Churches, volunteer receive LifeCall missions recognition

Posted: 11/16/07

Churches, volunteer receive
LifeCall missions recognition

A longtime Texas Baptist missions volunteer and five churches recently received LifeCall Missions honors.

Sue Low received the LifeCall Missions lifetime achievement award in a presentation at Hampton Road Baptist Church in DeSoto. Low, 91, began ministry in jails and prisons more than 70 years ago and continued until failing eyesight limited her abilities last year.

For many years, she made twice-weekly visits to the Lew Sterrett Justice Center in downtown Dallas—a practice she and her late husband, Asa, initiated and she continued after his death in 1996.

In 1998, the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board recognized her as Mission Service Corps volunteer of the year. She was commissioned as a Mission Service Corps volunteer in 1994 and as a LifeCall volunteer 10 years later.

LifeCall church of the year honors went to Primera Iglesia Bautista in Alamo in the small-church category and First Baptist Church of Vernon in the large-church category.

Primera Iglesia Bautista in Alamo recently sent 33 of its 120 members to serve over a three-week period in Costa Rica to conduct Vacation Bible Schools and train churches in how to lead them. Team members also participated in construction projects in churches and orphanages.

First Baptist Church in Vernon involved 370 members of all ages in a “Faith in Action Sunday” event to meet needs in their community. Members worked in the yards and performed home repairs for elderly and disabled residents, visited homebound people and conducted Backyard Bible Clubs for children who were not attending church on Sunday morning.

First Baptist Church in Mexia received the LifeCall Philippian Award for initiating a partnership with Antioch Baptist Church in Mexia to minister among African-Americans in their community.

Primera Iglesia Bautista in Mission received the LifeCall Genesis Award for developing an innovative community ministry to reach children and teenagers. The church developed a skateboard park and multi-use building for Christian concerts. More than 60 young people have become involved in weekly Bible studies each Wednesday, and special events have drawn from 200 to 400 teenagers.

Oak Street Baptist Church in Graham received the LifeCall Salt and Light Award. In addition to local missions and ministries in its community, the church also sent volunteers to work in New Orleans with disaster recovery and reconstruction following Hurricane Katrina, and members have served in church-starting efforts and ministries to orphans in Ukraine and Uganda.