It was so good to be with our Church family on Sunday. Our journey to Israel was amazing but it is good to be home. There is so much to share from our trip and over time we hope to pass along our insights and blessings. Many of you have traveled to Israel yourselves and know how life informing and even changing it can be.

 

I cannot express enough how thankful I am for our ministerial staff. I am fully confident that when I am away that Trinity will not miss a step as a result of our team of ministers. Thank you, JD and Wes, for filling the pulpit and the rest of our staff, Clint, Kellee, Sharron, Frank and Charlie, for helping to pastor our incredible fellowship. Keep the Barganiers in your prayers as they prepare to sell a house and start the search in Kerrville for a place to live.

 

We start the summer on the go. Our Dominican Republic Mission team leaves this week and Vacation Bible School will be here before we know it. This summer will be full of ministry opportunities. One of the blessings of our trip was sharing with other pilgrims on our journey about our wonderful faith family in Kerrville. I am excited for what God has placed before us as we travel together.

 

This summer there will be a gathering of Texas Baptist in McAllen for our annual convention. Every five years we hold it in the summer and invite all our Texas Baptist Affinities to join us. We will travel to McAllen on July 16th and return on the 18th. We are allowed 25 messengers who will vote on the business and future direction of Texas Baptists. If you would like to go, call the church office and we will add your name to the list and officially vote on you as a messenger to represent Trinity Baptist Church. Sue Owens will then get you information regarding lodging. If you can go, it is a worthy event to see just how big our Texas Baptist family is and all that we do together.

 

It is easy to think about walking through time as we have in the past. Sometimes we put our travel on auto-pilot and in doing so, we miss many life-affirming moments. On the day that Melinda and I visited the southern steps into Jerusalem, we could see different formation of steps. The steps closer to the walls of Jerusalem were more uniform and were much newer than the others. The older steps were not uniform, nor were they even the same height. It would be impossible to walk up those steps habitually without considering your steps. To navigate successfully, one would need to look down at least every so often.

 

Let’s not move through this summer in a habitual way without considering what is before us. Remember where we are going, toward the LORD. Remember, He has next steps for us. Be sure to look to the left and the right to see others traveling with us. As we arrive at the same places, God has much to both tell us and remind us. I am excited for our journey together. I am looking forward to others we will encourage and meet along the way. God is doing a great thing among His people. Let’s celebrate it together.

 

In Christ,

 

It almost feels like we were just celebrating the New Year with one service together. A lot has happened in a short amount of time. We began using our new ministry space on January 8th. We called Charlie Barganier as our next Worship Minister. The Barganier’s will start making their way to Kerrville this month. Vanessa will finish teaching through her contract and the family will join Charlie here when school is out. We dedicated our marker not only setting it in place but celebrating baptism also.

 

We celebrated once again the season of Easter by not only gathering on Resurrection Sunday but presenting the Victor the week prior to our community. We are most blessed by our journey together.

 

A mission team has gone to Alto Frio to help prepare the camp for summer ministries while another mission team went to Kenya to support European missionaries who gathered for a conference. Two others from our church headed out to Kenya and Turkey to share God’s word through words and actions. It is a joy to see how God is using Trinity Baptist to share the gospel and meet needs here at home and around the world.

 

Don’t miss out on any opportunity to do good during the season God has granted. There is a summer full of ministry options for all ages. We will celebrate with our church families the accomplishments of their children as they graduate to next steps this month. We are in good hands as these incredible individuals begin to take their place in our world.

 

We will once again join together on Thursday, May 4th for our National Day of Prayer breakfast. Doors will open at 6:45 am and breakfast and prayer program will begin at 7:00 am. Please come if you can and let’s pray for our nation together.

 

Encore will be taking place for our Senior Adults on May 8-9, from 10:00 to noon. Dr. Gary Manning will be our guest from FBC, Bandera. There will also be a Parent Dedication and Child Blessing on Mother’s Day. Be sure to call the church office if you would like to participate.

 

I want to give a quick thanks to Bobby Ayala and our custodial team of A.J. Lopez, Alex Del Toro, Richard Schmitt, and Jon Von Heeder. They are sure making our place sparkle and shine. The outside landscaping is looking great. We are blessed by our whole team at TBC.

 

Remember Jesus is always waiting for an invitation to join you. And when we invite Jesus, His answer is always, YES!

 

In Christ,

 

 

The Scripture goes on to tell us that we all have different gifts and encourages us to use our gift in the measure of our  faith. Everyone can see that God has gifted Trinity Baptist Church with incredible members who use their gifts and talents for God’s best and our blessing. God has a path set out for us both individually and as a family journeying together. It is a beautiful thing to see the wake of our travels and how God has blessed.  

 

The Victor is always a God given task. It has been a faith journey as we have prepared for this years gift to our community without a Worship Minister in place. Others have stepped up and carried great responsibilities in order for us to put ourselves in the position of presenting the gospel to our community. Thank you choir, drama, technical team, advertising and inviting teams, and anyone who took it upon themselves to be on the giving end of this years presentation. Wiley Wilkerson, Suzanne Harston, Riley Gordon and Sue Stewart have gone above and beyond. 

 

If you haven’t heard, Trinity Baptist Church voted to call Charlie Barganier as our next Minister of Worship. Charlie, Vanessa, Noah, Micah and Hannah will be coming our way very soon. Welcome Barganiers, we are excited about our journey together. Charlie’s first Sunday will be May 7th.  

 

We are fully in our new ministry space and it is amazing to see the connections already taking place. People are gathering in our new space all during the week. Thank you, Trinity, for your faithfulness to our process and kingdom agendas. Thank you, Wayne Uecker, Kay Bell, Wayne Comer, Kaleb Kurz, Paula Locke, and Lyda Green for serving on our Building Task force and bringing us home.  

 

I pray you will have a blessed Easter and find time for gratitude and commitment during this season of remembering all God did through Christ on our behalf. May we find ourselves in full service to Christ as we use our gifts together. 

 

In Christ,

 

March is upon us and it is going to be a great month. Spring is in the air and has been replaced with anticipation in the air. It looks extremely good that this month we will actually be moving the offices back together. God has been gracious to our ministerial staff in this time of transition. It will be great to once again sit in the same office area. Praise the LORD! Thank you to Clint Brown and our Building Task Force Team of Chairman Wayne Uecker, Kay Bell, Wayne Comer, Lyda Green, Kaleb Kurz, and Paula Locke. 

 

It was a wonderful report from our Worship Minister Search Committee that on the weekend of March 17-19, a candidate will be coming in view of a call to be our next Worship Minister. More details will be coming as the date gets closer. Thank you to Chairman Dan Petty and members Mike Cook, Lanie Ebelt, Donna Hinton, Lew King, Melissa Morris, and Wiley Wilkerson. We are grateful for God’s providence and timing. A huge thank you goes to Carrie Overby, Wade Sparkman, and Wiley Wilkerson for planning our worship services for our three worship times. We are blessed to have talented and willing members.  

 

On March 26th, following the 11:00 Worship Service, we will be setting our marker in place in our New Gathering and Educational Space. Once again, we are thrilled at the faithfulness of God’s people and their continued stewardship. That day will also mark the final day of our agreed upon pledges. Though our three years of pledges will be completed, I am thankful that our faithfulness will carry on. You are an amazing church in which God has blessed in order that we might be a blessing.  

 

The Victor will be here before we know it. I hope you are thinking about who to invite. It is an honor to offer the gift of The Victor to our community at Easter each year. Many have taken on roles that are beyond regular participation in order to bring this year’s Victor to our community. It will not be long until our Worship Center will be packed with Trinity members dressed in biblical costumes and sharing the story of Jesus and His salvation.  

 

 

 

It is wonderful to see Trinity entering in new doors and enjoying fellowship with one another over orange juice and donuts again. Our new ministry space is allowing us to gather and visit just as we anticipated. Our new classrooms are growing in numbers each week. We are seeing the faithful stewardship of our Faith Family bearing fruit. Thank you, Trinity, for your steadfast commitment.

 

We are looking forward to having full access of our building soon, with offices back in place and our punch-list completed. I appreciate our ministerial and church staff for their willingness to stay engaged even though we have not occupied the same space together for a long time. Thank you, Building Committee Task Force and Clint Brown, for all you are doing to bring our project to a completion.

 

February brings our offering for Short Term Missions. Trinity has a heartbeat for missional living and both going and sending members to serve. There are already over thirty short term missionaries going with Trinity this year around the world to serve the LORD and assist in the ongoing work of the Kingdom, in places other than the United States.

 

I am excited about our next steps as a church. Trevin Wax writes in his book, The Thrill of Orthodoxy, “In every generation, we face the danger of longing for the past while fearing the future. And this mix of nostalgia and fear leads us into a state of complacency – a mission-less faith. We file in and out of the worship center week after week, content to recite the same words with our lips, but our hearts remain unstirred by the truths we confess and we are less likely to invite others to believe the good news.”

 

I hope you will open yourselves up to the LORD’s leadership in your life to seek, consider and take the next steps God has for us. There are amazing things taking place through Trinity Baptist Church. And I don’t mean the building we inhabit, but the people to whom we belong.

 

In Christ,

 

Welcome to 2023! This past year saw many opportunities of ministry and God was faithful to make Himself known in many ways. Every Sunday as we gather for worship and Bible study there is an atmosphere of family and encouragement. There is no perfect family nor perfect church. We are all making necessary adjustments to take next steps. I hope your Christmas celebration was joyful as you centered in on God’s love coming to us in Christ.

 

Where there is a will, there is a way. January 8th is the dedication day for our new ministry space. We will use our new space for Bible study that morning and come together at 3:00 in the afternoon for a service of dedication. We will not have continual use of offices until one last detail is worked out. However, Master’s Plan, the city of Kerrville, and our Building Task Force, with Clint’s assistance, have worked out a plan for us to use our space on Sundays and Wednesdays. It will be a great day. I hope you are making plans to be here for the thanksgiving and celebration.

 

Trinity Baptist Church has been on a journey in discovering our next plan, securing finances for it, faithful participation in it, and now we are about to put into action our kingdom assignment. All along we have been clear that this new space will help us reach out to others who we don’t know yet. Your faithful stewardship to our church and our building endeavor are a direct testimony of God’s direction for us moving forward together. I am excited to see how God will use what we dedicate to His purposes for His glory.

 

January 8th will also be Jay Ghormley’s last day as our Interim Minister of Worship. Jay has done an exceptional job with our worship services. Jay is a gifted worship leader and we appreciate his willingness to come and lead us in our time of need. Jay has been such an encouragement to us all. Continue to pray for our Minister of Worship Search Committee as they seek God’s direction for the next Minister of Worship for our church.

 

There is much to be excited about in the church in the year to come. The culture around us might seem dim, but we have the Light, are the light, and alongside each other will have a bright response in our world. I count it a blessing to be able to walk alongside you as pastor and look forward to our steps together in 2023.

 

“Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done.” We are truly blessed as the people of God. God has given us everything we need to live godly and fruitful lives. I am grateful for the opportunity of witnessing the goodness of God as He works through us. Though there is much to be in prayer over in our world, there is doubly more to be grateful for in all that God has planned. God is faithful to His purposes and His love endures forever.

 

As we move between holidays, I pray God will give us moments of silence and solitude to remember all He has done for us. Christmas can be busy in a lot of ways. We can hurry though the hustle and totally miss the reason for our season. I hope you will share with friends and neighbors about the upcoming opportunities of Christmas celebration at Trinity.

 

A few weeks back, those who were with us on campus for worship were asked to move up to the edge of their seats and I shared these words, “We will have our grand opening on …”. At the time, that was all I had. Today, as I write these words, we are making plans, the LORD willing, to have our grand opening of our new ministry space on Sunday, January 8, 2023. It is looking so good. Each day brings one more thing to completion. I hope you will write that day on your calendar and be present as we open up new space for Bible study and gathering. We will most likely be able to use the entrance and elevator prior to our grand opening. That date is still to be determined, but you will be the first to know.

 

If you drive down Holdsworth Drive at night toward Harper Road, the church is well lighted and visible. My prayer is that we will continue to be visible and even more visible in our community, not because of the lights on the building, but because of the lights on the inside which we call members. God is so good.

 

Thank you, Trinity Baptist Church, for your faithfulness to be a part of God’s assignment of reaching our community for Jesus. We are blessed to be part of a community that has good churches. Let us take the time during Christmas to see the Christ Child in the manger and be willing to tell the rest of the story.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

 

Blessed to Bless has been in our conversations for the past four years. It truly has been a blessing to see how God has blessed our direction and provided through His faithful followers who call themselves Trinity Baptist Church. Your hearts of cooperation, sacrifice and stewardship inspire us to continue the good thing that God has placed before us. We serve a God who has grand schemes and desires of redeeming this world. He has given His greatest gift to us in Jesus. I am amazed at God’s faithfulness to accomplish what He has begun. As we near the date of Thanksgiving, I am so thankful for our journey together and pray we can encourage more to journey with us.

 

There are just a few more details and then we will be announcing a special day to dedicate our new ministry space. If you have not taken the time to look through the open areas leading into our new building, do so and imagine with me the gathering of our present church and those who will come to join us. We will be back in our refreshed offices before long and will look forward to visiting with you there.

 

The word picture I have of the verse printed above is of a piece of paper where I have listed everything I could ever wish for and God coming to me and telling me that He has something so much better. in fact, it is immeasurably better. The greatest joy that we have ever experienced will not compare to that which God is bringing our way. I want to be busy serving God until it is revealed. I hope you will join me.

 

On Friday, November 11th, as a nation we will celebrate Veterans Day. I hope you will make a note to stop wherever you are at 11:00 a.m. and say a prayer of thanksgiving for our veterans who have served our country and afforded us the freedoms we enjoy today. Many have given the ultimate sacrifice of life while others have been wounded in many ways. “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” — G.K. Chesterton. Thank you, veterans, for your service.

 

Continue to be in prayer for our Minister of Worship Search Committee. The committee is doing a great job of moving through the process to discover our next Worship Leader. Our committee loves our church and it is apparent as they follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance. We have a wonderful ministerial staff and church staff at Trinity. God has knit together a group of individuals who work well to lead our church. Thank you for all your appreciation to our ministers. We love and appreciate the opportunity of walking alongside you as we serve the LORD. To God be the glory, great things HE has done, is doing and will do!

 

In Christ,

 

As I write this article I am also watching and hearing about the devastating Hurricane Ian that has reached landfall and produced a state of emergency for five states, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. We remain prayerful for the safety of loved ones and the rebuilding that will need to take place as a result of the high winds and water. In times like these it brings some comfort to know that neighboring states are ready to assist with the needs. Hurricanes and natural disasters put us all in the position of appreciating assistance from fellow human beings. Join me as we continue to pray how God will reveal Himself though these circumstances. I have heard from our Texas Baptist Men teams that they are on standby and may be called to go at any time. What do we do when what we consider to be basic needs are gone? Several of you have experienced storms both natural and physical. There is a silence and awing of events that follow such times. When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, Trinity Baptist sent teams of church members along with the Texas Baptist Men groups to assist in any way needed. I am grateful for the spirit of a church that is willing to go and get dirty, to walk alongside people who have needs of shelter as well as comfort. As followers of Jesus we are always called to be on standby whenever there is a need. Closer to home I am counting the blessings of a community and her leadership that stands consistent with Biblical standards. Both in our schools and our public library, there are those who give leadership to books that are appropriate for ages and community standards. We are blessed to have our City Officials and our School Board to give proper direction. Let us find ourselves supportive of those who are helping to lead us in the right directions. As we continue to think about blessings, we are getting closer and closer to a date for our grand opening of our new ministry space. Another blessing that overflows everyday is the faithfulness of Trinity Baptist Church to our godly assignment together. It is exciting to see the building taking shape and ceiling and floors being put in place. All of this because of our agreed upon direction and faithful support. Thank you Trinity for all you are doing. A Blessed Community is our new sermon series. We will be looking at the beatitudes in Matthew 5. I hope you will journey with us from Sunday to Sunday as we see the blessings of God and the faithfulness of God’s people. Please remain in prayer for our Minister of Worship Search Committee as they work though the process of discovering our next Minister of Worship. Remember we have been blessed so that we might bless others in return.

 

In Christ,