In Touch: Helping elementary school students

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Hello, Texas Baptists! I begin by thanking Director of Missions Bob Dean and his staff at Dallas Baptist Association for their partnership with Texas Baptists in providing school uniforms and, in the near future, an outdoor classroom for the 1,100 students at George W. Truett Elementary School in East Dallas. This has been a wonderful work together, doing missions in our own back yard.

hardage david130David HardageThanks to Charles Inman, pastor of First Baptist Church in Monahans, for allowing me to preach in their Sunday morning service recently. This is Charles’ second time to serve as pastor at First Baptist in Monahans and, again, he is doing great work. As an interesting aside—at least to me—one of the members there is a young lady who, when she was about 5 years old, was a member of the church where I was pastor in Holliday. I was blessed by the reunion!

James Waskom has been pastor of First Baptist Church in Wickett six years, and this church served as host for the missions fellowship of Pecos Valley Baptist Association, where Richard Ray serves as director of missions. I thoroughly enjoyed the excellent dinner and was delighted to share with the association about our good Baptist General Convention of Texas work. You should know Richard Ray also serves as pastor of First Baptist Church in Wink and leads our BGCT Smaller Membership Church and Bivocational Pastor Fellowship. He’s a blessing to work with in all these roles. And he sings quite well, too!

I enjoyed speaking to the council members of our Texas Baptist Missions Foundation. They gathered for their regular meeting at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Dallas where Chris Simmons serves as pastor. Our own Gerald Davis is a member there. And, of course, Bill Arnold continues to lead the TBMF as he has for 30 years.

Hulitt Gloer, Truett Seminary professor and interim pastor at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco, was so kind to invite me to preach at the church on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. He’ll complete his work there soon, when Josh Vaughn, associate pastor of First Baptist Church in San Antonio, begins his work as pastor Sept. 16. I love Columbus Avenue Baptist and still count as one of my great ministry blessings the privilege of having served as their interim pastor a few years ago.

Finally, please know you always are welcome to stop by your Baptist Building for a visit. We’d even love to host your church staff for a planning retreat, etc. Just give us a call, and we’ll do our best to accommodate. That’s it for now. More next time. God bless.

 

–David Hardage is executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board.


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