Super summer equips students to follow Jesus; continue to give him their yes pg.29
PUBLICATION TEAM
JOSHUA MINATREA Senior Director of Resource Development
HEATHER PENNA Content Manager
JESSICA KING News Writer
NEIL WILLIAMS Sr. Multimedia Specialist & Coordinator
LAUREN CHILDS Graphic Designer
MARITZA SOLANO Production Designer
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13 — Issue No. 2
God is moving in and through the Texas Baptists family! Read as Texas Baptists churches and students continue to say "yes" to Jesus.
FBC ROUND ROCK FOCUSED ON DISPLAYING THE CHURCH THEY NEED TO BECOME
By Jessica King
THREE-TIME BOUNCE PARTICIPANT SAYS "YES" TO FULL-TIME MINISTRY
By Jessica King
TEXAS BAPTISTS CHURCHES MOBILIZE CONGREGATIONS TO AID KERR COUNTY FLOOD RELIEF EFFORTS By Jessica King
25 COPPELL PASTOR GAINS SOVEREIGN PERSPECTIVE, LEARNS RESILIENCE IN LEADERSHIP IN PASTOR STRONG COHORT By Jessica King
29 SUPER SUMMER EQUIPS STUDENTS TO FOLLOW JESUS; CONTINUE TO GIVE HIM THEIR "YES" By Jessica King
AGRAVERSE "DEDICATED TO ENDING HUNGER AND POVERTY" WITH SUPPORT FROM THE TEXAS BAPTIST HUNGER OFFERING
By Jessica King
347 GO NOW STUDENT MISSIONARIES TO SERVE "ON CO-MISSION WITH GOD" THIS SUMMER
By Jessica King
MESSAGE
Dear Texas Baptists family,
God is moving in mighty ways throughout Texas and around the world! We are so grateful for your continued partnership as together we love God, love our neighbors and make disciples.. Throughout this magazine, you will read stories of God’s faithfulness as we obey His Great Commission calling.
This past spring and summer, students gave up the familiar to get on mission with God! Through BOUNCE, students helped communities bounce back from disaster by completing construction projects, and shared the hope of Christ while doing so. Morgan Breedon, now a college freshman, said “yes” to full-time ministry as a result of the work God did in her life while serving with BOUNCE.
Over 300 college students also said “yes” to the call to serve through Go Now Missions this summer. Not a day goes by without a Go Now student missionary
serving somewhere around the world. This year alone, 595 students will serve through Go Now Missions–the largest group of collegiate student missionaries we have sent out in one year. We are so grateful for their willingness to say “yes.”
Super Summer, a leadership training and development camp for Texas Baptists youth, challenged students to follow Jesus and give him their “yes” this summer. Three hundred and fifty-eight students attended the camp, representing 27 Texas Baptists churches, and over 30 students attended a breakout session to discern their call to ministry. Praise God for how He is moving in the lives of students!
Additionally, in this magazine, you will read the stories of how God is advancing His mission through Texas Baptists churches. After going through Pave, the Texas Baptists church revitalization strategy, FBC Round Rock set out to reflect and
serve their community. By doing so, the church has seen consistent growth in attendance and baptisms. God is so faithful in our obedience!
Texas Baptists churches and Texans On Mission continue to live out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission as they serve those affected by the devastating floods that took place in the Hill Country this summer. Please continue to pray for those who were affected and for those who are serving in the area.
Texas Baptists, we are doing more together! I hope you will join me in praising God for His faithfulness!
For the sake of the Kingdom,
¡Dios se está moviendo de manera poderosa por todo Texas y alrededor del mundo! Estamos agradecidos por su continuada colaboración al amar a Dios, amar a nuestros vecinos, y hacer discípulos. Por medio de esta revista, leerán historias de la fidelidad de Dios al obedecer Su llamado a la Gran Comisión.
¡Durante esta primavera y verano, estudiantes echaron a un lado lo conocido para ir en misión con Dios! A través de BOUNCE, estudiantes ayudaron a comunidades a recuperarse de desastres al completar proyectos de construcción y compartir la esperanza de Cristo mientras lo hacían. Morgan Breedon, una joven de primer año en la universidad, aceptó el llamado al ministerio a tiempo completo como resultado de la obra de Dios en su vida al servir en BOUNCE.
Más de 300 estudiantes universitarios también dijeron “sí” al llamado a servir en misiones por medio de “Go Now Missions” este verano. No pasa un día sin que un estudiante universitario de Go Now
Missions sirva en algún lugar del mundo. Este año, 595 estudiantes servirán a través de Go Now Missions—el grupo más grande de misioneros universitarios enviados en un solo año. Estamos agradecidos por su disposición a decir “sí”.
Super Summer, un campamento de entrenamiento de liderazgo y desarrollo para adolescentes Bautistas de Texas, desafió a los estudiantes a seguir a Jesús y responder “sí” este verano. Trecientos cincuenta y ocho estudiantes participaron en el campamento, representando a 27 iglesias Bautistas de Texas, y más de 30 estudiantes participaron en una sesión para discernir el llamado al ministerio. ¡Alabamos a Dios porque se está moviendo en las vidas de los estudiantes!
Además, en esta revista leerá historias de cómo Dios avanza Su misión por medio de iglesias Bautistas de Texas. Después de pasar por Pave, una estrategia Bautista de Texas para la revitalización de iglesias, FBC Round Rock decidió reflejar y servir a su comunidad. Al así hacerlo, la iglesia ha
visto crecimiento consistente en asistencia y bautismos. ¡Dios es fiel muy en nuestra obediencia!
Las iglesias Bautistas de Texas y Texans On Mission continúan poniendo en práctica la Gran Comisión y el Gran Mandamiento al servir a los afectados por las devastadoras inundaciones en Hill Country durante el verano. Por favor, continúe orando por los que fueron afectados y por los que sirven en el área.
¡Hermanos Bautistas de Texas, hacemos mucho más juntos! ¡Espero que me acompañen en alabanza a Dios por Su fidelidad!
Por amor al Reino,
JULIO GUARNERI, PH.D. Executive Director
LIVING ON MIS SION
on displaying the church they need to become FBC Round Rock focused
By Jessica King
Shortly after Dustin Slaton’s arrival to pastor First Baptist Church Round Rock in February 2021, former Texas Baptists Executive Director David Hardage stopped by and, aware that the church was in “pretty gradual decline,” he suggested Slaton connect with the then newly-hired director of Church Health and Growth, Jonathan Smith.
“He said, ‘Hey, we just hired this guy, Jonathan Smith, and he's going to be starting soon. I feel like you should touch base with him,’” said Slaton. “So, Jonathan and I connected, got together, and he came down [to Round Rock] and we talked… and he took us through some of the early processes of Pave, before it was ever Pave.”
Pave is Texas Baptists’ church revitalization strategy, designed to help pastors customize revitalization for their context by equipping them with resources and placing them in cohorts to be trained by a coach and encouraged within a community of pastors. Slaton said his church was “one of [Smith’s] guinea pigs” to figure out the Pave process and “how it would work with different churches.”
BEING A CHURCH THAT REFLECTS THE COMMUNITY
Slaton’s Pave process kicked off with the “Know your Church” survey and the “Know your Community” report.
“Those two things were super beneficial; very helpful in helping our church grasp the reality of where we were at the time and see the genuine need for some change of direction [and] change of focus,” said Slaton.
One thing that stood out to Slaton from the “Know your Church” survey as needing a change was “the age disconnect within our church population."
“When I came, our average age was 53, and the average age of our community was 35. So [we were] about 20 years off,” explained Slaton.
After conducting the surveys, Slaton made a chart comparing the average decline of the church over the past 20 years to the growth in the community and discovered that “even though our community was exploding by 100,000 people over that time period, our church actually managed to go down.”
In an effort to “become a church that reflects our community,” FBC Round Rock began getting young people to
participate in Sunday worship services, “demonstrating and showing the church we wanted to become.”
“[One thing] that we utilize most consistently is the idea of showing the church you want to become,” said Slaton. “Everything from just having kids come up and [preaching] some children's sermons for [them] or having a teenager pray, or [having] teenager[s be a] part of the choir… just having more younger people, younger adults do active parts of the service was that was a big part of that.”
“I was talking with our young adult minister yesterday at lunch, and he said he feels like we've got to that critical mass point where the group of people is large enough, strong enough to where it's carrying its own momentum now. We're not having to really push that really hard in order to see growth, it's beginning to kind of grow on its own,” said Slaton.
Slaton said another way the church is displaying the church they need to
become is by getting minorities involved in their congregation and worship as well.
“We're kind of a traditional downtown First Baptist Church. Our population or membership is very heavily Anglo, and it was even more so four years ago. So we tried to give stage presence to people who are nonwhite and also to women; to give them opportunities to pray or to [do] scripture reading,” explained Slaton.
Slaton said he is seeing “a very wide group of ethnicities” feel comfortable at his church.
“We have a really strong Indian population. In fact, if you take the two Indian dialects that we have within our church, it's the second highest spoken language within our church, even greater than Spanish… I think that’s the thing that is the coolest to me is that we're seeing our church become more and more diverse because our community is very diverse,” said Slaton.
According to Slaton, FBC Round
Rock’s attendance is now averaging 20% non-Anglo, with 10% being international.
Over the past four years of implementing the “displaying the church you need to become” Pave principle as well as the “three-week baptism plan,” Slaton said the church has seen “consistent growth in attendance and the baptism numbers have tended to match that growth.” He said it has been exciting to see the growth in both young adults and diversity.
“I’ve been here for four years and it's just by the grace of God and the leadership of God, and his wisdom and willingness to work in the midst of what we just try to offer him that we've seen that growth,” said Slaton.
BUILDING “STRONG COMMUNITY CONNECTION POINTS”
FBC Round Rock has also seen “some increase in community involvement” since working through the revitalization process, which has created several
“strong community connection points.”
The first of those is Manna Pantry, FBC Round Rock’s food bank, located on their campus across the street from local elementary and middle schools. Slaton said this location gets a lot of traffic, resulting in “people coming to our church and getting involved. We’ve got some kids in the kids' ministry that came through [visiting Manna Pantry].”
Slaton said church members who serve at the Manna Pantry “really see that as a gospel ministry.”
“Everybody that comes in gets prayed for, and [volunteers] ask them if
they would be willing to have a spiritual conversation with them, and so they get to share the gospel a lot. They've seen some people come to faith through that, and we've seen some people connect in that way as well,” said Slaton.
Also on FBC Round Rock’s campus is a remodeled chapel. Slaton said the chapel was used as the church’s “main worship space” through most of the 20th century, “up until the late 1970s” and hadn’t been updated since.
“We had this ongoing discussion for a few years of ‘Do we bulldoze it or do we redo it?’” said Slaton.
Due to the sentimental connection several church members had to the building, Slaton made the call to redo it. He said the remodel has “offered a space within our community where people can use it for other things” and serves as another community connection point.
Additionally, the church has connected with the community by serving with CarePortal, an online platform that connects kids and families in crisis with community support, to provide for a variety of needs.
“[CarePortal will] bring in a bunk bed and a dresser and a mattress and
some clothes and diapers and whatever those people need to set up a house really quickly,” explained Slaton. “We just invite people to give donations… So [if we] have a mom [who] is walking into an apartment with nothing, we can set her up pretty well to be able to function.”
“[CarePortal] has given us some really neat opportunities to minister to people in some of their darkest moments,” said Slaton.
COMMITTING TO PAVE, TRUSTING THE PROCESS
Slaton, now a Pave coach, encouraged pastors who are considering Pave to “do it but to commit to it.”
“Don't just do it half-heartedly, because if you do it half-heartedly, it's just not going to work for your church. It's work… [but] the coaches are there to help you through those steps and meet with you one-on-one if you need to,” said Slaton. “[So], commit to it and be a champion for it among your staff… and help them to see how the goal is not to change who your church is, but change the vision of what your church can become.”
Slaton also encouraged pastors to take their time and trust the process as they walk through Pave.
“I got to the church in February. I think I met Jonathan in March, by May and June, I was doing the “Know your Church” survey, by the end of the summer, we were developing a new vision, and by the time I celebrated my first anniversary, we were launching a new vision,” explained Slaton. “Pave has a much more structured timeline now, and I encourage pastors to go through the steps in a timeline that Pave has laid out, to really take time to evaluate who you are.”
Smith said Slaton is both a strong learner and a strong leader, qualities that have complemented each other well as Slaton has led his church through revitalization.
“Dr. Dustin Slaton is both a strong learner and a strong leader, two qualities that naturally complement each other. His outstanding leadership at FBC Round Rock has fostered a more evangelistic congregation and has been a catalyst for reaching young adults and young families,” said Smith, who now serves as the associate director of the Center for Church Health at Texas Baptists in addition to serving as director of Church Health and Growth.
Slaton recently joined Smith on the Pave Podcast to share his church’s
revitalization story. He said one of the unique things about Pave is that “it's not taking all these churches and trying to make them into one model,” but instead helping each church figure out what sets them apart from others and “how they're uniquely called to connect and reach our community.”
“[Smith] does a fantastic job. He's already worked with so many Pave churches [and] he's got unlimited stories of how God is working in very unique ways,” said Slaton. “So getting to hear Jonathan's stories, both whenever I recorded with him, but also listening to the other episodes and listening to the other pastors that he's brought on there, [has] been a really fun experience. I enjoyed getting to be a part of that, and hopefully I get to do it again.”
Listeners can stream “Display the Church You Need to Become (with Pastor Dustin Slaton)” on all major podcast platforms.
Visit txb.org/pave to learn more about Pave and how it can be a resource to your congregation.
participant says “yes” to full-time ministry
By Jessica King
When walking through a season of doubts and questions in her middle school years, Morgan Breeden, high school senior from FBC Cuero, recognized that God was on the move in her life.
“I was [thinking], ‘I'm going through a really hard time in my faith right now [but] I feel like the Lord is going to use this for something big in the future,’” said Breeden.
Her sixth grade year, she attended a youth event that her homeschool convention hosted and heard from representatives from Teen Missions International, a missions organization that helps launch youth into lifetime missions involvement by training, discipling and mobilizing them to share the gospel around the world, and was “enamored by the thought of missions and that there's people who have never heard the gospel in other countries.”
“I was never able to get over that, and so [missions] was just always on my mind; to go on mission trips and do ministry and be missional where I am,” said Breeden.
Later, as a high school sophomore in 2023, Breeden thought she needed to look to the future and consider “actual career opportunities,” but that summer at youth camp, she felt the Lord calling her to something different.
“The whole week was focused on Isaiah chapter six, which is ’Here I am, send me,’” explained Breeden. “It was either the last night or the second last night or something, they did a call to ministry and I was like, ‘I'm not going to stand up and go because I'm not sure but I think God is calling me to this. But I need some time to pray about this.’”
Into the next year, the Lord continued knocking on the door of her heart. In early 2024, God gave Breeden the desire to start a Bible study with her friends for girls in her age group.
“[It] was something that I saw as a need and the Lord had put on my heart to do so… [and] I had been doing that for a few months and I remember I was washing dishes in our kitchen and I was thinking about everything that's been going on and all these desires [the Lord] had put on my heart and all these things that I felt he was leading me to and I was just like, ‘I think I'm called to ministry,’” said Breeden.
Then, a fire was ignited in her heart, and she began sharing her call to ministry with people who reciprocated her excitement by affirming her call.
“I don't remember telling some people because it was just so natural,” said Breeden. “[People] were like, ‘Yeah, I totally see that for you!’ So, I had those like inward confirmations
from the Holy Spirit, and then I had outward confirmations from people around me.”
BOUNCE INFLUENCING A CALL TO MINISTRY
Her freshman year of high school, Breeden was introduced to BOUNCE, a Texas Baptists ministry that mobilizes students by engaging them in challenging mission service and inspiring times of worship.
BOUNCE would end up playing “a big role” in her call to ministry.
“[BOUNCE] was my first mission trip I'd ever gone on, and so it definitely instilled in me a love for missions,” said Breeden. “I loved this, and I love serving at church, and I feel most fulfilled when I'm serving. [So] all these things were coming up and it just took a couple years for me to put the pieces together.”
On her second BOUNCE trip in 2024, her junior year of high school, she recognized the call that God put on her life. This spring break, she was able to return and “share the news” in an interview with CW39 Houston.
“Going back this year was a no-brainer,” said Breeden. “I just love it.”
Breedon said over her three years of BOUNCE, the Lord has taught her that service “doesn't have to be this huge grand gesture” to “make a difference in someone's life.”
“After BOUNCE, I just come back renewed,” said Breeden. “[BOUNCE] puts it in perspective again for me every year, to just look for those opportunities [to serve] no matter how big or how small it is… to honor the Lord and worship him.”
Breeden said “serving and pouring
out during the day” and then coming back in the evening to worship with her co-laborers and be “poured into at night” is what makes BOUNCE so special.
She said her favorite part of BOUNCE is seeing “the change that happens” in other students’ lives as they serve the community.
“I've seen students accept Christ at BOUNCE and go home entirely changed. So I would say just getting to serve there and then seeing how the Lord transforms the students that I go with and myself… would be my favorite part,” said Breeden.
She said she has since said “yes” to her call to ministry, and her peers seem to view her as a leader. She experienced this over spring break as a fellow FBC Cuero student confided in her about her relationship with the Lord and “some challenges she’s facing.”
“We probably got to talk for like 20 minutes, and it meant a lot to me to be that person that she came to and to get to share with her things that I've learned or that I know and get to encourage her and help her in that way,” said Breeden. “That was really impactful for me.”
GROWING IN DEPENDENCE ON THE LORD
Breeden said since embracing her call to ministry, she’s gained further confirmation and has been “growing in my relationship with the Lord and dependence on him.”
“I think that's only going to continue because the more responsibility I have, like in a ministry role, the more I'm going to have to be dependent on him and just rely on him for strength because it is not coming from me,” said
Breeden.
Breeden encouraged those discerning a call to full-time ministry to look for “inward and outward confirmations.”
“Look for internal confirmations from the Holy Spirit and be prayerful and be mindful of the desires that the Lord put on your heart,” said Breeden. “Then secondly, look for outward confirmations from trusted people around you, whether that's your parents or your youth pastor or some friends who are rooted in their relationships with the Lord.”
Over spring break, 12 Texas Baptist churches served at BOUNCE, bringing 235 students. BOUNCERS served for a combined 3,600 hours, equal to 150 consecutive days or 21 consecutive weeks of volunteer time for 4B Disaster Response. BOUNCERS conducted 8 spiritual conversations and 6 gospel presentations, 4 decisions were made for Christ, and 24 BOUNCERS made decisions and re-commitments. The BOUNCE Mission Offering received $826.97 for Finishing The Task Scripture Translation.
For more information about BOUNCE or to register for a 2025 BOUNCE Summer Mission, visit txb.org/bounce.
By Jessica King
While teaching social work courses at the University of Sierra Leone, Paul Conteh was interested in research in his home country’s rural areas, so he made “trips to the provincial areas very frequently as a result of my academic work.” “Amazed at how beautiful the landscape is” and “how the climate is so natural for agricultural productivity,” he grew concerned that the land wasn’t being utilized to its fullest potential.
“I was concerned that with all the blessings that we have in terms of the climate, in terms of the soil, in terms of the overall ecological architecture, [that] we were not really utilizing these blessings to their fullest potential,” said Conteh. “I realized that something needs to be done by mobilizing
farmers and see[ing] how we can at least use the land to its fullest potential.”
Desiring to meet the needs of both the land and farmers, Conteh created the concept of Agraverse, a program “dedicated to ending hunger and poverty by participating in food production, environmental sustainability and the foundations of economic justice issues.”
Conteh received Texas Baptist Hunger Offering funds in 2022 and took Agraverse from concept to creation.
He first connected with Texas Baptists in 2013 while attending Baylor University to earn his master’s in social work.
“Even when it comes to my first introduction to Baylor and Texas, it's been with Texas Baptists,” said Conteh. “The
other thing is that there are several people who I started class with, studying at Baylor, who have some connections with the Hunger Offering, and the final thing is that the Hunger Offering has really blessed the country of Sierra Leone, especially to the Baptist Convention of Sierra Leone… so within these circles, I [heard] about the Hunger Offering.”
BLESSING FARMERS WITH PEANUT PRODUCTION
Conteh said the Hunger Offering “blessed us with the money” for Agraverse to be able to purchase peanut seeds and create a seed bank from which one bag of seeds is distributed “[as] a loan” to each local farmer involved in the program.
Conteh explained that “the idea of a seed bank was brought to us by the farmers in Tonko Limba” when he and his team were considering how to involve local farmers without putting them in a position to be “fully dependent
and be vulnerable” as Sierra Leone is “solely dependent on other countries for food.”
“[They understand that they’re] going to pay back the seed loans we give them [at the end of the planting season], but with some interest… We don't arrive in the picture with an agenda of how much they should be in terms of interest, because we want to be mindful that we don't exploit them in the midst of our kindness. So, we have an agreement with them, and they share with us what they can pay in terms of interest… so that at least we can expand the seed bank program and add more farmers into the picture,” explained Conteh.
Conteh said Kamasasa, Tonko Limba Chiefdom in North-West Sierra Leone, where Agraverse farmers have their land, “is really blessed when it comes to peanut production” so although the farmers have an agreement to pay back the one bag they received from Agraverse, they are left with “an average of seven bags.”
Out of that abundance, Conteh decided to bless the farmers in return by using some of the Hunger Offering funds to purchase machines that, once harvested, turn the peanuts into products such as a Sierra Leone equivalent to peanut butter, to be sold at urban markets of Freetown, the country’s capital city, where Agraverse has its office space, "which helps a bit in putting some money in the hands of these farmers.”
EXPERIENCING FREEDOM THROUGH AGRAVERSE
Conteh explained that Sierra Leone is “a country of religious diversity [where] Muslims and Christians peacefully coexist” and it is “known to have religious tolerance.” He said Christianity is the second-largest religious affiliation in Sierra Leone, making up about 21% of the population.
Coming from a Christian background himself, Conteh wanted to care for the farmers and their families
spiritually as well. He said “most of [Agraverse’s] farmers are members of these churches,” so when administering the seed loans to farmers joining the program, he and the farmers “have made it clear about our faith in Christ Jesus.”
“We've also been careful enough not to use religion as a means to discriminate against farmers,” explained Conteh. “Even if you don't practice the faith of Christianity, once you’re into active farming, you are at liberty to participate in it. But we are going to let you know who we are and be able to constantly share our faith through these [participants] that we are working with.”
Conteh recalled that the family that “we piloted the project with” has experienced spiritual and financial freedom from being a part of Agraverse.
“The eldest child [of the family] is called Michael, and [the family was] struggling with how to pay his fees at the University of Sierra Leone. They were not sure exactly what to do… Then the Agraverse neighborhood program came into the picture, and [the] family [got involved] and they did a very good job,” said Conteh. “The proceeds from [their] value addition and sale of the surplus peanuts… are 100% invested into the education of Michael. As I'm speaking with you, Michael is in his second year studying accounting at the University of Sierra Leone.”
Conteh said Michael’s father experienced freedom from addiction through farming with Agraverse.
“What I've learned is that when people turn to alternatives and [make it] their idol, it is very easy for the devil to distract them with these things that don't make sense, but when they have something going on, they get concentrated and focus on that,” said Conteh.
He said he saw that Michael’s father “got himself busy” in developing farms, being a local leader among the farmers and the processes of surplus products and value addition.
“The last time I spoke with his wife, all that she told me were compliments about how her husband has transformed from [an alcoholic] to a leader in the community,” said Conteh.
TEACHING GARDENING TO ADDRESS HUNGER
Agraverse has grown from serving 60 families to 100 families since its start in 2022, and Conteh said the Hunger Offering’s support helped make that growth possible.
“We are moving towards the third year of the implementation of the Agraverse program. And up to now, we [have] not asked for any more outside help besides the initial investments that the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering gave us,” said Conteh.
He said since funding Agraverse to buy the seeds and machines to produce value-add products, the Hunger Offering has been invested in what God is doing in Sierra Leone.
“In addition to that, Hunger Offering constantly asks us for reports so that they can have an idea of what we are doing, pray for our ministry and at the same time share the wonderful work God is doing in Sierra Leone,” said Conteh.
Conteh said he would like to see Agraverse “transition from a ministry that's dedicated purely to farming, to a ministry that will embrace integral ecology,” where the people, the environment and society are involved.
“If you want to make that evolution, you don't just focus on the rural areas, you also have to focus on the urban areas. [We] want to teach gardening in the urban areas of Freetown,” said Conteh.
Conteh explained that “most of the churches in Sierra Leone have vast land that is still unused” and could be used to teach “pastors and leaders how to create garden structures within the church premises.”
“[Teaching gardening] is one way we can even address the issues around food injustices, food insecurity and food dependability in a small country like Sierra Leone,” said Conteh.
Conteh’s further vision for the future of Agraverse is to build a physical presence called “Agraversity,” where people can be trained on “how to best use the agrarian space for food sufficiency and the transformation of society.”
“We [are] pray[ing] about it and will
be exploring ways in which God wants us to implement them,” said Conteh. Conteh said he is seeking further support from the Hunger Offering to add these things to the Agraverse program.
Every 5th Sunday, churches gather together and take a special offering during worship to fight hunger and serve their brothers and sisters in Texas and around the world.
Join in the fight against hunger today by giving a gift at hungerofferingorg/5th-sunday.
347
Go Now student missionaries to serve "on co-mission with God" this summer
By Jessica King
On May 25, 200 college students gathered in Pilgrim Chapel at Dallas Baptist University (DBU) to be commissioned for the missions they’ve been called to this summer. The service offered times of worship, prayer and celebration for both the students and their family and friends.
A total of 347 students will serve on Go Now mission trips across Texas, the U.S. and around the world this summer. Several groups began serving prior to the commissioning service.
BEING ON CO-MISSION WITH GOD
Considering this year's Go Now Missions’ theme “Carry the Gospel Face to Face,” Chris Smith, Go Now Missions Sending Team chairman, encouraged the students that as they go and serve, they are “on co-mission with God.”
“[This summer], you get to be part of this thing called up at the commission with God. We aren’t meant to be solo travelers on our own. We're meant to go and walk alongside the king. And this summer, you're not going for God, you're going with God,” said Smith.
He shared with students three key ideas to remember from the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20): his authority gives us confidence, his assignment
gives me strength. But he's the one who began the work, and he will complete it on the day of Christ Jesus.”
Smith said his hope is that the students walk away from their trips changed.
“My hope is that you learn to walk with open arms [saying] ‘Lord, hold me and shape me to make me who you want me to be. Change my heart, O God, to love like you love, to live like you want me to live, to be who you want me to be… so when you come back after this summer… [God can] propel you for the gospel message to be on mission, co-mission with him.”
Smith also took a moment to challenge the parents of Go Now missionaries to pray, encourage and commission them to go because “you trust they're going with the king” and that “he's going to do the work.”
A LEGACY OF LOVING AND SERVING GOD
Augustina Lozano, a former Go Now Missions (formerly BSU Summer Missions) missionary, took Smith’s words to heart as she is sending her daughter, Gabriella Lozano, to serve with ZONA Camp Crew, a youth camp in Arizona and California this summer.
“I feel like the mission that I had
first-time Go Now missionary. She will be one of 50 college leaders from around the United States serving with ZONA Camp Crew. She said she is most excited about building relationships with the youth students she will be serving.
“It wasn't too long ago [that] I was in high school, but I really do have a passion for youth, and I do want to be a teacher overseas when I'm older,” said Gabriella Lozano. “I think that there's just so much of a ministry there, and kids really just need one person to step in and just to see them.”
Augustina Lozano was brought to “tears of joy” seeing Gabriella have a heart to be on co-mission with God.
“It's what you hope for, right? That your children will grow up to love the Lord and to serve God,” said Augustina Lozano. “We are so blessed beyond measure to be able to experience this with her.”
A total of 347 Go Now missionaries will serve on mission trips across Texas, the U.S. and around the world this summer. Several groups began serving prior to the commissioning service.
In 2025, 595 Go Now missionaries will serve on missions, including Christmas break, semester, summer, impact, special impact and campus missionaries. According to Go Now Missions
Texas Baptists family partnering to
'rally
behind' Kerr County flood relief
DALLAS — Texans On Mission (TXM), the disaster relief ministry of Texas Baptists, is making efforts to assess and meet needs on the ground in Kerr County after heavy rainfall led to the flooding of the Guadalupe River on Friday, July 4.
Gary Cook and Charles Wade honored at 2025 Texas Baptists Legacy Awards
Gary Cook, higher education leader, and Charles R. Wade, a longtime pastor and leader in Texas Baptists life, were recipients of the 2025 Texas Baptists Legacy Award. The awards were presented during a worship service on June 1 at Independence Baptist Church.
May Board hears insurance program and GC2 reports; adopts new relationship agreement with Dallas Baptist University
The May meeting of the Texas Baptists Executive Board was held on May 19-20 in Abilene, Texas, on the campus of Hardin-Simmons University. Board directors heard ministry reports and voted on business related to the new Texas Baptists Indemnity Program, GC2 Strong initiative and institutional relationship agreements.
CHURCH ANNIVERSARIES
Pastor Bob Ray Fairy Baptist Church , Hico, TX
yrs
Pastor Brent Gentzel FBC Kaufman 25 yrs
Pastor Rob Merriman FBC Shelbyville 20 yrs
Pastor Randall Wallace
FBC Killeen 25 yrs
Glen Cove Baptist Church, Coleman, TX
yrs Dyess Grove Baptist Church, Temple, TX
Adamsville Baptist Church, Lampasas, TX
yrs
yrs
Does your church or pastor have an anniversary coming up? Let us know at news@texasbaptists.org
Enjoyed haning with my friends David Lorenz, Pastor at FBC Friendswood and Will Rushing, Pastor at UBC, Clear Lake and Ray Malone at the Texas Baptists!
First Baptist Church of Yancey is with Texas Baptists 3d
We continue to see God working in and through our church as the children come to confess Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Hallelujah!
Aug 1
Our BSM staff attended the Texas BSM staff retreat in Waco this past week. They got to share what we've seen God do on our campuses, celebrate what God is doing around the world, and commission our very own, Emilie, to serve at Syracuse University in New York this Fall. She begins her travels up north TODAY. Would you stop and say a prayer for her?
Johnny Silva
June 1
Honored to preach at World Revivial Celebration Center Abilene today. This is a new church start made up of several Nationalities inculding Central African Republic, Burundi, Congo DR, Rwanda, Ghana, Kenya & USA. The service is in English & Kinyarwanda. Thank you Pastor Dieudonne S. Nkunzimana for translating. The worship experience has me fueled for the rest of this week.
First Baptist Church of Taylor
Aug 3
Thank you Dr. Tim Marrow from Texas Baptists, for preaching in our services this morning! We are so grateful to be a part of such a great organization that supports local churches.
Victor Rodriguez is with Texas Baptists
Jul 12
The Edgewood Baptist Church team traveled to Corpus to be trained and participate in the Saturday street witnessing. I am so proud of this young team. They shared the gospel, prayed for people and helped a family in need. God will bless this church, you wait and see God's hand move in this church! Amen!!!
Tag Texas Baptists on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for a chance to be featured in our next magazine.
Tarleton BSM is with Texas Baptists
Kevin Abbott 17h
Texas Baptists churches mobilize congregations to aid Kerr County flood relief efforts
By Jessica King
Texas Baptists churches in Kerrville and surrounding areas are mobilizing their members to aid in relief efforts after the flooding of the Guadalupe River on July 4.
SHOWING THE LOVE OF GOD THROUGH THE ‘MINISTRY OF PRESENCE’
Utilizing their Mission Center as a headquarters for their response efforts, First Baptist Church Marble Falls has been “mobilized in a number of different ways since [the flooding] took place” including leading “the entire mud out process for the entire Burnet County and Llano County areas,” mobilizing a network of local pastoral teams to act as chaplains as volunteers serve families and offer counseling services.
FBC Marble Falls Family Discipleship Pastor Tucker Edwards said each morning, volunteers come to the Mission Center to receive training for the mud out process, as well as emotional and spiritual training to offer support while serving families.
On the evening of July 9, the church also hosted a “community night of prayer and worship” with over 300 hundred in attendance.
“We had a lot of our congregation and people that I'd never seen before fill up a lot of our worship space, and our staff put together a full hour of prayer and worship,” said Edwards. “We set up our entire counseling team to be [in the] back [of the service], and there were people that were counseled throughout [the night].”
Edwards said his wife, a practicing counselor and FBC Marble Falls counseling team lead, mobilized their team to receive people for counseling as the need arises.
“We're deeply invested in the community, and the community is deeply invested in us, and so our heart is to always respond not only with the immediate needs… but we realize that the greatest need, even beyond that, is the ministry of presence and to be with the people and to show them the love of God in the midst of the tragedy and heartache that they're going through,” said Edwards.
A CHURCH AVAILABLE TO ‘LOVE ON PEOPLE’
Alamo Heights Baptist Church in Alamo Heights, Texas, opened up their building on the mornings of July 7 and 8 to provide counseling for the community. Alamo Heights and Northside ISD counselors provided services, as well as the Alamo Heights Fire and Police Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team.
“It's a team effort; knowing that this would just be kind of an immediate response, but it would also provide an opportunity to build relationships,” said Bobby Contreras, pastor of Alamo Heights Baptist Church. “Having our doors open to counseling will be something we'll continue to do. Especially once the search [effort] comes to a halt.”
Contreras said providing counseling was “the best way that we knew how to respond immediately” as he started receiving text messages from community members who were affected by the flooding of the Guadalupe River.
“We knew we weren't going to be a part of the immediate search efforts, but our goal has always been to, whether it's on campus or within our home here in the Alamo Heights community, that we just want to be readily available to just love on people…. [and in this case] to be in communication and connecting with people that we knew who were in that area, affected,” said Contreras.
‘COALITION OF CHURCHES’ PREPARED TO MEET LONG-TERM NEEDS WITH COMPASSION
First Baptist Church Boerne is responding by mobilizing members to “aid in search and rescue efforts in Center Point with the volunteer fire department.”
“By the end of the day Saturday, we had set up a real simple volunteer portal for our church. We started telling people how we could help. We mobilized about 250 people Sunday to go out to the river banks and aid in the search and recovery efforts,” said Chad Mason, Missions & Evangelism Pastor at FBC Boerne. “At the end of [Sunday], they said that they had received an overwhelming number of volunteers… somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000.”
Even after military resources became available and local authorities “asked for no more volunteers,” Mason said the calls were still pouring in from other churches and organizations “from around the country” wanting to volunteer, “so we've been working really hard to try to build a coalition of churches here in Kendall County that are responding.”
“A lot of the conversations right now are [surrounding] training and developing the right people so that as volunteer opportunities emerge in the coming weeks, we'll be prepared to meet and to work in the long-term recovery effort,” said Mason.
First Baptist Church Center Point is also partnering with the volunteer fire department by volunteering with the “Volunteer Fire Department Donation Center.”
FBC Center Point Pastor Mike Watson said he and his church members are helping unload, organize and distribute donated supplies to families in need. He said the supplies donated include toiletries, canned goods, gasoline, tools and even “unusual donations” such as ropes requested by the fire department.
Watson said that as his church has stepped up to volunteer in relief efforts, his eyes have been opened to how compassionate his congregation really is.
“We're a small church, but I found out through this [that] we're a compassionate church, and I think sometimes hard things happen so that we know just how compassionate we are,” said Watson. “It's an opportunity to give grace to others… [and] speaks [to] people who will go out of their way to help total strangers.”
SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY FINANCIALLY
Matt Travis, pastor of Comfort Baptist Church in Comfort, Texas, said, “God is using [our church] in a support role.”
Travis said while helping coordinate “incoming support” for relief efforts, the church has hosted “a church from San Antonio that set up in our parking lot to just provide barbecue” for the community. He said providing meals will continue as they are hosting a food truck “from another state in order to serve breakfast each day” next week.
Comfort Baptist Church has also found ways to support people financially by providing Visa gift cards to those who don’t want to disclose specific needs, and raising funds to provide
scholarships for people needing equipment rental for area cleanup. Travis said this has “open[ed] the door for us to be able to share the gospel with people.”
“Baptists all over have been very faithful. Our phone has been ringing off the hook with people saying, ‘We want to help. How can we help? What is the best way for us to help?’” said Travis. “So, we are very thankful for Texas Baptists, and Baptists from all over the U.S., who have stepped in to help.”
Texas Baptists Counseling Services Director Olga Harris said she is “looking for ways [for Texas Baptists Counseling Services] to lock arms with our local churches to provide grief support” for those affected.
Harris’ department offers counseling resources for Texas Baptists ministers and their families. Services include no-cost consultations and referrals, and financial assistance based on certain criteria is available.
To initiate a request, visit txb.org/counseling or contact Olga Harris at counselingservices@texasbaptists.org.
Pastors are asking for continued prayer for:
*Families who have lost loved ones *God’s comfort and peace to surround families as other camp ministries take place
*First responders, as they perform search and rescue efforts, are affected mentally and emotionally by the tragedy *Kerrville and surrounding communities to come to know the Lord and look for their help to come from him (Psalm 121) through this tragedy
More information about the Texans On Mission response may be found at texansonmission.org/hillcountry.
Coppell pastor gains sovereign perspective, learns resilience in leadership in Pastor Strong cohort
By Jessica King
It's really encouraging to be around other people who love Jesus and are trying their best to serve the church humbly and faithfully in their own context,” said John Hewlett, pastor of Valley Ranch Baptist Church (VRBC).
Hewlett has been on staff at VRBC since 2001, but moved into the senior pastor role last summer. He said he’s always known the importance of “hav[ing] strong relationships with other pastors from other churches,” but since stepping up as senior pastor, “I'm even more acutely aware of it now.”
“[It’s a need] for so many reasons; I think the main thing is for spiritual encouragement and emotional encouragement and friendship and community, but then also to learn from each other and to ‘spur one another on toward love and good deeds,’ like Hebrews [10:24] says,” said Hewlett.
Ryan Jespersen, Dallas Baptist Association executive director, told Hewlett about Pastor Strong and “sent me an invitation” to the Dallas cohort launch. Steve Massey, vice president of the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation, also recommended he check it out.
Hewlett is one of 75 pastors participating in four Pastor Strong cohorts that launched around the state in April. The cohorts will meet monthly until August, when they will embark on a combined retreat in Buena Vista, Colorado.
Pastor Strong Cohorts were developed by Area 5 Representative and Director of Pastoral Health Networks Kevin Abbott when he was on staff at the Union Baptist Association (UBA) in Houston. Originally named “Resilient,” Pastor Strong cohorts were a part of a doctoral project at Fuller Seminary in
2019. After its development, Abbott was “blessed to be able to lead about four different Resilient cohorts over a three-year period with about 100 pastors.”
While “in the incubator” at UBA, Abbott and his team found an adult learning style that would be most effective for the pastors in the cohorts.
“We believe there's information they need [but] information alone is not going to transform. We know that from preaching,” explained Abbott. “I remind [cohort pastors] that ‘Hey, by the way, do you know how much percentage of your sermons every week that people remember when they leave church? [It’s] very sobering, only 10 to 12%.’ So what that tells you is that preaching is a great catalyst, a great vision, a great motivator, but it doesn't go much beyond in the sense of transforming their lives during the week, usually.”
Abbott found that adults learn best when information is processed in “a communal environment, i.e. cohort.”
FINISHING WELL WITH YOUR ROWBOAT
Abbott kicked off each Pastor Strong Cohort launch by explaining “the DNA” of the cohorts. He told pastors, “we’re a rowboat in a cohort.”
“We show a picture of a rowboat, with a bunch of rowers and a coxswain at the front cheering them on and encouraging them, keeping them steered, [and I] said, ‘We're a rowboat in a cohort. We're taking information and we're processing [it] in a safe community,’” said Abbott.
The pastors are also encouraged that “community builds
courage when you are accountable with others.”
“I tell them, ‘You can't get to clarity alone. This is a place to help you get clarity with each other.’ I tell them, ‘Transformation comes and change comes in community,’” said Abbott. “I tell them that the knowledge is in the room. The resources are in the room. It's not me or any other facilitator that's bringing all the information. The value is the 20 or 25 or 15 or [however many] kingdom leaders that are around those tables in the rowboat.”
Prior to each cohort meeting, pastors are expected to read a book that aligns with the meeting's subject. For this launch session, the cohorts spent the morning focused on “the concept of finishing well.” Drawing from “The Making of a Leader” by J. Robert Clinton, pastors discussed the barriers that might keep them from finishing ministry well and answered the question: “What are those habits that you need to finish life and ministry?”
STICKY NOTE TIMELINE GIVES
“SOVEREIGN PERSPECTIVE”
During the afternoon session of the cohort, pastors discussed lifelong leader development theory and how God shapes them over a lifetime as leaders.
“We talked about how our journey goes through different transitions of leadership and development, and how it takes us to other levels and retools us. What does that look like for them? Where are they at on this journey? How is God using the people, events and circumstances to shape them?” said Abbott.
The pastors ended the day with an activity inspired by one of the healthy habits of finishing well: “leaders that finish well have a sovereign perspective of their lives.”
“We do this tool called the sticky note timeline… that helps them see their lives mapped out by the time it's done of how God has shaped them uniquely through people, events, circumstances since the day they were born,” explained Abbott.
Hewlett said creating his sticky note timeline was the most impactful part of the day.
“The way that Kevin led us through
that activity really helped you kind of take a 30,000ft view of your life and then be able to see, ‘Okay, what are the ways that God has been working? What are some of the more challenging areas? What are some of the areas that have been a big blessing, and what some of the trends are and themes are,” said Hewlett.
Between mapping out each chapter of their lives, pastors were paired up with one another or with cohort leaders to have “battle buddy discussions” to process each step. Abbott said this part of the activity is “where you just see the room light up.”
Hewlett was paired with Bennye Bryant, director of Women in Ministry Network at Texas Baptists, as his “battle buddy” for the afternoon. He said he was encouraged by Bryant’s story and the “unexpected ministry season” she is in, and how God has used her.
Bryant said reflecting on her life emphasized “how God uses both the good and the bad to guide us closer to him.” She said this realization was particularly encouraging to her role at Texas Baptists.
“This 'aha!’ moment encouraged me in my role as director of the Women In Ministry Network, making it clear that God prepares us throughout our lives for the tasks he has in store for us in kingdom building. This thought increased my confidence, as I embrace the opportunities ahead,” said Bryant.
Hewlett said the sticky note timeline “prompted some really good thinking” about “different people who've been impactful in my life.”
“I took a couple of pictures of some of the sticky notes, and texted friends whose names were on the sticky notes and told them what I was doing and was able to say how grateful I was for their impact in my life,” said Hewlett.
He said slowing down to “take that broad view” of his life prompted “a helpful discipline to force me to stop” and “think big picture.”
“I probably wouldn't have forced myself to be that reflective [on my own]. I probably would have been working on my task list if I wasn't there,” said Hewlett. “There's always stuff to do, always sermons to write, always people to meet
with, always meetings to be led. And I have to force myself to step back and kind of look out the window… when you're leading people, you have to have time to be able to kind of zoom out.”
Hewlett said the activity lived up to its intended purpose, to help him gain perspective.
“But as much as anything, it’s remembering that the sermon I’m writing this week doesn’t stand on its own – it’s part of a bigger story that God is writing. Taking this time to zoom out and see the big picture has been really encouraging and helped me have perspective on what I’m doing,” said Hewlett.
Abbott said the April cohort launches were intentional in “getting the ball rolling on [pastors] getting clarity on what God is doing to shape them, clarity of their kingdom purpose, so that
they can live into it and then lead others to live into it.”
ENNEAGRAM HELPS ARTICULATE LEADERSHIP STYLES
In between each monthly meeting, pastors are offered coaching sessions with a trained coach to help them “discover the answers to whatever they're processing and come up with an action step.”
In May, the cohorts met for the second time to go through the Enneagram process, “which is understanding who they really are [and] understanding how they lead.” Abbott said the Enneagram is “more than just a typical personality test” and the reason Pastor Strong cohorts “lean into it is because of the spiritual formation aspect.”
After their first meeting in April, the pastors received a link to take an Enneagram assessment and came to
their May meeting ready to learn about “the different types and how they relate to one another” from a “trained Enneagram expert.”
After the session, pastors received their Enneagram results and “a 40-page report” that gives them “more information about them than they ever knew.” They were offered individual coaching sessions over the next month to understand their Enneagram type.
Hewlett said examining his Enneagram results could help him “short-circuit my more fleshly responses.”
“The [Enneagram type] one has more tendencies toward trying to make sure everything is right, and you can sometimes ignore the people around you or step on the people around you just to get to the right answer,” explained Hewlett. “I know that about myself already, but the articulation of it there was really helpful.”
Hewlett said he is looking forward to his Enneagram coaching session. He said his goal between the May and June sessions would be to consider “2 or 3 things that I really want to try to be aware of over this next month.”
“[One thing] I'll take with me from that [session] is trying to be more attuned to what's happening in my own mind and heart, so that I can be more aware of it, so I can be more intentional on how I love people,” said Hewlett.
BEING A RESILIENT LEADER THROUGH MINISTRY TRANSITION
In the next session, pastors heard about leading through change from Tod Bolsinger, co-founder of AE Sloan Leadership and author on Christian leadership. In the morning session, he taught from his book “Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory,” and discussed leading organizational change. In the afternoon, he taught from his book “Tempered Resilience: How Leaders are Formed in the Crucible of Change,” which the pastors read beforehand, and discussed how to become a tempered, resilient leader who can lead an organization through change.
Hewlett said this session was the one he was “looking forward to the most
out of all of them.”
“I was really impacted by ‘Canoeing the Mountains,’ and when I heard him speak before. [He’s] just really gifted and talented, and so to be able to be in that small setting of just 30 or 40 of us and him and really work through that, I'm excited about that,” said Hewlett. “All of us, myself included, can definitely learn how to be more resilient in the face of challenging personal dynamics.”
Throughout the cohorts, Abbott has been praying that “God would give clarity to these leaders that are in a fog.”
“Even though these are leaders of leaders, there's still some of them at the tables… that are in a transition, a major transition in their ministry of going to another level of leadership and just another level of God shaping them and then preparing them for their next phase of ministry,” said Abbott.
Abbott said there may also be pastors going through the cohorts who “don't realize, maybe, that they're in a transition.”
“In April, I think many of them, I could see the light bulb going on or the spirit of God was like hitting them, and they were saying, ‘Okay, I know there's something going on. God's doing something in my heart. I need to get clarity on what that shaping is that he's doing in my heart and life.’ So helping them see that is a prayer of mine,” said Abbott.
Abbott said he is also praying that he would “be sensitive along that process and our leaders along that process to help guide them in that.”
“I want them to see… you are a work in progress, too. You haven't arrived and you'll never fully arrive till the day you get your glorified body,” said Abbott. “We're all in a learning process and growing, so I want to see the humility and the brokenness that starts here really exude over into the lives of these leaders so that they lead out of that place of the soul.”
To learn more about Pastor Strong Cohorts and how they can be a resource for you, visit txb.org/ministries/ pastor-strong-cohorts.
Super Summer equips students to follow Jesus; continue to give him their “yes”
By Jessica King
Tristan Smith, a student from First Baptist Clifton, returned for his second year of Super Summer more confident in his decision to follow Jesus.
“Last year was actually the year that I gave my life to Jesus,” said Smith. “I got baptized before, but I just did it because everybody else [was] doing it. So I never really, fully understood. But the first year [of Super Summer], after worship and everything, I really felt him talk to me because worship is like my biggest way that I could talk to him and hear him talk to me, and then I just grabbed a hold of his hand [for the first time] Thursday night.”
Super Summer is a leadership training and development camp for Texas Baptists youth. With the theme, “Follow Me,” students attended school and breakout sessions, participated in recreation activities, spent time in worship, and heard from Lance Shumake, teaching pastor at Crosspoint Community Church in Rockwall, to learn about what it means to “deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23) on June 16-20.
Nick Gainey, worship minister at Crosspoint Community Church in Rockwall, led students in worship throughout the week.
Smith said he learned that “following Jesus includes sacrifices.”
“Sometimes we may not like [what God is calling us to], but it's what's best for us, even if it doesn't give us positive changes straight away. It will still be better for us in life later on,” said Smith.
He said remembering this truth will give him more discipline to “do things in life that may be hard for me to choose.”
SETTING THE PACE FOR FOLLOWING JESUS
When she came to Super Summer for the first time as a red schooler, Sophia Ritzmann, a student from FBC Clifton, just wanted to be spiritually fed, but with each year she returns, she learns “the importance in also feeding others.”
“There are so many people out in my school, in my church, in my community, that have not been [spiritually] fed, and they're searching for [fulfillment in] other things; they are searching in the bad actions that you hear about, and the sin that you hear about. They're trying to find something that feeds them. But ultimately, they all come up still hungry,” said Ritzmann.
She said what keeps her coming back to Super Summer is receiving the reminder that she is called to share the Good News with those around her, just as much as she needs it herself.
“Yes, I need to be fed, but I also need to feed and I need to show people the way, the truth and the life, and that is Jesus Christ,” said Ritzmann. “[I think] that's what he wants us to hear right now as a generation.”
Ritzmann said Super Summer is special because each year, the speakers’ messages remind students of the call to “go back to your church and be a leader.” But this year, she appreciates that the theme, “Follow Me,” focuses on “our own relationship with him and tuning in and being so close to him so that no matter where we go, we can have our deep-rooted faith, and then in turn, spread that to others.”
She said the messages students get to hear throughout the week “really fill your soul” with encouragement.
“[The messages] send you back to your church [feeling] like, ‘Okay, I'm not alone in this. I'm not the only person out
here who has a heart that desires God,’” said Ritzmann. “It's a great week of encouragement.”
Chloe Grammer, a student from First Baptist Church Garland, said she also keeps coming back to Super Summer because the speakers are “really motivational for stepping outside of our comfort zone, really pushing us to engage with the people around us in a way that I don't get from any other camp.”
She said this year’s theme, “Follow Me,” has been particularly impactful for her as “two years ago at Super Summer, I felt called to missions.”
"It's been really amazing this year, feeling a little more solid in that [calling]... [and] expecting God to speak to me this year,” said Grammer. “Something that [has] stuck with me is the theme 'Follow Me,’ [to] leave everything behind… do whatever it takes, because it's worth it.”
She said khaki school’s, the group for students who graduated high school this year, theme “NASCAR: Set the Pace” drove the point home for her.
“The main thing is that we're the leaders this year. We're the examples. Everyone's looking up to us,” said Grammer.
“I can apply [the theme] to my life because, when I go back home, I don't have to be influenced by the people around me. I can be an influencer. I can shine the light for Jesus and people will see that and pick up on that and join
into that,” said Grammer. “As long as we're bold and we actually are willing to set the pace… anyone can be a leader if they have a purpose to serve.”
UNDERSTANDING SCIENCE AND FAITH
Over the week, students had the opportunity to attend 24 unique breakout sessions on topics including finding community in college, the importance of worship, Christian advocacy, missions, discerning a call to ministry and more.
Wednesday afternoon, khaki school student Cole Gillikin, from First Baptist Church Texas City, attended a breakout session titled “Fusion: Faith and Science” led by Adam Broussard, Ph.D. in Astrophysics, who is a senior engineer in research and development at Raytheon Intelligence and Space. He is also a former Super Summer team leader. The session taught attendees how to "strengthen your faith against contrary ideas,” and how to be the connection between the Christian community and the scientific community.
“Intersecting our faith with science creates something that's new and good, and just like nuclear fusion, it provides an enormous burst of energy,” said Broussard. “It allows us to reach out to people and to make connections to people that we never would otherwise… Even for the scientific community, the primary way of showing Christ to unbelievers is through unusual caring and
kindness, and by being a sincere part of their lives.”
Gillikin learned that “by understanding one [science or Christianity], you're able to understand the other a lot better.”
“A big issue that… I've seen is that a lot of Christians keep their faith and keep science separate, and they're not willing or don't really take the time to understand that they're really connected,” said Gillikin. “[After] taking in everything [Broussard] said, I think I'm a lot more prepared to talk with some people about that, and help explain how those two not only coexist, but [also] help each other.”
Gillikin said, returning to Super Summer for the second time, he is “constantly being reassured” that “it has nothing to do with what I do” that God calls him to be a part of his kingdom work.
“I think last year completely changed my perspective on how I serve God, and in a lot of ways, I would [serve] to become holy… But throughout last year and then continuing this year, I'm constantly being reassured in a sense that… because I'm [made] holy, I get to [serve God],” said Gillikin. “[It’s a reminder to be] in full surrender to him and continue to give him my ‘yes.’”
TRUSTING AND TREASURING JESUS ABOVE ALL
Wednesday evening, students gathered in Pilgrim Chapel for Rainbow,
the nightly all-school worship service. Shumake shared a message on what it means to follow Jesus.
Drawing from the story of “The Rich Young Ruler” in Matthew 19:1622, he told students that “because you and I are prone to wander, we have a tendency to forget the goodness of God,” so some scripture is intended to give us a warning and turn our focus back to Him.
“As you see instruction and encouragement and all these different things in the Bible that are our response, another part of that that you see in the Bible is, every now and then, there'll be a warning,” said Shumake. “You and I are prone to wander. We have a tendency to forget the goodness of God, and we take our eyes off of him. We want to look at something else or value something else, and so we have this tendency [to be] like a sheep that keeps wandering off and going astray. We're all like that, so we keep having to be reminded.”
Shumake said this passage reminds us that following Jesus means trusting him alone.
“The law was given to point out the fact that we're all law breakers, and we needed someone to keep the law for us and give us that righteousness, and that's what Jesus did… on the cross. And when we put our faith and trust in him, he exchanges [our sin]. He gives us his perfection, his righteousness, the fact that he kept the law perfectly, he gives that to us, and that's what makes us right with God,” said Shumake.
Referencing Philippians 3:4-10, he explained that Paul found everything he was trying to accomplish was worthless compared to what Jesus had accomplished for him. Shumake challenged students: “Are you trusting Jesus and only Jesus right now?”
“If you know, ‘There was a time in
my life that I put my faith and trust in Jesus. I remember the moment,’ that's awesome… but what you're doing right now will bring you more assurance than even that,” said Shumake. “[Ask yourself], ‘Am I trusting him right now? I'm not trusting myself. I'm not just trying harder at this thing, I'm trusting him alone. That's where we find our assurance.”
Shumake said this passage also reminds us that following Jesus means treasuring him above all. He said the story of “The Rich Young Ruler” is designed to warn us: “Don't miss your opportunity to follow him. Don't let anything get in the way of that.”
“Anytime we trade what God has for us for something else… it's just as ridiculous [as the Rich Young Ruler] because it doesn't lead us where we want to go. It doesn't give us what it promises,” said Shumake. “But what Jesus promises is not a life that’s easy or problem free, but he promises a life that's blessed ten times, 100 times… so it's an act of faith. ‘Jesus, I trust you and I believe that you love me. And I believe that what you want for me is better than anything I can find on my own, so I will lay it down and I will take up what you want. I will follow you anywhere.”
Shumake concluded his message by encouraging students to respond to the way Jesus calls us to follow him.
“I don't want you to miss it, but Jesus doesn't want you to miss it way more than I do because he loves you. He's asking you to trust him alone and to treasure him above all. How will you respond to that tonight?” said Shumake.
“TAKE
THE CHANCE” ON SUPER SUMMER
This Super Summer was a first and last for Maddie Samford, a student from FBC Garland. She said she joined the
church last year after coming from a “very broken church.” Inspired by FBC Garland’s “beautiful environment” to grow her relationship with the Lord, she wanted to “spend as much time as I could learning more about Christ with fellow students before going off to college.”
She encouraged students who are considering it to “take the chance” on Super Summer.
“You might feel like an outsider because of not having as much time [here] as everyone else, but.. it's such a welcoming environment and such a place that just immediately feels like home,” said Samford. “[So], even if you haven't been here for as many years as everyone else, if you're not a rainbow kid, or if this is your first year, just take the chance to be a better leader and be a better follower of Christ.”
Gillikin echoed this, encouraging students to “Go. [To say it] in one word.”
“No matter what grade you're in… in every year, in every grade group, there's something you will gain,” said Gillikin. “God's presence is very present and capable in this place, and he's really able to change people's lives.”
This year, 358 students attended Super Summer, representing 27 Texas Baptists churches, along with 104 adult volunteers. Thirty-eight students attended a breakout session for those discerning a call to ministry, led by Rusty Wheelington, professor of Christian Studies at Howard Payne University.
To learn more about Super Summer, visit supersummer.com.
Super Summer equipa a adolescentes a seguir a Jesús y continuar haciendo Su voluntad
Por Jessica King
Tristan Smith, un estudiante de First Baptist Clifton, regresó a su segundo año de Super Summer con mayor confianza en su decisión de seguir a Cristo.
“El año pasado fue cuando le entregué mi vida a Cristo”, dijo Tristan. “Me habían bautizado antes, pero lo hice porque me sentí presionado a hacerlo. En realidad, no entendía. Sin embargo, el primer año de Super Summer, después del servicio de adoración del jueves, sentí que el Señor me habló. Simplemente, me tomó de la mano [por primera vez]”.
Super Summer es un campamento de entrenamiento y desarrollo de liderazgo para adolescentes Bautistas de Texas. Con el tema, “Sígueme”, la semana del 16 al 20 de junio, los estudiantes asistieron a sesiones en escuelas por edades, participaron en actividades de recreación, pasaron tiempo en adoración, y escucharon a Lance Shumake, el pastor en Crosspoint Community Church en Rockwall, para aprender lo que significa “negarse a sí mismo cada día y tomar su cruz y seguir [a Cristo]”.
Nick Gainey, ministro de adoración en Crosspoint Community Church in Rockwall, dirigió a los estudiantes en adoración durante la semana.
Tristan dice que aprendió que “seguir a Cristo incluye sacrificio”.
“A veces, puede que no nos guste lo que Dios nos está llamado a hacer, pero es lo mejor para nosotros, aun si no vemos resultados inmediatos. Será mejor para nosotros más tarde en la vida”, dijo Tristan.
Dijo que recordar esta verdad le da más disciplina para “hacer las cosas en mi vida que pueden ser difíciles de escoger”.
ESTABLECIENDO EL PASO PARA SEGUIR A JESÚS
Cuando participó en Super Summer por primera vez en la escuela roja, Sophia Ritzmann, una estudiante en FBC Clifton, solamente deseaba alimento spiritual, pero con cada año que regresa aprende “la importancia de también alimentar a otros”. “Hay tantas personas en mi escuela, mi iglesia, mi comunidad, que tienen hambre espiritual, y buscan satisfacción en otras cosas; buscan en los malos actos y el pecado que escuchan. Tratan de encontrar algo que les satisfaga. Al final, continúan con hambre”, dijo Sophia.
Ella dijo que, lo hace que regrese cada año a Super Summer es recordar que ha sido llamada a compartir las Buenas Nuevas con los que le rodean, tanto como ella misma las necesita.
“Sí, necesito alimento, pero también necesito alimentar y demostrar a otros el camino, la verdad, y la vida, y eso es Jesucristo”, dijo Sophia. “Pienso que Él quiere que escuchamos eso como generación”.
Sophia dijo que Super Summer es especial porque, cada año, los mensajes de los predicadores recuerdan a los estudiantes el llamado a regresar a nuestras iglesias y ser líderes. Este año, ella apreció el tema “Sígueme”, enfocando en “nuestra propia relación con Cristo, escucharle y estar cerca de Él para que, no importa dónde vayamos, tengamos una fe profunda y, a cambio, la compartamos con otros”.
Ella dijo que los mensajes que los estudiantes escuchan
durante la semana “verdaderamente llenan el alma” con ánimo.
“[Los mensajes] nos devuelven a la iglesia [sintiéndonos] como, ‘Bueno, no estoy sola. No soy la única persona cuyo corazón desea a Dios”, dijo Sophia. “Es una semana de gran exhortación”.
Chloe Grammer, una estudiante de First Baptist Church Garland, dio que ella continúa regresando a Super Summer porque los predicadores “verdaderamente nos motivan a salir de nuestra zona de comunidad, nos empujan a interactuar con personas a nuestro alrededor como ningún otro campamento lo hace”.
Dijo que el tema de este año, “Sígueme”, fue de particular impacto para ella porque “hace dos años sentí el llamado a las misiones en Super Summer”.
"Ha sido un año maravilloso, me siento más firme en ese [llamado]…[y] espero que Dios me continúe hablando este año”, dijo Chloe. “Algo que me impactó del tema ‘Sígueme’ es dejar todo atrás, no importa lo que pase, porque vale la pena”.
Ella dijo que el tema de la escuela kaki (khaki) para estudiantes que se graduaron de escuela superior este año, “NASCAR: Establecer el paso” le ayudó a entender.
“Lo más importante es que éramos los líderes este año, los ejemplos”, dijo Chloe.
“Pude poner en práctica [el tema] porque, cuando regreso a casa, no tengo
que ser influenciada por las personas a mi alrededor. Yo puedo influenciar. Puedo alumbrar la luz de Jesús, las personas la verán y le seguirán”, dijo Chloe. “Siempre y cuando tengamos denuedo y estemos dispuestos a establecer el paso… cualquiera puede ser líder si tiene el propósito de servir”.
ENTENDER LA CIENCIA Y LA FE
Durante la semana, los estudiantes tuvieron la oportunidad de asistir a 24 sesiones particulares en temas que incluyeron encontrar comunidad en la universidad, la importancia de la adoración, la defensa cristiana, misiones, discernir el llamado al ministerio, y demás.
El miércoles en la tarde, el estudiante Cole Gillikin, de First Baptist Church Texas City, en la escuela kaki, participó en una sesión titulada: “Fusión: fe y ciencia”, dirigida por Adam Broussard, ingeniero en investigación y desarrollo en Raytheon Intelligence and Space, quien solía ser líder de equipo en Super Summer. La sesión enseñó a los participantes a cómo “fortalecer su fe contra ideas contrarias”, y cómo ser la conexión entre la comunidad cristiana y la comunidad científica.
“La intersección de la fe y la ciencia crea algo que es nuevo y bueno e, igual a la fusión nuclear, provee una explosión de energía”, dijo Adam. “Permite que alcancemos a personas y hagamos conexiones que no haríamos de otro modo… Aun para la comunidad científica, la
manera principal de compartir a Cristo con los no creyentes es a través de actos de bondad e interés, y ser parte de sus vidas”.
Cole aprendió que “al entender uno [ciencia o cristianismo], podemos entender el otro mucho mejor”.
“Algo grande que he visto es que muchos cristianos mantienen su fe y la ciencia separados, y no están dispuestos a tomarse el tiempo par entender que están conectados”, dijo Cole. “[Después] de escuchar todo lo que Adam dijo, creo que estoy mejor preparado para hablar con alguien acerca de eso, y ayudarlos a explicar cómo ambos no solamente coexisten, también se ayudan entre sí”.
Cole dijo que, regresar a Super Summer por segunda vez le “reafirma constantemente” de que “no tiene nada que ver con lo que yo hago”, Dios me llama a ser parte de la obra de Su Reino.
“Creo que el año pasado completamente cambió mi perspectiva de cómo servir a Dios, y de muchas maneras, le sirvo viviendo una vida en santidad… Durante este año, constantemente me reafirmo en un sentido de que, porque deseo vivir en santidad, puedo servir a Dios”, dijo Cole. “Me recuerda mi completa entrega a Él y continuar haciéndolo”.
CONFIAR EN Y ATESORAR A JESÚS POR SOBRE TODAS LAS COSAS
El miércoles en la noche, los estudiantes se reunieron en la Capilla Pilgrim para el servicio de adoración, Arcoíris
(Rainbow). Shumake compartió acerca de lo que significa seguir a Jesús.
Basándose en la historia del “joven rico” en Mateo 19:16-22, los estudiantes escucharon que “debido a que somos prontos para desviarnos, tenemos la tendencia a olvidar la bondad de Dios”, por eso algunos pasajes bíblicos nos advierten y ayudan a volver a enfocar en Él.
“Al ver la instrucción y exhortación y todas las diferentes cosas en la Biblia que son nuestra respuesta, otra parte de lo que vemos en la Biblia es que, de vez en cuando, hay una advertencia”, dijo Shumake. “Somos prontos para desviarnos. Tenemos la tendencia a olvidar la bondad de Dios, y quitamos nuestros ojos de Él. Queremos ver otras cosas y valorar otras cosas. Por eso tenemos esta tendencia a ser como ovejas que se desvían y toman el mal camino. Somos así, por eso necesitamos los recordatorios”.
Shumake dijo que este pasaje nos recuerda que seguir a Jesús significa confiar solamente en Él.
“La Ley fue dada para destacar el hecho de que todos quebrantamos la ley, y necesitamos a alguien que cumpla la Ley por nosotros y nos de esa justicia, y eso es lo que hizo Jesús…en la cruz. Cuando depositamos nuestra fe en Él, intercambiamos nuestro pecado por Su perdón. Nos atribuye Su perfección, justicia, el hecho de que Él cumplió perfectamente la Ley nos hace rectos con Dios”, dijo Shumake.
En su referencia a Filipenses 3:4-10, explicó que Pablo descubrió que todo lo que trataba de alcanzar era inútil comparado con lo que Jesús había alcanzado por él. Shumake desafió a los estudiantes: “¿Están confiando en Jesús y solamente en Jesús?”
“Si dicen, ‘Hubo un tiempo en mi vida cuando deposité mi fe y confianza
en Jesús. Recuerdo ese momento’, eso es maravilloso…pero lo que están haciendo ahora les da mayor certidumbre”, dijo Shumake. “Pregúntense, ‘¿Estoy confiando en Él ahora mismo? No en mí mismo. Me estoy esforzando en esto, estoy confiando solamente en Él. Ahí es donde encontramos nuestra certidumbre”.
Shumake dijo que este pasaje también nos recuerda que seguir a Jesús significa atesorarlo por sobre todas las cosas. Dijo que la historia del “joven rico” está diseñada para advertirnos: “No perdamos la oportunidad de seguirle. No permitamos que nada se interponga en el camino”.
“Cada vez que tratamos de intercambiar el propósito de Dios por algo más…simplemente es ridículo [como el joven rico] porque no conduce a donde tenemos que ir. No recibimos lo que promete”, dijo Shumake. “Sin embargo, lo que Dios promete no es una vida fácil y sin problemas, pero es una vida bendecida diez veces, cien veces más… porque es un acto de fe. ‘Jesús, confío en Ti y creo que me amas. Creo que lo que deseas para mí es muchísimo mejor que cualquier cosa que encuentre por mí mismo, por eso me rindo y haré lo que Tú digas. Quiero seguirte”.
Shumake concluyó su mensaje al exhortar a los estudiantes a responder al camino que Jesús les llama a seguir.
“No quiero que lo pierdan de vista; Jesús no quiere que lo pierdan de vista más que yo porque Él los ama. Les pide que confíen solamente en Él y lo atesoren por sobre todas las cosas ¿Cómo responderán esta noche?”, dijo Shumake.
“APROVECHAR LA OPORTUNIDAD” EN SUPER SUMMER
Este Super Summer fue el primero y el último para Maddie Samford, una estudiante en FBC Garland. Ella dijo que
se unió a la iglesia el año pasado después de salir de una “iglesia muy fracturada”. Inspirada por el “hermoso ambiente” de FBC Garland para desarrollar su relación con el Señor, deseó “pasar tanto tiempo como le fuera posible para aprender más acerca de Cristo con otros estudiantes antes de ir a la universidad”.
Ella exhorta a estudiantes que lo estén considerando a “aprovechar la oportunidad” en Super Summer.
“Puede que se sientan extraños por no haber participado tantas veces como otros aquí, pero…es un ambiente muy acogedor y es un lugar donde enseguida te sientes como en tu casa”, dijo Maddie. “Por eso, aun si no has participado en Super Summer en otros años como muchos de ellos, aprovecha la oportunidad para ser un mejor líder y seguidor de Cristo”.
Cole repitió esto al exhortar a los estudiantes a “Ir, [por decirlo] en una palabra”.
“No importa tu grado en la escuela… cada año, en cada grupo por edad, hay algo que aprender”, dijo Cole. “La presencia de Dios es evidente en este lugar, y es capaz de cambiar las vidas de las personas”.
Este año, 358 estudiantes participaron en Super Summer, representando a 27 iglesias Bautistas de Texas, junto a 104 adultos voluntarios. Treinta y ocho estudiantes participaron en la sesión para los que desean discernir un llamado al ministerio, dirigida por Rusty Wheelington, profesor de Estudios Cristianos en la Universidad Howard Payne.
Para aprender más acerca de Super Summer, visite supersummer.com.
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