Author: Russell Lightner

An Equip road trip to West Texas

By now, in his third year pastoring in West Texas, Paul Fisher is used to the mispronunciation—and the unintentional humor.

“Sometimes people say, ‘How is it in ‘Farewell?’” he says with a laugh. “Which is funny, too, because you literally leave the state when you leave our town.”

That is why members of First Baptist Farwell (pronounced “Far-wuhl” by the locals), hard by the New Mexico border, are used to leaving town and crossing Texas to participate in most things that happen in Baptist life. And it’s why Fisher was so excited to learn about the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Equip West Texas conference, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 18, at Southcrest Baptist Church in Lubbock.

The Equip Conference has traditionally been held once per year and rotated between the Dallas and Houston metro areas. Phil Todd, the STBC’s spiritual formations team leader, says taking the event on the road is being done to better serve churches in the farther reaches of the state that are not close to Dallas or Houston.

“My hope is Equip West Texas will be well-attended, bring strong value, and maybe lead the way to do other regional [Equip] conferences in other parts of the state,” Todd said. “ … We’ve taken some steps to try to be more proactive in being in the areas where churches are rather than asking churches to come to us.

“I’m very hopeful. So far, we’re getting a very positive response from pastors in the West Texas area about an event like this being in their geographic region.”

Equip conferences are geared for church ministry leaders, with emphasis on volunteer/lay leadership. The theme for Equip in 2025 is “Above and Beyond,” based on Ephesians 3:14-21. The goal of the conference is to help churches accomplish through the Lord “above and beyond” all they can think or imagine in their ministries.

“We’ve taken some steps to try to be more proactive in being in the areas where churches are, rather than asking churches to come to us.”

—phil todd Tweet

Planning for Equip West Texas includes 70 breakout sessions by 27 presenters covering 20 critical church ministry areas including apologetics; worship, children’s, student, family, men’s, and women’s ministries; deacons; discipleship; cyber/tech and video/website ministries; evangelism; missions; Sunday school/groups; security; and more. There’s also an En Español track with main sessions and breakouts. The keynote speaker is Anthony Svajda, who oversees the SBTC’s Regenesis church revitalization process.

Brett Hoyle, pastor of First Baptist Friona, has participated in previous Equip conferences and called the training events “amazing,” but admits the distance and expense to take a group to Dallas or Houston is a huge hurdle for many churches in the farther-flung regions of Texas.

“They’re almost too far to get away to in one day for our folks,” says Hoyle, who hopes to bring as many as 20 leaders to Lubbock. “I’m excited for the regional Equip Conference and hope churches attend.”

Fisher says he’s grateful the SBTC will bring Equip to the region.

“They’ve recognized some of the challenges that some of us further out here in the Panhandle or wherever face,” he said. “It shows they care about our churches and equipping them. They’re willing to meet us where we are. It’s just a huge deal.

“If I can load up one of our buses and take a good group of us down there, I will. To go to Lubbock is no big deal.”

What a blessing!

Life has a unique way of bringing moments of reflection. As we enter December, I can’t help but reflect on the incredible year the Lord has given the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

When we begin a new year, we are usually looking forward. This is a good thing—we must always look to the possibilities that lie ahead. However, we also never know what to anticipate in the future. January 2024 was no different.

As we began the new year, we started implementing the SBTC’s new mission focus. We jumped in wholeheartedly to our mission of mobilizing churches to multiply disciple-making movements in Texas and around the world.

Though we didn’t know what 2024 would bring, God has once again been so good to us. Allow me to highlight a few things we can celebrate together:

1. Our convention is growing.

Throughout the year, we had quite a few churches affiliate with the SBTC. We love when we can grow and see the gospel advance together. We currently have the largest number of churches in SBTC history.

2. Church planting is growing.

When we created Send Network SBTC in partnership with the North American Mission Board, we didn’t know what to expect. Over the past three years, we have seen over 145 churches planted in Texas through the SBTC. That is an incredible number of churches. In fact, we anticipate planting between 60-65 churches in 2024 alone. I am so grateful for all that God is doing!

3. Reach Texas is growing.

Our Reach Texas State Missions Offering took in a record $1,752,383 to be used for missions and evangelism through SBTC churches. We are praying God will allow us to hit over $2 million next year.

There are so many things to look back on and be thankful for. Yet, as we close out this year, we are looking to the future with great anticipation. We believe God is going to continue to use our network of churches to see disciple-making movements multiplied in Texas and around the world.

As we enter January, there is one thing I want to make you aware of. Our Texan magazine serves as an incredible tool to tell the stories of how God is using SBTC churches. Over the course of this year, we have experienced significant increases in printing costs. Our desire is to be the best stewards of Cooperative Program dollars, so in response to rising costs, we will print eight Texan issues in 2025 instead of 12. However, we are increasing our page count from 32 pages per issue to 48 pages per issue. Therefore, you will have the same number of pages, stories, and content as before, just in fewer issues.

This creates significant savings in the cost of printing and shipping, allowing us to best manage CP dollars. While the frequency will change, we remain committed to devoting the same amount of space to conveying all that God is doing across our state. We look forward to continuing to provide the best communication piece out there.

I pray you have a great Christmas season. I encourage you to reflect on the goodness of God over the past year and enter 2025 full of expectancy of what He will do. I love you and am honored to serve you!

God is growing me and using me to reach the nations

I grew up in a missionary family. We were in Nepal for nine and a half years or so, and coming back, we started a house church in [our city] in some apartment complexes among the Nepalese refugees. I was pretty young at that time, but I remember there were also a lot of Middle Eastern refugees. We met an Iraqi family, and that was my first time being exposed to that culture and I guess to Islam. The culture, the people, and their religion have really caught my interest.

Ever since then, I’ve felt a calling toward those people groups, so I started learning Arabic. I’ve been learning Arabic a couple of ways, including the university where I’m now a senior. I’ve been able to meet a lot of Muslims in my Arabic class, but also there are Muslims everywhere at the school. Most of the Muslims I meet have grown up here, but they are unfamiliar with Christianity.

So, I’ve been able to form a very small ministry. It’s mostly just forming friendships. For example, there are two girls I’ve been able to connect with and we’ve been able to spend time together outside of class, with me just asking them questions about their religion and then telling them my perspective and about Christianity—just asking simple questions. I invited one Muslim girl to church with me on Easter and she was bold enough to go. She wore her hijab, so she was a little nervous about standing out, but she went. Friendships like these are still growing. This semester, the class where the girl and I met is quite a bit shorter, so it’s been harder to have more spiritual conversations. But whenever I have the chance, that’s what I do.

For me, this ministry has grown out of a personal spiritual renewal earlier in my college life. I’ve believed in God my whole life, but I kind of just lived however I wanted in high school and at the beginning of college. I think I was just very self-righteous during this period of my life.

In college, I started getting into things that weren’t good for me and I started to be convicted. I realized that I’m imperfect just like every other person. I am sinful. I began reading the Bible for myself and going through those things that truly made the gospel come alive to me. I remembered the things my parents had taught me all my life. And I started going to church again. Ever since that time I’ve been living for Christ.

"If God wants me here, then I’ll stay here, and if He wants me to go to another country, I’m fine with that, as well."

—Emily Garcia Tweet

I started going to [a church] and I joined the college ministry there. That really helped me grow, and I was discipled through that ministry. This was my first time actually having a group of people my age who were also pursuing a relationship with God, and that was very helpful.

I’ve recently changed churches to a smaller church that is closer to where I live. I’ll soon be leading a young women’s group at my new church. I’m excited at the opportunity to have a leadership role in my church.

I remember when I was attending [the larger church] regularly, listening a sermon series on the book of Revelation. During one message, just hearing that the world is going to end and I had friends around me at the time who didn’t know Christ … I remember crying in my seat thinking, “Oh, I need to tell them. I need to share this with them.” I think that was the beginning of it. A mission trip with [the larger church] back to Nepal gave me an opportunity to share the gospel for the first time, and that changed my mindset and the way I live my life.

I want to do missions when I graduate next spring, wherever that may be. Through my minor, I’m studying Arabic, and I want to continue to study Arabic to be able to form better connections with Arabic-speaking people. I’m interested also in working with refugees, so something along those lines.

My plan is to go and do missions overseas, but I don’t know if that would be long-term. If God wants me here, then I’ll stay here, and if He wants me to go to another country, I’m fine with that, as well.

A big takeaway from the last few years is that my faith grew more as I met these Muslims. Having these conversations has been part of my discipleship, my obedience to Him. God is growing me at the same time He’s reaching them.

Want to share a story of what God is doing in your life or your church?

Share your story here

A meeting of the moms

Strong & Courageous single mothers ministry continues to thrive at First Dallas

DALLAS—Shea Lowery experienced single motherhood in the blink of an eye more than three decades ago. Her friend Nicole Pineda found the journey to singleness through separation and divorce when her husband was incarcerated.

The two women became fast friends and, eventually, partners in a ministry that continues to thrive in Dallas and beyond.

“I was a 24-year-old stay-at-home mom with no college education. I had awakened that morning a married woman and I [went] to bed that night a single mom,” Lowery recalled of the day her husband, Jeff, died in a construction accident in Alabama. Her world was upended.

Trauma to triumph

Lowery turned trauma into triumph, eventually founding Entrusted Hope Ministries in 2017.

Strong & Courageous, the single mothers’ ministry under Entrusted Hope’s umbrella, grew when Lowery was asked to teach a Sunday school class for single moms at First Baptist Dallas. The class flourished, with Shea using the Strong & Courageous curriculum she developed.

Recently, Lowery has moved the headquarters of Entrusted Hope to a Christian university in Mississippi, a move she made to be closer to family. There she serves as an adjunct professor, engages in discipleship on campus, and continues her speaking and writing ministry, producing biblically based resources for single moms and families.

The move to Mississippi meant a move from First Baptist Dallas, where Strong & Courageous had become a vital part of the church’s overall women’s ministry.

Enter Pineda. She began attending the S&C Sunday school and other classes almost five years ago at First Dallas and started serving on the churchwide S&C ministry committee three years ago.

“I found Strong & Courageous because of my mom,” Pineda said. “When everything happened with my ex, we left the church we were at and went to First Baptist Dallas. We wanted to go to a large church, blend in, go with the flow, and not be seen.”

At least initially.

Building community

When Pineda found herself ready to “start building community,” her mom, Kathy, told her about Lowery. “I met Shea. She is a single mom and teaches a Sunday school class. She is the sweetest person,” Kathy told her daughter.

Pineda thought she would give it a try. “That is where I am,” she recalled thinking.

Pineda quickly felt at home. “The first time I came, I walked in and was greeted with smiles. Shea hugged me. They had never even seen me before. They welcomed me,” she said.

“We have prayed already for everyone who walks through these doors,” Shea said.

It didn’t take long for Pineda to get involved in the Sunday school class. “I became a prayer partner, care leader, group leader … I loved the community [and] being able to be with women who are in the same season of life, who understand your frustrations and struggles. It was a nice thing to be able to go to each week,” she said.

A natural administrator, Pineda, who works as an electronic data interchange analyst, became the event coordinator for the S&C ministry. “That’s my sweet spot,” she said. “I love organizing.”

“I am excited to help other single moms.”

—Nicole Pineda Tweet

Something for every single one

Today the S&C ministry has grown to include a popular Mother’s Day luncheon, back-to-school events, and 4-5 fellowships throughout the year when the church offers parents’ night out.

“Then the moms just enjoy game night or going out to eat with one another,” Pineda said.

In mid-October, S&C held its first free oil change event as a White Rock Lake area automotive repair company partnered with the First Dallas women’s ministry and Strong & Courageous to provide free oil changes for more than 20 single moms, Pineda said.

In addition to the S&C class, single moms can attend S&C offerings during the fall and spring semesters as part of the church’s Discipleship University.

These include Entrusted Hope’s Equip series, in which guest speakers address such topics as resumé building, interview tips, budgeting ideas, hospitality, and parenting. Groups also go through Lowery’s Bible study My Life as a Single Mom and other curricula from Entrusted Hope.

Pineda is embracing the opportunity to continue Lowery’s work in leading S&C.

“I am excited to help other single moms,” she said, noting that S&C has also benefitted her family by providing opportunities for her children to develop friendships with other kids of single mothers. “I am very thankful for the opportunity to get to serve and to share the ministry and the blessing it’s been for me and my family.”

‘God wants to multiply us’

What does Send Network SBTC want after a banner year of planting churches? More.

A lot of strategy goes into planting a church: demographics studies, assessments, myriad trainings, ongoing pastoral care, financial support, community outreach, and so much more.

While those strategies have proven incredibly effective, Julio Arriola credits something else as the primary reason so many churches have been planted through Send Network SBTC over the past few years—prayer.

“The reason we have seen an increase is that God has been answering our prayers,” said Arriola, director of Send Network SBTC. “We have started each year, two years in a row, with 21 days of prayer and fasting as a team. … The harvest is plenty, the laborers are few, [and] God is answering the prayers of His people.”

In November 2021, the SBTC Executive Board voted unanimously to enter a church planting partnership with the North American Mission Board. Through that partnership, Send Network SBTC was born and a fruitful relationship began.

In 2022, Send Network SBTC’s first full year, 41 planting candidates were assessed and 35 churches were planted. As 2024 winds to a close, 70 candidates—34 of which are Spanish-speaking—have been assessed, and it’s estimated that about 60 churches will have been planted by year’s end.

“The reason we have seen an increase is that God has been answering our prayers.”

—Julio Arriola Tweet

Kyle “Bruiser” Lee, pastor of Corner Post Cowboy Church in Nacogdoches, went through Send Network SBTC’s assessment in October 2023 and was officially endorsed as one of its planters in January. He said the resources provided by Send Network SBTC have been overwhelmingly encouraging and helpful. That includes things such as a year of insurance coverage provided to all new planters, an initial deposit into a retirement account, and even occasional gifts not only for Lee, but also for his family.

The practical ministry benefits, he said, are unmatched. Lee meets with a cohort and has monthly coaching consultations that help him think through topics such as strategic planning, identifying his church’s unique identity, and overcoming barriers. Sometimes those meetings are scheduled to coincide with some of the SBTC’s anchor events, including the Equip Conference and annual meeting.

The interactions with experienced planting leaders, as well as with other planters walking the same road, have given him a venue to share ideas and be encouraged about how God is moving through other plants across Texas.

“Being able to meet with pastors, being able to meet with coaches, the way they try to help us see the bigger picture … it’s just been a Godsend,” Lee said.

Lee said working alongside Send Network SBTC has not only helped him see God move through the ministry at Corner Post, but also his church’s role in advancing the mission of the kingdom.

“Now, we’re actually in talks about planting a church,” Lee said. “That’s what Send Network SBTC has done—given me more confidence in knowing … I’m not alone in doing this. God wants to multiply us, and [through Send Network SBTC], He has provided a resource that we can do that through.”

A desperate call for prayer from Thailand

Fort Worth couple serving with IMB says Buddhist culture is a major obstacle, but God is moving

ISAAN, Thailand—Noei was a housekeeper for an International Mission Board worker in Bangkok, Thailand, for many years when she accepted Christ as her Savior.

She became a trusted assistant in ministry, not just a housekeeper, but when she retired and moved back to her home in rural Isaan, she lost touch with Christianity.

Less than 1% of Isaan is Christian, and Noei and her husband, Seri, prayed for God to send a shepherd to look after them. That was 10 years ago. They forgot about the prayer and became entrenched in Buddhist culture again.

God didn’t forget the prayer, though. He arranged for a Korean-born man to meet a Korean born woman in the U.S. and travel to Isaan as IMB workers in 2021. When Joshua and Sarah Jung found Noei and Seri, they had Buddhist statues in their home and were wearing Buddhist necklaces.

“We told her, ‘God still loves you. God is still waiting for you. He wants you to come back,’” Joshua recounted. Noei wasn’t ready to live for Jesus again, but she was willing to attend Bible study with the young missionaries.

One day, she was in a motorcycle accident but was unharmed. That was enough to convince her God still had plans for her, and soon both Noei and Seri were serving the Lord again, now with a shepherd in Isaan.

The Jungs were sent to serve through the IMB in Thailand by Hanmaum International Baptist Church, a Korean congregation in Fort Worth. The church prays for them at weekly prayer gatherings and individual members provide financial support and encouragement.

Joshua was himself involved in a motorcycle accident in Korea when he was 5 years old, and he was seriously injured. His mother, a nominal Christian at the time, prayed God would spare her son. If He would, she would offer him as a missionary someday. She didn’t share that prayer with Joshua until he was preparing for ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

“She hid that prayer from me for many years,” Joshua said. “Also, she probably forgot about it. After that day, she told God she wanted me to become a rich person who could support missionaries. That was her second prayer. I guess God listened to the first prayer. God called me to the mission field.”

Isaan, where the Jungs serve, covers about one-third of Thailand—about 21 million people. The population is largely uneducated and very poor.

“There is a saying that to be a Thai is to be a Buddhist,” Joshua said.

Missionaries can freely share the gospel there, he said, but hearts are hard toward Jesus.

“They turn their backs and get very harsh with their family who want to become a Christian,” he said. “We teach children English and Bible stories, and some of the kids want to become a Christian. Once they become a Christian, their grandparents stop sending the children. That happened to us many times.”

It’s the grandparents in charge of the children, he said, because the parents often have left for Bangkok, Chiang Mai, or another country in search of work. That makes the population of Isaan very old and very young.

“Isaan is a very, very hard place. When we share the gospel and ask if they’ve heard about Jesus Christ, they’ve never heard the name of Jesus.”

—joshua jung Tweet

One way the IMB team makes inroads in the unreached, unengaged people group there is through a sewing ministry founded many years ago in Bangkok. Now in the rural regions, the missionaries teach women to sew dolls at home to earn a small income. Each person who is taught to sew also is taught the Bible.

Another way of gaining access is through an eyeglasses ministry. The missionaries travel to villages handing out eyeglasses, and each person who receives glasses hears the gospel. “Through that we make connections,” Joshua said.

Because Buddhism is so prevalent in Thailand, holidays are Buddhist holidays, funerals are held at Buddhist temples, and ceremonies are Buddhist ceremonies, he said. Helping people leave that culture and follow Christ is a monumental task, and churches are key in grouping believers together for support.

The Jungs focus on church planting, and on Sundays he preaches in a small group in Isaan. Sarah, who recently underwent radiation therapy in Bangkok for early-stage breast cancer, takes turns with other members of their team leading Bible study with the sewing ministry.

“Isaan is a very, very hard place,” Joshua said. “When we share the gospel and ask if they’ve heard about Jesus Christ, they’ve never heard the name of Jesus. A lot of missionaries who come here have a very hard time. Pray for the Isaan people so whenever they hear the gospel their hearts will be open.

“Pray for our team. It’s a large area, the largest in Thailand, and we only have [a small number of workers]. Pray that God will send workers and raise up local leaders.”

Inaugural recipients announced for Richards Endowment for Kingdom Advance

HOUSTON—The Jim and June Richards Endowment for Kingdom Advance, established by the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation (SBTF) in 2021, has designated its first allocations to ministries in Texas. The announcement was made during the November board meeting of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) Executive Board by the convention’s executive director, Nathan Lorick.

The endowment’s purpose is to support “individuals or organizations which promote kingdom causes through religious ministry consistent with the doctrinal statement of The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention” according to the endowment’s establishing documents. The initial funding for the endowment came from SBTF’s reserves.

“SBTF formed the Richards ministry endowment to acknowledge the continuing legacy of Jim and June Richards and to honor their years of service to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention,” SBTF Executive Director Bart McDonald said. “I am excited to oversee distributions that will continue Dr. Richards’ legacy.”

In addition to allocations to Reach Texas, the SBTC’s state missions offering, the endowment provided funds to the SBTF Jubilee Fund, an effort to preserve the properties of churches in crisis or disbanding. A further gift was made to Austin church planting resident Brock Braxton.

Jim Richards said of Braxton, “I watched Brock grow up and answer a call to ministry, and he has strong connections to the SBTC. June and I are happy to be able to facilitate this investment in the next generation of pastoral leaders.”

Jim is executive director emeritus for the SBTC and is well-known as the convention’s founding executive director. He served in that role from 1998 through 2021. The convention grew from 120 churches to more than 2,600 churches during his tenure. Prior to coming to Texas, he pastored for 21 years in Louisiana and then served as an associational executive director in Northwest Arkansas.

June is a faithful pastor’s wife, mother, and grandmother who assisted Jim through decades of ministry. She has been widely known among SBTC staff members and church leaders as a constant prayer warrior and encourager.

Jim and June have three grown children and six grandchildren. They have retired to East Texas, though Jim still serves as a consultant to the convention while maintaining a busy preaching schedule.

SIDE BY SIDE: SBTC churches gather to pray, celebrate what God has done over the past year

Messengers to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Annual Meeting will gather for a powerful time of prayer, worship, and fellowship at Sagemont Church in Houston on Nov. 11-12.

Giving that grows

Hays Hills goes above and beyond to see the gospel delivered around the world

Hays Hills Baptist Church strives to “bring life-changing hope to an ever-changing people through the unchanging gospel.”

To make that mission statement a reality, the church is setting an example of what it looks like to engage in ever-increasing generosity.

When Aaron Kahler transitioned from a staff position to serving as lead pastor in 2017, he felt led to challenge Hays Hills to give 20% of its annual budget through the Cooperative Program by 2030.
That effort, which the church refers to as “Neighbors & The Nations,” describes the commitment the congregation has made to support those working to bring the gospel to unreached and unengaged people locally and around the world.

The plan was for the church to increase giving by 1% annually until it reached its 20% goal. But that’s not what happened.

“In God’s grace, He did far more abundantly than we could have imagined and we went all the way over to 21% given in year one,” Kahler said. “The church just bought in wholeheartedly to giving to the cause ….”

Kahler said Hays Hills recognizes the potential to multiply its impact through CP giving, “not only in our church being effective today, but for our church and other Southern Baptist Convention churches to be effective 100 years from now.” Giving through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, which Kahler said has increased substantially, is one of the main ways Hays Hills seeks to have a global, cooperative impact.

On a more local level, Kahler said the impact is evident in the support provided to missionaries from Hays Hills who have served with the International Mission Board, in guidance provided to church leaders on multiple occasions by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and even in how he has been personally equipped to preach by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. All are entities supported by CP giving.

Though the gospel work never seems to be accomplished as fast as he’d like, Kahler said he is more encouraged now than he has been in his 13 years serving at the church because of God’s faithfulness. Planted in one of the fastest-growing suburbs of Austin, the church has seen Buda’s population more than double to over 15,000 residents over the past decade. Hays Hills has advocacy groups for each of its missionary partners, which has strengthened the missions culture within the church in an effort to reach the growing population.

Additionally, Hays Hills is beginning to see more evangelistic fruit through its college and career ministry and through its young couples ministry.

“All of those areas of ministry that the Lord is blessing are areas I do not touch at all,” he said. “It is ministry our people are engaged in because of their love for Jesus, His church, and the lost.”

The greatest kind of legacy

Family passes on legacy of faith to reach multiple communities in need

Many years ago, the gospel changed the Gameros family. It started with Javier Gameros, who grew up in a Mexican Catholic family that, as he says, taught him the rites and practices of religion without helping him understand that God wanted a personal relationship with him. Over time, God used a series of people and circumstances to help Javier come to know that truth. He heard the plan of salvation for the first time at age 8 from a Baptist pastor hosting a Bible club in his neighborhood. At age 19, Javier accepted Christ after hearing the gospel again from his sister, Susana.

Javier later met and married Margarita, and soon they answered a call to vocational ministry. While Javier and Margarita committed to serve the Lord with all their hearts, they knew their greatest influence would happen at home among their five children.

“Ministry was something I saw and learned every day,” said Vidreael Gameros, one of the family’s three sons. “My parents taught us how to love and serve the Lord through a life of obedience and sacrifice. … The same leader I saw [from my father] in the pulpit was the same leader I saw in the home, and that impacted my life in a big way.”

Javier eventually was called to pastor a church in Manvel known today as Un Nuevo Comienzo Venciendo Con Dios, which means, “A new beginning, overcoming with God.” It’s a fitting name, Javier says, noting a severe economic and moral decline has caused what he calls “spiritual poverty” in parts of the city.

Even as he served his own community, Javier was burdened by other nearby communities suffering in similar ways—one of which was Holiday Lakes, a predominantly Hispanic community located about 30 miles south of Manvel. At the time, Holiday Lakes had no Hispanic Southern Baptist church.

“I saw the urgent need to not stop, but to expand the gospel and see more souls saved since society, the family, and the church are being attacked and their precepts are being erased,” Javier said.

But who would be willing to plant a church in Holiday Lakes? He looked no further than his son, Vidreael, who had sensed a calling to ministry since childhood. Vidraeal began a church planting residency training program through Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston and also received training through Send Network SBTC, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s church planting partnership with the North American Mission Board.

After working with his father, Vidraeal was sent to plant Iglesia Bautista Holiday Lakes about three years ago. The church officially launched about a year ago and is seeing fruit despite many challenges, including natural disasters, a large drug trade, and the presence of witchcraft.

The work is challenging, but Vidreael said he feels like he is never alone because of his family and the connections and equipping offered through the SBTC.

“It is a blessing to have access to a family that is running the same race,” he said. “[The SBTC] has helped us find connections we need to facilitate challenges in ministry, and it has connected us to other brothers and sisters who love the work of the Lord. … We are celebrating the transformation God is doing in the families in Holiday Lakes.”

In other words, the same gospel that once changed the Gameros family is now changing families across the region.

One mission, many hands

Churches from near and far are pitching in to assist Celina plant at the center of a population boom

As Robert Welch looks around the middle school where Legacy Hills Church meets each Sunday, he sees the faces of people who otherwise might not be there if it weren’t for the churches across Texas that have worked alongside his.

Over the past year, Legacy Hills members have deeply invested in the community, hosting kids camps, community events, and outreaches to build relationships in one of the fastest-growing regions in the state. But when you’ve planted a church in a city that has more than tripled in population over the past five years, you can never have too much help.

To date, 17 Southern Baptists of Texas Convention churches and two associations have in some way helped Legacy Hills solidify its gospel footing in the city. Some of those churches have sent volunteers to Celina, sending missions teams and financial support. Others have taken up offerings at their own vacation Bible schools and sent the proceeds to Legacy Hills so it could host its own outreaches to kids. Still others have committed to pray weekly, asking God to bless the gospel work happening there.

The results have been tangible.

“The majority of families that are now deeply involved with Legacy Hills have come through community events, camps, and outreaches that our partners have helped with,” Welch said. “Our partners were the first to share the gospel with their children. Many of our families are literally the result of the opportunities that our partners helped us create.”

New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview is Legacy Hills’ sending church. George Willis, NBBC’s pastor of missions, said the relationship has been mutually beneficial to the kingdom.

“We believe in equipping and empowering members of our congregation,” Willis said. “We want them to understand their kingdom platform, their giftings. So when we partner with other church planters, they get the opportunity to see what it looks like to be part of kingdom growth all over. If we just stayed here in East Texas, it would be a disservice to the church to not be utilizing our people to be sent out and serve all over the world.”

Added Todd Kaunitz, New Beginnings’ lead pastor/elder: “We believe the church is the number one vehicle God is using to take the gospel to the world … so everything we do with our missions ministry is aimed toward either partnering to strengthen [existing] churches or to plant churches—whether that’s in East Texas, East Africa, or in Celina. … This is about the kingdom of God, so whatever we can do to expand the kingdom, we want to be all in.”

That mindset, Welch said, reaffirms what he believes the SBTC is all about.

“It’s not just about one church or one kind of church,” Welch said. “The mission that God has called us to cannot be done by one church. The mission Jesus has called His church to is accomplished by churches of every shape and size working side by side to accomplish one singular mission.”

Fostering strong partners

Churches forge special relationship that benefits residents in two areas

When an established church partners with a plant, conventional wisdom says the younger church reaps most of the benefits. Old River Baptist Church in Dayton and Cross Community Church in Houston are working together to show that the benefits can flow both directions.

The relationship between the two churches originated in the friendship between their pastors. Old River’s Wes Hinote said he and Cross Community planter Del Traffanstedt have known each other for years—“through pastor circles”—dating back to when Traffanstedt served an Odessa congregation.

“We knew each other through Southern Baptists of Texas Convention pastor retreats, and today, our two congregations are within an hour of each other,” Traffanstedt noted.

When Hinote came to Old River seven years ago, he found a loving congregation primed to adopt a missional focus. He recognized an opportunity when he learned of Cross Community.

“When Del planted Cross Community in an underserved area of Houston, I was able to speak with my congregation about the needs,” Hinote recalled.

Old River began financially supporting Cross Community. When the urban church’s vibrant English as a Second Language program encountered problems through the loss of its curriculum provider, Old River stepped in to assist.

“They were caught off guard,” Hinote said. “I got wind that they were having problems and told Del, ‘Hey, this is what we are here for. What do we need to do to make sure ESL doesn’t take a step back?’”

Cross Community’s ESL outreach (pictured below) is a vital part of its ministry. The program was started only six months after the church launched. The ESL ministry attracted more students than anticipated to its multi-semester Wednesday evening program which incorporates Bible stories and prayer. Now more than 70 participate. Nearly half attend the church and several have joined.

But the loss of their curriculum provider threatened to disrupt all that. Students pay a nominal fee for the course, affirming dignity but not covering the $180 per person cost.

“We count on our church partners to subsidize that cost. Our students cannot afford the whole amount. Our church plant in an urban area cannot afford it. We need churches like Old River to come alongside us,” Traffanstedt said. “Wes and his church pray for us and help fund ESL.”

Recently, Cross Community began playing an important role in its sister church’s new family ministry.

It began when a church family, who had both fostered and adopted children, came to Hinote about starting FAM, or Family Advocacy Ministry, at ORBC. Hinote immediately thought of Traffanstedt, who also had fostered and adopted children.

“We have fostered 10 children and adopted three,” Traffanstedt said, adding that he had started family ministries at two previous churches in addition to Cross Community.

“We were able to coach the family and Old River’s lead volunteers,” Traffanstedt said. “We prayed for them and recommended resources from the North American Mission Board.”

“The first call I made was to Del and [wife] Charmaine to pick their brains,” Hinote recalled when the family in his church approached him. “Cross Community was a big help. It’s all part of the blessing of being part of a mission that is not your own. Our SBTC churches have a lot to offer one another. Size doesn’t matter. Location doesn’t matter. Mission matters.”

Giving their best in the worst of times

Spring Baptist Church has become a ‘go-to’ when it comes to helping others following disasters

When Hurricane Beryl slammed into Southeast Texas in early July, Spring Baptist Church was already prepared to work side by side with Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Disaster Relief and its partners to serve survivors.

This wasn’t the church’s first hurricane.

“Hurricane Harvey [in 2017] was terrible, but Beryl was in some ways worse, with extensive tree damage,” said Spring Baptist Church Pastor Mark Estep. “Because of Harvey, we were ready to help.”

In Harvey’s immediate aftermath, the church converted an unused building into a laundry facility through a chain of events that saw God’s provision of skilled workers and materials. An electrician and plumber “happened by” to offer their services free of charge, and then seven washers and dryers were donated.

“God provided a laundromat within a few hours,” Estep said. Soon after, the church added four RV slips with electricity and sewer hookups to serve DR trailers, bunkhouses, and mobile command posts.

Church members were trained, as well. Spring Baptist has 50 credentialed SBTC DR volunteers among its members. Just about all of them pitched in during Beryl.

Like many SBTC churches, Spring Baptist is a “go-to” church when disaster strikes nearby, SBTC DR Director Scottie Stice said.

“During Beryl, they housed teams, provided a kitchen, made their laundry facility available,” Stice said, adding that Spring Baptist maintains a quick-response unit mobile kitchen and a recovery unit which are “very active.” Southern Baptist DR teams are housed in the church’s renovated youth building, to which showers and bathrooms were added after Harvey.

“It’s not like home, but we want to make volunteers comfortable,” Estep said. The church even erected a new pole barn to store SBTC DR trailers and equipment plus a church bus.

During the six weeks after Beryl, Spring Baptist received over 380 requests for help with downed trees, said Jason Mayfield, the church’s associate pastor. “SBTC DR responded with SBDR cleanup and recovery teams from Texas, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee.” Teams completed 121 jobs, with the remaining requests handled by others. Five salvations occurred among survivors and many gospel conversations ensued.

“SBTC DR is not only a blessing to our whole church, but to our whole community,” Mayfield said.

“I don’t know what we would do without the SBDR teams coming here. They minister in such a powerful way. They are the hands and feet of Jesus,” Estep said. “It’s not just talk with them.”

Estep explained that he, too, has been a beneficiary of DR ministry.

As Beryl’s winds raged, Estep and his young grandson sat in a recliner, watching a tree in the yard whipping back and forth until a huge branch broke off and burst through a large plate glass living room window.

“It sounded like a shotgun,” Estep said. DR crews helped secure the window, temporarily sealing the void where the glass had been.

That assistance “meant the world to us,” Estep said. “When you are victimized during a disaster, you realize how important DR is.”

Several hurricanes and serious storms have pummeled the Spring area since Estep arrived as pastor in 1997. Working with SBTC DR, Estep’s staff and congregation embrace the opportunity to minister to survivors.

“God knows we are a church that is going to help,” Estep said. “It’s in our DNA.”

I’ll see you in Houston

One of my favorite events of the year is our Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Annual Meeting. It is such a joy to be with pastors and leaders from across Texas. Every year, we have an incredible time of prayer, worship, preaching, and a little business. I love our annual meeting.

This year’s meeting is being held at Sagemont Church in Houston on Nov. 11-12. Our theme is “Side by Side,” from Philippians 1:27. As you know, ministry can be challenging. Events like our annual meeting remind us we don’t have to do it alone. We have a network of churches serving alongside one another to see Texas changed by the power of the gospel.

I want to encourage you to set these two days aside and make it a priority to attend. You will be refreshed and encouraged as you worship with other pastors and leaders. There will be plenty of networking opportunities around meals or coffee to connect with friends new and old. You will also hear great stories of how God is moving across our state. I will continue to expand on our vision of mobilizing churches to multiply disciple-making movements in Texas and around the world. You don’t want to miss it!

As we gather, I would ask you to pray the Lord would use these two days as a catalyst for the gospel’s advancement in Texas. Lostness in our state is rampant, and we have the answer in Jesus. Pray the Lord would capture our hearts and minds as we come together to give us a fresh sense of urgency and unity in our mission as a network of churches.

You can register on our website at sbtexas.com/am24. I hope to see you there and be a source of encouragement to you. I love you and am honored to serve you. I look forward to seeing you in Houston.

Sagemont experiences growth surge amid emphasis on gospel invitations, evangelism

Come one, come all

People are responding to the gospel in a way Bob Crites has not seen in the nearly 30 years he has been at Sagemont Church.

“It’s almost like a revival mentality,” said Crites, the church’s chairman of deacons. “We expect to see people saved every time we go to church.”

Sagemont is a historic congregation located in Houston, the fourth-largest city in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, that is also one of the nation’s most diverse metro areas. The church’s attendance has increased by about 800 people since March, and so far this year it has baptized more than 260 and tallied at least 450 professions of faith—not counting the 400 recorded on Easter Sunday alone.

“We’ve been very intentional at encouraging the church to pray for lost people by name and to learn how to share the gospel,” said Levi Skipper, Sagemont’s senior pastor. He added that church leaders have sought to cultivate a welcoming culture so people will want to invite their friends, coworkers, and neighbors to church.

“My commitment to them is that I’m going to preach Jesus every single Sunday,” Skipper said. “You will not come in and hear me preach and not give an invitation to accept Christ.”

Skipper, who most recently served as a vice president at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, preaches verse by verse through books of the Bible and always ends up at the cross, he said. “I share the gospel, I encourage people to pray to receive Jesus, and then I encourage them to come forward.”

An average of 20 people have been going forward each Sunday to signify a commitment to Christ, and Sagemont has been ushering them onto a disciple’s pathway defined by four steps: worship, connect, grow, and go.

“We’ve been very intentional at encouraging the church to pray for lost people by name and to learn how to share the gospel.”

—Levi Skipper Tweet

On Easter, each person who entered the worship center received a card with three options to indicate a level of commitment. During the sermon, Skipper asked everyone to take out their cards and respond. Some indicated they were already members of Sagemont, others noted they had prayed to receive Christ that day, and others wanted more information.

Everyone dropped their cards in buckets on the way out of the service, and Sagemont began following up on those that needed to take the next step.

Sagemont also has been intentional about leveraging events to move people along the disciple’s pathway, Skipper said. In July, 300 volunteers were trained to share the gospel with thousands of people at a patriotic event on campus.

“You train them how to do it, but then you have to give them an opportunity to do it,” he said of evangelism. At the patriotic event, the pastor and volunteers walked around sharing the gospel conversationally.

Another way Skipper teaches the congregation to share Christ is by using a similarly worded invitation during the sermon each week. “I do that on purpose because in doing that, I’m actually training believers how to share Jesus. They probably don’t even realize they’re being trained.”

“I’m always in the service ... asking the Holy Spirit to move in our midst and seek out people who are lost.”

—Bob Crites Tweet

Some older men in the congregation have told the pastor they pray every Sunday specifically for the invitation. “I would not want to underestimate the fact that the Lord could just be answering one of those guys’ prayers,” Skipper said. “Their prayers mean more than they would ever imagine.”

Crites is among those praying.

“I’m always in the service—before the invitation and while the pastor is preaching—asking the Holy Spirit to move in our midst and seek out people who are lost or those who are stagnant in their faith and convict their hearts and move them to more fellowship in Jesus,” Crites said.

Ken Heibner responded to the invitation earlier this year. “If you could see the change in Ken, it’s pretty remarkable,” Skipper said. “ … It’s amazing what the Lord has done.”

Heibner’s children, ages 12 and 8, had accepted Christ at Sagemont, and the youngest was being baptized on Skipper’s first Sunday as pastor. Though his wife usually took the children to church, Heibner was there that day for the baptism.

Skipper soon took Heibner to lunch and shared Christ, but he wasn’t ready to commit. The pastor then invited Heibner to a small discipleship group with other men. Eventually, Heibner decided to follow Jesus.

“The reason why I liked Levi is there wasn’t any kind of pressure to accept things,” Heibner said, noting that it took time for his eyes to open to what he had been missing. The group of men encouraged him by telling their stories of coming to Christ and by helping him feel like he could ask questions, he said.

Before he was saved, what seemed like hypocrisy from churchgoers had kept him away, Heibner said. “My experience with Sagemont hasn’t been that way. It’s like everybody that I’ve met is pretty genuine, and they’re all there for the same reason.”

Crites—and the entire congregation—is excited to see the changed lives.

“Only the Holy Spirit can do that, and we’re so thankful that He’s moving in our midst right now,” Crites said. “It’s been fun.”