ALTO FRIO—Over the last 26 years, the annual Hispanic Senior Adult Camp has adjusted to meet the needs and concerns of aging Baby Boomers, but its mission has remained unchanged—to serve Hispanic Texas Baptist seniors.

Pastor Andrew Villarreal founded Campamento Annual para Adultos Mayores in 1993 when he noticed few Hispanics attended predominantly Anglo senior adult Baptist camps.

Passing the torch

Now a second generation—Villarreal’s daughter Patty, adjunct lecturer of social work at Baptist University of the Américas—serves as the camp’s president during a time of continuing transition.

She points out the transition began long before she assumed the leadership post. When Gloria Gonzalez was president about a decade ago, she pushed for the camp to adopt a constitution that set one-year terms for officers.

The camp also recognized as a new generation of Hispanic Texas Baptists entered their senior adult years and times changed, new topics needed to be addressed.

“There are issues now that were not issues 26 years ago,” Gonzalez said. “Now we talk about suicide, overuse of drugs and over-the-phone scammers.”

Making changes

When Gonzalez was president, the Hispanic Baptist Senior Adult Camp’s founder realized its dates did not fit into everyone’s schedule. Even so, the camp had grown so much that Alto Frio struggled to provide overnight accommodations.

So, Andrew Villareal launched Campamento Maranatha in 2003 to provide an alternate date and location to serve additional Hispanic senior adults.

Campamento Annual para Adultos Mayores marked another significant change when Grace Rodriguez was president.

In response to a rising generation of Hispanic senior adults who did not speak Spanish or felt more comfortable in an English-speaking environment, the camp began to offer bilingual services.

Holistic activities all day long

Today, the Hispanic Senior Adult Camp focuses on providing more holistic activities, such as Zumba classes and water aerobics to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles, Patty Villareal noted.

In addition, the camp also makes an effort to touch on emotional and spiritual health, Gonzalez added.

From 6:45 a.m. to 8:30 or 9 p.m., the Hispanic Senior Adult Camp offers a variety of activities.

“We understood quickly campers did not want to come and stay in their rooms all day,” Rodriguez said.

Even as the camp has changed, it continues to seek to honor its heritage and traditions—and Hispanic Texas Baptists’ connection to Alto Frio, Villareal said. Many first-generation attendees at Hispanic Senior Adult Camp have fond memories of attending youth camp at Alto Frio, she noted.

“A lot of these campers either came to camp themselves as young people, or they sent their children. So, there would be an emotional break if we went somewhere else,” she said.

Many campers come to Alto Frio to maintain the relationships they have had for years.

“Thankfully, they also get to connect with people they did not know before,” Villareal said.

For the past nine years, Philip Smith from Main Street Baptist Church in Georgetown has brought the Bible to life through what he calls “performance Scripture”—dramatic recitations of the Apostle Paul’s epistles. Craig Claybrook of Georgetown interviewed Smith. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you land on the idea of memorizing and performing Scripture?

I heard St. Paul speak. Our pastor was preaching from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians. As he was reading from the text, I followed along in my open Bible. Suddenly, in my mind, I could hear the emotional voice of Paul. I heard his expression of heartfelt love and compassion for his dear friends. In hindsight, I know this experience was a gift from the Holy Spirit.

My wife Jolene and I were unaware that this moment’s experience would entirely change our lives. What we realized months later was that the Holy Spirit was gently leading us to a ministry of performance Scripture, which became “St. Paul Speaks.”

Compelled to memorize Philippians, I dedicated four months to the study and memorization of this Scripture. We became confident the letter would be performed dramatically in front of audiences. I built a set and props, and Jolene served as director and costume designer. Philippians premiered in August 2010. Over the years, St. Paul Speaks has become the most meaningful thing we have ever done.

What caused you to choose professional acting as your career?

Although my degree was in theater, it had been 23 years since I had any interest in acting. When I quit working in theater I said, “If I ever return to the stage, it will be for the Lord.” As our ministry of performance Scripture developed, it became evident that this was what God had planned all along. The 25 years I had worked in theater had been preparing me for this special calling into his service.

How thankful I am that our God is the patient, loving and forgiving God. Like many, I went away to college and strayed from my faith. For 25 years, I traveled the wide and crooked path of the world, ignoring God. It is to my regret that this departure from faith caused such distress to my parents, who were godly servant missionaries to the Cheyenne and Arapaho in Oklahoma.

I understand that you and Jolene have faced severe tragedy in your lives. Can you tell us about it? 

Those “theater years” were not spent pursuing God but, rather, ignoring God. As a result, we were totally unprepared for the devastating news of January 6, 1985. We received word that morning that our only child, 16-year old Charise, had been killed in a car accident in Oklahoma City. The following three years were by far the darkest of our lives. We were helpless—mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Jolene remembered her mother telling her that if she ever needed help: “Go to a church and they will help you.” She was in very ill-health and her thinking was, “I am sick, my daughter is dead, and my husband is crazy. I’ve got to have some help.”

So she went to a small Christian and Missionary Alliance church in our neighborhood where we lived in Walla Walla, Wash. She went seeking help for physical needs. We thank God they not only helped her, they prayed for her and led her by word and deed to surrender her life to Christ. Jolene was freed from darkness.

I, however, continued in my suffering. After many months, Jolene lovingly came to me and asked if I would read a book that might help me. That day, we read together from C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. I thank God for Jolene, I thank God for C.S. Lewis, and I thank God for transforming me that very day as I surrendered my life to him.

Now, we were newborn babes in Christ, no longer ignoring God but pursuing God. Following our transformation, we realized we had entered the best days of our lives. Joyfully, we began to learn what a wonderful Savior we have in Jesus.

You have also been an outspoken advocate for the unborn. How did that come about?

Even as we continue to grow in our understanding and appreciation of God’s grace, mercy and peace, we live with the consequences of a terrible decision we made in 1984. The year before our daughter’s death, she became pregnant. In self-serving ignorance, we bought into the lie that unborn babies are nothing more than “clumps of cells.” We live with the reality that we paid to have our grandchild killed by abortion. Daily, we continue to live with the sad consequences of having neither children nor grandchildren.

Through our St. Paul Speaks Ministry, we have many opportunities to share our testimony. We pray that our life story may encourage others to have faith that God has a plan. As outspoken advocates for the unborn, we bare our souls about the consequences of abortion and pray that others will not make this same terrible decision. We urge people to continue praying for their family and friends who are ignoring or rebelling against God.

Can you give us an overview of what you have accomplished?

Over the past nine years we have developed four of Paul’s letters for performance: Philippians, Colossians, Galatians and “The Gospel of God’s Love” (a compilation from several letters). Each is performed in 30 minutes. I have performed at more than 150 churches of numerous denominations. Venues have included Sunday services, senior adult and youth events, banquets and church camps.

St. Paul Speaks is unique. We have searched the Internet and found no one who is age-appropriate performing Paul’s letters in their entirety with set and costume. Because performance Scripture is such a unique ministry, people often mistakenly think they will be hearing a recitation, a script or skit that we have written. We want people to know that we only perform the words of Scripture with no modification.

During these performances the audience “becomes” the first-century church and experiences a personal encounter with Paul—a real man with real concerns and real passions. Paul’s divinely-inspired words of encouragement, edification and spiritual growth come to life through these dramatic presentations.

How has your audience responded to St. Paul Speaks?

Audience members tell us that experiencing Paul’s letters performed dramatically has changed their way of thinking about them. Having had a personal encounter with Paul, they now appreciate his letters with an enlivened imagination which illuminates the Scripture. Now when they read his letters, they hear Paul’s emotional voice and visualize him imprisoned in chains. A common response is that they will “never again read Paul’s letters in the same light.”

Many ask us for advice about memorizing Scripture. So, we have developed a Scripture memorization handout.

What is your ultimate goal for St. Paul Speaks performance Scripture?

Paul’s message is as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. The Good News is ever-new, ever-speaking and ever-living. Our hearts’ desire is to share this truth with as many people as possible for as long as we are able.

For more information about Philip Smith and his performance Scripture ministry, click here, email info@stpaulspeaks.com or call (512) 905-6827.

Craig Claybrook is a member of Main Street Baptist Church in Georgetown.

Even as rain continues to fall, Texas Baptist Men activated two mass feeding teams to meet needs created by Tropical Depression Imelda across Southeast Texas.

TBM also is in the process of preparing as many as 10 mud-out teams who will clean and prepare homes for reconstruction.

“Catastrophic” flooding is widespread in Southeast Texas, according to the National Weather Service. Some areas received as much as 32 inches of rain from the storm, filling roadways and homes and causing power outages. Rain continues to fall today in many areas that already are flooded.

“The scenes from Southeast Texas are heart-wrenching,” said Dwain Carter, TBM disaster relief director. “We are praying for those who are being affected, and we are responding by providing help, hope and healing in the midst of the heartbreak.”

Lengthy recovery expected

Feeding units will begin serving Sept. 20 and continue as long as needed.

Mud-out units will arrive from across the state shortly after the floodwaters have receded. They are particularly crucial for people and families affected by the storm because they accelerate the recovery process significantly. Volunteers remove debris and ruined carpet and drywall. They also prevent bacteria and mold from growing.

“This will be a lengthy recovery process, but we are committed to walking alongside people as long as it takes,” Carter said. “God cares deeply for hurting people and calls his followers to do likewise. That’s exactly what we’re doing.”

TBM disaster relief is made possible entirely by donations to the ministry. To contribute financially, send a check designated “disaster relief” to Texas Baptist Men, 5351 Catron, Dallas, TX 75227, call (214) 275-1116 or click here.

BELTON—Joe Torrillo, a New York City fireman who survived being buried twice beneath rubble of the World Trade Center Twin Towers during 9/11, led chapel services at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor on the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Torrillo served 15 years in Engine Company No. 10, located across the street from the South Tower of the World Trade Center, but that was not where he was supposed to serve Sept. 11, 2001.

Instead, he had been working for more than half a decade in the New York City Fire Department’s office of fire safety education, developing education programs to help children know how to avoid and survive fires.

He was on his way to a scheduled press conference unveiling a new FDNY-themed action figure when he learned that a plane had flown into the North Tower.

Torrillo was just a block away from the tower, so he called off the press event and proceeded to his old firehouse, where he donned borrowed gear and headed to the scene.

Within minutes of his arrival, the second jet passed over his head and collided with the South Tower.

His education in engineering led him to a devastating realization.

“I’m thinking that we’ll never be able to get to the people trapped above the fire,” Torrillo remembered. “And my next assessment was that the building was going to collapse, but nobody would believe me.”

Based on this understanding, Torrillo ordered all the ambulance crews, who were establishing triage spaces in the buildings’ lobbies, to move to a distance six blocks away. This decision likely led to many lives saved.

Buried beneath beams and concrete

As the North Tower fell, Torrillo found himself buried under steel beams and concrete. He suffered a fractured skull and broken ribs. His spine had been crushed and one of his arms broken. He was also suffering from massive internal bleeding.

“I was buried with all these people in this darkness, and all around me I could hear people screaming,” Torrillo said. “I could hear the people, but we couldn’t see each other, and, after a while, those screams turned into cries, cries into whimpers, and whimpers into silence. One by one, they had all died.

“I was in the middle of all these fires. I actually prayed that I would suffocate before I burned to death.”

Torrillo was discovered and rescued from the rubble. He was strapped to a stretcher and loaded onto a boat on the Hudson River. The plan was to evacuate the vessel to a hospital, but before it could leave, the second tower fell. Torrillo was once again buried alive.

Almost an hour later, Torrillo was again rescued. He was transported via the waterway to a hospital in New Jersey. Because he was wearing borrowed gear, Torrillo initially was misidentified, and he was declared missing for three days.

While Torrillo still feels the pain of the injuries he sustained from the attack, he credits his faith with delivering him.

“At some point in your life, when you think you have nothing, you’re wrong,” Torrillo said. “You have to have faith and hope in this world.”

TYLER (BP)—Hundreds of households throughout East Texas received an unusual yellow envelope in their mailboxes, thanks to Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler.

It wasn’t a church invitation or junk mail. Instead, it could be worth tens of thousands of dollars for the recipients.

Facilitated by more than $45,000 in generous gifts in August, Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler is working with a nonprofit toward paying off about $4 million in medical debt for their East Texas neighbors.

Pastor David Dykes noted that Tyler is the medical capital of East Texas, with several large medical facilities.

“Through my relationship with Mother Frances Hospital, I know just that one hospital is carrying like $157 million of unpaid bills,” he said. “It’s a problem that’s crippling many families.

“The Bible says to ‘bear one another’s burdens and so we fulfill the law of Christ.’ The only law of Christ is to love God and love your neighbor. Because the need was so great, we felt like this was the perfect thing for us to do.”

Kindness 25:40 Initiative

Helping with medical bills is part of Green Acres’ larger Kindness 25:40 initiative, based on Matthew 25:40: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

As part of the initiative, Green Acres challenged its members to participate in a variety of acts of kindness in the community. The church encouraged members to go through fast-food drive through lines and pay for their bill and the bill of the car behind, for example.

They also gave away free water at a local park, washed the windshields of hundreds of cars in their parking lot during a local school district event, and paid for people’s laundry at local laundromats.

To pay off the medical debt, Green Acres contacted RIP Medical Debt, a national nonprofit that has helped organizations, like churches, abolish $715 million of debt since its 2014 founding. Green Acres members gave more than $45,000 to the effort.

RIP Medical Debt

Founded by a pair of men with experience as debt collectors, RIP Medical Debt began as a response to the growing impact of debt on the lives of the poor nationwide. Craig Antico, one of the cofounders, noted that half of all debt collectors are collecting money for medical debts and, according to a recent article in The Atlantic, half of all overdue debt on Americans’ credit reports is from medical expenses. “If we can end the hardship of medical debt, then our medical system will work,” Antico said. “What we’re saying is that the reason it doesn’t work is that (medical debt) ruins people. They’re like one illness or accident away from financial ruin. If we can remove the financial ruin in people’s lives because of medical debt, then we’re doing what we set out to do.”

RIP buys “portfolios of medical debt” for about $1 per $100 of debt, which allows organizations like Green Acres to get maximum benefit from their donations. RIP uses a digital algorithm to identify the people with the biggest need for the debt relief, focusing on people with debt payments equal to more than 5 percent of their income or those who earn less than two times the federal poverty level. Because of the unique way the company acquires and forgives the debt, RIP doesn’t individually choose any of those whose debt is forgiven.

‘An answered prayer’

Antico said RIP has worked with 60-plus churches nationwide to forgive medical debts. Churches and other faith groups are particularly well-suited to impact medical debt, he said, because most religious traditions encourage participants to help people overwhelmed with debt. He pointed particularly to passages in the Old Testament law that describe the Day of Jubilee.

“I don’t know if it’s going to get people to come to church,” Antico said. “But it does give people a renewed sense of faith. … I’ve had many people write us that this was an answered prayer. ‘It’s a miracle that you guys are in existence,’ they say.”

Antico encourages churches that want to relieve medical debt to go beyond their own community. It’s usually difficult to only target a few nearby ZIP codes with the relief effort (particularly in rural areas), but RIP can help churches focus their efforts on a region, a state or a specific group of people such as first-responders or veterans.

An emerging desire among donors is to help people in struggling regions around the country like Appalachia, he said. Smaller churches that want to participate can easily partner with other nearby churches to multiply their impact in medical debt relief.

‘A tsunami of kindness’

Dykes says he hopes relieving the medical debt—along with the church’s entire Kindness 25:40 initiative—will help the community experience God’s love in a practical way.

“I think sadly the church has been largely characterized by what we’re against instead of being a positive force for showing God’s love,” Dykes said.

“Increasingly, we live in such a divided culture—politically divided, racially divided. Without a doubt, we’ve seen an increase of violence. … So, I like to tell people the only way we’re going to extinguish this fire of hatred and racism is with a tsunami of kindness. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

AMARILLO—Brad and Sarah Newman knew they felt called to plant a church.

The Newmans, who already were actively involved at South Georgia Baptist Church in Amarillo, had been part of starting a church plant in Denver.

They began looking at options all over the country, waiting for God to call them somewhere.

“We kind of thought we’d go far away,” Brad Newman explained. “But at that same time, the church we served at got a heart for church planting.”

South Georgia Baptist wanted to start a new church, and they had their eyes on a neighborhood in Amarillo. The Tradewind community was a booming area in suburban southeast Amarillo. Young families were flocking to the area, drawn by new affordable housing opportunities. Cut off by a small local airport, the community felt isolated from the rest of the city.

“The idea of this Tradewind community kind of looked us in the face. … Here’s a place with tremendous growth and no church,” Newman said.

Tradewind Community Church started

So in May 2018, South Georgia Baptist Church began planning the new Tradewind Community Church, the first church in the area. Newman is founding pastor.

The first challenge the new congregation faced was finding somewhere to meet. With no traditional church buildings available, organizers began looking at non-traditional options.

At an event in the community, Jonathan Dindinger, associate pastor at Tradewind Community Church, was seated next to the principal of Tradewind Elementary School. As they talked, she described her desire for the school to partner with a church that would provide activities and outreach.

When Dindinger told her about Tradewind Community Church, the principal offered the school auditorium as a meeting location. Children could meet for Sunday school in the library, and the church could set up a nursery in the hall. The church happily accepted.

Preview services offered

Although Tradewind Community Church did not officially launch until this month, the church hosted preview services throughout the spring and summer.

At the first preview service on Easter Sunday, about 40 families from their sending church, South Georgia, were joined by 30 people from the Tradewind community.

Newman explained the twofold purpose for these previews. Obviously, church planters wanted to garner attention and excitement for the church before it even opened.

But they also wanted to make sure everything went smoothly. Making sure sound equipment works, Sunday schools have places to meet, and doors are unlocked and ready are all vital things that need to be worked out before a church can officially begin, he noted.

“When you have a church building, it’s all built-in, but we have to think of all this stuff,” Newman said.

Church starts like Tradewind Community Church do not always have everything readily available like a traditional church. Equipment for services must be unloaded and set up each week, and members have to ensure that everything is neatly cleaned up at the end of the day so that school can resume Monday morning.

Despite these technicalities, Newman is excited about the church and its future.

“Church planting is the most exciting thing I’ve ever been a part of in my entire life,” he said.

Mary Hill Davis Offering provides support

The biggest focus for Newman and the other leaders of the church is simply getting to know the local community. The church has hosted a number of events to spread the word and build relationships, hosting an Easter festival, a summer kickoff and a movie night.

The Easter festival was Tradewind Community Church’s first outreach event. Funds from the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions enabled the church start to purchase Easter eggs, games and food for the community outreach event.

Hundreds of people attended, and it provided a great opportunity to minister to Tradewind Community Church’s new neighbors, Newman noted.

“We try to be intentional,” Newman said. “You’re here to have fun, but we want you to hear about Jesus.”

Approaches such as fun events and building personal relationships are essential to church planting, he noted. People are more likely to accept an invitation to church from someone they know and trust.

Showing the love of Jesus

Newman and Dindinger felt it was important to relocate their families to the heart of the Tradewind neighborhood. They wanted to get to know the people they would be ministering to as friends and neighbors.

“Jesus loved people. He met them where they were, he knew their names. … That’s what we’re trying to do,” Newman said.

Tradewind Community Church is working hard to emulate the love of Jesus Christ. Members of the church’s core group are building relationships, whether it is through volunteering at the elementary crosswalk or handing out free popcorn at a movie night. They know each hand they shake, each smile they show, has the potential to draw someone into the church and God’s grace.

Newman acknowledges they hardly are experts when it comes to church planting. But with God guiding them, he is confident they will succeed. The Tradewind community needs a church in the heart of their community, somewhere they can grow and worship together.

“The reasoning is simple,” Newman said. “Every place in our city should have an outpost of the gospel.”

GARLAND—In the wake of a hurricane, flood or tornado, many times families have lost all they worked for their entire lives. Their homes are in shambles. Their possessions have been ruined. They are shaken to the core.

In the midst of it all, infants struggle to make sense of what they’ve experienced. They sense their parents’ mental state and unconsciously realize how scary the world around them can be.

But thanks to a Garland woman, they’ll quickly be reminded that people love them.

Peg Oppenhuis recently donated 80 handmade blankets and matching burp cloths for the Texas Baptist Men child care unit to use in the wake of disasters.

Lost and frazzled by what they have gone through, infants come to volunteers running a TBM child care unit, a licensed program that ministers to children while parents fill out paperwork and take the first steps toward recovery. Volunteers will wrap children in the blankets, providing a sense of warmth and comfort.

‘A gift of love’

Each of the blankets has a different theme that appeals to infants—animals, balloons and flowers to name a few—and calming designs to help soothe them.

“My first hope is that they feel hugged, they feel loved, they feel warm,” said Oppenhuis, a member of Big Springs Baptist Church in Garland where her husband, Greg, is pastor. “I hope it helps them along.”

Oppenhuis worked on each blanket for two hours, working on four to five of them in a row as she watched television or visited with friends. She picked up the material on her way back home from work and hand crocheted each blanket.

The blankets are a special aspect of TBM’s disaster relief ministry, which has responded to every major disaster in the United States since 1967, delivering help and hope in the midst of heartbreak for millions through mass feeding, home construction prep and debris removal.

“These blankets truly are a gift of love,” said Dwain Carter, director of TBM disaster relief. “Children are incredibly special in the eyes of God, and Mrs. Oppenhuis has given us another way to express how much he loves them. These blankets will be a great gift to infants and their families during some of the most difficult moments in their lives.”

Disasters of any kind are traumatic, particularly for children. Oppenhuis hopes a moment of calm helps families as they take the first steps in recovery.

“Babies are so special,” she said. “Moms and dads want the best for them. Hopefully this will help them.”

SAN ANTONIO—Immigrants, asylum-seekers and homeless people who suffer from disabling mental illness or addiction all deserve to be treated with dignity, speakers told the No Need Among You Conference.

Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley the past 12 years, described the challenge of responding to immigrant families and asylum-seekers who are fleeing violence in their homelands.

“When you see these families face-to-face with all they suffer, you understand deep down there is something we must do,” Pimentel told the conference, sponsored by the Texas Christian Community Development Network.

About five years ago, when an unprecedented surge of unaccompanied minors reached the border, her organization created the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen at Sacred Heart Church.

Christians from many denominations have supported the ministry there, including Vanessa Quintanilla-Lerma with Texas Baptists’ River Ministry.  Buckner International provided thousands of shoes to children at the center as part of its Shoes for Orphan Souls program.

“We are all there, working together as one community—one church,” Pimentel said. “We are restoring human dignity.”

‘Welcome the stranger’

In the past five years, she has seen the number of people served at the respite center rise and fall as United States policies toward immigrants and asylum-seekers have changed.

The current “remain in Mexico” policies—the Migrant Protection Protocols—that went into effect recently require anyone seeking asylum to wait in Mexico until their scheduled court dates in the United States. Although churches in northern Mexico are seeking to respond to the needs, “there is a lot of human suffering happening today,” Pimentel insisted.

“They say, ‘If I stay at home, my child’s life is in danger.’ So, they risk everything, hoping for the best,” she said. “They come to our border, hoping they will be welcome. They live at the periphery. …

“The world is weeping. It is our responsibility to reach out and be present among them. We must be bold, do what is right, and welcome the stranger. … God calls us to protect human life.”

Community is the answer

Protecting human life and treating people on the periphery with dignity also includes the homeless population, according to Alan Graham, founder and chief executive officer of Mobile Loaves & Fishes in Austin.

Since 1998, Mobile Loaves & Fishes has served more than 5.5 million meals to men and women living on the streets, and it has inspired other groups to start similar food truck programs across the country.

In recent years, his organization launched Community First! Village, a 51-acre master planned development that offers affordable permanent housing—RVs and micro-homes—to men and women who have experienced chronic homelessness.

“Housing will never solve homelessness, but community will,” Graham said.

Unlike the “hermetically sealed single-family sarcophaguses” of the suburbs where neighbors don’t know each other, residents at the village “don’t hide anything,” he said. Residents know who has mental health issues and who has a substance abuse addiction.

“We believe the greatest single cause of homelessness is the profound, catastrophic loss of family,” Graham said. At the village, residents find an extended family.

‘Innate desire to be purposeful’

The chronically homeless learn to live in a supportive community where they have opportunities to rediscover their God-given talents and earn a dignified income through a variety of entrepreneurial micro-enterprises, he explained.

“People have an innate desire to be purposeful,” Graham said.

Residents are required to pay rent every month, to obey civil law and to observe community rules, such as keeping the village clean and tidy.

Before finally escaping zoning restrictions by locating just beyond the northeast Austin city limits, the village faced stiff opposition from residents who insisted “not in my backyard,” Graham noted.

In particular, they voiced fear that crime would increase and property values would plummet if the formerly homeless moved into their areas.

“In fact, the most preyed-upon people in society are the homeless,” Graham said. “Not one single crime has been committed in the neighboring community by a resident of the village, but seven crimes have been committed in our community by people who live in the community next door.”

Property values in the area closest to the village have increased 40 percent, he added.

FORT WORTH (BP)—For Tralissa Griffin, whose daughter Cassie was among those who lost their lives at Wedgwood Baptist Church 20 years ago, healing began with God’s comforting voice.

For Cassie’s father David, his shaken faith was strengthened when he saw a vision of his 14-year-old daughter praising God at his heavenly throne.

Kathy Jo Rogers, who lost her then-husband at the Wednesday night youth concert Sept. 15, 1999, became newly aware of God’s glory and faithfulness.

“I know that there’s a special grace on the ones who are right in the center,” Rogers said, “because I remember how God carried us when I would have looked … at me and thought, ‘She won’t make it.’ And God was with us, because we experienced his glory during that time. We experienced his closeness. … His glory is the most real thing of all.”

The three were among many who proclaimed God’s faithfulness at a Sept. 15 service, 20 years after Larry Gene Ashbrook killed seven and injured seven others before killing himself at the Fort Worth church.

‘God is faithful’

Dale Braswell, senior pastor of the congregation since 2015, called the shooting a defining moment that doesn’t define the church’s future.

“The events of Sept. 15, 1999, will forever be a defining moment of this church,” he told hundreds gathered at the three-hour service. “What I think the defining moment for Wedgwood needs to be moving forward is in celebrating and remembering the moments not in which people went from life to death, but from which people go from death to life, spiritually speaking.”

Al Meredith, pastor of the congregation at the time of the shooting, spoke at the event and is still a member of the church. He retired as pastor in 2015.

“People ask will we get over it. Of course not, but we got through it … even if we never understand why,” Meredith said in an interview. “The primary thing is that God is faithful. He was with us on that night.

“So many were protected that night, even though eight lives were taken, including the shooter. In the end we win, because of the hope of heaven.”

The anniversary theme, “God Wastes Nothing,” is true, Meredith said, referencing the promise in Romans 8:28.

“Pastor Dale’s message was we have celebrated and remembered how God translated our loved ones from life into death,” Meredith said. “But looking forward, we want to be able to celebrate how God translates lost people from death into life.”

Wedgwood Associate Pastor Jeff Laster reportedly was the first person the 48-year-old gunman shot. Wounded in the stomach and arm, Laster survived the shots the gunman fired shortly after entering the church.

“We don’t want to just be recognized for this incident in our history,” Laster said in a Wedgwood video inviting the public to the anniversary service. “We want to be recognized for the other good things we’ve done, like school supplies, helping with the police locally, missions, the different ministries that we do that reach our community.”

Desire to be ‘known for more’ than tragedy

Braswell stated a similar hope for the church where Sunday worship attendance averages 615.

“My heart is that when people Google Wedgwood Baptist Church, that word (shooting) doesn’t pop up at the top of Google search bar,” Braswell said. “We’ll never forget it, but may we also be known for more.”

Braswell’s sermon based on God’s deliverance of the Hebrews in Exodus 3 offered salvation and encouraged personal evangelism, anchored in God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from enslavement in Egypt.

“I have heard the cries of my people. I’m aware of their suffering. I’m aware of their tears. I’m aware of their hardship,” said Braswell, characterizing God’s approach toward the Hebrews.

“I’m aware of the persecution and the trials that they’re going through, and so I’m going to answer their prayers. I’m going to come in, and I’m going to deliver them. I’m going to free them.

“I’m going to rescue them. I’m going to take them out of the land of persecution and slavery and suffering, and I’m going to take them to a beautiful Promised Land.”

SAN ANTONIO—When ordinary Christians in ordinary places open themselves to the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit, they will see extraordinary transformation in their neighborhoods, Jonathan Brooks said.

Brooks, pastor of Canaan Community Church in Chicago’s West Englewood neighborhood, challenged participants at the No Need Among You Conference to embrace a holistic gospel that can “spark revival” in neglected neighborhoods.

Revival will occur when God’s people fall in love with the places where God has planted them and make several significant shifts, Brooks told the statewide event, sponsored by the Texas Christian Community Development Network.

‘From being commuters to being community’

Brooks, author of Church Forsaken: Practicing Presence in Neglected Neighborhoods, pointed to the experience of the early church in Acts 2:43-47, after the coming of the Holy Spirit.

First, he challenged Christians today to move “from fragmented isolation to neighborhood presence.”

When the Scripture speaks of “signs and wonders” in verse 43, they are explained in the passage that follows, he asserted. The first was that “all who believed were together and had all things in common,” Brooks said.

The early Christians were “in the place together and loving Jesus,” he said. Neighborhoods change when “we all live here, and we all love Jesus,” he insisted.

“We need to move from being commuters to being community,” he said.

‘Everybody has needs’

Next, Brooks urged churches in neglected neighborhoods to shift “from religious consumerism to collaborative participation.”

The early Christians willingly sold their possessions and gave the proceeds to “as any had need,” he noted.

“Everybody has needs. They just look different,” Brooks insisted. That means every Christian humbly should recognize he or she is both a service provider and a service recipient, and needs are met only when everyone participates.

“When we all bring our resources together, we are able to give what we have and receive what we need,” he said.

The cares of the community become our cares

Christians also must move “from unrecognized privilege to equitable inclusion,” Brooks said. “Day by day,” early Christians created community as they spent time together in worship and sharing meals in the homes of each other, he noted.

“It was everyday activity … from the temple to the table, and from the table to the temple,” he said. “The more I sit at your table, the more I see who God created you to be. … It’s breaking bread in each other’s homes—ordinary people in ordinary places doing ordinary practices.”

Next, Christians should shift from seeing through “a scarcity lens to an abundant ecology,” Brooks asserted. As the early Christians “ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God,” their neighbors noticed, and those first century Christians “gained the goodwill of all the people,” he noted.

“It’s not about what you say. It’s about what people see,” Brooks insisted. Neighbors may not initially understand Christians’ theology or accept their claims about Christ, but they will say, “I like what I see.”

Finally, Christians in neglected neighborhoods need to move “from toxic charity to community caring,” he asserted.

“The cares of the community become our cares,” he said.

How to practice presence

In a related workshop, Brooks urged churches to “be present” in neighborhoods most people fear and flee, basing his approach on Jeremiah 29:4-11. Rather than forsaking neglected neighborhoods, he recommended seven practices:

• “Reside where you don’t want to be.”

The Jewish exiles in Babylon had to face the fact God placed them in a far-off country for a reason. Rather than relocate where life is more comfortable, Brooks advised churches to recognize that “where God has placed you is where you are supposed to be.”

Brooks grew up in Englewood, and like most of his peers, he dreamed of leaving and never returning. However, God called him to return with his family to minister in a community he has grown to love.

“God has called us to be people who love the places in which we dwell,” he said.

• “Return to previously forsaken places.”

Enter the community not with a desire to “fix” it as an outsider but rather “understand that you are part of the community,” he said.

“There are no God-forsaken places, only church-forsaken places.”

• “Reconnect to the whole gospel.”

Like the exiles who were commanded to “plant gardens and eat what they produce,” churches need to “contribute to the thriving of the community,” he asserted.

• “Re-establish the value of place.”

Just as the Jewish exiles were commanded to “take wives and have sons and daughters” in the land of exile, churches should grow to “have a generational love for the place,” he said.

• “Remember the poor and the marginalized.”

Rather than treating the poor as objects of charity who must receive help on their benefactors’ terms, recognize the marginalized as members of the community who have their own contributions to make, he urged.

• “Remind one another of our collective power.”

Recognize the power of partnerships. Not everything good that happens in a community has to happen because the church led the initiative, but nothing good in the community should happen without the church’s involvement, he said.

• “Reorient our vision to see like God.”

“Every place and every person displays both the glory of God and the brokenness of humanity,” he said.

Pastores de Latinoamérica continúan recibiendo el llamado: Mudarse a Estados Unidos para servir en iglesias ministrando a familias migrantes.

Pero adquirir visas que permitan a pastores vivir y trabajar en los Estados Unidos puede ser complicado, y muchas veces requiere que los pastores e iglesias hagan el esfuerzo para entender el proceso.

Aun así, para muchas iglesias bautistas hispanas, es urgente encontrar y llamar a ministros que puedan alcanzar a las familias migrantes de una manera eficaz.

El deseo de responder a esa necesidad llevó a First Baptist Church en Caldwell a empezar el proceso migratorio con Rubén Burguete. Él es el pastor de la misión que First Baptist empezó, la cual es llamada Iglesia Bautista Emanuel, y en donde él también sirve como pastor de misiones.

Proceso Complejo

El proceso migratorio viene con obstáculos y muchas veces “algunas iglesias se desaniman cuando se dan cuenta de lo complejo que es el proceso,” dijo Jesús Romero, director de Immigration Service and Aid Center (ISAAC) Project, el cual fue empezado por Christian Life Comission de Texas Baptists.

Burguete primero lidió con inmigración cuando él empezó a estudiar en Baptist University of the Américas a principios del 2000. Desde entonces, él ha aprendido que viene con sus altas y bajas.

Como muchos estudiantes en ese entonces, Burguete y otros estudiantes internacionales encontraron difícil vivir y estudiar en el país. Como la visa F- 1—el documento para estudiantes que buscan obtener un título académico—sólo permite que los estudiantes trabajen en el campus de la universidad por no más de 20 horas, algunos mientras estudian de tiempo completo, algunos batallan para pagar cuentas, encontrar donde vivir y hasta pagar por útiles escolares.

En BUA, Burguete encontró a miembros del staff y amigos que entendían bien el proceso migratorio, así que pronto se dio cuenta de una autorización que podía obtener para su visa llamada Curriculum Practical Training.

La autorización CPT permite a los estudiantes internacionales encontrar trabajo fuera de la universidad donde estudian. Gracias al CPT, Burguete y otros estudiantes de BUA pudieron encontrar iglesias donde servir y recibir más apoyo mientras continuaban sus estudios.

Burguete fue después a Truett Seminary de Baylor University. Ahí empezó a apoyar el ministerio de First Baptist en Caldwell y la misión hispana por medio de otra autorización—Optical Practical Training.

Usualmente, los estudiantes con la visa F-1 reciben la OPT para trabajar un año después de concluir sus estudios académicos en los Estados Unidos y practicar lo que estudiaron. Pero Burguete se enteró que la OPT se puede conseguir para trabajar medio tiempo por dos años mientras continúan estudiando.

Dificultades en la frontera

Ya que terminar su maestría tomó más tiempo que el que la OPT le daba para trabajar, él tuvo que transicionar a una visa religiosa de trabajo temporal y no migratoria, R-1. La visa no migratoria R-1 da permiso a trabajadores religiosos a ejercer trabajo religioso en los Estados Unidos.

Después de un viaje misionero a México, Burguete fue detenido temporalmente al regresar a Estados Unidos.

De acuerdo con oficiales de la Aduana y Protección Fronteriza (CBP por sus siglas en inglés), el estatus de Burguete había cambiado de F-1 a R-1 mientras él se encontraba en México, él dijo. Por no saber de ese cambio, él trato de usar su F-1 al pensar que todavía era válida. Pero a consecuencia del cambio, los oficiales lo detuvieron y lo acusaron de intentar cruzar ilegalmente.

“Me dijeron que mi estatus había cambiado dos días antes, y entonces por intentar cruzar con mi F-1 estaba haciéndolo ilegalmente,” Burguete dijo. “Le comenté que él tenía el registro de cuando yo había salido del país, así que sabían también que yo estaba fuera cuando mi estatus cambió, pero le dije que hiciera lo que él tenía que hacer.”

Después de que Burguete fue detenido por unas horas, el oficial de CBP que lo detuvo no pudo encontrar algo más. Así que el oficial habló con su superior, quien le dijo que bajara los cargos y lo dejara entrar.

FBC Caldwell ha apoyado y provisto para las visas de Burguete desde que él llego a Truett, él notó. Todo eso también se ha hecho con la ayuda de ISAAC Project,

Necesidad de consejo legal

Burguete se encontró en un dilema similar al regresar a Estado Unidos de un viaje misionero a Guatemala. En esa instancia, un oficial marcó una fecha equivocada en su pasaporte.

Por ese error, Burguete perdió su estatus legal por casi un año, aunque él dijo que trató de apelar el caso con el Servicio de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de Estados Unidos (USCIS por sus siglas en ingles).

Ahora, por su visa R-1, Burguete puede trabajar en el país, pero solo en una iglesia. Su esposa Karem no es ciudadana del país tampoco, pero la visa de Burguete le permite vivir aquí aunque no puede trabajar en el país.

“Muchas veces los pastores no ganan lo suficiente, y si sus esposas quieren ayudar con las finanzas y encontrar un trabajo, entonces los dos podrían perder su estatus,” Burguete explicó.

Por lo difícil y complejo que es el proceso de presentar la documentación necesaria, Romero sugiere que las iglesias que buscan pastores de otro país primero platiquen con alguien que les pueda dar consejo legal.

Romero sabe de varias iglesias que han tratado de iniciar el proceso por si solas, pero por errores, se les rechaza su solicitud y pierden lo que pagaron en tarifas.

Durante el proceso, él dijo, los pastores necesitan que las iglesias caminen junto a ellos y entiendan lo que ellos están experimentando.

“Todo esto es importante, porque el trabajo con minoría étnicas está creciendo, y las iglesias están viendo la necesidad de buscar a pastores que puedan responder a las necesidades de la comunidad,” Romero dijo.

Iglesias patrocinadoras necesitan entender

Sólo iglesias con un estatus 501(c) (3) pueden comenzar el proceso de pedir una visa para pastores nacidos en otro país, él mencionó. Los pastores tienen que haber estado afiliados a la misma denominación de la iglesia que los está pidiendo por al menos los dos últimos años.

“El proceso es tan extenso que las iglesias con más recursos financieros son las que están en mejor posición de traer un ministro,” Romero dijo.

Las iglesias también deben mostrar que pueden ofrecer un salario competitivo, él dijo.

La R-1 es válida por 30 meses. Después de eso, las iglesias y pastores podrían empezar el proceso de cambiar a una visa migratoria o renovar la R-1, expresó Romero. Cambiarse a una visa migratoria permitiría que los pastores pudieran recibir una residencia permanente, él dijo.

Es importante que una vez que los pastores lleguen a los Estados Unidos las iglesias se comprometan con ellos a largo plazo, Romero explicó.

“He visto tristemente que algunas iglesias después de conseguir la R-1 para los pastores, algo pasa entre el periodo de renovación o antes que llenen las formas para la residencia permanente, que las lleva a cambiar de parecer y deciden ya no seguir adelante,” Romero dijo. “Así que dejan ahí atorados a los pastores.”

“Es muy triste ver cuando eso pasa, y aunque uno no sabe que fue todo lo que pasó, si sabemos de pastores que han sido abandonados en el proceso.”

Otras iglesias podrían ayudar a los pastores a completar el proceso, pero las iglesias deberían primero hacer todo lo necesario antes de empezar el proceso, porque podrían tener ese pastor por los siguientes cinco años, dijo Romero.

Los Burguete esperan recibir su residencia permanente ya pronto, eso permitiría que el pastor y su esposa puedan trabajar donde quieran en Estados Unidos, Romero mencionó.

Inversión en el reino de Dios.

“Ha sido muy bueno ver el apoyo que First Baptist Church de Caldwell le ha dado a Rubén,” Romero dijo. “Él es un pastor muy dinámico y apreciado. Así que no es difícil ver por qué la iglesia le quisiera dar apoyo a él y al ministerio que hace con su familia.”

Después de que iglesias escuchan cómo es el proceso y reciben consejo legal, se pueden dar cuenta de lo difícil y costoso que puede ser, Romero mencionó. Así que las iglesias podrían desear algún tipo de garantía en cuanto a la inversión que hicieron.

“Si aman y apoyan a su pastor, y si han aprendido a trabajar juntos, entonces les digo a las iglesias, ‘Tu pastor querrá quedarse en la iglesia,’” Romero dijo.

Iglesias y pastores podrán cambiar de parecer y por eso el ministerio requiere de un compromiso hecho por todas las personas involucradas, él agregó.

“La comunicación entre nosotros y la iglesia es esencial,” Burguete dijo. “Hemos aprendido juntos acerca del proceso migratorio, pero al aprender eso también aprendimos a confiar uno en el otro. Hemos aprendido que no todo es blanco y negro.”

Pero cuando las iglesias ponen su confianza en los pastores al llamarlos y los pastores confían en las iglesias al responder al llamado, ellos se abren a ver el trabajo de Dios, Romero dijo.

“Esto es definitivamente una inversión. Y no sólo una inversión para Caldwell, pero una en el reino de Dios,” Burguete dijo.

En los últimos seis años, Burguete ha recibido seis permisos para vivir y trabajar en los Estados Unidos. Así que por todo este tiempo, él sentía que no podía planear a largo plazo porque no sabía hasta cuando estaría en el país.

“La ley es la ley, pero también se debe entender que las diferentes agencias pueden tomar decisiones importantes,” Romero dijo. “Mientras uno tenga la capacidad de argumentar y no temer ser un defensor de los inmigrantes, entonces he visto que las autoridades migratorias pueden razonar bien.”

El proceso es complejo, pero se puede lograr si las iglesias y los pastores se comprometen cuidadosamente y en oración, Romero dijo.

McALLEN—River Ministry missionaries in McAllen, Laredo and El Paso noted a significant decrease in the number of immigrants crossing into Texas in the past month, but missionaries on the Mexican side of the border have seen—and responded to—increased needs.

This transition results from the Migrant Protection Protocols, a U.S. policy that went into effect in early August that requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico until their scheduled court dates in the United States.

River Ministry missionary Pedro Muñoz connected with Senda de Vida, a Christian shelter in Reynosa, Mexico. Senda de Vida is capable of providing basic necessities to 250 immigrants on a sustained basis, but it currently is supporting more than 450 people.

When Muñoz heard about the shelter, he met with several local house churches to see how they could respond. Nine churches came together to serve a large meal to 100 people. That day, the food they brought fed 355 individuals. They also prayed with 18 people who made professions of faith in Jesus. The churches were burdened by the need and now have a goal of providing one meal a week at the local shelter, he noted.

As a result of a $12,000 care grant from the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering, River Ministry Director Daniel Rangel was able to send funds to Reynosa to respond to immediate needs for food. Additionally, he plans to send 1,000 toiletry kits for shelter residents.

Updates on border ministry

During a Sept. 5-6 meeting of River Ministry missionaries in McAllen, individuals provided updates on border ministry in their areas. In McAllen, River Ministry missionary Vanessa Lerma saw up to 900 immigrants a day pass through the Respite Center in July. In September, the number of immigrants served at the center has ranged from 20 to 50 per day.

Ruth Ortiz and her family noted a decline in immigrants passing into Laredo. However, there is a significant need in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, as more individuals are staying in the city longer. Currently, the Ortiz family cares for 85 immigrants in Nuevo Laredo in a temporary shelter and works with local churches to provide meals for 200 to 300 deportees a day.

Lerma and Ortiz both expressed gratitude for the increased number of Texas Baptists churches who sent mission teams over the summer to support their work.

“Our River Ministry missionaries are a key component of the work we do,” Rangel said. “They are aware of the local need and have firsthand experience with what is happening. When groups come to work with them, they are able to guide churches to activities that are effective and areas that are receptive.”

Shon Young, serving in Del Rio, talked about how many Texas Baptists churches have sent donations, volunteer teams and prayers. Young is the president of the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition, formed in April when Border Patrol agents approached local churches about ways to respond to the increased number of immigrants passing through Del Rio.

Since then, the coalition has served more than 8,000 immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees. Del Rio currently is the only Texas border town in which the new Migrant Protection Protocols have not taken effect. Young anticipates an increased number of immigrants passing through in the coming weeks.

The missionaries all shared stories of opportunities to share the gospel with those whom they served. In the first six months of this year, 2,446 individuals made professions of faith through River Ministry. Additionally, more than 40,000 people were served.

Rangel encouraged Texas Baptists churches to continue praying for the needs along the border. Churches that would like to support the work of River Ministry are invited to send volunteer teams or give monetary donations that can quickly be allocated to the greatest areas of need in Texas and Mexico. As the situation continues to fluctuate, Rangel suggested sending donations that can be used to purchase food, toiletries, Bibles and other discipleship materials.

“I tell everybody that it doesn’t take a whole church to be passionate about serving through River Ministry. Sometimes it’s just one or two people who come to serve,” Rangel said. “But when those individuals return to their church after serving, they bring that passion back and others will see God at work and want to get involved as well.”