TBM extends EVP partnership in Israel

DALLAS—The Texas Baptist Men board of directors voted to extend the missions organization’s partnership with the Emergency Volunteers Project in Israel for another two years.

The board also heard reports from varied ministries that described how TBM volunteers offered “help, hope and healing to a hurting world” in 2019 and learned about additional projects scheduled this year.

“What the world needs now is hope,” keynote speaker Albert Reyes, president and chief executive officer of Buckner International, told the board and other guests at a Feb. 21 banquet.

Ministries that meet human need and ministries that focus on evangelism and discipleship are two sides of the same coin, Reyes said.

God’s people bring the hope of Christ to hopeless people when they show love, offer peace to those who are troubled and demonstrate God’s concern for justice by seeking to set right what is wrong, he stressed.

‘Let’s go to work’

Several TBM ministry leaders echoed the same theme when they made project recommendations and presented reports: “Changing the world is hard. Let’s get to work.”

Two years ago, TBM entered an initial partnership with EVP, a nonprofit organization that offers assistance in Israel during natural or manmade disasters, to provide cross-training in large-scale emergency food service and other facets of disaster relief.

TBM built and outfitted a mobile food-service unit in Israel, and then trained Israel-based personnel to use it. Based on that model, the Israelis built additional units.

All the equipment will be housed in a disaster relief center TBM will help construct in Israel, along with bunkhouses to provide lodging for volunteers.

Dee Dee Wint, vice president for TBM water ministry, reported more than 12,000 people gained access to clean drinking water and heard the gospel in 2019, thanks to TBM.

In early March, a TBM water team will journey to Uganda, to work in a camp where 2.2 million refugees from South Sudan and Congo are housed. Currently, wells rated for 500 people are expected to serve 2,000 people. TBM volunteers will train locals how to drill and maintain wells.

Dwain Carter, state disaster relief director, reported TBM workers contributed more than 50,000 volunteer hours in times of disaster, served 47,000 meals, distributed more than 7,500 boxes and recorded 52 professions of faith in Christ.

In other reports, the board learned:

• TBM exceeded its $4.22 million budget in 2019 by 13.76 percent. The 2020 budget is $4,519,010.
• More than 4,500 men and boys were involved in Royal Ambassadors ministries last year. At RA summer camps, which drew 3,669 campers, 311 boys made spiritual commitments, including 168 who made professions of faith in Christ.

Ralph Rogers of Amarillo and Gary Smith of McKinney received the Robert E. Dixon Service Award for longtime service to TBM.

TBM honored two employees—Janice Clary for 10 years of service and Alicia Enriquez for five years of service. TBM also recognized Joe Detterman, who had been named a national Joel W. Phillips Outstanding Achievement Award in Disaster Relief recipient by the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board, and Tim Smith, who was named to the RA Legion of Honor.