This month we celebrate the events that transform the world, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At Trinity Baptist Church, we pray for the Muslim to receive Jesus all year but especially during Ramadan. We pray during the Jewish festivals in September for the Jews to come to receive Jesus as Messiah and we pray during the season of Resurrection that all lost will come to hear the truth of the gospel. We also pray that believers in Christ will be renewed in their commitment of making Jesus known as we share in our Holy Spirit empowered assignment.

 
Our world has been in a mess from the beginning. God has been at work redeeming our brokenness and calling us back to Himself for the same amount of time. Our world seeks answers from sources that can only provide band-aids, whereas God provides our ultimate answer in Jesus. Thank you, Jesus, for the Cross. Thank you, God, for the empty tomb. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for empowering our words and actions. To God be the glory!

 
Thanks to our Worship Ministry led by Charlie Barganier for another incredible offering of the Victor. Thanks to all who participated in so many different ways from choir, to drama, to technically producing this gospel story, to those who invited others to attend. It is a blessing to be a part of the church that takes seriously the presentation of the gospel in so many ways. When we gather with one focus of sharing the gospel, the Holy Spirit uses our offering to produce fruit in the lives of both believers and not yet believers. Praise God for the many blessings He bestows upon His faithful people.

 
This month we celebrate JD Templeton’s tenth year as our Minister of Adult Discipleship. He and Kimberly have been so faithful to help lead us in the path of faith while both setting an example and calling us to follow the LORD. We are blessed through JD’s ministry.

 
We are also blessed by our Youth Minister Search Committee as they are faithfully gathering to help find our next called ministerial staff. They have been diligent in their efforts and prayers as God leads them. Please continue to pray by name for James Tripp, Julie Boles, Barb Bowers, Jesse Hinton, Loretta Keese, Shelby Peschel and Becky Watkins. Commit to pray for our 6 prayer points at 7:00.

 
“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

 

In Christ,

 

 

 
By the time you read this, our 48 Hour Prayer Wall will have concluded but not the ongoing prayers of our church nor the provision granted by our LORD. I am grateful that Trinity is a praying church. Prayer puts us in the position to hear from the LORD as He also hears from us. Prayer helps us to align our walk with His ways. Prayer encourages us that we always have an audience with God because of His love for us in Christ and our salvation in Him. Thank you, Trinity, for praying.

 
One prayer I have for March is to bring a lot of new people into our church. There will be several weeks in March that we will see numerous people from around Texas, both students and adults, coming to work through Texans on Missions for rebuild. You have been so faithful as a church to share space with others who are lodging in our Bible study rooms during the week. We are so fortunate to have the space God has provided over the years to accommodate such a need and to help provide assistance for our community in such a great way.

 
We also hope that there will be many who come into our space to experience The Victor this year. On March 27-29, at 7:00 p.m., we will once again share the story of Jesus through the telling of His life, burial and resurrection. Please consider helping to invite our community to experience The Victor with us.

 
Our Youth Minister Search Committee has identified a special way to pray together as we are looking for our next youth minister. You will see “6 for 7” in several places in communication and around the church. It is simply six specific prayer requests given with the encouragement to join together and pray at 7:00 (a.m/p.m), your choice. God has blessed Trinity Baptist Church with our ministerial staff and we anticipate God’s continued blessing as we add to our team. Thank you, in advance, for joining with us as we journey down this path.

 
In Christ,

 

 

A new year is upon us. For some, it has taken too long to get here, and for others, it came way too quickly. The impact of 2025 had a full assortment of both good and bad. What we choose to remember will help to determine whether we view it largely as positive or negative. Either way, it has given shape to our present and our future.

 
Trinity Baptist Church began the year making plans to celebrate our 75th anniversary. We determined to help raise support to eliminate our financial debt of our Gathering Space and God blessed us by covering a big amount through faithful stewardship and giving. We had Dennis Swanberg come and help us celebrate as we were encouraged and laughed a lot. What a wonderful gathering, which was dampened by a big hailstorm as we were heading home.

 
God has really blessed our Gathering Space in our new building by allowing our church to see one another as we gather and move through our Sunday Worship and Bible studies. We did not know it at the time, but God had another use for our space when we were called upon by our city to provide shelter for those loved ones who were not hearing good news from our tragic flood on July 4. I am appreciative for how Trinity provided for the privacy these parents and family members needed. Our hearts are forever changed and our family grown.

 
Texans on Mission quickly came to our campus and have been a great source of financial support and physical labor support in Kerr County. TXM has several groups already scheduled to come and help our community in 2026. Trinity has remained accessible to the lodging needs and meals. Thank you to all who are helping in these areas. It has been such a blessing to sense the large Baptist family support from around the state and even out of state.

 
We continue to pray for all who were affected by the flood. It will not be like it was, but neither will it remain as it is today. One of the things that stands out for me is the way the church at large was available to meet needs and stay connected to the rebuilding efforts taking place. We have a wonderful group of sister churches in Kerrville with godly and anointed leadership. We will continue our journey together.

 
Most of you have heard that Wes Henson has resigned as Youth Minister at Trinity. Wes has felt the LORD leading him in some other directions and Wes is faithfully moving in that direction. I am appreciative of everything Wes has done over his tenure as Youth Minister. He has been an excellent ministerial team member and we have enjoyed watching his family grow up with us. He has developed an incredible team of adult leaders while encouraging our students to take their stand for Christ. Wes’ last day on staff will be Sunday, January 18th. On that day, there will be a reception for the Henson’s at 3:00pm in the Café, with a carding. I hope you will make it a point to express your appreciation to Wes, Mica, Anna and Charis for their time on ministerial staff with us and encourage them as we see them taking the next steps with their family.

 
I am excited about 2026 and look forward to all God has in store for us as we continue to meet together and prioritize God’s assignments among us. Stay tuned; it will be awesome!

 
In Christ,

 

 

 
Advent is defined by a season of four Sunday’s prior to Christmas where many Christians will participate in a special time of prayer and fasting with anticipation of the celebration of Christ’s birth. The Messiah has come! As Christians, we look back to God’s faithfulness while also looking forward to a second advent when Jesus will return not only as Savior but as Reigning King. Our Advent Season will culminate at our Christmas Eve services where we will light the Christ candle and share in the Light that has come into the world.

 
December is the last month of our year and we will be experiencing the days of 2026 very soon, should the LORD tarry. I hope you will take advantage of the many opportunities to prepare your hearts for the celebration of Christ’s birth. I pray we will stand in the truths of God’s amazing gift of love. God did not send to us more religiosity at Christmas. God sends to us the potential of relationship instead. It is possible to get so caught up in the trimmings of Christmas that we forget to truly make the most of God’s gift.

 
The songs of Christmas are like no other season of the year. We sing and listen to joyful music. We can see the drama of Christmas taking place through the songs we sing. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. O, come let us adore Him, Christ the LORD. What a blessing to be the recipients of such a great love from God. But more than adoration, may we come to reception. The Scriptures tell us that the Word, Jesus, “He came unto His own but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” What a joy to be counted among the children of God.

 
Be sure to mark your calendars for Night in Bethlehem, December 5th & 6th, Prime Time Singers and Ringers “Merry Christmas to You,” and “Christ Has Come” by Trinity’s Christmas Choir and Community Orchestra. We hope to see you often.

 
Our Midweek Bible Study will cover our Christmas season with a special time of Christmas caroling on Wednesday, December 17. We will also be taking up our Christmas offering for International missions this month. We will have guest missionary preachers, Austin Roden and John Hinds, on December 7th and 14th receptively. Also, be sure to mark your calendars for our Christmas Eve Candle Lighting Services at 5:00pm and 6:30pm.
I hope you find joy this Christmas as you gather around family, friends and especially our Savior for whom we celebrate.

 
Merry Christmas.

 

 

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6

 
God has been so faithful and good to us. Even in the midst of struggles and grief, we sense God’s presence and direction forward. Let me first of all thank you, Trinity Baptist Church, on behalf of the Pastor and our Ministerial staff, for the most generous appreciation through words and cards during Pastor Appreciation month in October. It is such a blessing to travel alongside you as we serve the LORD together.

 
I am most grateful for God’s salvation through Christ our Savior. This month, which holds the day we call Thanksgiving, gives us many opportunities to stop and consider the many things for which we are thankful. I count as blessings from God my family, with Melinda being the starting point. God has been so gracious to provide such a rich spiritual heritage for which I am a recipient, and prayerfully being a contributor. I hope and pray that as the days of November pass that we will have exponentially more things to list than the number of days in the month.

 
I am also thankful for the way in which Trinity Baptist has made ourselves available for assisting others through our community recovery and rebuild efforts. This truly is a long haul and we can only see one week at a time. We are blessed to be a part of a larger Baptist family who have poured in from other cities and states. We continue to consider ways to support those in need.

 
God is on the move redeeming all that takes place. There is a renewed emphasis on spiritual conversations that I pray will lead to gospel presentations. We are hearing that young men are making the turn of leading others back to the church. It is encouraging to know that the Body of Christ is at work leading others to relationship in Christ and service to Christ.

 
During the month of November, we will be recognizing the Persecuted Church around the world. You will notice the flags of many countries where there is extreme persecution for being a Christian. Two of the greatest persecutions are upon gathering in Jesus’ name and in the distribution of Bibles. May we remember those of our brothers and sisters in Christ as they remain faithful as we do our part to be aware of their struggles and pray for their witness.

 
A special thanks to Texans on Mission for their continual work among us and for STCHM for their counseling services in September and October. We have much to do and will continue to find ways to share the love of Christ as we minister and care for those in our community. Thank you for your faithfulness.

 
In Christ,