’t know what to do,” Gaither said.

First Baptist McAllen, which began in 1908, has a long history of strong Cooperative Program support and has sent countless missionaries throughout the world through the years, Gaither said. They have also worked with missionaries just across the Mexican border to minister to people hoping to enter the United States.

“You’ll have groups of people who have kind of migrated toward the border from southern Mexico, and they’re right here at the Texas border, but for whatever reason, in a sense they get stuck there and they kind of form their own communities,” Gaither said.

Missionaries and churches are able to provide food, clothing and education to people in those groups, whereas once they’ve crossed the border into McAllen, many are in holding facilities that aren’t as easily accessible for ministry.

As believers follow the border crisis in the media, Gaither hopes they’ll consider that only a partial picture is conveyed.

“These are complex situations, and real people are involved in them on both sides—those who are trying to enforce the laws and those who are sometimes even completely unaware of the laws,” Gaither said.

“Just understand that we should be stirred up to love and good works. We should be stirred up to pray for these situations. When you’re in your community—it doesn’t matter where you are in the U.S. or across Texas—as you watch people, it’s probably not a long shot that you’re interacting with somebody who is a first generation American or may be in your community for the very first time, and there may be an opportunity to share the gospel with them,” Gaither said.

Sometimes people lose the ability to see others as humans, the pastor said, but most people have the same emotions, the same concerns for their families and for their well-being, no matter what country they’re from, what their heart language is or what color of skin they have.

“A bottle of water goes a long way,” Gaither said, offering an idea for how to start a connection.

Despite the border crisis, despite COVID and despite a revitalization period at the church, the Great Commission, the great commandment and the great challenge of Acts 1:8 have remained pillars at First Baptist McAllen, Gaither said.

“We understand the deep history of Cooperative Program giving here at this church. To me, knowing its history, this church has said, ‘No matter what has changed in the world, we absolutely believe that cooperating together to spread the gospel to the nations is a high priority, if not the highest priority.’

“… I think there’s a long history of this church saying, ‘We can’t do this by ourselves, but as we cooperate with other churches from all over the place that we may never interact with, we believe that we’re investing in the gospel, and that’s an investment we want to make until Jesus comes back.’”

Del Rio church combines creativity and Christ

DEL RIO—Jim Wilson and his wife, Marsha, in 2005 told their three daughters they all were going to be in ministry when they moved from North Carolina to start a church on the Texas/Mexico border.

He was musical. She was artistic. Their 10-year-old daughter Bethany had already earned a black belt in Taekwondo, a Korean martial art whose name means “the right way of using all parts of the body to stop fights and help to build a better and more peaceful world,” according to the Olympic website teamusa.com. Jim Wilson also was a black belt.

“We started inviting people to attend Taekwondo classes,” Wilson told the TEXAN. “The church came out of those classes, each of which had a Bible component attached. It was an outreach that brought people in, led them to the Lord and brought them to the church.

“That’s how it started,” Wilson continued. “We just kept developing the idea of using the gifts God gave us to reach others, always incorporating the Bible into whatever we did.”

Taekwondo soon led to Esperanza Community Church. Plan A was to have two services, in English and Spanish, but those attending said they wanted English-only, to help adults learn what their offspring were learning in school. Ministries started, expanded and the church grew. That led to a combining of forces in 2018 with First Baptist Church of Del Rio and its pastor, Jesse Rodriguez.

“Our desire is to lead people to Christ,” Wilson said. “Many of our programs have lost people in them, and those who know Christ we want to continue discipling. We want the people we reach to know everything we do, we do to the glory of God.

“Creativity is something God gave us,” the pastor continued. “Because a lot of folks misused it, many churches set it aside. We use it to bring glory to God.”

The border town two-church merger invigorated all its members, Wilson said, which led to a multiplication of ministries and effectiveness. Most recently, that led to the opening of church dorms originally designed for mission teams on their way to Mexico, to be used by out-of-town law enforcement onsite to manage the unprecedented influx of thousands of illegal immigrants, many from Haiti.

The church now known as Esperanza First Del Rio more typically focuses on its community, the 35,000 residents of Del Rio plus illegal migrants passing through, as well as the growing number watching its services online, which adds to the 250 actively engaged members physically attending Sunday morning worship.

Reclaiming the arts: a family affair

For the Wilson family, creative church engagement is a must.

Marsha Wilson oversees the Reclaiming the Arts umbrella ministry that involves music, dance and Taekwondo. She also helps write scripts and sews costumes for the church’s annual “Christmas with a Capital C” program.

The couple’s daughters left home to further their education. They’re all now back.

Bethany helps her dad lead Taekwondo for children as young as three. Bethany, with a degree in music composition, also serves as the worship assistant and leads the team musically.

Ashley, with a certificate in early childhood development, oversees the many volunteers involved with Heritage Ministries, which covers every aspect of children’s ministries from birth through the fifth grade.

Rebekah, who trained in New York City, leads the church’s dance ministry component, which includes ballet, tap, jazz, swing and other forms of dance.

“The Lord just brought everything together,” Jim Wilson said. “As the Lord developed our daughters, he brought them back here. He gave us the property and space and music and dance, but without having solid, grounded Christian artists to help, we would not be able to do it properly.

“Our mission with Reclaiming the Arts is to provide a godly environment for learning and practicing the arts while promoting biblical virtues,” the pastor continued. “Our vision is to be a center for impacting the border region and beyond with the hope of Christ.”

Multiple ministries

The list of Esperanza First’s regular activities—each inspired by talented members like the Wilsons—could eclipse that of a church four times its size. Each ministry involves an outreach to the community, including archery, Awanas and homeschool enrichment. The Contenders Boxing Club for middle school and high school students is led by Pastor Jesse Rodriguez. The church offers summer camps for dance and for Taekwondo.

Other ministries include providing food, showers and laundry service on Fridays—or upon request—for the homeless. In partnership with the city’s 40 or so churches, Esperanza First also assists in ministry to illegal immigrants in cooperation with the city.

In addition, Del Rio authorities call Esperanza First when a family has been quarantined because of COVID. Members then take groceries to those isolated.

Small groups are a mainstay of adult ministries at Esperanza First Del Rio, where “doing life together” helps build friendships, discipleship and accountability. Adults also have fitness, kickboxing and painting groups, as leaders with those skills have joined the congregation.

In addition to its support of missions through the Cooperative Program, Esperanza First Del Rio has ministered in Uganda, Philippines, East Asia and Mexico. The church helps support a family serving through CRU at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. They also provide support for NAMB church plants in El Paso, Fort Worth and British Columbia.

“We have multiplied beyond what we each had,” said Wilson, referring to the merger. “We have a lot of new people neither congregation had before. They’re growing in their faith, and they’re serving. To God be the glory.”

Prestonwood conference aims to give hope, resources to caregivers

PLANO – Being a caregiver of any sort – be it for a senior adult stricken with dementia or for a child with special needs – can feel like an isolated journey full of questions with no easy answers. Hope can often feel like it’s in short supply.

In an attempt to alleviate some of the stresses associated with caregiving, Prestonwood will host its 5^th annual Hope for the Caregiver conference Nov. 6 on its Plano campus. The conference, returning after missing last year due to COVID, is $10 per family and includes lunch and refreshments. Special-needs childcare will be available.

Alan Moore, Prestonwood’s Minister to Senior Adults, said more than 300 churches have been invited to the event. Session topics will include more than 25 breakout sessions in the areas of self-care; caregiving; financial and legal considerations; memory care; and special needs/disabilities.

“So often, caregivers don’t know where to turn or what’s available,” Moore said. “It’s our desire to come alongside caregivers to give them resources, tools, materials and information … just to help them know what’s available as they’re on their journey to care for a loved one.”

Prestonwood has a number of ministries aimed at not only serving senior adults, but keeping them in the stream of service in the community and beyond.

“We are just encouraging senior adults to continue living, continue serving,” Moore said. “Scripture says as long as you have breath, we are to praise the Lord. I believe as long as we have breath, God wants us to serve him, as well.”

State Briefs: NRHBC sets goal of 2,000 gospel conversations in 5 months

Calling Who’s Your One “one more tool” in your personal evangelism toolbox, North Richland Hills Baptist Church pastor Scott Maze is challenging his church to have 2,000 gospel conversations between August and December 2021.

As of Oct. 10, members have recorded 446 conversations. They have used “3 Circles,” Evangelism Explosion, the “ABC” (Admit-Believe-Confess) method, and other tools to teach their people to talk to their neighbors about Christ.

“This witnessing effort is basically asking our church to make the effort and have a gospel conversation with those in our lives or someone God brings in our life. God can take it from there. When we’re willing to be obedient and step out in faith, it’s amazing what “happens,” said NRHBC missions pastor Danny Stafford.

The church uses a large structure in the lobby to encourage church members to name the persons they are praying for, with the intent of having a gospel conversation with them in the coming days. The emphasis includes training during Bible fellowship group times.

— NORTH RICHLAND HILLS BAPTIST CHURCH

Texas Baptist Home opens West Texas office

The Texas Baptist Home for Children opened a new office in Odessa in July 2021. The office is located inside Mission Dorado Baptist Church.

Dana Holt, a long-time Texas Baptist Home employee, will direct the Permian Basin branch of the foster care and child placement agency. Holt has been adoption director for the past seven years. According to Holt, the goal is to recruit foster families from the pews of churches in West Texas. She has been contacting churches in the Permian Basin to establish relationships and to bring awareness of the need of foster and adoptive homes in West Texas.

Only 14 percent of West Texas children removed from their biological families by the Texas Department of Family Protective Services stay in their own communities with a foster family. Most children are sent to Dallas or Houston for placement. In 2020, 514 children were removed in West Texas from their families but only 70 were able to stay in their community.

If you have a connection that would help build relationships and help TBHC bring and keep kids home, please contact Dana at dholt@tbhc.org.

— TEXAS BAPTIST HOME FOR CHILDREN

FBC Brackettville turns 100

First Baptist Church Brackettville celebrates 100 years of ministry Nov. 13-14, 2021. The church, originally the military chapel on Fort Clark, was moved into Brackettville in 1947. The church is requesting that former members and members call 830.563.2245 and leave a name and address.

— FBC BRACKETTEVILLE

Fenton called to pastor First Malakoff

Ed Fenton, formerly worship pastor at Rock Hill Baptist Church in Brownsboro, began his service as the pastor of First Baptist Malakoff on Oct. 3. This is Fenton’s first senior pastorate. He formerly served as worship pastor for First Baptist Malakoff between 2011 and 2013. He is pictured above with his wife, Sara, and their daughters.

— FBC MALAKOFF

Little Cypress Baptist Church to host crisis preparation event

Located on the storm-prone Gulf Coast, Little Cypress Baptist Church is hosting a crisis preparation event for the community, Feb. 11-12, 2022. The training event will begin Friday morning and will conclude Saturday afternoon. Vendor space is available at no charge but registration by vendors is required. Food is also available for purchase. Contact Pastor David Turner at 409.330.3623 to register for a vendor booth.

— LITTLE CYPRESS BAPTIST CHURCH