Most of my career has been in higher education administration at Baptist universities. It has been a blessing to serve and be a part of these wonderful institutions. Texas Baptists are so fortunate to have nine universities that train and prepare many students for life and ministry. Here are two of our wonderful schools with roots more than a century old. Each was started when local Baptist associations took the lead to establish a school.

René MacielWayland Baptist University was established in Plainview in 1909 as a junior college after Staked Plains Baptist Association accepted a donation of land from Dr. and Mrs. James Henry Wayland. Classes started the following year. In 1914, Wayland affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Located between Lubbock and Amarillo, it is considered the oldest university in continuous existence on the High Plains of Texas, drawing early students from New Mexico, which did not have a Baptist school of its own.

After the stock market crashed in 1929, the Great Depression had a devastating impact on the college. Enrollment declined, and the bank that held all of the school’s assets failed, leaving the college with no money for its expenses. To continue to educate students, the administration and faculty agreed to serve without pay, trusting God to meet their needs. Thanks to the providence of God and their willingness to make personal sacrifices, they enabled Wayland to remain open at a time when so many private schools failed.

Under the leadership of James W. “Bill” Marshall, Wayland became a four-year college in 1948, started an international student program, voluntarily admitted African-American students on an equal basis with Anglos, and banned smoking by any Wayland student, a controversial decision.

As the physical plant expanded to include dormitories, student apartments and a cafeteria, Mr. and Mrs. Shelby Flores of Tulia made the largest single gift any Baptist college ever had received prior to that point in the 1950s, when they donated more than 27 sections of farm, ranch and oil-bearing land to the school.

Gates Hall on the Wayland Baptist University campus in PlainviewRoy C. McClung, pastor of First Baptist Church in Plainview, led Wayland as its eighth president from 1963 to 1980, a period that saw dramatic physical expansion to include athletics and arts facilities. Enrollment also reached 1,000 for the first time. Wayland moved to university status under David Jester as president and began offering graduate courses.

External campuses operate in such wide-ranging places as Lubbock, San Antonio, Arizona and Alaska, with enrollment there exceeding 5,000. As the university reached system status, Wayland became the fourth-largest university affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

With 14 campuses ranging from Texas to Alaska to Arizona to Hawaii to New Mexico to Oklahoma to Africa, click here to review the 40 undergraduate majors, more than a dozen pre-professional programs and nine graduate programs at Wayland Baptist University.

Howard Payne University in Brownwood traces its birth to Pecan Valley Baptist Association in 1889 as Howard Payne College.

The Old Main Tower and mall on the Howard Payne University campus in Brownwood.A South Carolina pastor, Noah Byars, moved to Texas and helped organize First Baptist Church of Brownwood in 1876. The church called John David Robnett of Missouri as pastor, who joined with Byars to establish Pecan Valley Baptist Association and captured the vision of a Baptist college in Central Texas.

Howard Payne was named in honor of its first major benefactor, Edward Howard Payne, brother-in-law of Robnett. The college held its first classes in 1890 and five years later granted its first degree to J.D. Robnett Jr. Howard Payne College became Howard Payne University in 1974.

In the fall of 2013, the university welcomed the largest number of new students in more than three decades. Located on the northern edge of the Texas Hill Country, enrollment for the fall of 2015 was 1,163 students at its three locations, including digital education and extended learning centers in El Paso and New Braunfels.

Today’s students choose from more than 100 majors, minors and pre-professional programs in six schools—business, Christian studies, education, humanities, music and fine arts, and science and mathematics.

HPU was one of the first Baptist universities in Texas to have an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree in youth ministry. Additionally, the university offers four other master’s programs—a master of education in instructional leadership degree, which provides preparation for educators wishing to become certified principals in Texas; a master of business administration degree for students looking to improve their job skills or find new careers; a master of arts in theology and ministry degree, which serves as preparation for minister in churches and other related ministries; and a master of education in sport and wellness leadership degree, which prepares students for careers in athletics and wellness programs.

Click here to learn more about Howard Payne. 

René Maciel is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and president of Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio.

“Greater love has no one than this—to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you” (John 15:13-16).

Richard RayThis Scripture hits home with me when I recall my time serving in the military, knowing with each battle, a life could be laid down for a friend. To lay down your life for another is the ultimate sacrifice, as Christ proved when he laid down his life for you and for me.

However, many other sacrifices are made for a battle to be won. Serving in the U.S. Air Force during a time of conflict, I saw firsthand what it takes to win a battle. It takes everyone doing his or her part and doing it well. The sacrifice you make comes from the preparations you take.

In battle, a soldier is prepared and is called to go out and bear fruit, to make something happen that is worthy. A believer also is called to go out and bear fruit—and not just any fruit, but fruit that will last. To bear this type of fruit takes preparation in our spiritual lives. We must be mindful to pray, read God’s word and worship faithfully, as well as receive training through education, intentional instruction and on-the-job training.

As a soldier prepares for battle, so must we. Let us at the Bivocational/Small Church Association help you and your church bear fruit—fruit that will last.

Registration for the 30th annual Bivocational/Smaller Church Conference is now open. This year’s conference will be held at Dallas Baptist University, July 15–16.

I encourage you to attend this year’s Bivocational/Small Church Conference and learn firsthand through testimony, worship and breakout sessions that all things are possible with God. This conference not only will equip you to do the impossible, but also will inspire you to trust God in all things. To register or to view the full conference schedule, click here. 

We are here to serve you as you serve the Lord. Remember, the Lord has called you to serve, but he has not called you to serve alone. Visit our website for more information on how the Bivocational/Small Church Association can minister and serve you. For more information, contact me at brother_ray@juno.com.

Richard Ray is executive director of the Bivocational/Small Church Association and director of missions for Tri-Rivers Baptist Area.

I had the blessing of serving the New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home seven years. It was a tremendous ministry and opportunity to care for children who come from some difficult home situations. Texas Baptists have many ministries to serve children. Two of those ministries provide an extraordinary array of services to serve children and families on every level—from the physical necessities, to Christian-based counseling, to healing hurting families. They’ve been doing it since the early 1950s.

René MacielIn rural Bee County, Laura Boothe Overby had a vision for opening an orphans’ home. She donated 640 acres, and Jess Lunsford led the effort. From that beginning in 1952, God birthed South Texas Children’s Home Ministries, which relies 100 percent on private donations.

The organization is committed to serving children and families of South Texas and the Dominican Republic. Starting as a children’s home, the ministry now has an extensive variety of services:

• Homes for children outside Beeville provides cottages where children live with house parents and have access to on-site caseworkers and licensed therapists. They attend school and church activities. The goal is to work with their legal guardians and church to restore relationships and return children to their families when possible.

• Homes for families is a safe haven where mothers and their children in crisis live on a ranch in the back roads of Goliad. They are escaping homelessness, domestic violence and substance-dependence issues. They have access to counseling services and skill development as they strive to gain independence.

South Texas Children’s Home Ministries chapel• Family counseling is provided by professional licensed therapists in Beeville, Corpus Christi, Gonzales, Rockport, San Antonio, Stockdale and Victoria. They have state-of-the-art play therapy areas so children can be observed without adding to their stress.

• Jobs for Life in Corpus Christi offers 12-week classes for women to prepare for the workforce, but the program also emphasizes building their self-esteem and developing their relationship with Christ.

• International ministry occurs in the Dominican Republic, where South Texas Children’s Home Ministries partners with Dominican ministries that need help. They take teams on week-long mission trips throughout the year to provide Bible classes, sewing classes, construction projects and more.

For a detailed look at this ministry, click here.

Another ministry that started as a children’s home is Children At Heart Ministries. Begun in 1950 as Texas Baptist Children’s Home in Round Rock, this ministry also has grown to meet the complex needs of families in Texas. The range of ministries now includes Texas Baptist Children’s Home in Round Rock, Gracewood in northwest Houston, Miracle Farm in Brenham and STARRY, which serves 32 counties across the state.

Children At Heart Ministries chapelChildren At Heart Ministries focuses on single moms, children and families, reaching more than 17,000 children and families during the last year. Many have come from hard places in life, and this may be the first time they encounter the love and care offered by the heavenly Father.

At each location, a group of people rallies around them, cheering them on through life’s joys and challenges. The staff offers wisdom and direction.

Texas Baptist Children’s Home began when Louis and Billie Sue Henna donated 112 acres and five buildings in 1950. Since then, the children’s home has grown into a robust family of ministries:

• At Gracewood, they concentrate on providing long-term quality of life improvements to single mothers and their children. This can include financial planning, counseling and referral to valuable community resources. The families live on a short-term basis in cottages.

• At Miracle Farm in Brenham, teenage boys and their families see their lives changed. Someone who was stealing small items learns bad habits can start with small things and need to stop there. The boys work as ranch hands and move to higher levels as they find the path they want to follow.

• Some enter the STARRY emergency shelter, where moms who come from violent situations learn to love and play with their children and move toward their dreams. STARRY also provides support for families during and after deployments, when little children need help adjusting to Daddy being gone or returning with post-traumatic stress disorder.

To learn more or to find out how you can help, click here.

I hope you will keep these ministries in your prayers and make plans to stop and visit these wonderful places of caring for children.

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14).

René Maciel is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and president of Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio.

Registration for the 30th annual Bivocational/Smaller Church Conference now is open. Click here to register or view the full conference schedule. This year’s conference will be held at Dallas Baptist University, July 15–16.

Richard RayOn opening night, you will be lifted up and encouraged with music from the Hubbard Family. Their musical talents will amaze you, and their love for the Lord will inspire you. That night, you also will hear the true-life testimony of Terry Caffey about the brutal Texas murder that destroyed his family and about his journey to restored faith and forgiveness.

Saturday, you will have the opportunity to be equipped with many breakout sessions featuring wonderful instructors teaching on subjects to edify the small church and its ministers. Sessions include “Biblical Interpretation of the Old and New Testament,” “How to Reach Youth for Christ,” “From Text to Sermon,” “How to Minister to Young Adults” (college students, young professionals, singles and married couples), “Small Church/Big Worship,” “Launching a Children’s Program and Certificate of Ministry Program.” Lunch is provided, along with entertainment from Christian humorist Lyndy Phillips.

The conference theme is “With God, All Things are Possible.” As this is true for the large church, it also is true for the small church.

So often, small churches do not think they have the resources or the ability to fulfill the vision God has given them. Nothing could be further from the truth, and the truth I am referring to is the truth found in God’s word: “For with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37). This Scripture applies to churches of all sizes and to all those serving the Lord in ministry.

I encourage you to attend this year’s Bivocational/Small Church Conference and learn firsthand through testimony, worship and breakout sessions all things are possible with God. This conference will not only equip you to do the impossible, but it will inspire you to trust God in all things.

We are here to serve you as you serve the Lord. Remember, the Lord has called you to serve, but he has not called you to serve alone. Visit our website for more information on how the Bivocational/Small Church Association can minister and serve you. For more information, contact me at brother_ray@juno.com.

Richard Ray is executive director of the Bivocational/Small Church Association and director of missions for Tri-Rivers Baptist Area.

Growing up in my Hispanic home helped me handle many conversations and issues dealing with unity.

René MacielMy mom and dad both were great cooks, and they both had their ways of preparing food. Food was our way to gather and enjoy family. So, my parents always were preparing meals—enchiladas, posolé, tamales and, of course, rice and beans. As mom and dad would tag-team on preparing these great meals, they also would disagree on the ingredients or how it was to be cooked. So they would argue, or maybe fight sometimes. They both had their ways of preparing that food, and they both wanted their way.

In spite of those disagreements, they were married 59 years and loved each other deeply. They were such a great example for me to understand sometimes you may have disagreements and even fight over differences, but even through those differences, we can also love one another and carry on a relationship.

They taught me a life lesson: Even through differences, we must remain faithful to the body of Christ. The Apostle Paul asked, “Is Christ divided?” Many times, churches and individuals struggle through differences to the point they are divided. They no longer have a connection, a partnership. They pull away. That pulling away only damages the uniqueness we have in Christ.

Jesus even prayed for us that we would be one, so the world would recognize Christ in us: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:20-23).

We are called to live in unity and to be cooperative. Again, I know we will have differences, yet we still are joined in the great commission of sharing the gospel with the world around us. The early church came together and had everything in common.

The idea of the Cooperative Program unified budget, created in 1925, was to work toward a common goal of sharing the gospel with every person on the planet.As Texas Baptists, we have a great work to do. Let it begin with our kingdom-mindedness, our call to be one.

My prayer for our convention is that we will be unified in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. May we not let our differences damage or hurt our credibility among unbelievers.

Thank you taking these last 30 days to pray for our convention. God has given us a great work, and it begins with prayer—for church leaders, our state leadership, our churches, our neighbors and our unity.

We are the body of Christ. Pray for unity.

René Maciel is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and president of Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio.

I grew up singing the hymns. And so many times, I catch myself humming or singing those old hymns. They are a constant reminder of God’s hand in my life.

René MacielHere is one I have sung and used as a sermon, and I have drawn upon its lyrics several times in my work and walk with God:

He leadeth me! He leadeth me!

By his own hand he leadeth me;

His faithful follower I would be,

For by his hand he leadeth me.

As I think about the many leaders and pastors throughout our convention, I am reminded I need God every hour to lead and guide me as I serve him. In spite of all leaders may encounter and struggle through, they must remain faithful. They must be willing to serve others for Jesus’ sake. Sometimes that service may be difficult, and it may seem small, but God does use those small things to prepare us for larger things. As leaders, we must remain faithful to God’s call; as Joshua says, be strong and courageous, don’t be discouraged. A leader’s faithfulness will see him or her through the small and the big.

A leader also must have a distinct call from God. I believe without a shadow of doubt God called me to leave Baylor University’s Truett Seminary to come and serve at Baptist University of the Américas. There are many church leaders in our convention who have been called by God to go to a new place, a difficult place, a place only God could send them. You have to ask the question, “Are you called?” It’s something we all have to speak to God about.

Many times, we use our own wisdom or the judgment of the others to make a move or seek a position. Romans 12:2 says: “Do not conform to the thoughts and ideas of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Finally, a leader must have the word of God as his or her source of power and strength. A verse I memorized my freshman year at Hardin-Simmons University, Joshua 1:8, says: “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

God’s word has been a constant guide and instruction as I have served here at BUA. It has to be a constant “go to” in all leadership matters, our work, our home and our walk with God. Then, our way will be prosperous and strong and healthy, then we will be successful in following after our true leader.

I am grateful for the opportunity God has given me to serve here at BUA and to serve the convention. I take great pride in my role at BUA, and I am honored to be serving the Texas Baptist convention.

These are two great tasks, but I want to ask you to continue to pray the rest of this month for our convention leaders, pastors and ministers throughout the state. Pray God leads them as they lead others.

His faithful follower I would be,

For by his hand he leadeth me.

René Maciel is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and president of Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio.

Hello, Texas Baptists. It’s been a very busy season. I had a great time preaching at New Sunset Community Church in Killeen. And I so enjoyed speaking to pastors from Bluebonnet Baptist Association at Calvary Baptist Church in San Marcos, as well as to students in several ministry guidance classes at Baylor University.  Then I was with First Baptist Church in Stephenville for their “I Love My Church” banquet. Now on to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the Baptist state executive directors’ fellowship meeting.

David HardageDon’t forget to register for the 2016 Texas Baptist Golf Classic set for April 25 at the Dallas Athletic Club. For the past two years, more than 200 pastors and staff have enjoyed a great day of golf and fellowship. The tournament is filling up fast, but there’s still time to register to play or to be a sponsor—click here.

I am pleased to welcome two former pastors, John Nguyen and Dowell Loftis, to our Texas Baptist staff as part-time representatives for Area 8, which encompasses counties as far north as Grayson and Fannin and as far south as Leon. The duo will work together to build relationships with pastors, key church leaders and directors of missions for Dallas area associations. They will also be available to fill pulpits and preach on behalf of Texas Baptists. So, be sure and call on them soon.

David Hardage is executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board.

Hello, Texas Baptists. I had the honor of preaching at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in Abilene. Thanks to Pastor Stan Alcorn for inviting me. Also, thanks to Danny Howe for inviting me to preach at First Baptist Church in Saginaw. And I enjoyed preaching at the New Sunset Community Church in Killeen.  It’s been a busy month!

David HardageWe had a great group join us for Welcome Pastor Day. Thanks to our Texas Baptist Connections Team for hosting our Dallas-area pastors. The next Welcome Pastor Day will be Feb. 26 in San Antonio. You can register online by clicking here. We will have more Welcome Pastor Days all over the state. Be watching for one close to you, and we hope you will attend.

The Christian Life Commission will host its first Micah 6:8 Conference March 31-April 1 at Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio. The featured speaker will be HGTV star and pastor’s wife Jen Hatmaker. To learn more about the conference and purchase tickets, visit the event website.

Our Great Commission Team is conducting several clinics to give an overview of the 2016 Vacation Bible School materials. There are five clinics all over the state. Register today for the one closest to you by clicking here.

Also, don’t miss the Regional Renovación Hispanic Evangelism Conferences. These are for Hispanic pastors and leaders to provide inspiration and information and to help implement evangelistic principles and strategies that will transform the DNA of the local church.   

The 2016 Southern Baptist Convention church compensation survey will be conducted online Jan. 1 through May 31 at the GuideStone survey website. Your help is needed. The survey is for senior pastors, other ministerial staff, and office and custodial personnel. Participation is crucial to provide accurate results. I encouraged you to take the survey as soon as possible. 

David Hardage is executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board.

Two years ago during the annual Bivocational/Small Church Association conference, members of the association voted unanimously to support the refugee children who are arriving at our borders. The support includes prayer and financial contributions equaling 10 percent of the undesignated funds the association receives monthly from churches and individuals.

Richard RayThis financial support is channeled to the Valley Baptist Missions/Education Center’s Bibles for Boys program in Harlingen and to the Sacred Heart Relief Center in McAllen. I would like to share with you a report on how those funds are affecting God’s children.

The Valley Baptist Missions/Education Center’s Bibles for Boys program gave away more than 2,200 Bibles and saw a harvest of more than 1,700 young men’s souls given to Christ for salvation, and many others received the seeds of salvation through the word of God. It is a joy to know those who are seeking refuge find the word of God waiting to offer hope and security in the Lord. I am thankful for men like Jamie Campbell, director of operations and missions, for extending the hand of God to those children in need.

The Sacred Heart Relief Center has ministered to thousands of young mothers and their children as they come across the borders seeking refuge. Many receive their first shower, clean clothes and a warm meal at the center. Baby formula is provided, along with a care package that includes clothes, toiletries, diapers and so much more. To see these young mothers and their children receive such love and support will bring a person to tears. In this place, both their physical and spiritual needs are met with the hand of God. I am thankful for people like Vanessa Quintanilla, director of missions projects for the Valley. She is the passion of Christ to those who enter this place.

Matthew 19:13-15 reminds us how we are to treat God’s children: “Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.”

We must not hinder God’s children from coming to him, whether it is through our prejudice, through our fear or through the unknown. We must not rebuke these children, but be willing to extend our hands to meet their physical needs, offer our prayers to meet their spiritual needs, and present God’s word to them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

Sadly, we live in a world that would rather rebuke than encourage, that would rather look away than look out. Therefore, I am thankful for the Valley Baptist Missions/Education Center and the Sacred Heart Relief Center for their willingness to encourage these children to come unto Christ. This pleases our Lord.

We are here to serve you as you serve the Lord. Remember, the Lord has called you to serve, but he has not called you to serve alone. Visit our website for more information on how the Bivocational/Small Church Association can minister to and serve you. For more information, contact me at brother_ray@juno.com.

Richard Ray is executive director of the Bivocational/Small Church Association and director of missions for Tri-Rivers Baptist Area.

Growing up in my Southern Baptist church in a small town in New Mexico, I did not hear or know about the Lenten season. My mom’s side of the family grew up in the Catholic Church, so they spoke of Lent. But we were not around them during that time of year, so I never was exposed fully to the purpose and intent.

René MacielIt wasn’t until college at Hardin-Simmons University that I began to hear more about it and was around other students who observed Lent. As I have grown in my faith and have been around other Christian mentors who practiced and followed the Christian calendar, I have learned to appreciate and understand the Lenten season.

Now, I look forward to this time each year and the opportunity it gives me to prepare my heart and life throughout 40 days before Easter. I now cherish this time to reflect on Jesus Christ, to consider his suffering and his sacrifice, his death, burial and resurrection. It is a special time for me and my family, as I also have challenged them to use this time to prepare for the Easter celebration.

The Lenten season allows me to observe a time of fasting and repentance. It calls me into a deeper time of prayer for 40 days, a time to draw closer to God in meditation and conversation. It is a time to call on him and a time to listen to his call.

This year, I will use this time to continue to ask God to bless his work through the Baptist General Convention of Texas. I believe in the work he is doing and ask you to continue to lift up the leadership and opportunities God is giving us to bring others into the kingdom of God.

In Richard Foster’s book Prayer, he talks about the “prayer of examen” and the examen of consciousness. This is where we prayerfully reflect on the thoughts, feelings and actions of our days to see how God has been at work among us. Foster says: “God wants us to be present where we are. He invites us to see and hear what is around us and, through it all, to discern the footprints of the holy.”

My prayer for us as a convention is that we will reflect upon the present work God has given us, to look around us, to consider how God already is working and to discern the holy.

I hope you will join me as I continue to pray for our convention through February, and I hope you also will consider this wonderful time before Easter to reflect and pray on his footprints in our lives.

“So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes” (Daniel 9:3).

René Maciel is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and president of the Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio.

I am so thankful for men who have accepted the call to serve the Lord in the small-church mission field. These bivocational pastors are so valuable to the overall mission of the Lord to save his children.

Richard RayThe uniqueness of the bivocational pastor goes unnoticed by most, but not by the Lord. 1 Samuel 16 reminds us of this: “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”

The heart of the bivocational pastor is one who tends to the sheep with boldness, courage and love. The uniqueness of the bivocational pastor is not his love of serving the church but his willingness to be self-sacrificing of his time and talent as he serves his church and his family. The bivocational pastor is someone who is willing to hold down a secular job to provide support for his family, while he also accepts the anointing of God.

However, this unique bivocational calling affects more than one church or one ministry. We all know the bivocational pastor has the opportunity to minister for the Lord in his secular occupation, but the uniqueness goes beyond that. The secular talent of the bivocational pastor is limitless in how it can and does make an impact on the kingdom of God.

I serve as the executive director of the Bivocational/Small Church Association. Therefore, I assist churches in their various needs. When a need arises, whether it is construction, legal, administration, financial, medical, counseling or other needs, I can call upon the many bivocational pastors who serve the Lord with their unique secular talent to assist these churches. The bivocational pastor is a unique calling and anointing from God that does not go unnoticed by me and, more importantly, by the Lord.

If you are a bivocational pastor, you have accepted a unique anointing of God. Your talent to serve both in the church and beyond is unique. If you would like to share your unique talent with other churches to assist them in serving the Lord, then I encourage you to email me. I want to thank you for accepting the anointing of God and sharing your secular talent to further the kingdom of God.

We are here to serve you as you serve the Lord. Remember, the Lord has called you to serve, but he has not called you to serve alone. Visit our websiteour website for more information on how the Bivocational/Small Church Association can minister to and serve you. For more information, contact me at brother_ray@juno.com.

Richard Ray is executive director of the Bivocational/Small Church Association and
director of missions for Tri-Rivers Baptist Area.

I recently had the opportunity to preach at Minnehulla Baptist Church in Goliad. A good friend of mine, Pastor Ira Antoine, invited me to come and be with his church, and the blessing was mine. I have been honored to preach at many African-American churches in our convention, and every time, it is a wonderful worship experience for me.

René MacielIn 2003, I had the privilege to serve at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary under Dean Paul Powell. Paul asked me to meet with some pastors to plan a preaching conference for African-American pastors. I had a chance to sit down with Pastor Michael Evans and Pastor Joseph Parker and a few others to form the first Black Preaching Conference, “The Art of Black Preaching.”

For the next several years, Truett hosted this conference; and every year I had a chance to sit and listen to some incredible preachers like Gardner Taylor, Bill Lawson, S.J. Gilbert, Charles Booth, J. Alfred Smith and many others. What a great experience to listen and learn from these outstanding preachers, to be inspired by their words and their attention to the art of preaching. The scholarship and the flow of the message were captivating and challenging. More than anything else, it was their passion to preach that inspired me.

I always will be grateful for the lessons I learned from these preachers.

When I came to Baptist University of the Américas in 2007, I invited this conference to BUA, and we have hosted it since that time. It has been a wonderful cultural connection for our institution, but more than that, our university also has experienced the passion and art of the black preacher. I have been blessed by this conference and these pastors.

I also have been attending the African-American Fellowship for many summers. I set up a booth, but I also fellowship with these pastors and experience their passion to preach. Over all these years, I am convinced God has used these brothers and their preaching to help me see the passion and attention needed to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As you pray through the month of February, please keep the African-American churches in our convention and their pastors in your prayers. God is doing a great work through these churches, and he is using great men to share the passion of the cross. I always will be indebted to these churches and these pastors for inviting me to their table.

I am grateful how God has taught me as I have attended these meetings and churches. It is a different culture for me and a different style of worship, but we are the body of Christ, and God has used African-American preachers to teach me about the passion to preach.

René Maciel is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and president of Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio.