SAN ANTONIO, Texas—Mel Keyes forgot about his prayer. But God didn’t.

That explains how an African-American pastor—twice the age of the typical college freshman—ended up at Baptist University of the Américas, attending a school that trains ministers within a Hispanic context.

As a 17-year-old, Keyes left Brooklyn, N.Y., via the U.S. Air Force, with “no idea what (he) was doing or really even why.”

Military service took him to Austin, within driving distance of a San Antonio cousin who picked him up almost every weekend and brought him to Joshua Baptist Church, where he met two people who changed his life—a mentor and a mate.

“Pastor Clifton Phillip was like a father to me,” Keyes recalled. “Under his leadership I grew as a Sunday school teacher, deacon and accepted my calling into the preaching ministry while still on active duty.”

The other “divine, life-altering relationship” he encountered was Kendra Parther, “the sweet Texas girl who I have spent the last almost 21 years with.”

Although he remained committed to starting a church, he also was beginning a successful sales career and raising a family. He decided to slow down his ministerial training, remained active in Resurrection Baptist Church in San Antonio and took advantage of online courses, workshops and books as he found the time.

But things changed in June 2005, when he was called to follow his deceased mentor as pastor of Joshua Baptist Church.

“I had mixed emotions of faith and fear,” he remembers. “Faith, because I knew after prayer, fasting and consecration that it was God’s will. Yet, fear because I knew that now there was so much more learning to be gained, and I didn’t know how I was going to squeeze it in—working, pastoring, going to school and leading a young family.”

Within two years, the congregation decided to support him in full-time ministry, and he knew it was time to continue his formal education, despite a significant case of what he terms “later bloomer nervousness.”

The available options overwhelmed him, so did the only thing he knew to do—ask God to lead him specifically where he wanted him to study.

A few months passed, and then someone mentioned BUA to him. He recalled his prayer and enrolled immediately, becoming part of a rapidly growing number of African-American students there.

“From day one, I was met with open arms and warm embraces. I wondered if I was at a school or another loving congregation,” Keyes said. “The Hispanic makeup of BUA inspires me in a huge way because in the past five years, I’ve seen our own congregation grow from a 5 percent Hispanic membership to one that averages almost 50 percent.”

The congregation—now called Joshua House of Worship—is overflowing its building and planning new facilities.

“BUA has added a dimension and depth to my spiritual life that I had been after for so long but didn’t know when, where or how to get it,” Keyes said.

“It is amazing to me to consider the various life and ministry lessons that I have learned over such a short period of time. My personal life, marriage and ministry are all better as a result of my education at BUA.”

SAN ANTONIO—This year’s gathering of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas will begin with the baptism of 100 people—one in celebration of each year of the organization’s existence.

Organizers hope that will set the tone as messengers gather for the convention’s centennial anniversary June 27-29 at Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio. Hispanic Baptists will embrace the theme “Yesterday, Today and Forever,” looking at how their churches have shared the hope of Christ in Texas and how they will continue to do so in the future. The Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas is the largest gathering of Hispanic Baptists in the nation.

“It’s a historical moment for our Convencion celebrating our past and recognizing people who brought us to this moment, celebrating today and celebrating what God will do tomorrow,” said Convencion President Victor Rodriguez, pastor of South San Filadelfia Baptist Church in San Antonio.

Rolando Rodriguez, director of Texas Baptists’ office of Hispanic ministries, hopes the Hispanic convention’s annual meeting is a time where believers can reflect upon their past and build upon that work to achieve even greater tasks.

“This celebration is about commitment,” he said. “I hope that we can send a message of hope, a message that says: ‘We are here. We have presence. And we mean business when it comes to sharing the gospel.’ Let’s celebrate the past, but let’s not lose focus on our main mission, and that is to reach Texas for Christ.”

Convention leaders expect at least 3,000 people to attend the fiesta, which Victor Rodriguez said will encourage Hispanic Baptists to focus on the roots of the convention—missions, evangelism and discipleship efforts. Baptists will gather from across the state to discuss ways Hispanic Baptists have shared the gospel in the past and ways they can effectively do so in the future.

Convencion President Victor Rodriguez

Through networking with each other, inspirational preaching and practical seminars, Victor Rodriguez hopes people leave the meeting inspired to share the gospel in their neighborhoods, workplaces and communities.

“We chose the name fiesta,” Victor Rodriguez said. “It represents our culture. It represents our people. It represents a spirit of celebration. I want people to leave blessed.”

During the meeting, at least 20 $1,000 college scholarships will be awarded, part of the organization’s effort to encourage Hispanic education.

Messengers also will consider a revised unification agreement, the document that outlines the working relationship between the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Hispanic Baptist Convention. The original agreement was signed in 1964, and if agreed upon, this would be the first revision of the document.

The proposed new agreement updates some language issues and proposes that the president of the Hispanic convention become a voting member of Texas Baptists’ Executive Board. The president currently is a non-voting member of the board.

The document also gives the Hispanic convention the authority to raise funds outside the Cooperative Program funds it receives from Texas Baptists. This would give the Hispanic convention the ability to raise money for ministries beyond what it does through the BGCT.

“First of all, the unification agreement reminds us that we are not alone in this great mission of reaching the lost,” Rolando Rodriguez said. “We are part of a big family. BGCT has been a great partner and a family for Convencion. Second, the unification agreement will strengthen the relationship between BGCT and Convencion. That’s what it is all about: Together we can do more.”

SAN ANTONIO—Life is tough in the Larkspur neighborhood of San Antonio—so tough, in fact, both the San Antonio Police Department and the San Antonio Housing Authority pulled programs out of what they deemed an “unsafe neighborhood” four years ago.

Few ministers would consider the area the perfect place for a first pastorate. But Jose Gonzalez felt otherwise—probably because he didn’t feel like the perfect ministerial prospect. He recalled how God saved him from the life of a high school dropout who was dabbling in drugs and petty crime, and his pastor convinced him to enroll at Baptist University of the Américas.

Pastor Jose Gonzalez baptizes a new believer in the Guadalupe River.

Gonzalez and Larkspur Christian Fellowship were meant for each other, according to Pastor Neil Bennett and BUA President René Maciel.

“I can’t say enough about Jose and Mimi (his wife) and the great work they are doing,” said Bennett, pastor of Churchill Baptist Church, the sponsoring congregation for Larkspur Fellowship. “They do a lot of hard things really well for very little compensation.

“Churchill started doing children’s work there 14 years ago and moved to a church plant three years ago. We had numbers, but they would come and go. Now, Jose is reaching and retaining families and building a cohesive core group. His gifts and training, combined with his cultural understanding and fluency in Spanish are being greatly used by God in an amazing way.”

In 18 months, attendance has climbed from three to as many as 35, and Gonzalez has baptized seven new believers.

Maciel sees Gonzalez as the prototypical BUA student.

“We’re the only school I know of that intentionally recruits ‘poor’ students in both economic and academic terms. We feel called to those not considered college material by others. And we prepare them to be ready to serve bivocationally, if necessary,” he said.

“Jose came here without even a GED and convinced he would fail and be back home in Weatherford in three months. Last fall, he graduated cum laude. He began serving at Larkspur his senior year and has turned down full-time positions at other churches to remain in a tough place doing what God called him to do, working 40 hours a week at his secular job.”

Gonzalez came to the church as associate pastor in September 2008, working with an Anglo student minister who had realized the future was brighter with a Spanish-speaking leader. In November, Gonzalez became pastor, pouring himself into the community—20 miles from BUA—on nights and weekends as he completed his coursework.

“The main thing BUA taught me was how to study the Bible—how to understand the context and teach the truth of the Scripture instead of just how I wanted to see it,” Gonzalez said.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re the greatest preacher if God is not with you. But if God is with you and you know you’re doing his will, even in the hardest moments, he will give you comfort and strength to continue.”

Pastor Jose Gonzalez of Larkspur Christian Fellowship waded into the Guadalupe River to immerse three individuals who had made recent professions of faith. He also baptized two more bystanders who were attracted to the scene and made their own professions of faith. (BUA PHOTO/Naomi Gonzalez)

He has had his share of tough moments. He wrote letters on behalf of a new Christian member seeking probation, but she was sent to prison. Mormon missionaries descended on Larkspur, drawing away several members with well-funded ministries Gonzalez couldn’t match. But even when Gonzalez is discouraged, his sense of call has kept him in place.

“I think his background helps him a lot,” Bennett said. “He’s lived some of what Larkspur people go through. He’s seen the tough side of life. So, where most young pastors would turn tail and run, he has the patience and strength to stand solid.

“He’s getting a great crash course in leadership, because he is discipling new believers in difficult surroundings and counseling people with tough problems.”

This summer, Gonzalez and his family are taking a brief break from the neighborhood—spending two weeks in San Luis Potosi in Mexico. Gonzalez plans to witness to his mother’s family in a mountain village.

“They need God, and there is no one to tell them except when we go,” he explained.

LUBBOCK—The sound of mariachi band music and the smell of fresh-grilled fajitas floated through the air as 13 Lubbock-area churches sponsored a Cinco de Mayo outreach event designed to celebrate Hispanic culture and share the hope of Christ.

Iglesia Bautista Templo in Lubbock offered a free fajita meal to the community on Cinco de Mayo—an event designed to meet needs and share the gospel. (PHOTOS/Courtesy of Ed Sena)

Hispanic churches from Lubbock, Crosbyton, Lockney, Plainview, Floydada, Levelland and New Home joined with Lubbock Area Baptist Association to support the event, with additional help provided through the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger.

More than 1,000 people came to the celebration at Iglesia Bautista Templo in Lubbock, where volunteers gave away more than 500 pounds of fajita meat, along with beans, rice and tortillas.

“We were casting the vision of giving back to our community,” said Edward Sena, Lubbock Area Baptist Association director of church services and starts.

A week before the celebration, volunteers from several churches went door-to-door in the neighborhood surrounding Iglesia Bautista Templo to distribute fliers and invite people to the free meal.

The event kicked off with a fajita-grilling contest involving 17 teams from various churches. The cooked fajitas were given to people attending the event.

“The goal with the cook-off where the churches were going to be bringing their grillers is that they would encourage anyone they knew that was lost—family members and co-workers—to come,” said Salvador Trevino, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Templo. “We had some grill-ers that weren’t Christians. (They came because) they knew church members and loved to grill.”

A mariachi band performed at Iglesia Bautista Templo in Lubbock as part of a Cinco de Mayo celebration Baptists in the area sponsored to reach their community. (PHOTOS/Courtesy of Ed Sena)

After the competition and dinner, everyone was invited inside the church for a celebration service. Grupo Agape, a mariachi band from San Antonio, led worship and Roland Lopez, Hispanic church planting consultant with San Antonio Baptist Association, preached.

Twenty-two people began relationships with Christ during the service, and another 25 said they want to be more committed in living their lives to honor Christ.

“What I saw through the event was not only those people who came to know Christ, but also I saw a community come to recognize that there is a church here,” Trevino said. “They don’t just see the building itself, but they were exposed to the church and exposed the community to see that there is something going on here.”

As the churches worked together to minister to the community, Jesse Rincones, pastor of Alliance Church, said he was glad the members are seeing holidays offer a prime opportunity to engage people with the gospel.

“When there are community celebrations, the church should be there, too, so that the church is viewed as people who are participating with the community and not a group that has their own events expecting people to come to us,” Rincones said.

Hispanic churches from Lubbock, Crosbyton, Lockney, Plainview, Floydada, Levelland and New Home joined with Lubbock Area Baptist Association to support a Cinco de Mayo outreach event. (PHOTOS/Courtesy of Ed Sena)

Not only were people in the community touched by the event, but it also strengthened the bond between the participating churches, helping volunteers see what is possible when they work together.

“It brought unity,” Sena said. “It brought churches together to work together. I think it brought excitement simply because of the decisions they saw made.”

Plans are being formed to host a citywide Cinco de Mayo outreach in 2011, as well as to help the other Hispanic Baptist churches in the South Plains initiate similar events in their communities.

“I think it is time that our churches get rid of the mentality from the community of the lost people that we are takers and that we just want something from them,” Sena said. “But rather, (they should be seen as) churches that engage our communities culturally and ethnically to meet the needs of the people whether it be through a cultural experience or through something else but to have the bottom line of sharing the gospel.”

Events like the Cinco de Mayo festival are avenues to notice needs in their community and to begin to do more to help others, Trevino said.

Iglesia Bautista Templo in Lubbock's free fajita meal drew in a crowd on Cinco de Mayo.

“I hope we can lead the church to host more events,” Trevino said. “But not only that —I want people to be able to come into our church and find services and help with their needs. … I believe it is showing our people that it is going to take work to reach others. They are not going to just come through the doors. It is showing our people that we have to work at this.”

In order for Hispanic churches to increase the influence they have on their communities, Rincones said, pastors must work together, then lead their congregations to do the same.

“If we as pastors could begin to look at ourselves as co-pastors in the city rather than individual pastors, that would give us a broader sense of the city,” he said. “Then we need to begin to focus our efforts.”

INDEPENDENCE—Joy Fenner, who has encouraged missions work and missionary education around the globe for decades, was honored June 6 with the Elder Statesman Award from Independence Association.

Fenner served two decades as executive director-treasurer of Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas and was the first woman president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. She is the 59th recipient of the Elder Statesman Award, presented by the Independence Association and Baptist Distinctives Committee/Texas Baptist Heritage Center. The honor was bestowed at Independence Baptist Church, the oldest continually active Baptist congregation in the state.

Fenner clearly represents the purpose of Independence Association—to emphasize the importance of education and missions in Baptist life, said Bill Pitts, president of the association.

He noted Baylor University and the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor, which trace their origin to Independence, were founded as a result of the missionary fervor of Baptists.

Bill Pinson, executive director emeritus of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, said Fenner unites Texas Baptists’ strong commitment to education and reaching the world with the gospel. She built upon and expanded the foundation that generations of Texas Baptists laid before her, he noted.

In 1967, Joy and Charlie Fenner married, and they packed their bags for Japan, where they served with the Southern Baptist Convention Foreign Mission Board as missionaries until 1980. In their service there, they grew to love the Japanese culture and people, looking to share the hope of Christ as often as possible.

They returned to Texas in 1981, and Joy Fenner became the executive director-treasurer of Texas WMU. During her 20-year tenure in that position, Texas WMU continued to encourage Texas Baptists to share the gospel with a growing and diversifying population.

She spearheaded efforts by WMU during the Mission Texas emphasis to raise funds for starting new churches, including the triple-triple campaign for the Mary Hill Davis Offering, an effort to triple one year’s offering and then triple it again the next year.

She also helped develop the WorldTouch and Touch Tomorrow Today endowments, which support mission work through Texas WMU. These funds help with mission work in a number of ways, including ministry to missionaries and their children, providing resources in various languages, supporting the Texas Baptist Nursing Fellowship and African-American work, and assisting in leadership development. She also served as president of Texas WMU, and she has served on the board of trustees of East Texas Baptist University.

In the Elder Statesman Award program, Carolyn Porterfield of Texas WMU taught the Bible study, BGCT Executive Direcotor Randel Everett preached the sermon, retired BGCT Treasurer Roger Hall shared about the history of Independence Association and Independence Baptist Church, and Ruth Landes Pitts, Deirdre LaNoue and Ed Wittner provided music.

Charlie Fenner, who provided a musical interlude on the old 1874 church organ, was recognized for the shared ministry he and his wife have had.

Also recognized were several former Texas WMU presidents who had served with Fenner during her term as WMU executive director/treasurer—Millie Bishop, Gerry Dunkin, Mary Humphries, Kathy Hillman and Jeane Law.

Upon accepting the honor before many of the friends and colleagues she has served alongside, Fenner thanked Texas Baptists for all that they have done. She called herself a product of Texas Baptist life.

“Thank you, Texas Baptists,” she said. “Thank you for loving me, for growing me and for gifting me today with this honor.”

• Texas Baptist Children’s Home will hold a reunion July 31. The celebration also will include the marking of TBCH’s 60th anniversary and the 30th anniversary of John and Brenda Toner as houseparents. Activities will begin with cottage tours at 9 a.m. A group photo is scheduled for 11 a.m. A barbecue lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The reunion is free for all alumni and family members, but notification of attendance is required. Call (512) 246-4248 to make reservations or for more information.

• Two longtime educators at East Texas Baptist University have retired. Brenda Dearman, professor of music, taught in the School of Fine Arts 30 years. Charles Sutton, professor of education, came to ETBU in 2002 and is retiring after 48 years as an educator.

• Hardin-Simmons University honored retiring professor of mathematics Ed Hewett not only by naming him faculty member of the year, but also tapping him as the inaugural recipient of the Stars of the Purple and Gold Award for perseverance and dedication. Anita Lyle, administrative assistant to the dean of the College of Liberal Arts, was named staff member of the year.

• Dallas Baptist University named Linda Smith its staff member of the year. She has worked at DBU 34 years, 33 of those in the school mailroom.

• Eric McQuiston has joined Baptist Child & Family Services as a regional emergency preparedness coordinator. He served 20 years as a medic in the U.S. Air Force, managing and training rapid response teams.

• Howard Payne University recognized 121 student-athletes for their success in the classroom and their fields of athletic endeavor. To qualify, students had to achieve a cumulative grade-point average of 3.o or greater, make a significant contribution to his or her team, and maintain a high level of integrity.

Anniversaries

• Knobbs Springs Church in McDade, 155th, May 23. Mark McBride is pastor.

• Larry Davis, 20th, as pastor at South Garland Baptist Church in Garland, June 13.

• Terry Sinclair, fifth, as minister of music at First Church in Lakeside, June 27.

• Artis Edwards, fifth, as pastor of New Beginnings Church in Brenham.

Retiring

• Robert Davenport, as pastor of Mount Sylvan Church in Lindale, June 30. He has served there since 2000. He previously was associate pastor of North Klein Church in Klein and was minister of pastoral care and single adults at Metropolitan Church in Houston.

• E. L. “Skip” McNeal as pastor of First Church in Sanger, June 30, after 30 years involvement in the community, Denton Baptist Association and the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The church will honor McNeal and his wife, Mary, June 27 at 6 p.m. with a celebratory program and reception. Former members and friends are invited to attend.

Events

• The Telestials will present a concert July 2 at First Church in Devers. An offering will be taken. For more information, call (936) 549-7653. Harry McDaniel is pastor.

• Pleasant View Church in Dallas will celebrate 163 years of service to the community July 11 with homecoming services. Former pastor Joe Price will preach in the morning service. Joel Swofford and the Gloryland Boys will sing in the service and present a concert in the afternoon. A meal will follow the service. Swofford will preach after the afternoon concert. For more information, call (214) 824-1161. Bob Hendley is pastor.

Licensed

• Michael Gleason, to the ministry at First Church in Pettus.

Ordained

• Ryan Chandler, to the ministry at First Church in Christine.

Revival

• Mount Pilgrim Church, Corpus Christi; June 23-25; evangelist, Jean Burch; pastor, Claude Axel.

Deaths

• R.B. Baker, 81, June 7 in Temple. He served 21 years as pastor of Memorial Church in Temple and was named pastor emeritus. His other pastorates included Marlow Church in Milam County, Calvary Church in May, First Church in Moody, First Church in Caldwell and Harris Avenue Church in San Angelo. He was born July 22, 1928, in Burkburnett to Robert B. and Altie Denton Baker. He married Bettye Griffith on May 3, 1948. He graduated from Olney High School, Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and he received his doctorate from Howard Payne University, where he served on the board of trustees. He took many groups on tours to the Holy Land, and he was an interior designer. Survivors include his wife, Bettye Baker of Temple; a son, Mark Baker of Temple; a daughter, Belinda Clark of Austin; two sisters, Zola Owens and Ruth Young, both of Olney; five grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.

• James A. Puckett, 76, June 12 in McKinney. He served nearly 20 years as pastor of First Church in McKinney. He served previously as pastor of Texas Baptist churches in Wortham, Big Spring and San Antonio, as well as churches in Kentucky and Michigan. Born in Quitman, he was baptized and ordained to the ministry at First Church in Quitman. He graduated from Tyler High School and attended East Texas Baptist University and Tyler Junior College before earning degrees from Baylor Univer-sity and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Puckett served as a trustee at Baptist Memorial Geriatric Center, Hispanic Baptist Theological Seminary, Dallas Baptist Univer-sity and East Texas Baptist University, and he was a director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board. He was preceded in death by his parents, Otis and Era Shaw Puckett; sister, Newlyn Cain; and great-granddaughter, Lily-Maih Callaway. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Edna; son, Jim Puckett, Jr. of Princeton; daughter, Carol Puckett Lockwood of San Antonio; and son, Timothy Puckett of Allen; six grandchildren and a great-granddaughter; sisters, Gwen Lipscomb of Garland, Patsy Gaston of Okmulgee, Okla.; brother, Joe Puckett of Dallas; and numerous nieces and nephews.

• David Baysinger to Second Church in La Grange as youth minister from Walnut Creek Church in Azle.

• Aaron Coffey to First Church in Floresville as minister of youth from First Church in Gladewater.

• Keith Coleman to First Church in Dublin as pastor from First Church in Granbury, where he was associate pastor/minister to students.

• Nathan Johnson to First Church in Schulenburg as minister of youth and music from Indian Hills Church in Grand Prairie, where he was youth pastor.

• Richard McCroskey to First Church in Sulphur Springs as youth minsitry intern.

• Laura Smitherman to Desoto Hills Church in Southhaven, Miss., as children’s minister from First Church in Burleson.

• Paul Walker to First Church in Wichita Falls as singles ministry coordinator.

LIPAN—God gave Olen Reynolds a love for music, and he’s been giving it back ever since.

Reynolds, 83, officially has been Allison Baptist Church’s music director the last 61 years, but he started leading the music long before that. Reynolds never has drawn a dime of salary, but he was the recipient of a couple of love offerings during revivals.

He can remember standing on the pianist’s bench and leading the singing at age 7. By age 12, he was the church’s regular song leader, even though he didn’t make a profession of faith in Christ until he turned 16.

“I’ve sang all my life, and don’t know a note of music. When I was young, I could hear a song three times and sing it, but I can’t do that anymore because I can’t remember them,” Reynolds said.

Little has come between Reynolds and leading the Sunday morning hymns—not even his wedding.

He and his wife, Bea, married on Nov. 8, 1947, years after they met as children during a tent meeting.

“We were in the church the next morning. We didn’t go on a honeymoon, but we’ve been on one ever since,” he said with his quick laugh and even quicker smile.

The only thing that has interfered with his leading music was about an 18-month term of military service during World War II.

Allison Baptist church, a rural congregation that numbers about 50 on Sunday mornings, has changed little in all the years Reynolds has served there.

“The music hasn’t changed, because I wouldn’t change it,” he said. “I’ve got to do the old Baptist hymns I always knew, and that’s it.”

Reynolds has been playing a guitar since he was 14. That ability proved especially useful after the church building burned on a Sunday morning in 1955. Members tried to rescue the church’s piano, but it became stuck in the front doorframe and burned with the rest of the church.

Reynolds still recalls how the members of the church worked hard on their farms all week but showed up every Saturday to help rebuild the church.

He counts “How Great Thou Art” and “Victory in Jesus” as favor-ites, but the old hymns all have special place in his heart.

“I sing a special now and then, but I just do that when I’m called on by the Lord. … If it gets to be a ritual, that’s not a special. I like to get up and there and get ready to sing and tell my pianist, ‘Now this is going to be a special.’ And she may not even know it,” he said with a laugh.

The church has a mixture of longtime members and newcomers, but the music seems to suit them all, he said.

“I guess they (like the music), because that’s what we were doing when they first came, and maybe that’s why they came back,” he said.

The hymns are crucial to worship, Reynolds believes.

“Every hymn has a message. And like a verse in the Bible, every time you sing it, it may have a different message. And I say: ‘It ain’t me up here. The hymn is the worship part.’ I say: ‘Go by that. That hymn is what’s to be focused on.’”

Pastor Wayne Ford, who has served the Allison church 30 years, said Reynolds is important to the church’s worship.

“I depend on him a whole lot. The messages in the songs really set the pace for the whole service,” Ford said.

Reynolds has no thoughts of retiring.

“That’s my way of worshipping the Lord—leading the music. I’ve never been a pew warmer,” he said.

Reynolds always counseled others to do the things they love and has attempted to follow that same track for himself.

“You do what you love to do, and I’ve always loved music,” he said.

He was recently asked why he’s always so happy, he said.

“I’ve got my funeral bill paid. I’ve got a place where I’m going to be buried. And I’ve got a place in heaven I’m going to. What is there to worry about? Dying is just the door to heaven. That’s all it is.”

And Reynolds surely will enter with a song on his lips.

ORLANDO, Fla.—A 35-year-old prayer God that “never stopped answering” led Mary Lou Serratt to receive the Woman’s Missionary Union’s Dellanna West O’Brien Award for leadership development among women.

Serratt, a member of First Baptist Church in Amarillo, accepted the award during the WMU annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., June 14. Serratt has worked with girls and women from Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Iran, Iraq, Korea, Laos, Liberia, Spain, Sudan, Thailand and Vietnam, helping them learn the Bible and grow as leaders.

Serratt’s ministry began in 1975, as she helped plan a mission trip to Korea, she said.

She felt all the other mission team members possessed special skills that would be useful on the trip, but she didn’t know how she could contribute. “So I prayed, ‘God, would you pour your love for people through me?’” she recalled, noting God responded when she sensed an “immediate connection” to the Korean people.

“God answered that prayer, and it’s still going on,” she said.

When she returned to Amarillo, where her husband, Delbert, was a pastor at the time, a Laotian pastor in the community asked her to provide “special care” for a group of Laotian girls. The pastor asked her to teach not only about the Bible and about missions, but also to show the girls who lived far from their native land “how special they are” and how to be leaders.

In addition to the Laotian girls, she soon began teaching girls from Korea and Spain, giving birth to International Acteens, a cosmopolitan version of the Baptist missions program for teenage girls.

One day, the girls took turns answering the question, “What will you be doing in 10 years?” Serratt remembered.

One girl replied, “’Mrs. Serratt, I don’t know where I will be in 10 years, but you will be my teacher,’” she said, her voice catching with emotion. “That’s the legacy of leadership. Teaching never ends.”

Serratt continued her ministry to international women when she and her husband moved to South Texas, where he was an associational director of missions. In retirement, they returned to Amarillo to discover “people from all over the world had arrived.”

She teaches them English as a Second Language and also the Bible.

“I’m watching them learn and grow, and they teach me so much,” she said.

Serratt encouraged other Baptists to share her ministry, particularly as people from mission fields around the world immigrate to the United States.

“Don’t put up barriers” between people of different cultures and languages, she pleaded. “Let God love people from around the world through you. That’s what it’s all about.”

“I have observed Mary Lou as an outstanding Acteens leader, a capable associational WMU director and officer of WMU of Texas,” said Joy Fenner, former executive director and former president of WMU of Texas. “Then her heart led her to work with the ethnic women and families who came to her community and church. Out of this church experience came the desire to help develop missions education among the emerging ethnic groups in Texas.

“The Hispanic and Korean work were growing, but multiple other groups needed personal, hands-on assistance,” Fenner added. “Mary Lou patiently works to understand the unique culture of each group, diligently seeks to present the concepts of WMU’s missions tasks in simple words and context, finds one or two within each group to mentor, and helps those women to develop strong, working relationships with pastors.”

Carolyn Porterfield, multicultural consultant for WMU of Texas, nominated Serratt and explained: “She has developed leaders who are now leading in their national ethnic fellowships. It is a joy to see her ‘in action’ with the women because her love for them radiates to them and they know it.

“I have watched her pour herself into these women, to help them develop into confident leaders who are respected by the pastors of their respective churches. Any time, day or night, she will take their calls and nurture them in the Lord. She is very much loved by our ethnic leadership.”

Serratt has served in church, associational and state WMU leadership. In addition to years of leading Acteens, she’s served as vice president of WMU of Texas and a volunteer multiethnic consultant, among other leadership roles. She also writes for national WMU for the Missions Plan Book, a resource written in basic English for smaller or new churches, multicultural congregations and deaf congregations.

Courtney Simpson and Julie Walters of WMU contributed to this story.

BELTON—The body of a 22-year-old graduate student was found on the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor campus the evening of June 12. 

He was identified as Adarsh Johnson Don Basco, a student from India pursuing a Master of Science in Information Systems degree at the university.

Known to his friends as “Johnson,” he recently had been recognized as the MSIS Outstanding Graduate Student for 2010 and was scheduled to graduate from the master’s program in August.

Friends reported to police he left a gathering at his home near the edge of the UMHB campus in the early morning hours June 11.

His friends became concerned when he did not return and reported him missing to the Belton police the following day.

“The university is deeply saddened by the loss of this wonderful young man,” said UMHB President Randy O’Rear.

“Johnson was an outstanding graduate student and was dearly loved by our faculty, staff and his fellow students. Our prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”

Officers at the scene said there appeared to be no signs of foul play. 

Based on information available at this time, university officials believe his death was accidental and are awaiting official confirmation. The investigation is being handled by the Belton Police Department. The body has been sent to Dallas for autopsy.
 

Haitians need help, and they need it fast. 

Robert Shehane recently returned from a four-week stint in Haiti seeking missions opportunities and potential Church2Church partnerships on behalf of Texas Baptists in the first of what will be several trips to the region.

Haitian children gather at a church. At least 160 children on the streets of Grand-Goâve can’t afford their school tuition. Texas Baptists are being encouraged to provide funds for tuition and school supplies. (PHOTO/Courtesy of Robert Shehane)

Homelessness is just one of many problems caused by the January earthquake that devastated Haiti. There are 200,000 people throughout the country currently living in the floodplains in tents, under tarps and in makeshift shelters. Food is scarce. Clean water is even scarcer.

“When I was there, it would get up to 130 degrees inside my tent during the day,” said Shehane, a retired Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board missionary. “When I went to bed at night, it was about 105 inside the tent.”

The biggest concern right now isn’t the scorching heat, but the coming rains. Haiti’s mountain ranges collect water, causing flash flooding and even mudslides, he said.

“Rainy season comes into full force in July or August, so there’s a real time crunch,” Shehane said. “We need to get these houses up and get people in decent shelter before the rains start. The people are also vulnerable to hurricanes, and hurricane season is just around the corner. When hurricanes hit, what’s going to happen to them? There is a definite sense of urgency to get these people into homes.”

Shehane has identified two main areas where Texas Baptists’ help is needed. The first is Grand-Goâve, about 40 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, and the nearby Petit-Goâve. The second is Delmas, a major city near Port-au-Prince. 

Building homes is the first among several priorities for volunteers in Haiti. In Grand-Goâve, part of the reconstruction plan provides work for local church members by hiring them to do reconstruction of destroyed and damaged homes.

Mission teams can plug into the work that’s already going on, and when they leave, construction doesn’t have to come to a halt.

The second priority is rebuilding the school owned by Grand-Goâve Baptist Church. About 200 students are now attending classes under tarps while Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and International Ministries American Baptist Convention USA work to rebuild. These two organizations are already partnering with the Haitian Baptist Convention.  Texas Baptists are joining into this partnership with the Haitian Baptist Convention, CBF and American Baptists on this project.

“The school’s needs are so great,” Shehane said. “Their budgets are in shambles. The other day I was talking with someone at the school and I overheard a teacher telling a little girl that she had to bring 60 gourde, which is $1.54, for her month’s tuition the next day or she couldn’t come back to school. And you know what? I bet she didn’t get it.”

There are at least 160 children on the streets of Grand-Goâve who can’t afford their school tuition.

“Texas Baptists can help with this project,” Shehane said. “We want to provide tuition for one year for as many street kids as possible who can’t afford it. They need backpacks, basic materials, textbooks and uniforms.”  An annual gift of $160 would help a child in Grand-Goâve be able to attend school for one year and receive supplies.

Other construction opportunities for Texas Baptists include rebuilding churches, the third priority Shehane has identified. The Baptist church in Petit-Goâve was completely destroyed. The church in Grand-Goâve is missing a roof and has unsafe walls and a cracked foundation.

“What we’d really love is to find enough Texas Baptist resources to rebuild the churches for them,” Shehane said. “The Grand-Goâve church is the one spearheading the efforts to rebuild their members’ homes. They don’t have any resources left over to repair their own building at this time.”

Thirty-seven miles away in Delmas, Shehane identified three churches that could benefit from Church2Church partnerships. At one church, 125 members were injured, 10 were killed including their pastor, 200 homes were destroyed, 250 were damaged and the church building was severely damaged.

Members of Salem Baptist Church of Delmas also lost their pastor in the earthquake. Sixty church members were wounded or injured, 30 homes were destroyed and 50 homes were damaged.

Martissant Baptist Church in Delmas lost eight members to the earthquake. One hundred and thirty people were wounded or injured, 130 homes were destroyed, 45 were damaged and the church building was damaged. Four children in the congregation were orphaned. Martissant has asked for a Texas Baptist partnership to help rebuild its members’ homes.

Shehane said he hopes partner churches will meet needs where they are able, but also act as networkers on behalf of their Haitian partners.

“The church partners might not meet the need directly, but they can connect with the people who can meet the needs,” Shehane said.

In addition to construction projects, there is a need for nurses, doctors and ophthalmologists to go Haiti in the upcoming months. There is a mobile medical clinic in place on the church grounds in Grand-Goâve staffed by one part-time nurse.

“We would like to plug in some Texas Baptists nurses to go and work for a week at a time,” Shehane said. “We also need general practitioners for neglected people who have never had that type of care.”

“We need ophthalmologists to come to Haiti and give eye exams and do cataract surgery,” Shehane said. “We would love to take 1,000 pairs of glasses on the next trip in all different kinds, all different prescriptions, to match them up with people as best as we can.”

Texas Baptists also are coordinating with Texas Baptist Men in the construction of two wound care clinic—one in Grace Goave and one in Delmas 28, which is part of Port-Au-Prince. These clinics will provide follow-up care for people who were injured in the earthquake and for other on-going health care needs. In addition, the medical professionals who staff the clinics will train some of the local people in proper wound care so this assistance can continue eve after there are no medical staff on site.

“The needs are just so immense,” Shehane said. “How do you decide what to do? You can’t do it all. Even together, we can’t do it all. You just have to take your slice and decide: ‘This is what we’re going to work on. This is where we can help to make a difference.’”

The Baptist General Convention of Texas is coordinating mission trips to the Grand-Goâve area of Haiti, 2.5 hours from Port-au-Prince. Chaplains, counselors, builders, doctors, nurses, eye doctors and any willing hard workers are needed for rebuilding projects and other mission opportunities.

Trip dates are June 26-July 3, July 10-17, Aug. 21-28, Sept. 4-11, Oct. 9-16, and Nov. 13-20. Trip costs are $40 per day, plus airfare, and include meals, water, tents, showers and toilet facilities. The BGCT is offering grants to assist with airfare to Haiti. Contact Marla Bearden at (888) 244-9400 for more information.

MIDLOTHIAN—Crystal, a high school senior trying to juggle classes and living on her own since she was 15, was exhausted from working late hours at a fast-food restaurant and was ready to drop of school until an adult mentor came her way.  

In August 2009, Crystal agreed to participate in Movement Towards a Future, a mentoring program at Midlothian High School. The initiative was started through First Baptist Church and a partnership with Texas Baptists made possible through the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions.

The program enlisted adults from eight Midlothian churches to spend one hour a week with students at risk of not completing high school, encouraging them toward graduation, holding them accountable for grades and helping them dream about their future and see their potential.

Crystal was paired with Pam Poole, a member at First Baptist Church. At their first meeting, Poole discovered they shared a distant relative, a connection that put Crystal at ease and enabled her to open up to Poole.

“I could see how God had gone before her,” Poole said. “Immediately, we were connected and bonded.”

As Poole spent weeks with Crystal, she began to see how many students have no one to speak truth to them, to show them that they are capable of a better future and let them know they are loved and special. This realization pushed Poole to do whatever it took to help Crystal graduate from high school and to help her see that she is valued.

“You don’t realize how many children are out there with no covering,” Poole said. “They have no one to get them breakfast, help them with homework and encourage them.”

For Dena Petty, director of the Movement Towards a Future, loving students and helping them through their struggles—whether anger issues, drugs, lack of motivation or a rough family life—is living out the hope of Christ before the students’ eyes.

“I really feel that mentoring is the gospel,” Petty said. “It is one soul caring for another soul, one-on-one. It is giving someone hope each week, consistently showing up. I am only here to love you unconditionally and show you how to have a better life the best way I know how.”

Alyssa Threatt spends time with her mentor, attorney Susan McMillon.

Although the mentors were not allowed to share their faith openly unless a student directly asked since the initiative was coordinated by the school system, mentors had many opportunities to live out their faith. Many did this through being consistent in their presence and speaking words of hope to each student—words many at-risk students hadn’t heard before.

“On Sunday mornings at church, we are told to get out there and make a difference but many of us don’t know how,” Petty said. “Many (students) will not step foot in our churches. So, this is a way to show them who Christ is and meet them where they are. “

More than 60 mentors committed to meet with their assigned student for an hour during a school day for 28 weeks. As the bond between the mentor and student continued, many invested more time out of their love for the students.

“Two hours of my week changed a girl’s life for a lifetime,” Poole said. “Eight hours a month—one workday a month—made a difference in someone’s life.”

In the process of helping the students, Petty discovered 11 students in the program were homeless. Soon. she and the mentors not only became encouragers, but also resource connectors, helping the students find places to live, food to eat, jobs to provide for themselves and the necessities to survive and complete high school.

On May 4, more than 120 mentors, students and teachers gathered at Midlothian Conference Center for a luncheon and entertainment by the Midlothian High School hip-hop club to celebrate the 50 students who completed a year of mentoring. Through the program, the students completed another year of school, with nine of the 12 graduating seniors making plans to attend a community college or university, something they had not thought possible in the past.

“We had stories of one kid making Fs and Ds. His mom was drunk by 3 p.m. every day. Then he had an older brother who dropped out. Then just all the sudden, he decided to take the direction that the mentor showed him and he is making all As and Bs now,” Petty said.

Above all, Petty said, she and the mentors don’t get involved just to see students succeed in their high school careers. They get involved because they love Christ and they are called to share his hope with others.

 “We don’t do this to make a difference in the lives of others,” Petty said. “Otherwise, we will be extremely frustrated. We do this because we are called. Love the students right there where they are and let God do the rest.”

The mentoring program will continue next year through the support of First Baptist Church and the Mary Hill Davis Offering. Petty hopes to expand the program by recruiting 25 more mentors as next year the program will include any high school students instead of just upperclassmen. One Midlothian middle school already has asked to be added to the program, but Petty is still searching for funding for this expansion.

“I would love for this to grow and be in every school,” Petty said. “The people who mentor, they are so blessed. The students involved, they are so blessed. It is the way God intended it. All the doors are open in the schools for this to happen, we just need to get in there.”