Author: Russell Lightner

Salvation on mission trip provides catalyst for spiritual movement at an East Texas university

God's Moving on Campus

Fredonia Hill Baptist Church has baptized at least 17 students who attend Stephen F. Austin State University since spring break.

What John James, the church’s college/associate pastor, is calling “a movement of God” started with a 30-person spring break collegiate mission trip to New York City.

“God’s moving on campus,” James said. “It’s just cool to see what God is doing at SFA.”

One of Fredonia Hill’s college students who went on the spring break mission trip—consisting of community outreach and an evening vacation Bible school—confessed to leaders she went because she wanted to see New York City, James said. Then the Lord began to move personally in her life.

“During our time in New York City, she wrestled with questions about God’s goodness and finally gave her life to Jesus on our trip,” James said. “The following week she went back to her small group and shared what God had done in her life. Two people responded by placing their faith in Jesus. That same night, one of the guys was texting a friend he’d met [at an outreach event] and led him to the Lord over text.”

“We’re training our students on campus to be missionaries, to know how to have gospel conversations, and how to live intentionally in their spheres of influence.”

—John James, college/associate pastor Tweet

Since then, James said he has seen the fruit of the relational style of ministry he, his co-director wife, Meleena, and the collegiate leadership team advocate. The 150 Fredonia Hill attendees who are part of the collegiate ministry learn to make friends with the people they encounter on campus and elsewhere and learn how to navigate conversations about spiritual matters, anxiety, stress, and other issues.

“We transitioned out of being a program-based ministry to a relationship-based ministry over the last few years,” James said. “We’re training our students on campus to be missionaries, to know how to have gospel conversations, and how to live intentionally in their spheres of influence.”

Said Fredonia Hill Senior Pastor Kendall McDonald: “We are thrilled with what we are seeing God do and are certainly happy to tell the story so that He receives the glory. I think in our current cultural climate, relationship-building and prayer are essential in leading people to Christ, and we are seeing that play out right in front of us.”

James tells the story of a student who invited her sister to an impromptu prayer and worship time being held at his home. Impressed with what she heard, the sister asked Jesus to take over her life. Another student told his 12-year-old brother the difference Jesus has made in his life, and the brother said he’d been talking to the Lord, asking how to get into heaven.

“What we’re seeing is God drawing a lot of people to Him on campus. I pray He’s not done. I don’t think it’s anything we’ve changed from a ministry or strategic standpoint. I think God is just drawing people to Him.”

—John James Tweet

“We’ve been praying for people by name, sending out prayer lists,” James said. “We’ve seen people respond at worship night, one at a baptism. One student sat me down one afternoon and said, ‘I’ve told people I’ve been saved since I was a little kid, but really I didn’t get saved until a couple months ago. I need to be baptized.’”

Students have been responding to “the sharing of stories and the offering of an invitation” to make Jesus the Lord of their lives, James said. He referenced Psalm 34 when asked why students in today’s culture would be interested in God.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good,” James said. “So many students have seen so much of what the world can offer, and they’ve found that it’s not good. They long for something deeper. They long for what is good. When they come to us and engage in conversation, we’re able to talk about brokenness and the whole purpose of the gospel—God redeeming a broken world.

“What we’re seeing is God drawing a lot of people to Him on campus. I pray He’s not done. I don’t think it’s anything we’ve changed from a ministry or strategic standpoint. I think God is just drawing people to Him.”

The real solution for transforming our communities

Each month in the Texan, we publish a column written by the current president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, who this year happens to be Todd Kaunitz, lead pastor at New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview. As I began to edit his article for this month’s issue, I quickly noticed he wrote about something he’s written about quite a bit over the past year or so—prayer and revival.

“Revival in the church,” he writes, “will lead to spiritual awakening in our communities.”

Kaunitz has seen this happening in his own church. We’ve previously told a tiny portion of that story in the pages of the Texan, but the gist of it is that a season of personal distress and discouragement a couple of years ago led him to cry out to the Lord and, subsequently, to lead his church to do the same. What they’ve seen since can only be described as a God thing, with hundreds coming to Christ, being baptized, and experiencing personal renewal.

You’ll also find in this issue a Q&A with Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmersville and president of the Southern Baptist Convention. When I interviewed him a couple of weeks ago, I asked him how Southern Baptists might amplify their collective voice in a country that seems to stray further from God. His response: “I think the best way we amplify our voice is to share the gospel with people in our community who are lost and to help them see Jesus is the answer.”

In John 16:33, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

jayson larson Tweet

The words of each of these men, speaking about the ways communities can be transformed, collided in my mind with the fresh memory of the events of May 6, when a 33-year-old man shot and killed eight people at an outlet mall in Allen—a location I had driven past only a month before. Before we even knew the name of a single victim, the airwaves began to be filled with, frankly, what they’re always filled with: speculations, accusations, opportunistic political maneuverings, and the like.

But none of those things will ever fix any of this. Only Jesus can fix broken people born into a broken world who live in broken communities. I wondered if the Allen shooter had ever heard or had a chance to respond to the gospel. I wondered what would happen if, as Christians, we would pour the entire weight of our devotion into prayer and sharing the gospel with one more person rather than pouring ourselves into worldly conversations about things that have exclusively spiritual solutions.

We wring our hands about the brokenness in this world and wonder aloud about what can be done. In John 16:33, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Though it seems an unlikely solution to those who don’t know Jesus, these battles—which are truly for our hearts and minds—are fought on our knees. In this world, we will undoubtedly face more tribulation. But for our tribe, we can take heart. We serve a Lord who has overcome the world.

Covering a lot of ground in H-Town

Houston’s First collegiate ministry finds vast landscape, plenty of gospel opportunities

Houston is not your typical college town. The Bayou City boasts more than 40 institutions of higher learning, from four-year universities to junior colleges to tech schools, according to the city’s website.

College ministry opportunities are vast and far different from those in communities dominated by a single major university, as Hunter Mullennix, Houston’s First Baptist Church college ministry associate at the church’s Loop campus, has discovered.

Mullennix, 25, came to Houston’s First in June 2022 following graduation from a state university in Denton in the prior year.

He said he had asked God to provide “a route for me not to go to college,” but had surrendered to the inevitable and ended up going to school in Denton. Today, he is pursuing a master’s degree through Southwestern Seminary part-time.

During his time in college, Mullennix majored in religious studies, where he “learned a little about a lot of religions” and repeatedly heard negatives about Christianity in his classes. “It was liberal, not biblical Christianity,” he said, adding that it was certainly different from what he had learned growing up in church. He got involved in a college ministry at a nearby church after some soul-searching in which he concluded he had been living a “double life”—juggling fraternity life with occasional church attendance.

“The Lord started to draw me back to Himself.”

—Hunter Mullenix Tweet

“The Lord started to draw me back to Himself” through collegiate ministry at that church, he said. Mullennix dropped the frat life and spent a year in volunteer leadership before he was asked to join the church staff part-time as a college ministry intern in 2020, “right in the middle of COVID.”

Mullennix married his wife, Hannah, in June 2021, following graduation. Both felt called to ministry and Mullennix began an eight-month stint in the International Mission Board’s journeyman program. After Mullennix filled in one evening preaching at his college ministry, Hannah voiced what both had been separately thinking: perhaps it wasn’t the right time to pursue IMB work, but rather, college ministry.

After others in his church had affirmed their calling to college ministry, someone recommended they contact Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Collegiate Associate Mitch Tidwell and attend a Roundup event in May 2022. Tidwell, whose nephew had been involved in the ministry where Mullennix was serving in Denton, asked him to supply his resume.

Shortly after, Jarret Garber, minister to college and The 5, The Loop’s 5 p.m. Sunday service, phoned and had a 90-minute conversation with Hunter and Hannah. After that conversation, the North Texas-raised couple started considering a move south.

“We discussed the state of college ministry in Houston and what they wanted to start at The Loop, expanding out of a Sunday school class,” Mullennix recalled. The chance to start a college ministry practically from scratch was appealing. Hunter and Hannah visited in early June and moved to Houston three weeks later as Mullennix accepted a part-time position as the college ministry coordinator at The Loop.

A college ministry with a unique paradigm

With 15 campuses within 10 minutes, Mullennix said the Loop’s goal is to have a presence on each. For now, students from four universities and several community colleges and trade schools participate in college ministry at the Loop.

“It’s different than serving students from one college,” Mullennix said. “We have an assortment of students who come to our programs.”

College ministry is part of the 5 p.m. service, with a college life Bible study from 6:15 to 8 p.m. following the multigenerational evening worship. Students and leaders walk through biblical literacy and application curriculum focusing on evangelism and discipleship—basically, how to be a Christian.

The Sunday evening Bible study is “the biggest thing we do so far,” Mullennix said, adding that it’s hard to do things on campuses since they are trying to reach multiple schools that are spread out. Meeting at the church offers a central gathering place. Small groups also meet at the Mullennixes’ apartment and in other locations on Wednesday nights, and growth groups of two to three college students led by those who have already been discipled meet weekly, too. Currently there are 11 such groups, Mullennix said.

“Hunter has been able to get students on mission pretty quickly."

—Mitch Tidwell Tweet

“Many [who are] leading are people who came to Christ this semester or who came and found community. They are encouraged to find people to disciple,” he said. He estimates that 60 students are involved on Sunday nights, during the week, or both. A 15-person leadership team assists in the ministry.

“Hunter has been able to get students on mission pretty quickly,” Tidwell said.

Summer college ministry looks a bit different at the Loop as well. Unlike typical college students living away from home, many Houston-area students are year-round residents of the city.

“We don’t send a lot of people back home each year,” Mullennix said. Thus, there are more hands available for summer outreach. This will enable the Loop’s college ministry to have a presence at freshman orientations on various campuses throughout the summer, inviting incoming students to Bible studies geared to prepare them to walk with the Lord while in college.

Mullennix said he hopes to have a college intern and student volunteers on as many Houston-area campuses as possible during orientations as the metro college ministry grows.

How can deacons protect their pastor?

History’s first deacon assignment was an all-out widow war that threatened the future of the Jerusalem church. Without these first seven deacons, the very first local church would have split in two and the apostles would have eventually burned themselves out.

The Jerusalem church started growing again as the pastors re-devoted themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. Pastors and deacons have been serving side-by-side imperfectly for two millennia for the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom ever since.

Pastor, if you are interested in embracing your original call to partner with deacons and/or elders, I want to suggest four ways they can protect you.

1. A deacon can help protect you from your fans.

The crowds that followed Jesus often asked more from Him than was reasonable. Immediately after He fed the 5,000, that crowd tried to “take Him by force to make Him king” (John 6:15). By the end of that same chapter, Jesus’ teachings got so tough that “many of His disciples turned back and no longer accompanied Him” (John 6:66).

Fans are fickle.

Friends are faithful.

Fans chase pastors down in stores and restaurants. They text pastors at any time and for any reason, then complain because he didn’t reply fast enough. Friends, on the other hand, will protect pastors from their fickle fans. Friends walk in and clean up the mess the fans left on their way out of the church.

Pastors don’t need fans—they need friends. Local churches need their deacons and/or elders to become faithful friends to their pastors.

2. A deacon can help protect you from your critics.

Early in his ministry, a handful of deacons from First Baptist Orlando came to Pastor Jim Henry’s home to pray for him. They told him, “Anybody who comes after you has to come through us first.” Henry later said, “Those guys kept their word. Deacons have had my back for over 50 years.”

Church critics see themselves as the pastor police who are protecting the church, but they are nothing less than schoolyard bullies. Is your church a safe place to pastor? If not, deputize your deacons to wage peace in the hallways of your church.

"If you are a deacon or church leader and your pastor is drowning, don’t yell advice from the shore. Jump in and help him. If you are a pastor—let your deacons help you."

Mark Dance Tweet

3. A deacon can help protect you from the enemy.

The devil is a terrorist who strategically targets pastors. A simple way to let your leaders protect you is to ask them to pray for you before each worship service or at whatever time is most convenient. Selectively recruit one or two intercessors, or a rotation, and ask one of them to be the time keeper so that this doesn’t devolve into a distracting chat time.

4. A deacon can help protect you from yourself.

The pastor in the mirror is much more dangerous than his fans, critics, or even the devil. We need to surround ourselves with trusted leaders who love us enough to protect us from ourselves.

Initiating accountability is much less intrusive than waiting for it to be assigned to you. Deacons won’t hold this sacred assignment lightly, especially if you use it as a preventive measure. Make sure they understand the biblical ground rules: privately, respectfully, and in love (Matthew 18:15; Ephesians 4:15).

If you are a deacon or church leader and your pastor is drowning, don’t yell advice from the shore. Jump in and help him.

If you are a pastor—let your deacons help you. In doing so, you will allow them the privilege of fulfilling their biblical call to protect their pastor.

A moment of clarity, a lifetime of impact

After answering God’s call at M3 student camp, Texas native finds himself serving church plant in Colorado

Church planting intern Marco Baltazar has seen God work mightily through the local church and, particularly, student ministry. Called to ministry one summer during an M3 student camp in Austin when he was only 13, Marco, now 23, has been on an unexpected journey ever since.

“Time will tell,” Brandon Bales told Marco and other similarly called youth after that M3 camp a decade ago, explaining that if they were truly called to ministry, they wouldn’t want to do anything else. At that time, Bales, who now serves as student ministry associate and oversees M3 camps for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, was Marco’s youth pastor at Northeast Houston Baptist Church in Humble.

During his freshman year of high school, while studying Ephesians 4:12-13, Marco realized he could think of no other future than
serving the church.

After all, the church had always been there for him and his family.

Marco’s father, Miguel, migrated to the U.S. from Mexico. His mother, Emma, was born in the Rio Grande Valley. They raised their four children in Houston and Emma took the kids to a small Hispanic Baptist church where Marco trusted Christ as Lord at age eight. The following year, most of the family started attending NEHBC, where Marco was baptized.

Marco’s father, raised Catholic, was uninvolved in church, but he did talk to his son about matters of faith over the years.

“I have seen the Lord restore my family growing up, restore me, and use the local church to bless my family in times of need financially and relationally."

—Marco Baltazar Tweet

“He had stopped following God in any form or fashion,” Marco said. “I would tell him what Scripture said. We would talk about the Bible. The Lord just started to convict him.”

When Marco turned 19, the same year he started working as an apprentice pastor at NEHBC under then-pastor Nathan Lino, Miguel became a believer. Marco baptized his father at the church’s outdoor baptismal area in the summer of 2019—a joyous occasion.

“I have seen the Lord restore my family growing up, restore me, and use the local church to bless my family in times of need financially and relationally,” Marco said.

On-the-job training

During his two years working directly with Lino at NEHBC, Marco received a first-person view of the pastorate. He served as Lino’s personal assistant, getting an up-close look at what it takes to lead a church.

In addition to working part-time at NEHBC, Baltazar started college online, receiving tuition assistance from the national coffee company for which he still works, also part-time.

“It’s not how I planned [college],” Marco said, “but it’s how the Lord orchestrated it.”

Neither had he planned a move out of state. But after NEHBC planted Cross Family Church in Parker, Colo., in 2019, Marco headed north to help in July 2021.

Cross Family, located 30 minutes south of Denver, has grown to 100-120 in Sunday services. As a part-time church planting staff intern, Marco occasionally preaches and regularly delivers announcements from the pulpit. He teaches and leads in the men’s ministry and has prepared and coordinated some of the church’s door-to-door outreaches. He has served in children’s ministry, too, gaining wisdom from the director of that department.

“I’ve gotten to experience almost every area of ministry,” Marco said, adding that he even helped coordinate the work of three interns last summer.

He also continues to pursue his bachelor’s degree. The job gives him the opportunity to meet hundreds of people. “It’s been a blessing,” he said.

Not surprisingly, Marco said he feels called to one day be a senior pastor of a multiethnic church where he can preach in both English and Spanish. To continue preparing for that, he plans to move to Fort Worth this June, eventually enrolling at Southwestern Seminary after he completes his undergraduate degree.

Marco’s road to salvation began in the local church, but his call to ministry came at student camp, which he credits with providing opportunities to “develop deep relationships with people who are further along in the faith.” He credits those relationships, as well as his connection to Bales, as blessings the Lord has used to help him grow.

“I’ve had the privilege to see Marco come to faith, grow in his faith, be called to ministry, and be sent off as a missionary to help a church plant,” Bales said. “I’m proud to call him one of our former students. He does well to honor our Lord.”

Of M3 camp, Bales added, “A single moment in a camper’s life may become a lifetime of impact for the kingdom of God.”

What’s your story? Even when we wanted to leave, God showed us a better plan

In 2003, my fiancé, David (who is now my husband), and I were debating on whether to put down roots in Texas or go to Oklahoma. As we were praying about it, I was really convicted because we weren’t in church even though I knew we needed to be. During the time I was praying for guidance, we were driving down the road not far from my mom’s house in Euless and I saw a church I had to have passed dozens of times but had never noticed before. It was North Euless Baptist Church.

When we visited, it immediately felt like home. We met a man, Blake McKamie, who became a friend right off the bat and, since we were 19 and 20, we fell into the large college and career group. It was about 40 people at that time. It was a booming little church, about 300 people, including children.

About three years later, our pastor left and we called a new pastor who had been serving as the youth pastor at the time. The church was kind of holding steady, losing a few members here and there, but nothing too dramatic. It wasn’t long after that, as senior citizens passed away and families started moving away, that different conflicts arose in the church. We had some pretty hard business meetings related to the style of music, how we were going to afford to fix the air conditioners that were broken, and even how to pay our utility bills.

Within a few short years, the church dwindled to about 60-80 people. But by God’s grace, we didn’t split. Still, the ministry just kind of became ineffective. At one point, we were like, “Maybe it’s time to start looking for another church.” We were praying about that, and every time I was at peace with the idea, David said, “Let’s give it a little bit longer.” And when I would get to that same point where I was at peace staying, David would be ready to go.

I’m glad I didn’t quit my church and trusted God’s plan for the future even when it was scary to let the old church go. There were some hard times that made me want to leave, but I know staying was God’s best plan for us.

Amanda kennedy Tweet

I mean, I even had my resignation letter written and kept it with me every Sunday. There was one Sunday I had put that letter on the pastor’s desk while he was in the sanctuary getting ready to preach. When it was offering time, the Lord made it super clear to me that it was not time to go, so I discreetly got up and pulled my little letter off his desk. So we kept going and kept serving as the Lord led us, waiting for Him to give us direction and unity in the decision about when to leave.

Then, in 2012, our pastor was called to lead another church. At that time, I was the head of the personnel committee, our friend, Blake, was chairman of the deacons, and then we had our worship leader. The three of us suddenly found ourselves in the most senior positions, being the heads of these ministries. We got together to pray and were like, “OK, what’s next?”

We decided to ask Ted Elmore to meet with us, and the church called him as our interim pastor. At that point, our church’s vision was to get an interim pastor, hoping maybe a third party could give us an idea of how we could resurrect the church and bring it back from the brink of death. Ted did a really good job of coming in and triaging the situation and giving us a lot of good insight.

But the congregation was pretty worn out and membership had fallen to 30 or 40 people. We were just a few people and we were all wearing many hats, doing a lot to try to stay alive. Even David and I were worn out. In addition to leading the personnel committee, I was co-leading the women’s ministry, and on many Sundays, working in the nursery. David was a deacon, teaching a class, working with our audio/visual equipment, and serving on our building and grounds team. All the while, we were working full-time jobs and raising a special needs kid.

In 2013, Ted brought up the subject of replanting our church with First Baptist Church of Keller. After much prayer and many meetings, God led our members to go through with the replant and close North Euless Baptist Church in 2014. While the church was closed for renovations, everyone from North Euless attended First Keller. They were so gracious, they even sent a bus each week so we could ride to their building during this transition time.

That’s when we were introduced to Casey Lewis, one of the youth pastors at First Keller who ended up being the founding pastor of Foundation Baptist Church, our replanted church in Euless. It was when we met Casey and his wife, Amy, that we were glad we didn’t quit our church. It was an incredible blessing to see people excited about doing ministry in our community again.

Today, the church is growing steadily in faith, maturity, and numbers. We became autonomous in June 2020 and voted to call Blake as our second pastor, serving alongside Casey. We average between 90-100 each Sunday, have seen three people baptized already this year, and have at least two more baptisms scheduled in the next few weeks. In June, David and I will celebrate 20 years of worshipping and serving God in that building.

So what’s my story? I’m glad I didn’t quit my church and trusted God’s plan for the future even when it was scary to let the old church go. There were some hard times that made me want to leave, but I know staying was God’s best plan for us.

Want to share a story of what God is doing in your life or your church?

Share your story here

Taking your VBS to the next level

Vacation Bible School is an enriching time when various volunteers from all parts of the church join together to plan and lead a special event with one theme in mind—sharing the gospel with children. I was one of those church kids who accepted Christ as my Savior during VBS at age 9. I love VBS!

Though fewer parents are taking their families to church on Sundays, many will bring their children to VBS. The week of concentrated Bible study, worship, missions, fellowship, and salvation opportunities continues to be the most “immediate practical way of increasing the Bible study time for our children,” Landry Holmes wrote in his 2018 book, It’s Worth It.

After 125 years planning, creating, training, sharing, fellowshipping, and teaching, what could take this evangelism opportunity to the next level of excellence?

"Before finding a leader or director, purchasing curriculum, or recruiting teachers, enlist a prayer team of three to five people to lead the church in praying for VBS."

Karen Kennemur Tweet

Prayer

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul instructs us to “pray without ceasing.” The entire VBS experience needs to be immersed in prayer from beginning to end, from recruitment to follow-up.

Before finding a leader or director, purchasing curriculum, or recruiting teachers, enlist a prayer team of three to five people to lead the church in praying for VBS. Consider asking volunteers who cannot attend VBS to be diligent in weekly prayer. Explain to these individuals that prayer is one of the most important parts of VBS and their consistent prayers are needed before, during, and even after the event.

Faith and salvation conversations

Faith conversations could happen when a child, while walking from one activity to the next, asks a volunteer questions about God, church, faith, etc. The volunteer may comment on how God blessed the day with sunshine and warm weather. This one comment may begin a casual conversation about God and faith. Leaders need to be trained to become active listeners so they can purposefully converse with children in these casual faith conversations.

Other times, children want to talk specifically about salvation. Sharing the gospel with children should be a part of VBS training for all leaders and volunteers. We should never assume adults know how to share the gospel with children.

Follow-up

Follow-up is the icing on the cake, the bow on the gift, the finishing touches on a well-executed plan. Most people would not only say follow-up is important, but that it is the most forgotten part of VBS.

Follow-up with visitors may simply be sending an invitation to the family for future church events or leaving a goodie bag at their home. For non-attending members, a phone call, card, email, goodie bag, or other type of communication can deliver an important message: “We miss you!”

The most important follow-up efforts involve contacting families whose child became a Christian during VBS. An arranged, in-person visit from church leaders is most effective. This visit allows the leaders to talk with the parents and child about the child’s decision to follow Christ. It is also a good opportunity to discuss the child’s baptism. Perhaps the family does not attend church. This visit helps parents know they are welcome at your church and gives them a place for their child’s baptism. Follow-up matters.

The 5: Journaling as a spiritual discipline to strengthen your walk with the Lord

You may not think of journaling as a discipline, but I’m convinced we need to be regularly writing about what God is doing in our lives. There are some simple ways anyone can get started with this discipline—including ways that may not feel like journaling at first:

1

Each day, write a brief summary of what the Lord shows you during your quiet time.

The entry doesn’t need to be long. In fact, it can be one or two sentences. Here are two examples from my own quiet time recently:

• I’m reminded today in Exodus 32 about the silliness of following idols that are lifeless. I confess my idols to the Lord today.

• 1 Thessalonians 5:17 challenges me to be more thankful today, no matter what I face.

2

Each day, write the most important prayer request you have.

We can tell a lot about the state of our heart by our prayers, and it’s good for us to put those prayers in writing. Not only does writing the prayer request help us to stay focused as we pray, but it also has a way of lessening the burden of that prayer. Be sure to record when God answers your prayer—and thank Him!

3

Send a weekly email or text about what the Lord is doing in your life.

All of us can journal about God’s goodness to us, even if what we say is simply, “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or His children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25). Send that email to a family member, a friend, a co-worker, a neighbor—or even a non-believer you think would be receptive to it. Be a witness through your journaling.

4

Write a letter, note, or email to your children or grandchildren—even those who are adults—explaining how you became a believer.

I’m amazed how many family members have never heard the testimonies of their believing parents and grandparents. They don’t know how we became believers, where we were baptized, or what joy that conversion brought. Writing that letter, note, or email now will allow you to journal about God’s goodness, and it will leave your family members with a written memory.

5

Journal in the margins of your Bible as you read.

This year, I’m doing just that, and my plan is to give that marked-up, journaled Bible as a Christmas gift later in the year. The margins of that Bible include exclamations (“God, You’re so good!), questions (“Why am I prone to wandering, Lord?”), and insights (“The disciples were so fickle, yet the Lord used them anyway—just the way He uses me even though I don’t always trust Him”).

You may choose other topics to journal about, but whatever you do, start somewhere. Journaling is an incredible tool that God can use to help you remember His goodness and testify to others how He can be at work in their lives, as well.

Chuck Lawless is dean of doctoral studies and vice president of spiritual formation and ministry centers at Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. For more from Lawless, visit chucklawless.com.

Creative, fun & gospel-focused

East Texas church’s children’s ministry is not only impacting kids, but entire families

Andrea Anders remembers the moment well.

On Easter in 2022, she and her husband, Isaac—volunteers in the kids ministry at New Beginnings Baptist Church—sat in on the lesson being presented to one of the age groups. As they listened, they began to quietly weep together.

“Both of us were just sobbing,” she recalled, “because they were teaching those children the gospel. It was being taught in a way the kids could understand, but it was not watered down. It was the gospel.”

The moment was particularly meaningful for Andrea. The Peruvian native, who met her husband on a mission trip and eventually moved to Texas, made the decision to trust Christ many years ago. But in the years that followed, she said she was not exposed to solid biblical teaching and, as a result, struggled to grow in her faith. The mother of three boys remembers telling her husband, “I don’t want my boys to be 30 years old like I am right now and saying they don’t really know God.”

Those concerns have been greatly alleviated due in large part to how the Lord is working through the kids ministry at New Beginnings. The ministry, which welcomes more than 400 children (babies through fifth grade) each week on its Longview campus, takes a creative approach to teaching but keeps the gospel at the center of all that it does.

Nikki Young, New Beginnings’ minister of kids, said their approach includes creating themes, similar to what pastors do as they preach through a sermon series, to teach biblical truths. These themes often last four to six weeks, are rooted in historical events or people in the Bible, and include the construction of creative sets and decorations that help set the tone. Those decorations are even interactive at times. New Beginnings also has a campus in nearby Gilmer, and their kids ministry staff is able to create fitting designs for their smaller-sized campus, as well.

“We can do all this, but if we’re not teaching the gospel through it, we’re missing [the point]. As our kids ministry team plans out and then executes things, the gospel is still at the forefront.”

—Nikki Young, New Beginnings’ minister of kids Tweet

For example, one of the themes aimed to teach children about the major prophets in the Bible, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. To create excitement and engagement among the kids, leaders and volunteers decided to incorporate a baseball theme (since professional baseball is also known as the major leagues). The children’s area of the church was transformed to look like a baseball stadium, and dugout seating was created where kids and their families could sit and take pictures. During one day of the series, children were encouraged to come dressed in the jersey of one of their favorite athletes.

Another recent theme was “Jesus the Teacher.” Part of that transformation included creating a school classroom setting with fun, oversized school supplies to help children learn about the various teachings of Jesus. While theming allows the kids ministry to engage children in a way that often excites them, Young said leaders are trying to help them understand that the Bible isn’t just a collection of unrelated stories, but an interrelated series of historical events that ultimately tell God’s story.

“It still all comes back down to the fact that, we can do all this, but if we’re not teaching the gospel through it, we’re missing [the point],” Young said. “As our kids ministry team plans out and then executes things, the gospel is still at the forefront.”

Part of New Beginnings’ strategy to teach deeper Bible truths to children is to create teaching themes that involve creative decorations, props, and even dress-up days. Ministry leaders are finding that the approach is not only helping children become more engaged, but their parents, as well. SUBMITTED PHOTOS

Young admits it takes a lot of work to plan and execute teaching through themes, but the entire kids ministry staff pitches in. The curriculum, which is written in-house weekly, aims to take children entirely through the Bible over a span of years. While that is labor-intensive now, Young said they are saving the curriculum so they can use it again (with tweaks here and there, as they find necessary) once they’ve completed one cycle through the Bible. The New Beginnings crew also works hard to connect themes to their social media accounts and email newsletters to keep parents updated on what their children are learning.

“These are definitely tools that help us connect a little deeper with our families,” Young said. “I think it builds an added level of appreciation from them. They appreciate the extra effort. As parents ourselves, when we see people take extra steps for our own children, it just makes us appreciate and love them more.”

“When God shows up, He just shows up, and that was confirmation that we were in the right place.”

—Andrea Anders, New Beginnings member Tweet

Mr. and Mrs. Anders are among the New Beginnings parents who are grateful. Andrea said the themes, combined with gospel-centered biblical teaching, make coming to church fun and meaningful for her sons. She said her oldest son, who is now 7, came out of the shower one evening last year with news that caught her off guard.

“Mommy, I said the prayer,” he said.

“What prayer?” she asked.

“The prayer of salvation,” he responded.

“And I was like, ‘Wait a minute, how do you know about this?’” Andrea said, recalling the conversation. A few days later, she asked Young if she would speak with him to make sure he understood what it means to trust Jesus for his salvation.

As it turns out, he did.

“He knew because these truths had been implanted in him at our church,” Andrea said. “This church has been planting those seeds little by little. Now that he’s saved and been baptized, we’ve just seen him flourish. He thinks about things [in the Bible] and we talk and he asks all these questions and wants to know more. … When God shows up, He just shows up, and that was confirmation that we were in the right place.”

Para iglesia fronteriza, las dificultades causadas por la pandemia crearon un hambre creciente de la Palabra de Dios

No tan sólo sobreviviendo, también creciendo

Para Juan Camilo Del Valle, pastor de la Iglesia Bautista Getsemaní en esta lejana ciudad del sur de Texas, a pocos kilómetros de la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México, la pandemia fue un tiempo de sufrimiento. Sin embargo, también vio cómo Dios utilizó ese tiempo de incomodidad para impactar positivamente su vida familiar, su ministerio y su iglesia.

“No todo lo que trajo la pandemia fue negativo,” dijo Del Valle. “Para mí, fue un tiempo productivo.”

Getsemaní es una iglesia hispana de 40 años que llevaba cuatro años sin pastor cuando Del Valle llegó como estudiante del seminario teológico para hacer ministerio práctico. Nunca imaginó que tiempo después le recomendarían postularse para la vacante pastoral y que, con un voto afirmativo, sería instalado como pastor de la iglesia en mayo de 2017.

Toda una vida al servicio del Señor

Criado en Medellín, Colombia, Del Valle recibió a Cristo a los 7 años y comenzó a enseñar clases bíblicas para niños a los 12 años, después de ser bautizado y haber recibido algunos adiestramientos. A partir de ahí, su pasión por enseñar la Biblia creció y Dios continuó abriéndole puertas para ministrar a preadolescentes y adolescentes en la ciudad.

Cuando se acercaba a los 30 años, Del Valle se trasladó a la ciudad de Bucaramanga, en el norte de Colombia, para servir en una iglesia llamada Iglesia Cuadrangular Cabecera, donde conoció a Laura, su esposa desde hace 17 años. Mientras estuvo en la iglesia, trabajó como pastor de jóvenes a tiempo completo y estudió en el seminario bíblico de la ciudad, donde se graduó en teología y estudios bíblicos. Más tarde, en julio de 2011, su suegro comenzó a plantar una iglesia, Iglesia Cristiana Vida por Vida, y se fue con su esposa para apoyar ese trabajo. Del Valle también fue ordenado allí y sirvió como co-pastor hasta diciembre de 2015.

Fue durante su servicio en la Iglesia Cristiana Vida por Vida que el suegro de Del Valle le recomendó que mudara a su familia a Texas para estudiar y seguir preparándose para su llamado al ministerio. Después de mucha oración, Dios hizo posible ese viaje, aunque el plan de Del Valle siempre fue venir a Texas, capacitarse y luego regresar a Colombia para continuar el ministerio allí. Ese plan cambió cuando el Señor envió a Del Valle a Getsemaní para servir a la iglesia como estudiante practicante y, finalmente, como su pastor.

“Ha sido una gran bendición ver a los miembros de la iglesia empezar a descubrir cosas en la Biblia que nunca habían leído, ver lo entusiasmados que están y ver la forma especial y profunda en que están llegando a conocer a Dios.”

—Juan Camilo Del Valle Tweet

Un tiempo difícil, pero un tiempo bueno

La transición a liderar Getsemaní, dijo Del Valle, fue un reto debido a su edad y a su adaptación a liderar el ministerio pastoral, pero el Señor le dio gracia y comenzó todo a acomodarse. Más o menos en ese momento, llegó COVID-19 y cambió no sólo la dinámica de su iglesia, sino del mundo. Aunque la pandemia trajo pérdidas y dolor, Del Valle dijo que también vio crecimiento en la iglesia, un resurgimiento de más familias involucrándose y una congregación deseosa de profundizar en su relación con Dios.

“Fue una sacudida que la iglesia necesitaba,” dijo Del Valle. “He visto los frutos en mi vida personal y en la congregación” después de COVID.

Personalmente, Del Valle consideró una bendición que la pandemia le diera más tiempo para estar con sus dos hijos pequeños. Para su congregación, que atravesó una época en la que mucha gente estaba encerrada y aislada, el pastor vio la oportunidad de iniciar ministerios que sobrevivieran a la pandemia.

“En cuanto nos vimos obligados a cerrar la iglesia, empecé a buscar una forma de mantenerme en contacto [con nuestra gente],” dijo Del Valle. “Así que empecé a enviarles unos cortos devocionales a través de WhatsApp.”

Para muchos, estos devocionales se convirtieron en parte de su rutina diaria. Cuando terminó la pandemia, y aunque la iglesia había vuelto a las reuniones en persona, los miembros y otros participantes preguntaron a Del Valle si seguiría enviando los devocionales diarios.

Poco después, lanzó un reto a la congregación de leer toda la Biblia en un año utilizando los devocionales. Para ayudar en ese esfuerzo, añadió un canal de YouTube de la iglesia que incluía un vídeo diario de él mismo leyendo y hablando sobre los pasajes diarios asignados y concluyendo con un momento de oración. Tras completar el plan de lectura de la Biblia a finales del 2022, los miembros de la iglesia volvieron a pedirle que continuara con el esfuerzo, por lo que iniciaron un nuevo plan de lectura. Actualmente, el canal de YouTube de la iglesia cuenta con 454 suscriptores.

“Hay miembros de la iglesia que comparten estos [devocionales] con familiares y amigos que no son creyentes,” dijo Del Valle. “Uno de estos familiares ya ha aceptado a Cristo y viajó desde su ciudad hasta nuestra iglesia, fue bautizada y pudo dar testimonio de cómo conoció a Cristo a través de la lectura de la Biblia.”

Este año, Del Valle, quien también ha servido como líder tallerista y panelista para el ministerio en Español de la Convención de los Bautistas del Sur de Texas y ha sido parte del comité de planificación para la sesión en español de la Conferencia Empower durante dos años, decidió iniciar un canal de YouTube por separado llamado Enseñanza Bíblica Creativa para ampliar el alcance de la Palabra de Dios más allá de su iglesia. Ese canal tiene actualmente 168 suscriptores y más de 1,000 visitas en algunos de sus videos.

“Ha sido una gran bendición ver a los miembros de la iglesia empezar a descubrir cosas en la Biblia que nunca habían leído, ver lo entusiasmados que están y ver la forma especial y profunda en que están llegando a conocer a Dios”, dijo Del Valle. “Personas que llevan años en la iglesia han sido transformadas y su perspectiva de Dios ha cambiado”.