Laredo church offers water

Posted: 6/23/06

Laredo church offers water

By Elizabeth Staples

Texas Baptist Communications

LAREDO—Not even 110-degree summer heat can stop United Baptist Church in Laredo from reaching its community.

“We’re always looking for other ways to reach people,” said Pastor Mike Barrera.

Each day, as thousands of people come into the United States via a walking bridge south of Laredo, members of United Baptist Church are present to greet them.

“Many mothers bring their dehydrated children across the bridge, and the first thing they do is buy them a Coke, which is the worst thing they could do,” Barrera said. “This is an incredible need for the people that we have been working to fill for the past four years.”

United Baptist Church’s Living Water Ministry not only hands out about 50,000 bottles of water to help keep the people healthy and hydrated; volunteers also hand out 50,000 tracts. This summer, church members also distributed thousands of extremely sought-after schedules of the World Cup soccer tournament, along with Spanish tracts to nearly 10,000 men.

Every summer, United Baptist Church holds one of the community’s largest Vacation Bible Schools, typically drawing about 250 children. Sixty-five adults from the congregation volunteer and help serve the children.

Laredo is 93 percent Hispanic, but many of the local college students speak Mandarin. To serve the entire community, United Baptist Church holds Sunday school classes in Chinese, Spanish and English, and it holds worship services in both Spanish and English.

“We are the only church in Laredo that has Mandarin, English and Spanish—the languages spoken by 60 percent of the world,” Barrera said.

The area needs new kinds of churches, Barrera said. And with the help of the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions, United Baptist Church is starting Gateway Community Church to reach more people in the area.