Author: Russell Lightner

SBTC She Stands conference lands in Africa to encourage, equip women for ministry

When Laura Taylor met Chao Tsuma at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, neither expected that their fast friendship would lead to significant ministry opportunities on another continent.

This summer, Taylor—women’s associate at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention—joined Tsuma in Kenya to lead a women’s leadership conference in Naivasha and a She Stands conference in Malindi, a community that is 90% Muslim.

Tsuma first experienced She Stands when she volunteered at a conference held at First Baptist Mansfield in 2021. She Stands conferences, held regionally throughout the year, aim to encourage and train women in their lives and ministries.

Tsuma felt an immediate connection with Taylor.

“Laura’s vibrant personality and genuine ability to make everyone feel seen and valued left a lasting impression on me,” Tsuma said. “She invited me into the ministry work, emphasizing that it was the Lord’s work and required collective effort.”

Upon the recommendation of Terri Stovall, Southwestern’s dean of women and Tsuma’s mentor, Chao applied for and was accepted to serve as an SBTC women’s ministry intern under Taylor’s direction in 2023. Her role would be threefold: to help amplify the vision for women in the region, to encourage leadership development among women, and to support Taylor and the SBTC women’s ministry through prayer.

Those duties would include helping Taylor expand the scope of SBTC women’s ministry materials into larger conference formats. On one occasion, Tsuma helped Taylor expand written materials used for a pastor-wife conference into a leadership conference.

In August 2023, the SBTC offered a leadership conference in Arlington for some 40 women’s ministry leaders from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. This past March, 50 women attended a similar leadership summit in Beaumont.

Guests at the Beaumont conference included four women from Nairobi, Kenya—part of Chao’s network of friends—who flew in to attend.

“One is a doctor; two are in economic development,” Taylor said of the Kenyans. “They are successful, professional women who came to the states to experience this conference.”

As plans were being made for two more leadership summits the next year, one in the Metroplex and one in the Houston area, an intriguing question arose: Why not also in Kenya?

“Chao and her Christian friends and network in Kenya have been praying for years for this kind of opportunity. The fact that the SBTC gets to be involved is phenomenal.”

—Laura Taylor Tweet

Why not Kenya?

Encouraged by the attendance of the four Kenyan women, and with the assurance that there were many Christian women in Kenya hungry for similar instruction, Taylor and Tsuma ramped up their efforts. Tsuma returned to Kenya early this summer to lay the groundwork.

“We worked on both ends,” Taylor said. She and her husband, Wade, pastor of First Baptist Alvarado, left for Kenya at the end of July with a small team from Texas.

Two women’s conferences were held in early August: a leadership summit in Naivasha, and She Stands Kenya in Malindi. Topics included developing a personal walk with the Lord, loving others, and leading other women—all scripturally based.

“In my culture, titles are highly regarded. A woman who leads … is highly regarded. She is a woman of influence. … She has a big platform to influence other women. This is the woman we target,” Tsuma said. “If [that woman] stands in Christ, others will follow. … As she grows, she helps other women. Our vision is to equip this woman with biblical principles for daily living.

“We focus on four pillars for her growth: her relationship and growth in Christ, her relationship with others in her home, her economic growth, and her impact on her community.”

Early response in Kenya has been overwhelmingly positive, Tsuma said.

In addition to the conferences, Taylor, Tsuma, and a crew of Texas and Kenyan helpers attended local worship services, engaged in outreaches including providing potable water to villages, and met with the president of the Kenya Baptist Convention.

Besides the two women’s events, Wade Taylor and Tsuma’s husband, James, taught a pastors’ conference, and Wade—an SBTC Disaster Relief chaplain—also offered basic chaplaincy training.
A planned outreach to school girls on the trip was disrupted due to massive flooding in Kenya.

“People are displaced and distressed because of the flooding,” Laura Taylor said of the need for indigenous chaplains to minister in disasters.

Now that the vision has expanded to Kenya, Tsuma and Taylor hope this is just the beginning of women’s ministry training for that country.

“Chao and her Christian friends and network in Kenya have been praying for years for this kind of opportunity,” Taylor said. “The fact that the SBTC gets to be involved is phenomenal.”

For more information on She Stands conferences in Texas and beyond, click the image or email ltaylor@sbtexas.com.

The 3 Cs of casting a compelling vision

Does your ministry vision rob you of sleep? Quicken your pulse? Change your community and world? Why is vision so important for a pastor and a church?

Vision determines your direction and prioritizes your limited time and resources. Let’s explore what can make a vision so compelling that it will inspire and mobilize your church members.

It must be a CONVICTION

Your vision will only burn as bright as you do. When this passion comes from deep within you, people will sense it and follow it. A vision is something you not only see in your mind, but also burns in your heart.

Will Mancini once said, “An opinion is something you’ll argue about; a conviction is something you’ll die for.” People will not be more dedicated than you are to the vision. The outcome is a willingness to sacrifice. This sacrifice can be seen in time, energy, and financial resources. If this is not something you are willing to personally risk your reputation and resources on, it’s not worth pursuing. It’s merely an idea, not a vision.

Does your vision inspire you to the point of personal commitment? Southern Baptist pastors may use different vision statements, but they should all be variations of the Great Commission and Great Commandment.

"Vision serves as a ministry road map, giving both direction and efficiency."

Mark Dance Tweet

It must be COURAGEOUS

You will draw courage from the convictions from which a compelling vision is born—especially when others try to steal your dream, or worse, ignore it.

My last church relocated to a 50-acre campus next to a university with 13,000 students while repurposing our former downtown five-acre campus into a regional ministry center. Most of our members immediately embraced that vision. Some only understood it after it had become a reality. The toughest ones were those who never saw the vision and either ignored or opposed it. Those are the ones I asked Jesus to give me extra courage and patience for.

1 Chronicles 28:20 says, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He won’t leave you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the Lord’s house is finished.”

It must be CLEAR

Vision serves as a ministry road map, giving both direction and efficiency. I don’t know how many times I have started driving in the general direction of my destination before consulting a GPS. In ministry, it is best to get good ministry directions before you lead people somewhere new.

People can’t follow a vision they can’t clearly see. “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). Vance Havner once said, “If there is a mist in the pulpit, there is a fog in the pew.”

I have learned so much over the years about vision from Thom Rainer, Eric Geiger, and Mancini when I served with them at Lifeway. Much of what I write about here I learned from them, as well as from field testing these ideas for 30 years as a lead pastor.

My prayer is that you and your church will benefit from the collective experience of those of us who came before you so you can cast a compelling vision and fulfill it for the glory of God and the advancement of the gospel.

The top two priorities of every pastor

Sheep will let you lead them if you first love and feed them. This lesson is crucial for task-oriented pastors like me. This was Peter’s blind spot also, which is why his post-resurrection restoration was such a pivotal moment in his life and ministry.

In Jesus’ third and last interaction with His disciples after the resurrection, they grilled out for breakfast. Then Jesus took Peter on a life-changing walk on the beach (John 21:15-17):

Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.”

“Feed My lambs,” He told him.

A second time He asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.”

“Shepherd My sheep,” He told him.

He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”

Peter was grieved that He asked him the third time, “Do you love Me?” He said, “Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You.”

“Feed My sheep,” Jesus said.

Peter was like most action-biased leaders I know: “Charge!”

Jesus leveraged Peter’s latest failure not only to restore him, but to also reset his ministry trajectory with these two simple directives.

"If you try to lead or feed them without loving them first, you may get bit—or worse—ignored."

Mark Dance Tweet

‘Feed My lambs’

Hungry sheep are never happy sheep, so make sure their souls are full from your preaching.

Soon after his restoration, Peter and his friends would face the challenge of prioritizing their prayer and preaching ministry (Acts 6:4). Immediate ministry demands distracted them from their preparations, which led to the spiritual and numerical stagnation of Christianity’s first church in Jerusalem.

The most effective way to prioritize preaching is to consistently start preparing your sermons early in the week. Unless you are preaching on Sunday nights, this ideally could begin on Sunday afternoon (after your nap). If you balk at studying on the sabbath, you should relax and enjoy the sabbath on another day, because Sunday is probably the worst time to rest for a pastor.

‘Shepherd my sheep’

Good preaching won’t make up for bad pastoring. How we treat people offstage is more important than how you teach them onstage. Yes, even those members who are resisting all of your initiatives. Most church conflict is the result of slow, relational erosion, not any one issue.

“We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us (1 Thessalonians 2:8).

That doesn’t sound very professional, does it? Almost sappy in fact. It took a while to learn that my sheep needed me to be personal more than they needed me to be professional. Pastor, your people are longing to be genuinely loved by you.

I believe gradual relationship erosion sneaks up on a lot of pastors, which is why so many are surprised when their sheep dig in their hooves in response to their vision and initiatives. Perhaps they are not so much opposed to advancing the gospel as they are opposed being pushed or shoved.

If you try to lead or feed them without loving them first, you may get bit—or worse—ignored.

God has given me a new focus and a new mission

Igave my life to Christ 24 years ago. That Sunday I gave my heart to Christ, I was in Dorm 4 at the Bossier Parish Penal Farm in a little town called Plain Dealing, La., serving a three-year sentence. I was literally broken. I was at the point where I was like, “Look, I can’t do this no more.” I told my mom, “I can’t do three years.” She said, “Baby, you have no choice.” But when she said that … I was done. I wasn’t raised to do crime. I took my last step with the world and I took my first step with God, and I’ve never looked back. I got saved and from that moment on I started doing Bible study in prison and stayed close to the Lord, got out, and got right into the church and got baptized. I was 29 years old then.

After getting out of prison, my whole life changed—my wardrobe, everything. I worked as an electrician in Bossier City/Shreveport for about 33 years and got to a point where the Lord started blessing me in the trade. I also started a ministry called A Way of Escape Ministries, from 1 Corinthians 10:13. God gives a person a way of escape through Jesus Christ. Christ was my way of escape from the world and from repeating the negativity and the toxicity in my life. I was preaching on two radio stations in that area, sometimes preaching for local churches, and my wife, Patricia, and I spoke on building a strong marriage. All this while raising eight kids.

I was tired—we were tired—every day trying to work and take care of the ministry. My wife was working night and day, taking two or three shifts in local nursing homes. I was just working night and day, sometimes doing videos online, because we’re on Facebook. I’d work on the videos and fall asleep while I was doing that. I’m sitting at work eight, 10 hours a day doing electrical work.

“My heart’s desire is that those who don’t know God will know the God I know and serve.”

—André Blaze Tweet

Well, God sometimes just speaks out of nowhere—this is the highlight of my testimony. He spoke to my wife one day back in Louisiana and she said to me, “We got to go.” And I was like, “Go where?” She said, “We need to go to Texas. God said go to Texas—God is saying we need to move.” And I said, “Well, I need to go in prayer.” So after 90 days in prayer, we picked up everything. We started for Greenville but ended up finding a house for us in Sherman instead.

I’m building my business here, but it’s not been crazy busy yet. I have some good contacts, and many of the people of my church [First Baptist Sherman] have given me work. I couldn’t have dreamed of this. I can’t tell you [all that] God has done in the year we’ve been here. It’s been a blessing. It’s been a journey. Sherman is great for us. Our family and children are happy. God has allowed me to make enough on the jobs I get so that our needs are met. My wife works, but she just works regular hours. She’s not tired. I’m not tired, and He has blessed us. He’s just so good.

I’ve been changed, refreshed in my relationship with God—the same God who told Abraham to get up and leave the Ur of the Chaldeans, leave what you are familiar with and go to a land that I will show you. That’s the challenge, to really see where your faith is. It’s one thing to teach truth and to teach faith, but it’s another thing to live it. The Word of God is more than just ink on paper. This move has strengthened my faith. I’m refocused. I’m better than I was.

It’s changed my children’s lives. We tell them, “We’re not here to make money, but we make money. You’re not here just to go to school, but you do go to school. We are here on assignment. We are here because of God’s kingdom.”

Now I own a radio station, a gospel station, and it’s called Blaze. God blessed me with that. We’re on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I’ve got some contemporary Christian music on there, and then my messages. And then we’ve got messages with our children, Bible studies for the entire family. In other words, God has really blessed. I’m also continuing my prison ministry, preaching a few times a month in different facilities.

My heart’s desire is that those who don’t know God will know the God I know and serve. To those who know Him, I’d say be refreshed and know that God is good. Don’t become complacent with God, but know that He is going to take you higher and ask bigger things of you. Give Him what He wants and enjoy the ride.

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

Share your story here

Western Swing

South Texas church becomes first to put boots on the ground as part of the SBTC’s Reach Nevada initiative

RENO, NEV.

“Ma’am, would you like a water? Coffee?”

It’s a little after 10 a.m. at Idlewild Park, and members of First Baptist Church of Woodsboro, Texas, are hard at work offering refreshments to passers-by. The park is pretty busy considering it’s a weekday, peppered with people sneaking in a walk or a jog before temperatures climb into the low 90s later in the day.

A few feet away from the table where the Woodsboro members are offering drinks, Scott Lamberth, pastor of Reno’s Pathfinder Church, is engaged in conversation with a woman pushing a stroller. He hands her a business card inviting her to church, and, with the Truckee River whooshing behind them, they have a conversation about spiritual things.

“If I come to your church, are you really going to ask me to believe that Jesus is the only way?” the woman asks.

“Look, we do believe Jesus is the only way,” Lamberth replies, “but we will give you the space to come and explore that at your own pace. … Come and check it out and just see what God does.”

Ministry is happening, and the partnership between FBC Woodsboro and Pathfinder Church is playing out as planned—with the Texas team working the drink giveaway table so Lamberth is free to break off to the side and have more in-depth spiritual conversations with local residents.

“More spiritual conversations, more invitations to church, more bridges built— the work that the Woodsboro team has been doing here has just led to such a good result.”

—Scott Lamberth Tweet

The previous evening, the Woodsboro team was at another park with Lamberth, running an arts and crafts outreach. With children and adults from the nearby neighborhood participating, Lamberth—and even several members of the Woodsboro team—went table to table, striking up conversations and inviting people to church.

“The amount of spiritual conversations I’ve been able to have this week is the most I’ve had in any single week in the year we’ve been here,” Lamberth said. “More spiritual conversations, more invitations to church, more bridges built—the work that the Woodsboro team has been doing here has just led to such a good result.”

In July 2022, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention entered a partnership with the Nevada Baptist Convention to strengthen its existing churches and plant new ones. As part of that partnership, the SBTC committed to not only provide financial resources, but also connect its affiliated churches with those of the NBC.

Since then, the NBC has hosted an Equip Conference similar to the one put on by the SBTC each summer. In 2023, NBC’s Equip Conference held in the Vegas area attracted 300 attendees. This year, it hosted two Equip Conferences in different parts of the state and saw more than 500 attend total.

And in June, FBC Woodsboro became the first SBTC church to travel to Nevada to serve side by side with an NBC church.

An exciting mission field

The SBTC has partnered with the Nevada Baptist Convention to plant churches and strengthen existing churches. Here’s a glimpse at the opportunities this mission field offers:

3.1 million

Population

2.3 million

Las Vegas population including 700,000 Hispanic/Latino residents and 250,000 Asian/Pacific Islander residents)

500,000

Reno/Sparks/Carson metro area population

by 2060

Nevada is expected to double in population

10

Number of Send Network endorsed church planters in Nevada

177

NBC affiliated churches

An open frontier, a great gospel need

Reno is home to roughly 265,000 people, comparable in population to the Texas cities of Irving, Laredo, and Lubbock. That population swells to about a half-million when considering all the residents of nearby Sparks and Carson.

Much of Reno’s booming population is attributed to an influx of Californians trying to escape soaring home prices, high taxes, and even higher crime. Though Reno is 450 miles northwest of sister city Las Vegas, it’s just 12 miles from the California border—making it a natural landing spot for many fleeing east.

Lamberth said the people of Reno are friendly and open to conversation, which is why he commits time most weeks to set up a table at a local park offering free drinks to those passing by. Many people Lamberth talks to describe themselves as spiritual, though pinning down exactly what that means can be difficult. One thing usually becomes clear in those conversations—a great number of those he speaks with do not agree Jesus is the only way to be reconciled to God.

According to the latest numbers available, nearly two out of every three Reno residents are unchurched. In 2017, Lifeway Research declared Reno the second most unchurched city in the U.S., trailing only San Francisco, Lamberth said.

The Reno metro area offers contrasting extremes. Tesla’s Gigafactory Nevada, which claims to be “one of the world’s highest volume plants” for the production of electric motors, energy storage products, vehicle powertrains, and batteries, is located about a 30-minute drive east on I-80. Gigafactory has grown into one of the state’s largest employers, offering high-paying jobs that can provide life-changing financial stability.

But just outside the Sparks city limits sits the state’s largest legal brothel which—along with the area’s gaggle of casinos and an out-of-control substance abuse problem—is tearing lives apart with increasing efficiency. In 2020, Nevada experienced a more than 300% jump in the number of people who admitted using marijuana, according to the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services. Alcohol and drug-related deaths have spiked in recent years, with fentanyl overdose deaths rising more than 200%.

Reno, once known as the “biggest little city in the world,” sadly is now referred to by many as the “Sodom of the Sierras,” Lamberth said.

“But one of the positives is, people here are open and hungry,” Lamberth said. “People who are needy are ripe, and there are a lot of needs here.”

That makes the call to not only plant churches in Reno, but strengthen existing Southern Baptist churches like Pathfinder, all the more urgent.

“It’s our God-given responsibility to support churches like this. We’re just a small church ourselves, but that don’t matter. Church size don’t matter when it comes to the Great Commission.”

—Carroll Borden Tweet

A call to get involved

So how can churches of the SBTC partner with NBC churches?

First and foremost, NBC churches need prayer, said Damian Cirincione, NBC’s executive director. Some churches need help putting on events such as vacation Bible schools, while others have buildings in disrepair that need to be remodeled or rebuilt. Ideally, longterm relationships would form between SBTC and NBC churches that would allow them to work together for years to come.

“[Our churches] need people to come alongside them, love on them, love on their pastors, and encourage them to continue to reach their community,” Cirincione said. “The most important thing is sharing the love of Jesus and making His name known in these small communities.”

The Reach Nevada initiative is one of several partnerships the SBTC is building using an Acts 1:8 model, developing statewide, nationwide, and global ministry partnerships to accomplish the Great Commission. In addition to Nevada, the SBTC has a similar relationship with Southern Baptist churches in Puerto Rico, and it is considering other such partnerships in Europe and Asia.

SBTC missions mobilization associate Colin Rayburn said local churches often lack the connections to engage in missions opportunities with other churches. In other words, they have a heart to do cooperative gospel work on multiple levels, but they just don’t know where to start. By using the SBTC’s connections with Southern Baptist churches on the state, national, and international levels, churches will be able to find partners more easily, he said.

“We realized we have this unique opportunity born out of this desire to amplify what the Lord is doing in other places to help mobilize our churches to find the partnerships that they need,” Rayburn said. “There’s no reason a small, local church would naturally have connections with other small churches all over the world, but when we all come together, we get to create something profound.”

Carroll Borden, an FBC Woodsboro elder who came on the Nevada trip, said the call to work with other churches outside one’s own context is not only a desire, but a command from the Lord.

“It’s our God-given responsibility to support churches like this,” he said. “We’re just a small church ourselves, but that don’t matter. Church size don’t matter when it comes to the Great Commission. You just have to have a passion for spreading the Word of God.”

‘We know the way’

When the Woodsboro team arrived in Reno, Lamberth asked members to begin not by prepping supplies or even knocking on doors, but by praying over some of the areas where they would spend hours over the coming week meeting people and building relationships.

At the first stop, in a park, Newberry said he was walking and praying when he came across a bench. Someone had used a marker to scrawl a message into the wood: “Make Life Beautiful—Smile.” For reasons he still doesn’t understand, the words gave Newberry pause. His mind swirled as he considered them, and he soon found himself recalling a conversation he’d had earlier with some people who believe there are many ways—aside from Jesus—to be right with God.

“There are a lot of good people here, but they are good people who are lost,” Newberry said later. “When I read that written in Sharpie, about making life beautiful, I thought, ‘Someone here is searching. They’re searching for the point, for the purpose, looking for something good, and they just don’t know where to find it.’

“But we know the way—it’s the gospel. … The gospel is the key to everything they’re searching for.”

Mobilizing to be on mission together

I remember it as if it were yesterday, stepping off the plane on the island of Cebu in the Philippines. It was hot and humid, yet there was an excitement with our team I had not experienced before. I had been the pastor of this church for a couple of years, and this was our first mission trip together. The next few days flew by, and we had some incredible experiences serving the Lord.

Leading mission trips for our church became both a passion and a priority. Over the remainder of my time pastoring, we led over 10% of our church overseas on mission trips every year. It lit a fire in us for missions and evangelism that ultimately would begin spreading in our local community.

I love mobilizing people to go on mission for the Lord. If you are a pastor, let me strongly encourage you to develop mission opportunities for your people. It will have a lasting impact on the ministry of your local church.

Many churches have mission strategies and opportunities already in place. If your church does, be intentional about leading those trips and taking as many as possible. For a lot of churches, the desire to go is there, but maybe the opportunities are limited. Some churches can send large teams and some only a couple of people. In either circumstance, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention can come alongside you and help you develop a strategy that provides mission opportunities.

In fact, we have a great missions mobilization strategy to do just that, assisting churches in mobilizing their people to the mission field. We have mission opportunities in India, Puerto Rico, and Nevada, and we are in the process of developing some other great mission avenues, as well. Mission trip grants are also available to SBTC pastors. If you would like more information, please contact Colin Rayburn, our missions mobilization associate, at crayburn@sbtexas.com. We would love to serve you in this way.

If you are a pastor, we lead vision trips to these mission opportunities. We would love to have you join us on one of these trips. I will personally be on some of them and would be honored to spend some time with you as you seek ways to mobilize your people. I love you and am honored to be on mission with you.

5 minutes with Raymond Perry

Raymond Perry has pastored Trinity Friendship Baptist Church in Wylie since its founding in 2008, with the support of Mesquite Friendship Church, the SBTC, and the Dallas Baptist Association. Trinity Friendship started with 17 people, including the Perry family of five. Today, the congregation has grown to around 100, despite challenges including not only COVID, but also a 2016 hailstorm that destroyed the structure, necessitating a rebuild. Perry was also a founding officer of the SBTC’s African American Fellowship. Perry and his wife, Lois, have three adult children: William, 20, and Jordyn, 24, serve at the church, while Kathryne, 25, is stationed in the U.K. with the U.S. Air Force.

What is something you’ve been able to celebrate at Trinity Friendship recently?

Just prior to COVID, we were able to pay off our land and property. We currently own the 2.5 acres and 12,000 square feet on which our church sits. Owning the property frees up debt. We experienced a wilderness journey during the [2016] hailstorm. Having a place to call home sets us up to have a permanent footprint in Wylie for generations to come. City authorities and other pastors tell us Trinity Friendship is the first predominantly African American church in Wylie’s 130-year history.

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your ministry lately?

Church planting is a challenge. Many people are raised in [established] churches that have a history. Having to establish a history, identity, ethos, can be challenging, especially in a mobile community. We are predominantly African American, but we also have Hispanic and Caucasian members. We want to establish a diverse identity in the community we serve. We’d like to be able to reach more, and not just African Americans, but all ethnicities who need to serve the Lord.

What’s a lesson you’ve learned to this point of your ministry you know you’ll never forget?

To the best of my ability to do things God’s way, and that leadership is vital. Selecting appropriate leadership is important [for] ministry. What God has taught me is it’s not just finding people—it’s finding the right person. You don’t select leaders to grow into a position. The leader must have the preexisting qualities to be in that position.

What’s one thing you’d like to see God do specifically at Trinity Friendship this year?

Trinity Friendship would like to see the economy improve so we can build a family life or children’s area, a kids zone. Construction costs have accelerated since COVID and there’s no end in sight. A kids zone would help us better serve the community. We would also like to start a Hispanic fellowship at Trinity and are praying for that.

How can the other SBTC churches be praying for you?

My request is that SBTC churches would pray not only for me and my family, but also for the people of God, for unity across the nation, and peace throughout the world.

‘Si hay algo que hacer, allí estaremos’

A pesar de los daños que sufrieron, iglesia de Houston tiende la mano a la comunidad tras las devastadoras tormentas

HOUSTON

Era un 16 de mayo, y en la parte norte de Houston había un clima espectacular. Pero en Texas, especialmente en primavera, el tiempo puede cambiar en un instante.

Esa tarde, se emitió de repente un aviso meteorológico, advirtiendo a los residentes que buscaran refugio de una tormenta eléctrica de rápido movimiento y potencialmente destructiva que se dirigía hacia la zona y que tenía el potencial de generar tornados. Poco después, vientos en línea recta de más de 160 km/h y un tornado se abalanzaron sobre la zona, sembrando el caos en la región. Según las noticias locales, las tormentas causaron inundaciones, árboles y tendidos eléctricos caídos, algunas muertes y casi un millón de hogares y empresas se quedaron sin electricidad.

Entre los lugares afectados se encontraba Bethel Baptist Church, donde, según su pastor, Jaime García, la tormenta arrancó parte del techo y dejó entrar la lluvia en el santuario, haciendo daños sustanciales, incluyendo todo el equipo de sonido y los instrumentos musicales.

García no es ajeno a las tormentas. Además de sus responsabilidades como pastor de Bethel, es un cazador de tormentas. Aquel día se encontraba en otra ciudad grabando video para un noticiero local. En cuanto se enteró del peligro que amenazaba a su comunidad y a su gente, regresó a su casa en Houston.

“Invitamos constantemente a nuestra iglesia a servir y amar a la comunidad porque puede que seamos la única Biblia que lean”.

—Jaime García Tweet

“Vi toda la destrucción y a la gente desesperada y asustada”, cuenta García, y señala que el drama no hizo más que intensificarse cuando se enteró de cómo las tormentas habían afectado a su iglesia y a los miembros de la congregación.

Sin embargo, no se amedrentaron.

Al día siguiente, los miembros de Bethel se movilizaron para limpiar y reparar la iglesia lo mejor que pudieron, y luego fueron a trabajar al servicio de la comunidad. El sábado siguiente, se reunieron para ayudar a la comunidad, yendo a las casas a cortar árboles y “tender una mano de amor”, dijo García.

Dios también abrió las puertas para que la iglesia distribuyera alimentos proporcionados por una organización de ayuda de Mississippi mientras se restablecía el suministro eléctrico. Los miembros de la iglesia instalaron un punto de distribución en su gimnasio para dar comida, artículos de limpieza y de aseo a los afectados por la tormenta.

Aunque sufrieron, García dijo que las tormentas brindaron una gran oportunidad para que Bethel cumpliera su misión: amar a Dios, amar a la gente y servir a los demás.

“Eso es parte de lo que somos”, dijo García. “Si hay algo que hacer, estaremos allí para servir y mostrarles el amor de Cristo”.

Hasta ahora, Bethel no ha podido reparar su edificio porque el seguro sólo cubrió parte de los daños. Por eso, los miembros de la iglesia están intentando recaudar los fondos necesarios para reconstruir la iglesia lo antes posible. Mientras tanto, Bethel sigue reuniéndose en el edificio de los jóvenes para alabar al Señor y compartir el evangelio de Jesús.

“Con toda esta experiencia, la iglesia está creciendo en su fe. Nuestro deseo de adorar a Dios no cambia”, dijo García. “No tenemos las comodidades de antes, pero Dios no ha cambiado”.

García ha servido como pastor de Bethel durante 25 años, 13 como pastor de jóvenes y 12 como pastor principal. También es el director de Unique Student Ministries, que se dedica a equipar y discipular a los jóvenes en la evangelización a través de una conferencia que acoge a 400-500 jóvenes de las iglesias de la zona cada año.

Él dijo que familias han acudido a su iglesia porque han perdido sus alimentos, y han expresado con lágrimas en los ojos su profunda gratitud, no sólo por lo que se les está dando, sino también por la voluntad de la iglesia de servir en una parte de la comunidad en donde muchos rehúyen ayudar debido al alto índice de criminalidad.

“Invitamos constantemente a nuestra iglesia a servir y amar a la comunidad”, añadió García, “porque puede que seamos la única Biblia que lean”.

‘If there’s something to be done, we’ll be there’

Despite suffering damage of its own, Houston church reaches out to hurting community following devastating storms

HOUSTON

It was May 16, and the northern part of Houston was experiencing spectacular weather. But in Texas—especially in the springtime—the weather can change in an instant.

That evening, a weather advisory was issued suddenly, warning residents to seek shelter from a fast-moving and potentially destructive thunderstorm headed toward the area that had the potential to spawn tornadoes. Soon after, straight-line winds of more than 100 mph and a tornado barreled into the area, throwing the region into chaos. According to local news reports, the storms caused flooding, downed trees and power lines, some deaths, and nearly a million homes and businesses were left without power.

Among the places affected was Bethel Baptist Church, where, according to Senior Pastor Jaime García, the storm ripped off part of the roof allowing rain to pour into the sanctuary—causing extensive damage, including to sound equipment and musical instruments.

García is no stranger to storms. In addition to his duties as Bethel’s pastor, he is a storm chaser. That day, he was in another city recording video for a local news affiliate. As soon as he heard about the danger threatening his community and his people, he returned home to Houston.

“I saw all the destruction and people who were desperate and scared,” said García, noting that the drama only intensified once he learned how the storms had impacted his church and members of the congregation.

And yet, they were not deterred.

“We are constantly inviting our church to serve and love the community, because we may be the only Bible they will read.”

—Jaime García Tweet

The next day, Bethel members mobilized to clean and repair the church as best they could, then went to work serving the community. The following Saturday, they came together to help the community by going to homes to cut down trees and “extend a hand of love,” García said.

God also opened doors for the church to distribute food provided by an aid organization from Mississippi while the power was being restored. Church members set up a distribution site in their gym to distribute food, cleaning supplies, and toiletries to those impacted by the storm.

Though hurting themselves, García said the storms provided a great opportunity for Bethel to fulfill its mission: to love God, love people, and serve others.

“That’s part of who we are,” García said. “If there’s something to be done, we’ll be there to serve and show them the love of Christ.”

So far, Bethel has not been able to fully repair its building because insurance only covered part of the damage. So, church members are trying to raise the funds to rebuild the church as soon as possible. In the meantime, Bethel continues to meet in the youth center to praise the Lord and share the gospel of Jesus.

“With all this experience, the church is growing in its faith. Our desire to worship God does not change,” García said. “We do not have the comforts of before, but God has not changed.”

García has served as Bethel’s pastor for 25 years—13 as youth pastor and 12 as senior pastor. He is also the director of Unique Student Ministries, which is dedicated to equipping and discipling students in evangelism through a conference that hosts 400 to 500 young people from area churches each year.

He said families have come to their church because they have lost all their food, and they have tearfully expressed their deep gratitude, not only for what they are being given, but also for the church’s willingness to serve in a part of the community where many shy away from helping due to the high crime rate.

“We are constantly inviting our church to serve and love the community,” García added, “because we may be the only Bible they will read.”

Being a pastor’s wife is a team sport!

I have been a minister’s wife for 37 years—the first 30 in youth ministry and the past seven as a senior pastor’s wife. I still feel like a newbie at this whole pastor’s wife gig. It is a gift to be called to this role, one that brings many blessings but also unique challenges and plenty of questions.

How do I find my role in an established church? Am I expected to be a part of everything that goes on at our church? I am a co-laborer with my husband, so how do I handle criticism of him, myself, or other aspects of our church? Where can I get answers to these and other questions?

Not long after becoming the wife of a senior pastor, I attended the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Pastor Wives Retreat. What an impact this event had on me. It showed me how important it is to be connected to other pastor wives.

At the retreat, I sat at a table with other wives from my area, and we spent time sharing answers to specific ministry questions. It was so encouraging to hear I was not the only one feeling lonely at times and to know I could talk about struggles or ask questions in a safe place. It was also amazing that, inevitably, someone would share something I could apply to my own experience.

We decided to start a text group to stay connected and, six years later, that group is still going strong. We share prayer requests, funny stories, challenges, even pastor wife memes. These seemingly simple gestures have walked our little group through hilarious situations, job changes, heartbreaking life and church events, joys and celebrations, answered prayers, and so much more. Also, each year at this retreat, my circle of fellow wives has grown and new text groups and Facebook friends have formed. Through it, God has met a need in my life and many others.

So what are some of the benefits of being connected to other wives of senior pastors?

"Sharing moments of joy and laughter with friends can help make the weight of our journey easier to bear and just more fun."

—Susan Gobert Tweet

Emotional support

Being the wife of a pastor can sometimes feel isolating. Together, we can share experiences, challenges, and encouragement, or just offer a listening ear to hear each other’s concerns.

Shared wisdom

Experienced pastor wives can offer valuable advice and insights on how to handle various aspects of church life and family dynamics. New pastor wives remind us we still have things to learn from one another in these ever-changing times.

A prayer network

Having a group of women who understand the unique challenges of ministry—and who can pray specifically for one another—is powerful.

Friendship and fellowship

Having fellowship with those who share this unique role facilitates deeper friendships and meaningful connections, allowing us to be authentic and real.

Shared laughter and joy

Sharing moments of joy and laughter with friends can help make the weight of our journey easier to bear and just more fun.

The SBTC has several ways for the wives of pastors to connect. I encourage you to join the SBTC Pastor’s Wife Facebook group or plan to attend the next Pastor Wives Retreat. Whatever you do, don’t wait to get connected!