November 18, 2002
First Ministry Awards honor Burgin, Reyes, Humphrey
___WACO--Tillie Burgin, Ophelia Humphrey and Albert Reyes received the inaugural Texas Baptist Ministry Awards from Baylor University and the Baptist Standard Nov. 11.
___The awards were presented during George W. Truett Theological Seminary's alumni and friends dinner, held in conjunction with the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual session in Waco.
___Burgin received the W. Winfred Moore Award for lifetime ministry achievement.
___She is the founder and executive director of Mission Arlington/Mission Metroplex, a ministry of First Baptist Church in Arlington that was launched in 1986 to serve apartment dwellers in the city. Under her guidance, Mission Arlington has expanded to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of thousands of people each week.
TILLIE BURGIN, Albert Reyes and Ophelia Humphrey were the first recipients of the Texas Baptist Ministry Awards, sponsored jointly by Baylor University and the Baptist Standard. The awards were presented during the Truett Semkinary alumni and friends dinner Nov. 11 in Waco. (Cliff Cheney/Baylor Photo)
___Burgin has become known as the "Mother Teresa of Arlington" for her selfless service and her vision that has led Mission Arlington to become synonymous with ministry innovation and effectiveness.
___Gov. George W. Bush called her a "drill sergeant in the army of compassion" in his 1999 State of the State address.
___Burgin grew up in Arlington and graduated from Arlington High School and North Texas State University and also studied at Texas Christian University.
___She and her husband, Robert, served in Korea with the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board. She also was a teacher and administrator in the Arlington Ind
___She received the BGCT Mary Hill Davis Award in 2001 and the BGCT Christian Life Commission Distinguished Service Award in 1998. She was awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities from Dallas Baptist University in 1998 and was named to the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 2000.
___The Burgins have two sons, Jim and Rick.
___The Moore Award recognizes a Texas Baptist minister in any area of specialization for a lifetime of achievement in ministry. Each recipient will compile a cumulative record of service that exemplifies commitment, stability and effectiveness.
___The award is named for Moore, longtime pastor of First Baptist Church in Amarillo, who exemplifies lifetime achievement in ministry because of his presence, perseverance, preaching and practice of the Christian faith.
___Humphrey accepted the Marie Mathis Award for lay ministry.
___She has been the vice chairperson of the BGCT Missions Review & Initiatives Committee and is a member of the BGCT Theological Education Committee. She is chairwoman of the missions committee of First Baptist Church in Amarillo, where she is a longtime Sunday School teacher and where she has been a member since 1941.
___Humphrey has held several leadership positions with the BGCT, including first vice president and member of the Executive Board, Committee on Committees and the Mission-Sending Agencies Study Committee, for which she chaired a committee that studied the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board.
___She also was president of Texas Woman's Missionary Union, trustee of Wayland Baptist University, trustee and chair of Baptist Child and Family Services in San Antonio, trustee of Hospitality House in Huntsville and board member of the Christian Life Commission.
___She is a frequent conference and retreat speaker and a regular contributor to Woman's Missionary Union periodicals. She has participated in mission trips to England, Scotland, Germany, Spain, Tanzania, Nigeria, Guyana, Japan, South America and various U.S. states.
___She attended Quitaque High School and Draughton's Business College in Lubbock.
___She and her husband, C.J., have two children, Clifford and Janice.
___The Mathis Award affirms a Texas Baptist layperson for recent singular or lifetime ministry achievement. Recipients' achievements exemplify imagination, leadership and effectiveness.
___Marie Mathis served on the staff of First Baptist Church in Dallas, directed Baylor University's Student Union for more than 25 years, and served as president of Texas Woman's Missionary Union, Southern Baptist WMU and the Women's Department of the Baptist World Alliance.
___Reyes received the George W. Truett Award for ministerial excellence.
___He has been president of Hispanic Baptist Theological School in San Antonio since 1999. He has taught at Howard Payne University, Hispanic Baptist Theological School and Truett Seminary.
___Reyes was the founding pastor of Pueblo Nuevo Community Church in El Paso, a mission congregation funded by the BGCT, El Paso Baptist Association and Scotsdale Baptist Church. In addition to other pastorates, Reyes has been a BGCT River Ministry missionary and a church planter and has participated in mission projects in Mexico, Brazil, Spain and North Africa.
___BGCT leaders have praised Reyes as one of the most pivotal figures in shaping the future of Baptist life in Texas.
___He has guided Hispanic Baptist Theological School, once a struggling institution, into a source of outreach for the state's burgeoning Hispanic population. Under his leadership, the school is seeking full accreditation, increasing enrollment, expanding its witness and enlarging its financial base.
___He is a graduate of Angelo State University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is pursuing a doctor of philosophy degree from Andrews University. He and his wife, Belinda, have three sons, Joshua, David and Thomas.
___The Truett Award recognizes a Texas Baptist minister for a singular ministry achievement in the recent past. Achievements meriting consideration exemplify imagination, leadership and effectiveness.
___The award is named for Truett, the legendary pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas who was a driving force in Texas Baptist life during the first half of the 20th century.
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