The Fount, Volume 7, Spring Edition

The Fount

spring 2022

Volume 7

The Fount spring edition

CONTENTS LOVE OF TRAVEL

By Susan Moore Executive Minister TURNER FELLOWSHIP HALL DEDICATION

WE ARE PILGRIMS

By Steve Wells Pastor LENT: THE JOURNEY

By Greg Funderburk Minister for Pastoral Care

THE NEXT STEP CLASS IMPACT

By Matt Walton Minister for Discipleship HOW FAITH AND TRAVEL INTERSECT

By Kristy Wade-Carroll

PHOTO CREDITS Lauren Benesh Suzann Herrmann Nathan Moeller David Nance Laurie Sellers

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KNOW MORE HONORED DEACON SAM LAW

WELCOMING AFGHAN REFUGEES

By J Hill Minister for Missions

WELCOME TO THE ION DISTRICT

By Jennifer Gribble A MUSICAL JOURNEY

By Yuri McCoy Organist FAMILY MINISTRY TRAVELS

By Amy Brown Minister to Youth HOLY LAND SCRAPBOOK

LOVE OF TRAVEL

BY SUSAN MOORE EXECUTIVE MINISTER

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love to travel. I’ve been to all 50 states thanks to my mother’s dream of taking her children all over our country. I like the planning/organizing/packing beforehand, the excitement/logistics of the actual travel, and the sometimes adventurous but always fun getting to my destination to see new places and learn new things. Whether Bill and I escape for a getaway weekend, we attend a family wedding (2 this summer!), or we join 40 other pilgrims on a 2-week journey through the Holy Land, I find joy in all travel.

While not the strictest definition, for me, travel becomes a pilgrimage when the physical journey intersects with my faith and spiritual growth.

Our recent journey through Israel and Jordan was positively a pilgrimage.

We spent time in the lush area around Galilee, the Holy City of Jerusalem, and Biblical sites in Jordan. The Bible came alive and connections between Old and New Testments were made when we experienced the Holy Land in person.

This issue of The Fount is filled with stories of all types of journeys: physical, spiritual, even musical! Kristy Wade-Carroll shares her faith journey — how her travels have shaped her into the person she is today. The interview with Honored Deacon Sam Law recounts his journey at South Main and the way his career as a medical doctor has intersected with his faith life. There are pictures of Family Ministry trips, and Organist Yuri McCoy takes us on a journey through music. As you share these stories, consider yourself invited to walk through the door and travel with us.

Journeying alongside you, Susan

PASTORAL TEAM Steve Wells Pastor

Brad Jernberg Minister for AdministraƟon

Susan Moore ExecuƟve Minister

Dolores Rader Minister to Families

Greg Funderburk Minister for Pastoral Care

MaƩ Walton Minister for Discipleship

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WE ARE PILGRIMS

BY STEVE WELLS PASTOR

first time in my life I am going to see some of the sites of the Holy Land from the Arab side by spending a few days in Jordan. I’ll be back stateside for a few weeks to visit and learn from other churches and to see our grandchildren(!).

Finally I’ll sojourn to Oxford to read, to study, and to reflect on the next season in the life of the church. Even as I type out this itinerary, I am humbled and amazed that those experiences will be mine. All that is to say my summer will be a journey, and I am keenly mindful that each day is a journey and that God has a pilgrimage on offer to each of us all the time.

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his summer I will be away on sabbatical. A sabbatical is a time to get away from the responsibilities of daily work to rethink the whole of the work. It is a time of deep rest and real reflection. A time to take stock of the church’s needs and my gifts and to make sure I am spending my time in the way that best meets the church’s needs and utilizes my gifts.

I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to rest and think and I know full well that too few ministers are offered this sort of blessing. I think it is one of the real signs of the health of our fellowship that we have a plan to send each member of our pastoral team on sabbatical.

My sabbatical will take me on a long journey. I have always found there is something about the wheels of an airplane pulling away from the earth that puts me at rest and helps me think more strategic thoughts. I’ll be in Israel, walking in the Holy Land and re-reading the Gospels there. And for the

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So each of us is on a journey, and all of us together are pilgrims through this land. My prayer for us, each and all, is that the journey calls us to greater commitment to Christ, deeper insights about Christ, and a closer walk with Christ.

Isn’t that what the journey is all about? grace and truth,

Steve

LENT: THE JOURNEY

BY GREG FUNDERBURK MINISTER FOR PASTORAL CARE

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pon graduating from college but before starting law school, in the summer of my twenty-second year, I embarked on a journey with my friend Ken across the United States. We set out to see 19 Major League games and the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York all in 21 days. It took a lot of intentional planning and a good deal of commitment to travel so far to see so much.

We covered a lot of ground most every day, arriving at each stadium early, well before the umpire called out, “Play ball!”

We’d get a feel for the park, get some concession food— a good hot dog or something unique to the city we were in— then we’d watch batting practice, buy a game program, and get ready for the full experience of an evening of baseball wherever we were— Kansas City, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Boston, Toronto, or some other far-flung place.

Then as time for the first pitch got closer, I’d flip ip through the program until I found the name of the home team’s radio announcers and then writee them a note. The brief note would explain that we were college kids from Texas on a three-week baseball ball odyssey around the country and had been looking oking forward to this evening’s game in their fair cityy in particular. I’d then ask— if perhaps it fit into o their broadcast tonight— that it’d be much appreciated if they’d mention us and the long

journey we’d undertaken on the air. Just before game time, I’d then go up to the press level of the stadium and give the note to an usher (with a modest gratuity), asking if he or she could get the note up to the guys in the booth. Then as the game got underway, I’d turn on my transistor radio with the little wire and earpiece and would listen to the play-by-play from the stands until we were mentioned.

If we were, I’d have a little mini-tape recorder ready and would capture our little moment of recognition from famous baseball broadcasters like former players Bob Uecker in Milwaukee, Steve Stone at Wrigley Field in Chicago, or Hall of Famer Ernie Harwell in Detroit. At the end of the trip, we had a terrific little souvenir marking out each stop on our long adventure. It told a memorable and meaningful story.

We are finishing the journey of Lent, the 40 days from Ash Wednesday through Good Friday. This Holy Week, reflect on how you have been present for God each day and how God has been present for you. Think of how God is broadcasting to you. Maybe now is the time to write what you hear in some way— a note to yourself, h a journal entry, maybe a voice memo on your phone. Find a method to preserve the words p you have heard back from God to mark the yo path on which your Lenten journey has taken pa you. It’ll surely tell a story—one which says you you’ve experienced some memorable moments you’ were meaningful and good and one which that w you’ve really been somewhere. says yo Are you ready? Let’s go. Play ball!

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THE NEXT STEP CLASS

BY MATT WALTON MINISTER FOR DISCIPLESHIP

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t South Main we want to develop 2 AM friends, the people we can call to show up when we need them the most. We who have experienced such depth of community with our church know that 2 AM friends grow over time. To experience such community over the course of our lives, we must move from anonymity to authenticity. We need to move from the back row of the crowd to a smaller circle. That step from anonymity to authenticity is daunting, especially for those who are new to South Main.

I recall one Sunday morning within my first month to serve with South Main. I weaved among the people sitting in worship. Honestly, every face was new to me. I struck up a conversation with a guest in worship who I discovered had visited South Main off and on for a few months. I asked if the worship visitor had attended any of our Sunday School Communities for Bible study. The guest replied, “South Main has Bible Study Communities? I had no idea! What can I do to learn more? How do I find my place?”

What can I do to learn more? How can I find my place?

These questions are born from a need to move from anonymity to authenticity. These are questions about how those new to South Main can take their first steps with the family of God in this place; their first steps on the path of discipleship.

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Such questions compelled the Discipleship Committee to create the Next Step class, held two to three times each calendar year. The Next Step class exists to help those new to South Main move from anonymity to authenticity. This small group brings together adults who want to learn, explore, question, and consider their connection to Jesus, to one another, and to South Main Baptist Church. During the Next Step class participants learn about the Fresh Faith experienced in a Vintage Church that is uniquely and historically South Main Baptist, and about the rhythms for our life: Worship,

Discover, and Share. As well, participants are given the opportunity to share their life and faith stories, ask questions, and ultimately consider how God is leading them in connection with Christ and this church family. Over the course of four weeks, Next Step participants dip their toes in the water of authenticity and discover the joyous possibilities of community.

Past participants have commented on how the Next Step class helped them move from anonymity to authenticity: Learning more about what it means to be Baptist was the most valuable thing we covered. It helped to reconfirm the reasons we chose to be members of South Main Baptist Church.

I left feeling more connected.

It helped us to connect to an adult Bible study group which is what we were hoping to gain from participating.

After four rounds of the Next Step class we have had: 39 commit to join South Main Baptist Church 39 commit to worship regularly 50 commit to join an adult Sunday School Community 5 express a desire for believer’s baptism 20 discover their gifts and share through service 3 helped by our ministers to find another church to which the participant felt called Do you know someone new to South Main who needs to move from anonymity to authenticity, who needs to discover the joyous possibility of community? Encourage them to participate in the Next Step class. It just might be their first step toward 2 AM friendship.

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HOW FAITH AND TRAVEL INTERSECT

BY KRISTY WADE-CARROLL

to explore the city, the region, and to visit the hometowns of new friends. It was at Loyola that I became a voice student and friend of Mona Bond, and it was through her that I found a church home at St. Charles Avenue Baptist. It was through that church that I met Bruce Wade, and embarked on the next round of adventuring across the world.

Bruce and I honeymooned in Europe, en route to our move for Bruce’s work in Muscat, Oman. We avidly explored our new home, learning more about Omani and Muslim culture, heritage, and religion. We visited beaches only found using off-road waypoints, camped in the Wahiba Sands, explored ancient forts, watched sea turtles lay eggs, hiked into wadis, and swam in a sinkhole. We then moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and enjoyed rainforests, islands, and Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultural influences. We traveled the region extensively, before moving back to Oman.

Living in and investigating unfamiliar countries afforded me a chance to learn more about differences in the world,

has always been easier for me to see God’s plans after the fact than it is to see what God might be preparing for my future.

In looking back, however, I consistently recognize travel as one of the means by which God guides my path.

When I was 9 months old, my parents moved to Missouri from Fairbanks, Alaska. They packed me and their belongings into a pickup and drove 3,500 miles, camping along the way. I don’t remember “the journey of Camping Kristy,” but perhaps it instilled in me a longing for exploring the world.

In the summer of 1989, I joined a group of students from around the US and Canada on a choir tour to Europe. That journey initiated a chain reaction which still affects my present. It included my first experiences on a domestic flight, charter bus, subway, international flight, canal boat, ferry, funicular, and taxi. We sang in cathedrals such as St. Paul’s, Notre Dame, and St. Mark’s Basilica, visited Natzweiler Struthof concentration camp, and saw countless other landmarks. I made lifelong friends during those three weeks, one of whom was preparing to attend Loyola University New Orleans.

The following spring, I traveled to New Orleans to audition for Loyola’s College of Music, and that August I became a student there. I took every opportunity

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but perhaps more importantly, it informed me about what people share in common. Living in Asia offered easy access to many travel opportunities, a few of which included Egypt, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Thailand, UAE, Bahrain, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Greece, Turkey, and Czech Republic.

I am continually thankful not only for the opportunity to experience other cultures, but also the deep friendships these circumstances offered, the resilience challenges fostered, and the pleasure of 11 years of marriage that involved 10 years of adventuring.

After Bruce’s brain cancer diagnosis and our return to the United States, and especially after his death in 2010, all we experienced during our years together became especially important.

I am thankful too, that both Bruce’s job with Shell and world class medical care brought us to Houston, and shortly thereafter, to South Main Baptist Church. Two years after Bruce died, I began considering when and where I should travel for my first trip since losing him. I quickly decided that heading to Peru with Operación San Andrés was perfect. The balance of experiencing a continent where Bruce and I had never been and interacting with the people from South Main and Collique was extremely healing for me.

The trip to Peru reconnected me with my love for travel and the next year, I journeyed to Israel with South Main. I approached this trip with particular openness, praying for discernment about my future path. During dinner the first evening, I met Todd Still, from Baylor University’s Truett Seminary. He listened to my story, heard me say I’d felt God was calling me to seminary, and promptly told me about a program Truett had begun involving courses held in Waco on Mondays to allow students to commute from elsewhere. A few days later I was in the Church of thee Beatitudes, contemplating windows ndows inscribed with the verses found nd in Matthew 5. As I read “Blessed are tho those osee who mourn, for they will be comforted, omforrted d,”

I realized that not only can I be comforted, but also that I am equipped to help others find comfort too. I understood then that my future would include walking with others in their grief.

I began my Master of Arts in Christian Ministry in 2014.

A couple of years into my studies, South Main offered a trip to Greece and Turkey, from which Dr. Still created a seminary course that gave me the opportunity to learn, travel with close friends, and build new relationships. The trip coincided with the 6th anniversary of Bruce’s death, and some of the destinations were places where Bruce and I had traveled together. I felt emotionally prepared to revisit some sites that held happy memories, balanced with other locations that would be new to me.

I soon learned that our group of pilgrims would include others who had lost a spouse. I had been told by several people that Larry Carroll and I would likely relate to each other’s experiences with illness, caregiving, and death. He and I had spoken briefly and agreed that we should sit down “sometime” and talk. Suddenly, this trip provided that opportunity. On the 6th anniversary of Bruce’s death, our group traveled to Corinth from Athens. We were reading from Paul’s letters and I found further affirmation of my calling in 2 Corinthians 1:3–7.

That same day, Larry and I began sharing our stories and found that while we could indeed relate to one another’s journeys, we had much more to talk about and enjoyed spending time together. In a very short time we recognized new love and were married at South Main Baptist Church in 2016, just 15 months after our trip.

Since we have been married we have gone to Peru with Operación San Andrés, visited Scotland and Ireland, honeymooned in and returned again to southern Italy, explored London, attended another Truett course at Oxford, and explored northern California. Larry’s piloting skills fit in well with our love of travel, and we’ve flown to New Orleans, Plainview, Texas, Grand Junction, Colorado, Sedona, Arizona, and various places in Missouri, to visit family and friends.

Our list for the future includes many more destinations.

Traveling exposes us to new perspectives, expands our comfort zone, and offers history, humanity, adversity, and excitement.

My travel has continually fostered connection, forged resilience, provided education, and re proffered moments of clarity. I’m grateful p for each occasion that presents itself, and fo anticipate my future self, I excitedly e looking back to see how new journeys lo have moved me along the path God has h for my life. fo

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KNOW MORE HONORED DEACON SAM LAW

Who was your greatest influencer

Tell us about one of your leadership roles

and role model growing up?

I was born the year my father started medical school.

He was not able to spend much time with family during those years or the following years of internship and surgical residency. My parents separated when I was in middle school and my mother was very concerned about a lack of male influence in my life. She asked her father and brothers to spend time with me and my brother. My grandfather was a saint and he was the greatest influence in my growing up.

at South Main.

My first leadership role at South Main was to teach a young adult Sunday School community. I then continued to teach the youth and adults. In 2001 I was asked to teach in Chafin's New Beginnings community after Dr. Chafin passed away. At the time it was filled with newly married couples starting their families.

Twenty-one years later, I am still teaching that class.

How did you meet your wife, Lydia?

After college I served in the army for two years. I was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. One of my fellow officers was married to a woman from North Carolina who was good friends with Lydia. She arranged a blind date for us on April Fool's Day.

How did you get to South Main?

We lived in Bellaire when I was in high school and were members of Bellaire Presbyterian Church. Lydia wass a lifelong Baptist and had taught a girl's Sunday School class before we met. We wanted to find a church for both of us and our future family. One of Lydia's co-workers had seen the South Main worship services on television and she was very impressed with Dr. Ken Chafin who was in his first year as Pastor of South Main Baptist Church. We watched one South Main service on TV and then came to visit in person. We arrived at 10:30 AM because that was the time of the TV broadcast. But, we were the only ones in the Sanctuary since the service started at 11:00 AM! We joined primarily because of Dr. Chafin's preaching.

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Share about your international travel and how that shaped your faith. th In 1984 I was asked to go to India to help Dr. Rebekah Naylor with the Bangalore Na Baptist Hospital obstetrics Ba department. That was de a significant spiritual experience both because ex of my relationship with Dr. Naylor and also because D of my introduction to a mission hospital.

Dr. Naylor was concerned D that because of the attitude th of the government, she might have to leave India m in the near future. I wanted to share the experience with Lydia and our son, w Todd, so the next year the thr three of us traveled to India Todd again as a family when Todd was 10 years old.

We visited the Taj Mahal and visited a jungle area where we rode an elephant and hoped to see a tiger, without success. We saw many beggars and many huts made out of discarded building materials. It was a valuable journey and learning experience for all of us.

What was one of your most difficult life experiences and how did you get through it?

My most difficult life experience was a period of depression. It was caused by a medical malpractice lawsuit that I believed was unwarranted. At that time I had been asked to serve as an officer of the medical staff and as Chair of the Deacons. I was overwhelmed.

Part of my depression was a feeling that I was worthless.

One of my practice associates suggested a psychiatrist and through my sessions I gradually came to the realization that God loved me and I am a valuable person.

How has your faith helped you as a medical doctor?

As a gynecologist, I have occasionally had patients with difficult medical problems that I was uncertain how to treat. I sought consultation from other doctors and most of these patients recovered, however, I often could not describe what we had done to achieve that healing.

Many times my colleagues would credit good luck or our excellent care as the cause of the healing; but I was certain that divine intervention was the cause.

I had chances to share that belief with those that thought it was good luck. I don't know if I changed anyone's mind, although some agreed with me.

Where are some of the other places you have traveled? Where do you hope to travel in the future?

My episode of depression was about the time of my 50th birthday. Lydia and I decided to go to Hawaii to celebrate my birthday. Because of the time difference and distance, there was no evening news or morning newspaper. There were no pagers or phone calls.

The scenery was beautiful and there was a sense of tranquility that I had never experienced before.

Lydia and I have wanted to visit Provence, France and to return to visit the Tuscany region in Italy. Because of the pandemic we have not been able to travel since my retirement but we hope to do that soon.

What three things have you discovered that are most important in life?

1. My Christian faith and South Main Baptist Church 2. Family relationships, particularly children and grandchildren 3. Meaningful work, not necessarily work you are paid for

Tell us about some of your experiences working with Operación San Andrés in Peru?

One of the blessings of working with Luis and Ruth Campos in Peru was the fellowship with other caregivers.

All of us worked with fewer resources than we had in our medical jobs in Houston. Most of the women that I treated had never seen a gynecologist in Peru, particularly a male doctor. Over the years we identified patients with malignant and premalignant disease and that has been rewarding to be able to provide life-saving medical care.

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A MUSICAL JOURNEY

BY YURI MCCOY ORGANIST Pièce Symphonique in similar fashion; first haunting, then tempestuous, and later heroic. All the while, fragments of the first theme are used to transition between the different scenes.

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pic. Grandiose. Larger-than-life. All apt descriptors for musical works that seem to take the listener on a journey, just as a good book or speaker might do.

Music can do this in a number of ways, whether it’s a familiar song that takes us back to a certain place and time in our lives, a work that actually attempts to convey a pre-written story (a genre termed tone poem, or symphonic poem), or a work that is composed in a manner that simply suggests a narrative without providing one. Many works can fit this last category: symphonies such as Beethoven’s Pastoral, character pieces like Bonnet’s Elfes, or Prokofiev’s “War Sonatas.”

One work that has this sort of grand narrative which guides the listener along on a listening odyssey, is César Franck’s Grand Pièce Symphonique. What processes are in place to encourage an imaginative journey to unfold in one’s mind while listening to this work in particular? Winnie the Pooh once described a youthful stream that bounced around and jumped about, and eventually grew into a self-assured river that said to itself “There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” The Grand Pièce Symphonique was one of the largest works ever conceived for organ when it was written. It never rushes its development but reveals its character slowly over an expanse of 25 minutes.

The work’s Herculean scale is coupled with another common device from the aforementioned tone poem genre; thematic transformation. This is when a composer uses the same melody or theme throughout a multi-sectional work but alters the character (think minor to major, brooding to heroic, etc.) with each occurrence. Beethoven employed this technique in his third symphony, Eroica, to symbolize the main character’s initial hubris, inner struggle and final victory in the symphony. Franck uses the second theme of Grand

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It is a fascinating work I have had the privilege to perform only once at a master’s degree recital long ago. When I listen to the piece, I see darkened cathedral spaces, shipwrecks, sea monsters, and everything in between.

I hope you take some time to listen to this work.

Find a comfortable spot, put down the phone, close your eyes, and let the story unfold in your mind! I highly recommend Johann Vexo’s excellent recording of this piece available on YouTube.

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FAMILY MINISTRY TRAVELS

BY AMY BROWN MINISTER TO YOUTH

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ometimes, the journey to authentic and lasting faith in Christ looks like a road trip.

The Family Ministry took 100 students on the road during the MLK, Jr. holiday weekend. The Kindergarten through 2nd Graders journeyed around the church and rode the metro to Discovery Green to play putt-putt. The 3rd and 4th Graders traveled to Great Wolf Lodge in Dallas and served at Cliff Temple Baptist Church on the way home. The Tribe went to Kalahari Resort in Round Rock and the Youth ventured to Galveston.

The not-so-well-kept secret of the experience is that the road trip is more than a simple road trip; it forms bonds and faithful community.

The bus rides engage conversations and the daily events develop relationships. We pray, laugh, sing, play, eat, and sleep while we’re removed from the stress of school, peers, and other activities. The conversations aren’t as hurried as they may be on a Sunday morning at church and the days together are fresh and exciting. We get to enjoy the gift of our church family in ways we may not experience at home.

Ultimately, the shared experience fosters community and the faith community deepens trust and love in Christ. We are travelers on a journey, growing with Christ and each other along the way. We think it’s worth every minute together.

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TURNER FELLOWSHIP HALL DEDICATION

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urner Fellowship Hall was dedicated on January 30, 2022 in honor of Dr. Bill Turner, South Main Baptist Church Pastor from 1985–2002.

In the pulpit, Bill was one of the most gifted and talented preachers of his time. His keen intellect, penchant for serious study, personal drive for excellence, and love of God and the Scripture guided the content of his sermons. His remarkable gifts with words and storytelling combined with a genuine sense of humor and a rich, resonant baritone voice provided us with powerful and moving sermons for over seventeen years.

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Beyond the pulpit, he faithfully pastored this congregation with a servant’s heart and compassionate caregiving and led us through challenging and difficult times–an AIDS epidemic and a denominational split among many others–always with dignity and grace.

Beloved by his congregation, admired by his peers, and highly respected in our community, Bill was always a great ambassador for South Main Baptist Church. Throughout his ministry, ever sensitive to others with differing opinions, cultures, or even religious beliefs, he walked humbly knowing that God was big enough for all of us.

WELCOMING AFGHAN REFUGEES

BY J HILL MINISTER FOR MISSIONS

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t some point we have all been the newcomer. It might be a new school, a new place of work or a new town.

Maybe even a new country.

When it happens, the stores seem different, how you get around is different, the food is different, and the way people speak is different.

Whether or not folks can tell you are new, you feel as though everyone knows that you’re the newcomer.

On top of that awkward feeling, suppose you had to leave your last place in a rush, you weren’t able to grab the things you need — you literally have the clothes on your back — that’s it. Also, you’re separated from your family with no viable way to communicate with them.

Amplify these feelings 10 times over and you might be close to how the Afghan refugees arriving in Houston feel. These newcomers have helped us get along in their country for over two decades. Now they’ve landed here, in our city. These newcomers have a range of skills (physicians, engineers, translators, lawyers, you name it).

What they don’t on’t have and haven’t had in a long time is a stable home. me.

South Main volunteers come alongside these Afghan Newcomers helping them settle in. As you practice the discipline of prayer, please lift up those who are newcomers to our city and those who have been called to walk alongside them in their resettlement.

If you want to tangibly assist with this ministry, one of their foremost needs is transportation. As many of them don’t yet hold a Texas driver license, they are using for travel,, to stayy connected to one g bicycles y another, and to access many of their practical needs.

If you have any functional bicycles which you are not try to help utilizing, they can be put to good use as we tr folks settling into our community.

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WELCOME TO THE ION DISTRICT

BY JENNIFER GRIBBLE

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The management company bought the department he former Sears building has officially store out of its lease in 2017 as Sears was closing stores completed its across the country. metamorphosis into the Take away the business-speak and you have the historic 266,000-square foot Sears building at Main Street and Richmond Avenue, structure, The Ion. The Ion renovated by Rice University in a $100-million project is designed to bring that aims to turn Houston into a bigger and brighter hub Houston’s entrepreneurial, of innovation and entrepreneurship. The 12-block district corporate, and academic takes Houston’s talent and sprawl and connects it all, communities together into collaborative spaces and harnessing this city’s potential to fully emerge and programs and opened its doors in May of 2021. perhaps become the central hub of Houston’s future.

This now five-story building has classrooms where colleges can bring students, spaces for startups and investors, and offices of major tech corporations such as Microsoft South Main Baptist Church and Chevron Technology welcomes the Ion and Ventures.

The project at 4201 Main Street marks a milestone in the transformation of a 4-mile stretch between downtown and the Texas Medical Center into what city officials are calling the Innovation Corridor. It is estimated that The Ion will eventually be home to 1,500 tech workers. The coworking operator Common Desk is occupying an entire floor — 58,000 square feet — to provide flexible work arrangements. The project is a manifestation of city and civic leaders’ efforts to see Houston emerge as a destination for start-up companies and investment in new technologies.

Rice has owned the Sears parcel for close to 80 years. It leased the land to Sears in 1945 under a 99-year agreement.

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we look forward to partnering with and reaching out to our new neighbors across Main Street.

What a blessing to see the rejuvenation of Midtown Houston happening all around. We have such amazing opportunities to make an impact on the lives of so many new folks just steps from our doors at 4100 Main Street.

Be praying about how we, the family of South Main Baptist Church, can be an integral part of the new Ion District.

WHO’S HUNGRY? In addition to the outstanding technological advances that will be made within the walls of The Ion, the revitalization of our immediate area will offer additional office buildings, parking, retail, multi-family housing, and dining options for all. See the list below of the exciting diverse and local businesses with ample outdoor seating coming to the neighborhood.

Common Bond On-the-Go Now open is a takeout version of the well-known and delicious Montrose bakery!

DINING OPTIONS COMING SOON Late August Led by Chris Williams of famous Third Ward restaurant Lucille’s and Dawn Burrell of Top Chef.

Lymbar A fusion of Latin American and Mediterranean flavors from David and Michael Cordúa.

Second Draught A high-profile street-level taproom from Baileson Brewing Company that will open this year.

Stuff’d Wings Across Richmond Avenue from South Main in the former site of Shipley’s Do-Nuts, Jarrod Rector will soon debut a brick-and-mortar location for the popular Third Ward food truck.

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HOLY LAND SCRAPBOOK

CONNECT WITH US 4100 MAIN STREET, HOUSTON, Tx 77002 (713) 529-4167 • SMBC.ORG DR. STEVE WELLS, PASTOR

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info@ smbc.org