AUSTIN and KOUNTZE—In recent weeks, Southern Baptists of Texas Disaster Relief volunteers have been on constant deployment in response to needs in flood-ravaged Central, Southeast and South Texas. Volunteers have traveled to the Rio Grande Valley, Austin, Bastrop, San Marcos and Kountze, which is 25 miles northwest of Beaumont.

“We’ve been busy since Oct. 31,” SBTC Director of Disaster Relief Scottie Stice said. “We are gearing up to return to the Rio Grande Valley soon.”

Daniel White became senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Kountze on Nov. 1, only to spend the first three weeks of his new job as an SBTC DR white hat, responding to flooding in Kountze, Silsbee, Lumberton and surrounding areas.

“We have been extremely busy,” White commented. “We are worn out.” White and his family are also still “stepping over boxes at home,” since they had barely moved into their Kountze residence when the floods hit.

FBC Kountze housed DR volunteer teams, including a mud out team from Kentucky that arrived Nov. 15. Work in the area was finished Nov. 20. More than 100 homes were assessed, with work done on most of these. Eight people prayed to receive Christ, White said.

SBTC shower and laundry units ministered to 40 flood evacuees in Bastrop and worked with AmeriCorps in San Marcos, said Mike Jansen, who served as SBTC white hat in Austin the week of Nov. 7-14. Austin-area DR volunteers were housed at Onion Creek Baptist Church, Jansen said.

Carol Yarber of Athens, on her first DR deployment, drew upon her Catholic upbringing as she ministered in Hispanic areas of South Austin.

“I was going to be a nun,” Yarber said of her childhood. “I can speak with Catholics about where they are. My aunt was even paying a dowry for me to go into the convent, up till I was [a teenager].”

Yarber said she speaks with Catholic victims about original sin, christening and the need to believe in their hearts and confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord, according to Romans 10:9-10.

Yarber told of accompanying assessors into the field in South Austin as a chaplain. “I can love on [victims], pray for them, find out about their relationship with the Lord.”

On the first day of Yarber’s deployment, she went with assessors to a house condemned by authorities. There Yarber met Lisa, a young woman to whom she explained the plan of salvation, asking the question, “From what I have shown you, where do you believe you would go if you died tonight?”

“I know I’d go to hell,” Lisa replied.

Yarber continued to explain the gospel, and Lisa trusted Christ as her savior.

A few days into the deployment, Yarber met Rosa, a young woman six months pregnant who had survived a horrifying flood experience when she returned home after dropping her children off at school.

“Rosa’s husband helped her escape,” Yarber said. “The creek in front and behind her house was swelling. They could not drive out. Her husband told her, ‘Get your boots on.  We’ve got to run for it.’ Yarber tearfully recalled, “Here she was, six months pregnant, climbing a hill with the water pulling her back.

“Rosa, do you know God saved you when you got to the top of that hill?” Yarber asked. “He saved you so he could save you today.” Rosa, too, prayed to receive Christ.

In one severely damaged home, Yarber encountered a man named Juan working inside. He had been cross with other DR volunteers. When Yarber informed him she was there to tell him that Jesus loved him and that she would like to pray with him, Juan broke down and cried.

“He had found Jesus in prison and had been baptized,” Yarber said.

Broken, Juan exclaimed, “I have been so disobedient to God. God told me to go and tell others. I knew he wanted me to preach, and I haven’t. I just needed this today.” 

“It was not a matter of his salvation, but it was a great moment,” Yarber said.

For rookie DR chaplain Carol Yarber, DR ministry is a calling she plans to continue. Her story is merely one of many from the field, where DR volunteers bring hope to the hopeless and minister in tangible and eternal ways.

“We tried to do the best for the people of Onion Creek. A lot had suffered in the floods two years ago. We greatly appreciate the teams from Missouri that came to help do the mud outs,” said Jansen, praising the volunteers who came alongside SBTC personnel.

Between Nov. 1-14, the following SBTC DR volunteer hours and work were logged:

• 758 total volunteer days
• 7,580 total volunteer hours
• 21,623 meals prepared
• 142 flooded homes cleaned
• 211 damaged homes assessed
• 16 professions of faith

This year, I asked our SBTC staff to tell about a memorable Christmas gift they’ve given or received. Here’s what they said. God give you joy as you celebrate Christmas this year. GL 

Laura Adkison, pastor/church relations—My Grandma Kester grew up an orphan and as each one of her older seven brothers got married she moved in with the young couple. Along the way she learned to sew and she became a very good seamstress. My favorite gift as a child was from her. Each Christmas I would get a hatbox filled with handmade Barbie doll clothes. I had the best-dressed Barbie on the block with all types of fancy ball gowns and such. I regret not keeping a box of the clothes.

Denae Albin, church ministries—The first Christmas after I started my first full-time job, my parents’ job situations weren’t great, and my dad’s work printer had died. He couldn’t really afford a new one, so I bought him a four-in-one printer so he could even fax things to his office. It was humbling to be able to provide this simple thing my parents needed after they’d provided most of my wants and needs for 25 years.

Barry Calhoun, mobilization—The best gift I have ever given was an engagement ring to my wife, Seneca, in December 1981, when I asked her to marry me. I remember the smile on her face.

Keith Collier, communications—On the first Christmas of dating my future wife, I was told her father would love the five-dollar “Pub Songs From Ireland” CD off the Target discount rack because he liked the Irish jig music in the movie “Titanic.” He laughed hysterically when he opened it and plays it loudly every Christmas to make fun of my decision. Not the best gift ever, but it is a gift that keeps on giving.

Sharayah Colter, communications—One year after my younger brother took his first post-college career job, I designed him a custom stamp he could use in signing cards and letters. It coordinated with his new industry and gave him a “personal brand” of sorts. It seemed to be really special to him since it was personalized and tailored just for him in his new endeavor. He still sends me text message pictures of how he is using the stamp, and it thrills my heart to have given him something special that he can still use and that went beyond the typical Home Depot gift card or nine-way knife-screwdriver combo.

Easter Cooley, operations—A canoe pocketknife to replace the peanut pocketknife my husband lost that was his father’s. Yes, he still carries it. 

Ted Elmore, pastor/church relations—Around 1984, I was an itinerant evangelist and money was tight. Cheryl and I had determined how much each of our four kids could spend on gifts for one another. I was shopping with my son and, being 8 years old, he felt he was man enough to carry his cash. While shopping, he lost his Christmas cash somewhere from car to car. He was in tears. We talked as a family, and our daughter suggested that they share their money with her brother. They did. I will never forget that Christmas. To an 8 year-old it was huge; therefore it was huge to us. My best gift given and received was a gift of sharing that helped shape our hearts as a family.

Gayla Harris, missions—Christmas 2011 our daughter got her boys for the first time as foster children. They had not ever had much of anything and never even had celebrations for their birthdays. On Christmas that year we got them so nice new Nike socks; you would have thought we had given them a million dollars. They literally fell on the floor hugging them. It was quite humbling. 

Heath Peloquin, pastor/church relations—I received a used baseball glove from my granddad on my 10th birthday. I did not think it was a good gift at the time, but years later after his death it became a valuable treasure. One day I pulled out of my closet to show my son when I realized that in the glove pocket it was signed by Reggie Jackson. I smiled and thought that when I first received this gift I was not grateful, but many years later I realize it is indeed a gift of love.

Shane Pruitt, missions—The best Christmas gift I ever gave was the first Christmas that Kasi and I were married. I gave her some lame country CD of a band that she’d never heard of. Her face let me know that I had made a HUGE rookie mistake as a husband. The reason it was the best is because afterwards the lame gift caused me to repent, and now my gift-giving skills have gone through a healthy sanctification process.

Emily Smith, church ministries—A grandmother brought her two grandchildren to a service at our church and the children asked if they could keep attending because they loved it so much. She not only cared for her grandkids but also her step-grandkids. She didn’t have much but never asked for anything. It was difficult for me to really fuss over my frivolous ‘Christmas list’ when this family was just trying to make it from day to day. Our small group, staff and a local mission of our church adopted this family during the holiday season and provided gifts and food for the children and for the grandmother. It was true picture of what Christmas is all about. I had the pleasure to see the grandmother and one of her grandchildren make a profession of faith—truly the greatest gift.

Gayla Sullivan, communications—There was a family of five in our church who had recently undergone many challenges, physically and financially. Our family of five snuck up quietly to their porch and began singing “Silent Night.” I’ll never forget their faces as they opened the door and began singing along with us, tears streaming down the parents’ faces. Blessing their family with groceries and gifts was much better than anything I could have received.

Mitch Tidwell, strategic initiatives—My parents’ dog become a pro at opening the trash can with his nose and enjoying its contents, which led to some weird digestive problems for him. So, in 2012 I bought my mom a high quality locking trash can. Mom was thrilled!

Lauren Turner, evangelism—I had some friends move from Colorado Springs to Houston for a church position right before Christmas, and the house they planned to move into ended up having black mold. Their son has weak lungs, and that house would have been a terror for him with his breathing. They had to get out of that house, but they had a contract that would cost as much to break as the down-payment. I paid to break the contract on their house, so they could rent another house. It was a blessing to gift them that way!

Judy Van Hooser, church ministries—I guess the best gift I ever gave was once I did a cross stitch picture for my mom of the house she grew up in and one my grandmother still had when I was growing up. It took about six months to complete and has 132 colors in it.    

WASHINGTON, D.C. How would you define community in your church? Possible answers include such words as “potluck,” “accountability groups,” and “small groups.” 

In Compelling Community, Mark Dever and Jaime Dunlop define local church community as “a togetherness and commitment we experience that transcends all natural bonds—because of our commonality in Jesus Christ.” Their book not only offers a biblical paradigm for community but also practical methods for cultivating and protecting this community, as they share from 20 years of experience at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.

While churches often assimilate community around demographic similarities such as age, life experiences, personal interests, etc., these natural bonds can be healthy but should not be the sum total of the gospel relationships in the church. In this sense, Dever and Dunlop challenge churches to seek supernatural community that could only be explained by the gospel.

“Many relationships that naturally form in our churches would exist even if the gospel weren’t true,” they say. “That’s good, right, and helpful. But in addition, we should aspire for many relationships that exist only because the gospel.”

Dever and Dunlop describe these two types of relationships as gospel-plus and gospel-revealing. Gospel-plus community adds the gospel to already naturally formed relationships in the church. However, they say, “In gospel-revealing community, many relationships would never exist but for the truth and power of the gospel—either because of the depth of care for each other or because two people in relationship have little in common but Christ.” In this type of community, it’s not unnatural to see 20-somethings and retirees regularly caring for and discipling one another.

For Dever and Dunlop, it’s not an either/or but a both/and strategy for churches to be compelling communities that display the gospel to the world. In the first part of the book, they further explain the differences between gospel-plus and gospel-revealing relationships and challenge Christians to pursue community that is deep and wide.

In the second part of the book, Dever and Dunlop discuss how preaching and corporate prayer facilitate supernatural, gospel-centered community. They also speak of local church community as a network of “spiritually intentional relationships,” where simple, informal relationships grow among church members. Here, conversations revolving around spiritual things are common rather than odd. They give practical ways to foster such relationships and emphasize the value of church membership.

Part 3 recognizes the presence of sin that often derails gospel community and offers helpful insights on how to protect church unity and how to address sin in the church. They say, “When we are careful to follow [Jesus’] instructions, we create a culture of honesty and grace that can be experienced and seen—and that testifies to the transformative work of the gospel.”

The final part of the book explains how this compelling community serves as an evangelistic witness in the world, as non-Christians see these gospel-revealing relationships and are drawn to Christ because of them. Additionally, church planting and church revitalization are natural byproducts of such supernatural community.

This book is excellent for pastors and church members alike, challenging our preconceived concepts of Christian community and stretching us to be intentional in pursuing deeper, wider relationships in the church. Such community paints a beautiful picture of the power of the gospel, which glorifies God, builds up his people, and attracts the lost. 

MIDDLE EAST  Texan Peter Matheson* works tirelessly to bring refugees God’s shining hope. But the heart-wrenching situation takes a great toll on the many he serves and to him personally as he ministers in the midst of tremendous suffering.

It’s hard to imagine anything but a continued descending darkness closing in on Syrian and Iraqi refugees, victims of a rebellion being fought against the Syrian regime and brutality caused by ISIS and other Islamic extremists.

“The hardest thing in this ministry is just sitting down and listening to their hurts,” Matheson says about spending time with the refugees. “They come, they arrive with little children just with the clothes on their back, because back in Syria their homes are destroyed, their businesses are destroyed … women have been raped … real torture goes on among men and young men in Syria.”

While images and reports of beheadings, cruelty and pure evil continue to shadow refugees—numbering in the millions—from any light of hope, Matheson is there to tell them about a loving God who cares deeply for all who are fleeing violence and that only he can push back the descending darkness.

Through the support of Southern Baptists, Matheson and other workers are able to distribute boxes of food and other critical necessities provided through gifts to Global Hunger Relief along the Syrian border.

“We are able, through the Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, to focus 100 percent on the ministry that God has given us as workers … as laborers in the field,” Matheson says. “We’re able to give all of our attention to people who are hurting by ministering to their physical, emotional and, most importantly, their spiritual needs.”

U.S. churches also are playing a direct role in ministering to refugee needs alongside Matheson. A medical team from Mandarin Baptist Church of Los Angeles came to see the work firsthand and to help.

Nurse Katherine Lee* recognized that their physical presence to provide medical assistance is important, but the ongoing presence that Matheson provides is key to lasting hope. Matheson’s physical presence to listen and give comfort to the refugees, as well as to offer help and hope makes a real difference in their lives, she says.

“Giving to IMB is just one of the ways we can help,” Lee says. “It is very important to support … the local workers here. Without funding, they … cannot stay here and build relationships…, and they cannot provide for their physical needs. They cannot provide for food or medicine or diapers or milk.”

As more and more Syrians flee the violence, Matheson hopes he can help the refugees out of at least one aspect of the darkness in which they’ve been living.

“My aim is to move them from one level of understanding to another, building into their lives one brick of truth after one brick of truth until by God’s grace, the spirit of God (begins) working in their lives,” Matheson says.

With overwhelming challenges in the midst of constant need, it would be easy for Matheson to feel alone. But he is sustained emotionally and spiritually as well as financially by knowing that believers back home in the U.S. haven’t forgotten him and share the resolve to bring light where there is darkness.

“From the bottom of my heart, I thank Southern Baptists for giving to the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas [Offering] to keep us as workers … on the field,” Matheson says.

He adds, “Yes, it’s hard, (but) we’re able to minister to their physical needs, showing the love of Christ in a practical way to these people and thus opening an opportunity for them to listen.”

Matheson is providing tangible hope in what appears to be a hopeless place.

“My friend here asked me why we are doing all of this,” Matheson says after he had explained to a refugee father and his family why the group from California had come.

Matheson told him there are 46,000 Southern Baptist churches with approximately 16 million people to lift “your group, all the refugees and the people back in Syria, before the Father.”

Matheson says the man responded that if this many are going to lift them before the Father, it gives him hope.  

*Names changed