HISTORY OF SOUTH TEXAS MISSIONS

SOUTH TEXAS MISSIONS TIMELINE

2001 After surveying and identifying the poorest and most disadvantaged regions in the USA, CBF started Together for Hope, asking a church to volunteer for a 20-year commitment in one of 20 counties. The focus was education, health & nutrition, housing & environment and microenterprise

  • Support churches each year with grants ($400-$600).

  • Buckner International joined CBF to form Kids Heart Rio Grande Valley

2002 FBC College Station joined other churches for Kids Heart Week

  • Participants stayed in housing provided by Valley Baptist Academy. Noon meals were provided by the Baptist Men of Texas. Ministry work began in Progresso

  • While Dr. Rodney McGlothlin was at a planning meeting in Rio Grande Valley that year, a call came from Irma Cantu, Director of Lasara Community Center, asking that the community of Lasara be included in the program. Dr. McGlothlin met with Irma Cantu, the high school principal, and the school superintendent. At that time, no ministry work was being done in Willacy County, the poorest county in Texas. Dr. McGlothlin asked that FBCCS be assigned to Lasara the next year.

2003 2003 Marked the first year FBC started going to Lasara. Lasara Independent School District opened the community center for sewing classes and the noon meal. VBS began at Iglesia Bautista. Construction and repair of homes, a dental clinic and medical services were included in the program. Medical and dental were only provided for two years

2005 LISD offered the school cafeteria so that the noon and evening meals could be served to participants. Steve Rogers and his crew began serving meals. Over 100 people have been served at times by the cooking ministry

2006 Trinity Baptist Church, Harker Heights TX and Elkins Lake Baptist Church, Huntsville TX joined FBCCS in the ministry at Lasara. Harker Heights coordinated VBS and joined in the other projects. Elkins Lake coordinated the clothing drive, distribution and the Block Party as well as participating in the other projects

2013 A request came to include San Isidro in our ministry program. FBC Bryan sent a team to help us in Lasara and San Isidro and have since adopted San Isidro. FBCB continues their ministry in San Isidro

2016 Request by two people at the same time, asking us to consider starting a ministry in Sebastian.

2017 Some of our team, along with two people from Calvary Fellowship in Bryan met with some people in Sebastian interested in beginning a ministry there. The following year no personnel were available. That ministry has not yet come to fruition

2020 The COVID-19 Pandemic caused the cancellation of the South Texas Ministry. Sadly, our dedicated contact in Lasara, Irma Cantu, died in May of 2020, having been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the fall of 2019. Friends of Irma Cantu established an Endowed Scholarship in her memory at Texas A&M University, the alma mater of her three daughters, Jennifer, Stacy and Julissa

2021 A small group travelled to Lasara for construction projects

2022 The South Texas Mission Trip resumed. Trinity Baptist Church, Harker Heights did not participate and FBCCS assumed responsibility for VBS and sports camps.

2023 This year we had three churches represented with nearly 40 mission attendees. All areas of ministry were resumed. We also reached our fundraising requirement of $25,000 to establish the Irma Cantu Endowed Scholarship which will be awarded in the fall of 2024

2024 We have commitments from four churches to be in attendance this year. Please prayerfully consider joining this year from July 14TH-19TH!

HISTORY OF THE SEWING & QUILTING MINISTRY

In 2003, former pastor, Rodney McGlothlin, asked if Linda Winder would like to teach quilting at a mission site in South Texas. He told our church that Willacy County was the poorest county in Texas and opportunities for ministry were open there.

  • This opportunity included two of her favorite things: teaching and quilting

  • Our objective was to help begin a microenterprise, or cottage industry for women with little education or opportunity to earn income

  • The opportunity sounded good until she started thinking about it… How would she put this together? (She still doesn’t know how she did it!) She prayed a lot and worried a lot! Her husband, John, didn’t blink when she spent a significant amount of money buying supplies

Before we left that first year, she prayed, “Lord, please let there be 5 women who come to our classes” Then she asked the Lord, “What if nobody comes?” … That first year, we had 20 women!

We set up in the Community Center with sewing machines, irons and ironing boards borrowed from Discovery. At noon, we had to move the sewing machines under the tables so the Baptist Men could serve lunch to us AND all the folks working in VBS and construction. No words can describe the chaos of the first year of quilting at Lasara! But the women of the community responded and we planned to do it again the next year.

After the second year, we knew this ministry was successful in terms of relationships, learning skills, and a future. Linda contacted two of her best friends, Rowena Reed and Peggy Mobley, asking if they would consider travelling to Lasara to work in the quilting ministry. Rowena and Peggy did not hesitate. Connie Harrison had retired and joined us in 2005 - the year a hurricane sent us home early! These three women and others from our church traveled to Lasara for several years in January to teach other sewing skills. Connie later became the coordinator of this ministry and as of 2024, Penny Grief is the new coordinator!

We have had lots of good help, not only from our church, but also from women from Trinity Baptist Church in Harker Heights and Elkins Lake Baptist Church in Huntsville.

Establishing a microenterprise or cottage industry has proven difficult. After 5-6 years, we began to realize that making quilts was too expensive and labor intensive. At that time, we made the decision to begin teaching smaller projects that were inexpensive and could be transported easily. Each of the three churches involved hosted a Mission Market late in November. The Markets were relatively successful but the logistics and transportation proved to be huge problems. In order for a microenterprise to be successful in the small communities, an on-site coordinator would be necessary.

The “Ladies of Lasara” have been loving, accepting, laughing, teasing friends. They welcome us with hugs and enthusiasm each time we go. We have sewed, ripped seams, repaired sewing machines, cut and re-cut fabric, pressed and generally had a wonderful week with these dear women. We have welcomed new babies, watched kids go off to college, visited them when they were ill, and cried with them over losses. They are special friends!

The key to our success in Lasara is the leadership of the Holy Spirit. We have felt the presence every step of the way through our successes and failures. The Holy Spirit led Irma Cantu to request that a group from Kid’s Heart come to Lasara. She was our contact, support, our advocate, and Lindas dear friend for almost 20 years. Sadly, she passed in 2021, leaving a huge loss in our ministry in Lasara.

Thank you, First Baptist Church of College Station, for your prayers, donations, and interest in our ministry in South Texas. We could not have done it, nor will it continue without you and your support!