LIFE@TRINITY

Stitchers

Posted on Jun 1, 2025 in Adults, General |

by Cheryll Overla

The Stitchers for Jesus sewing, knitting, crocheting and hatting group. What started out almost ten years ago as a few ladies getting together to make dresses to send to missionaries, has grown to include all these talents. Every time we have added a new dimension to our group, the Lord brings to us a need somewhere. Along with showing us a need, He provides donations such as fabrics and notions, yarns and even monetary gifts. It’s an exciting thing to be a part of this group, to see each month what the members have made with their hands and the love and care behind each item.

At the end of 2024, we added “Hatters” to the group. We make baby hats to send all over the world and to a local ministry here as well. We have sent over 150 baby hats to the Pregnancy Resource Center here in Kerrville, along with many quilts and afghans for babies and children. Recently, we had a request for adult bibs for two local nursing centers. Several of the ladies jumped right on it and before long 92 adult bibs were delivered to these places. As I write this, some of the ladies are helping with the VBS craft for this year by cutting out strips of fabric. These will be used to make wreaths for nursing home residents.

Does any of this sound like something you can do and would like to be involved in? We always need help and new people are always welcome.

Trinity Life – June 2025

Going Deeper in Quenched

Posted on Jun 1, 2025 in Adults, Bible Study Class, General |

by Melissa Marcum

Have you ever considered the “Bedtime Story” effect? Meaning we have heard stories so often we can recite them without even opening our bibles. But what if the way we learned it wasn’t the way it was received by the original audience? What if we are missing something deeper by not looking closer to the “how” and the “why” the bible was written more so than just the words themselves?

In Quenched we are currently going thru the book of Genesis trying to discover what we are missing by reading with a “western” or “American” mindset instead of an “eastern” or “Jewish” mindset. Looking to discover what the original audience would have instinctively realized when they heard these stories that we miss completely. In fact, I challenge you to re-read Genesis 11:1-9 and find the verse where it said that God was angry at the people. (Hint, you won’t find it.)

Walk with us as we go thru the Bible in the context of the text itself, as well as the surrounding history. Let’s deconstruct the “Bed-Time Stories” and attempt to reconstruct them through the lens of historical context.

We are journeying together on this, so we invite you to come and join in the discussion. Let’s find out together exactly what it is that we don’t know in the bible and sharpen each other as we search out God’s heart in God’s story.

The young adult Quenched Bible Study class meets on Sunday mornings at 11:00 in Room 217.

Trinity Life – June 2025

For the Journey – June 2025

Posted on Jun 1, 2025 in General, John |

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow! God has blessed the Kerrville area with a group of people who began to meet in 1950 and have continued to do so for seventy-five years. That group of people call themselves Trinity Baptist Church. There are still a few individuals who were here seventy-five years ago, but the rest of us have come alongside and we still have others joining our journey each month. God is good!

We announced during our seventy-fifth anniversary on March 23rd that we would be receiving an anniversary gift beginning the next Sunday and collect it through the Sunday’s in May. I am so excited to tell you that the anniversary gift, given by our church to our church to help reduce the debt of our building loan, totaled $337,774. Thank you, TBC, for your faithful support and generosity to our assignments and journeys together. God is good!

School is out and summer is here. Families will be going on vacations. Some students have taken on summer jobs. Vacation Bible School is just around the corner. Mission trips and summer camps are on the calendar and people are preparing for each. Summer always brings with it a great opportunity for godly introductions and renewals. We are praying that God will call out young men and women to serve Him in great ways. For that matter, we are praying for God to call out many, whether young or old, to serve Him in great ways.

I have been reading lately about the silent revival. It seems there is a movement going on where we are noticing young men taking seriously a call back to religion. These are the words of researchers. My prayer is that we will not just see a resurgence of young men coming back into religion but into relationship. Religion without relationship leads nowhere. I think most pastors desire to make sure that the churches are prepared for what is to come.

As you plan your summer calendars, be sure to check out the ministry and fellowship opportunities afforded through Trinity’s summer schedule. There is something for everyone. We are in full swing of “summer casual” on Sundays. You can always dress as you would like, but we do take a time, when it is so warm, to dress a little more casual. Also, at Midweek on Wednesday nights, we will be having our “Brown Bag” dinners at 5:00 p.m. in the Cafe area and Bible Study and prayer time in the Worship Center at 6:00 p.m.

Summer consideration? There are several ways to support the effort of our summer time together. You can see that we are looking for additional folks to be greeters at doors as well as cart drivers on Sunday mornings. There are other needs as well. If you are looking for a way to plug in, do not hesitate to call the church office and let us start a conversation to find your place of service in the church. We could not do what we do without all of us doing our part. That is the blessing of being a body together. We all are needed and have a part to give.

I am anticipating a great summer of ministry at Trinity and look forward to working, walking, and worshipping together. God is good!

In Christ,

Pastor John

Trinity Life – June 2025

Jubilee Class – May 2025

Posted on May 1, 2025 in Adults, Bible Study Class, General |

by Eva Euler

Jubilee Bible Study Class is a class full of prayer warriors. We have a large network of communication with current and former members.
Laughter is a key ingredient in our time spent together on Sunday mornings, as well as in our luncheon fellowships for Valentine’s Day, for birthdays, and perhaps for no reason at all! We do have an annual Christmas Dinner, sometimes inviting another class to join with us.

Our Bible studies are currently led by JD Templeton, our adult minister. We read scripture and discuss what we read. These next few weeks we are in a study of Nehemiah with the rebuilding of Jerusalem, with Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s victories and failures in dealing with the rebuilding, and the people of Judah.

We welcome visitors and new members!

Trinity Life – May 2025

Stronger Together

Posted on May 1, 2025 in Adults, General, WBS |

by Shelby Peschel

Recently I started wearing a weighted vest while walking – health professionals claim this will increase muscle strength and bone density; my kids claim I look embarrassing. As an avid walker, I figured that I was in decent shape, but putting on that weighted vest sure made me realize otherwise. I needed to get stronger.

The same can be true in our spiritual lives – we think we are doing a decent job, but not until stress is added do we realize our need to be stronger. So, how do we get spiritually stronger? One way is daily study of God’s Word, in particular with the ladies of Trinity’s Women’s Bible Study (WBS). With each Bible study, we add weight to our faith and our knowledge of God through studying the Scriptures together.

This past Fall through studying Elijah, we did some heavy lifting and looked in detail at Elijah’s example of “when faith catches fire.” Next, by focusing on Gratitude, we got stronger together by studying Biblical examples of those who expressed thankfulness to God in all things. By dissecting Psalm 23 word by word this past Winter, we added the significant weight of knowing Jesus is our Good Shepherd and resting in God’s promises. And most recently through studying the book of Esther together, even more weight was added as we considered one women’s strength and God’s plan for provision.

So, if you are a lady looking to add some weight to your faith, commit to join us as WBS kicks off again in the Fall. We meet on Wednesday mornings or Thursday evenings. Our next year of studies include James by Joy of Living and Amos: An Invitation to the Good Life by Jennifer Rothschild. Watch the church announcements for registration info. There is a place for you, and you are invited.

“Lord, Your Word is forever; Your faithfulness is for all generations; I will never forget Your precepts, for You have given me life through them.”
Psalms 119: 89-93

Trinity Life – May 2025

Children’s Ministry – May 2025

Posted on May 1, 2025 in General, Kellee, TrinityKids |

by Kellee Parish

We are gearing up for a wonderful summer of ministry which includes VBS, Kids Camp, Mini Kids Camp and more. We will open registration for VBS on May 1st and kids can still sign up for our camps.

We have opportunities for adults to serve in various capacities. We are needing two adults to help support our teachers in our classrooms as well as needs for substitute teachers. If you’d like to join us in ministry, please feel free to contact me.

On a personal note, a huge thank you for all the cards, notes, hugs and words of encouragement over the last few months after losing my Mom. I’m so grateful to have a church family that is so supportive.

Thank you! Kellee

Trinity Life – May 2025

Student Ministry – May 2025

Posted on May 1, 2025 in General, Wes, Youth |

by Wes Henson

This May is setting up to be a first for me. For the last 20+ years I have celebrated graduating Seniors. Over the years I have honored and acknowledged some graduates I knew extremely well, and some I knew only marginally.

A few years ago, I had a shift in mindset and started to truly find ways to celebrate and honor the families. I wanted what we do as a church to be a blessing for them and, unfortunately, I hadn’t always taken that mindset.

This year, for the first time in my life, I’m celebrating a group of graduates that includes one who lives in my own house.

We have a great group of kids we are going to recognize and celebrate on May 18th, and I hope you’ll join us! We have 17 graduates on our list this year. Some have been with us for the long haul, and some are relatively new faces. But all of them are deeply loved and I’m excited to get to recognize them.

Will you join me in praying for these kids and their families this month? I’m going to be praying for the following things:

Pray for the celebrations and finishing of a chapter – to celebrate well, and to finish well.
Pray for decisions about next steps. Not every student knows for sure what comes next, and that’s okay.
Pray for families. Pray parents, siblings, and extended family can make the most of the time they have.
Pray for rest. A senior year can be hectic, over-scheduled, and tiring.
Pray for a continued commitment to Christ. Above all else, pray our seniors stay committed and on track with their faith in the years to come.

Trinity Life – May 2025

Missions for Life

Posted on May 1, 2025 in General, Missions |

by Dianne Clemons

Growing up in the small town of Union, Mississippi, I began learning about missionaries as a preschool child in Sunbeams at First Baptist Church. We learned about the geography, customs, and needs of missionaries all over the world, including the USA.

We learned about missionaries like Mildred McWhorter, who developed a great missions ministry in downtown Houston from 1963-1992, and was a mega heroine in Girls Auxiliary. We often collected clothes, food, and supplies to send to the mission centers and some churches sent teams to her centers to help with Vacation Bible School, food distribution, and family emergencies.

Another way our church supported missions in the United States was to encourage everyone in our church to give thirty pieces of silver to the Easter offering.

Yes, in the old days, dimes, quarters, half dollars and dollars were made of silver. We had offering cards we could slide our coins in and we would start saving up our money after Christmas. We, young and old, would line up at the foot of the cross and lay our cards there to thank Jesus for His love and help to share His love with others.

During my husband Mark’s pastorate, we started Girls Auxiliary and Royal Ambassadors in every church we served so that children could learn about other people and their need to know Jesus as their Savior. These children are now adults and many are carrying the torch that we passed on to them.

God has given us many opportunities to share His love through such things as construction, well digging, sharing clean water kits, teaching sewing, and working with men and boys in camps to know Jesus and to share Him with others.

I am so thankful for church members at Trinity Baptist who give their time to share God’s love with children and encourage them how to share this love with others they may or may not know. I am thankful for our disaster relief groups who go wherever they are needed to show God’s love. I am thankful for individuals who share their time and resources to help missionaries in many different ways.

We are never too young or old to get on board the Mission’s train and join the Lord in His work.

Trinity Life – May 2025

For the Journey – May 2025

Posted on May 1, 2025 in General, John |

“They will proclaim His righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn, He has done it!” Psalm 22:31

We are reminded, especially at Easter time, that Jesus came to complete that for which He was sent. Much of the Old Testament tells us of God’s provision and care for His people. As we look back through the Scriptures, we see how it tells of Jesus’ coming and His provision for us. When we declare Jesus as our LORD we line up with God’s purpose for our very existence. The world has tried since creation to fill what can only be occupied by Christ. We fail ourselves and those around us when we attempt to find another way other than God’s way.

I am reminded of Jesus’ words to His disciples in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.” Many have tried to tear apart the exclusivity of Christianity making their own claim that there must be another way. Jesus clearly says differently, but the promise of the previous verse is that God has made the way for us to get to Him. Yes, no one comes to the Father except through Jesus, but praise God, the way has been provided by God.

In an article appearing in the New York Times this month, Americans Haven’t Found a Satisfying Alternative to Religion, the author describes the benefits of religion. It is described as the “three B’s.” Belief, belonging and behaviors seem to provide stability which is necessary to be happier, healthier, and more fulfilled. I would add, religious people may experience these but they are not understood in religion but in relationship. It is in a faith relationship with Jesus that we move behind happiness, health, and fulfillment to joy, empowerment and purpose.

I am grateful that our message at Trinity is not about picking up some added health benefit or daily habits, but to dig deeper into a relationship with Jesus who makes the difference in our lives. That is the story of Resurrection. That is the story of transformation.

Thanks to all who helped us celebrate the Resurrection of our LORD so well on Resurrection Sunday. It has been an eventful month as we prepared and shared the Victor as a church to our community. It is encouraging to see people moving toward steps of obedience through baptism and stewardship. We anticipate from week to week the faithful investment of kingdom ministry through our Faith Family.

From the cross Jesus declared, “Tetelestai.” It is finished. But Jesus was not done. Jesus is still at work in us, for us, and through us. Jesus will make a difference not only in our lives but in the lives of all around us, wherever we are and wherever we are going. This is not a transaction of religion, but a transformation of relationship. See you on the journey.

Pastor John

Trinity Life – May 2025

A Little History About Trinity’s The Victor

Posted on Apr 1, 2025 in General, Worship |

Curry, my late husband and I, Suzanne Harston, came to Kerrville in 2008 after living for 3 years in an RV and traveling the USA and Canada. Our Southern California church did a version of The Victor every Palm Sunday. I wrote, directed, and usually played Mary Mom (I was about 40-60 back then). I have a Bachelor’s degree in Directing from UC Fullerton. I found God’s calling for me to be in theatre; I believe it is one of God’s ways for us to spread the word of Jesus & salvation.

Suzanne Harston in Costume

Curry and I took 5 years and attended 19 different churches before we finally found John Wheat at Trinity…we had attended Trinity twice during those years but on the 3rd visit, John Wheat was the new pastor and we knew it was the right place for us. When we met with Pastor John to become members in January 2013, I shared my background and he asked me if I had ever crucified Jesus on stage. I told him yes, every Sunday for the last 20 years. John said they had been wanting to do The Victor but had needed someone who knew how to do the crucifixion part, and so planning started for a Victor to happen on Palm Sunday 2014…yup it took 14 months to get it done. There was no way to pull it off in 2.

Larry Danks, the Music Minister and I started planning. Wayne Comer, a master carpenter, began working on plans to build a stage extension that would allow for us to have a weight-bearing cross.

We used David Clydesdale’s original script for The Victor, all his songs and narration as written. Pastor John played Benjamin, a Jew of Israel who spoke to the audience. We had wonderful costumes for the choir and actors, the costumes for the priests were acceptable, but not great. Our soldiers had plastic armor! BUT our production was a huge success!!! So we planned to do it again in 2015. Some generous person donated money for our soldiers to have real armor. I think those metal soldier costumes were about $600 each. I remember that Larry and I looked for them on the internet, chose what we wanted and when they came we tried them on ourselves like little kids!!!

Using a musical written by David Clydesdale the first version of “The Victor” was presented in 2014. Since that first, humble but powerful presentation it has grown into what we know today, a wonderful gift to the community of Kerrville from Trinity Baptist Church. It now includes over 100 singers and cast members, a musical director, a drama director, a stage director, several assistants, several people behind the scenes running the sound, lighting, and technical aspects, and many others supporting this project through prayer. It also happens to be one of the very few things we get to through the worship ministry that includes every generation and age group represented here in our church.

I remember the feeling I had when I saw those soldiers come to arrest Jesus in the first rehearsal with the new metal armor….WOW!! How intimidating they appeared!! I was overwhelmed !!!! I still am every time I see them coming down the aisle to the garden arrest!!!

Pastor John Wheat – 2014

The next year I told Larry that I needed to rewrite a lot of The Victor to get some women in it. That year, Mary Mom, Mary Mag, the adulterous woman, Lazarus’s sister, and a Leper Woman all became new female speaking parts!! Oh yes, I added lines for Peter, John and Jesus too!

Through the years, the script changes somewhat as do the songs, and story tellers. We added the hand signing in about 2016. At times, it has been 2 or 3 disciples, then 2 priests, now it is the Centurion. In 2025, we added a new character-Isaiah! The basic story, of course, remains the same.

One fun fact about The Victor is how Jesus gets into and out of the tomb! Originally, our tomb had no “escape hatch”, so once Jesus was in the tomb, he couldn’t come out except through the front. Sooooo, an alive Jesus was dropped carefully behind the priest’s stage, and a dummy Jesus was picked up, taken to the tomb, and placed inside. The live Jesus wiggled down the stairs behind a black curtain to backstage where he was cleaned up and redressed for his resurrected appearance! This was standard procedure for the first few years. Until one day, Larry had a brilliant idea to cut a hole in the stage floor under the tomb and provide what we named the “escape hatch”. So, Jesus is really in the tomb for a few seconds then escapes to backstage, where he gets cleaned up for his reappearance!

The Victor is such a powerful outreach to the unchurched. Plus, it is a wonderful way to make close bonds with people in our church.

Charlie, our Music Minister since 2023 is our producer. He also leads The Victor choir. The choir, besides providing wonderful songs, also become the people of Jerusalem. Sometimes loving and sometimes hating Jesus. We are so fortunate to have such a fabulous cast of talented people and singers.

There are a lot of people the audience never sees….Stephanie Clarke, assistant producer though she sings in The Victor choir, she also coordinates all of the people involved with the production, set design, loads the words on the screen, and takes care of whatever else comes up. Riley Gordon, who coordinates the people who run lights, sound, & cameras, he also helps with set design and deals with all of the tech gremlins that inevitably rear their ugly heads each year. Joe Rief was head of the broadcast ministry for many years- ensuring we look and sound good online when we livestream. After he stepped down, Jeff Stone took over along with Tom Gancarz. Misty Gordon ensures the audio is balanced for our live stream. Just a few behind the scene folks that many don’t even know are there, but are just as important as the ones front and center stage!

The stage manager, without whom there would be nothing but a huge train wreck instead of a wonderful performance, controls all backstage activities; including getting actors to their specified entrances, getting blood on and off of Jesus, and controls all props, helps the actors get their mics on, and more!

Originally, I was the stage manager (in costume) so I could change the priest’s stage into the Last Supper, and then back to the Priest’s stage again, but then wonderful Kellee Parish took the job which allowed me to fully develop the cast of Jerusalem people, and eventually sing with the choir. Then, in 2023, Debbie Dossey took the task! She is brilliant at making it a smooth-running performance and helps coordinate some pre-production tasks as well, including taking care of all the palm leaves you see!

Wayne Comer is still leading a team in the installation of our stage extension that allows us to have a crucifixion scene and the tomb. Sue Stewart, then, Carry Overby, and now Kay Barry provided about 100 actors and singers with wonderful authentic costumes. Lew King, a professional song writer wrote, “The Basin and The Towel” which we added to The Victor some years ago. Rob Ward and Roslyn Houghton add directing touches that make our production truly outstanding. Trinity is so blessed to have these gifted people. Rob, Lew, and Roslyn are all part of the Hill Country professional theater community.

I came to know the Lord through a movie and I feel God has truly blessed me with a church home that believes in theater arts as an outreach for the lost.

Every year we have new people in the Victor, singing, acting, signing, and running tech. If you have ever wanted to be a part of The Victor team, let me or Charlie know. We would love to have you! But, the main thing now is to invite people to experience Trinity’s “The Victor”. Carry the little cards and give them out to everybody. “The Victor” is Trinity’s gift to the Texas Hill Country.

Suzanne Harston
Victor Director

TBC on Mission in Kenya

Posted on Apr 1, 2025 in General, Missions |

by Frank Stevens

Mission trips can change the lives of the people you meet and unexpectedly, your life.

God has called Judy and I to serve the Kenyan people.

Our team usually works with two different ministries in Kenya. Principally, we work with International Treasure House Ministries (ITHM). Their focus is to rescue orphan and destitute kids (usually teenage mothers and their babies). They house, educate, equip, and spiritually train them so they will be able to break out of the cycle of poverty. They learn the good news of Jesus and we have witnessed many salvations and baptisms. Our role is to love the kids, training them on things like table etiquette, first aid, healthy relationships, online safety/cyber security, communication skills and goal setting, we also build and repair things. We teach classes for eighth graders at a local school. The classrooms usually have 80 extremely well-behaved kids in very cramped conditions. Not only do we share the gospel of Jesus Christ we also teach subjects like the Holy Spirit and the power of prayer. The kids know we have come a long distance and are very appreciative of that fact. They are free with their love and want to know about Jesus.

We also work with Heshima Children’s Center. Heshima in Swahili means dignity. Their mission is to provide dignity for children with disabilities or special needs. Most kids like this are shunned by society and so are their mothers. Heshima provides special education, therapy, medical services, housing, skills training for the moms in sewing or jewelry making. They also provide drinking water for the community from their deep well. Our role is to buy food staples for 12 to 15 impoverished families in the immediate area. We deliver the food and pray with the families for their needs.

Trinity helps support these mission trips in several ways. The Trinity Stitchers have made dresses for the girls at ITHM and Heshima. The Bridge Class members have donated love offerings for ITHM.

Once you become involved in Missions work you become passionate about it and feel very blessed by God.

Trinity Life – April 2025

Women’s Ministry

Posted on Apr 1, 2025 in General, Women |