January 28, 2002
Volunteers build their ministry
on solid oak and love for kids
___BEEVILLE--Since last October, 10 Texas Baptist Men volunteers have turned the old auto shop at South Texas Children's Home into a furniture factory.
___The men--along with their wives, who are busy sewing robes, pillows and other items for the children--have set up camp to build more than 400 pieces of solid oak furniture for children served on the agency's three campuses.
CALVIN SALMON works a piece of oak to be made into bedroom furniture at South Texas Children's Home, where the Texas Baptist Men furniture builders have been working since October.
___Jack Tennison, leader of the furniture builders and a member of First Baptist Church in Seguin, is quick to note the job is not furniture building but a furniture ministry.
___"The greatest reward we receive in this ministry is the people," he said. "Here, the kids accept us. When the kids go down to the show barn, they stop by and visit and hug our necks."
___For South Texas Children's Home, an agency affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, the rewards are great as well. President Jerry Haag explains: "Not only do our children receive the benefit of having these godly men and women as a part of their lives, but they also are receiving some of the best hand-crafted furniture available at a cost that is unbelievable. It is rewarding to see these couples giving so freely of themselves to benefit this ministry."
___The Texas Baptist Men furniture ministry is an outgrowth of the Texas Baptist Men Retiree Builders. The furniture ministry team has traveled from Canada to South Texas and many points in-between.
___The men spend their days constructing furniture while the women are busy sewing to meet the needs of people in need. They have made quilts for the homeless and dresses to be sent to girls in the interior of Mexico. The women currently are making monogrammed pillows and robes for each of the children cared for by South Texas Children's Home
___When the project is completed at the end of February, 110 dressers, 110 nightstands, 110 headboards and 67 desks will have been built.
___The furniture ministry team will load up its tools and head to a new project. At South Texas Children's Home, the craftsmen will leave some beautiful furniture and lasting impressions on the children they have loved.
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