September 3, 2001
TOGETHER:
Mary Hill Davis Offering makes huge impact on Texas
___This summer in the 30 camps related to Texas Baptist associations, young people have made life-shaping commitments to God. Five hundred Hispanic youth attended Campamento 2001, a new event at Mount Lebanon Encampment. Twenty-four young people made professions of faith in Christ, 20 committed themselves to Christian vocations and 350 signed True Love Waits cards pledging to be sexually pure in their relationships.
___The Center for Strategic Evangelism partnered with Gus Reyes and other Hispanicleaders to make this camp possible. One couple wrote a thank-you note, saying: "We discovered a long time ago that youth camps can be a powerful influence in our young people's lives. ... We may not see positive spiritual results in our young people in church or Sunday School for years, but with youth camp, it takes only a few days!"
CHARLES WADE
Executive Director
BGCT Executive Board
___Planning is under way for two Hispanic camps next year, with 1,000 students in each. One will be in the San Antonio area and one in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Many campers could not attend these events without the scholarships that are made available through the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas missions.
___Driving along the Dallas North Tollway recently, I passed by Parkway Hills Baptist Church in Plano, a vibrant congregation served by Pastor Sam Dennis. What caught my eye was the newest building, rising tall and impressive along that heavily traveled thoroughfare.
___Ten years ago, Parkway Hills was a church start. God has blessed the church's vision and faithfulness. The church was one of more than 2,500 church starts in Texas over the past 11 years. The Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas missions was a significant source of funds for the start-up costs. This year, $1.4 million of the $5,750,505 goal will go into church starts.
___Texas Partnerships works to enlist, connect and train church volunteers for mission service around the world. Preparation of a six-part video series to help train effective mission volunteer teams is being finalized now. New and creative partnership efforts are being put into place in the United States and around the world. The Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas missions puts $150,000 into these efforts.
___The Mary Hill Davis Offering provides funds for college scholarships to help African-American and ethnic students attend Texas Baptist schools. River Ministry and Hispanic Baptist Theological School receive significant support from this offering. The offering includes funds to help churches start community ministries. And the offering helps to support Christian Women's Job Corps, a ministry that teaches women in dire straits life skills and job skills in a safe, loving, Christian environment.
___Woman's Missionary Union of Texas, led by Executive Director Carolyn Porterfield and President Kathy Hillman, promotes the Mary Hill Davis Offering and the Week of Prayer for Texas Missions. All Texas Baptists are grateful for their faithful leadership in helping keep before our churches a mission vision and the importance of having a heart to pray for our state mission efforts.
___I encourage you and your church to join in the Week of Prayer for Texas Missions, Sept. 9-16. And as you study and pray, I am confident God will lay on every heart an impression of what you can give to advance these mission efforts.
___Together, we can go beyond the goal. Together, we can hug Texas up close to the heart of God.
___We are loved.
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