For the Journey – June 2023

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,

Pastor John

 

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Children’s Ministry News – June 2023

by Tres Parish
 
We are coming up on a fun, busy, and great summer. We start off with Vacation Bible School June 12 – 15th from 9am-noon. Come join us for an adventure in Babylon and explore Daniel’s courage and captivity. Sign up at www.tbck.org and also email Kellee at kparish@tbck.org to help minister to kids.
 
Pre-Teen Camp is at Alto Frio July 24-27. This summer our theme is “Code Breakers”. Pre-Teen Camp is for children who have completed 3rd through 5th grade. The cost is $200 (a $50 deposit and TBCK form reserves your spot). Jeremiah 33:3 is our theme verse for the week.
 
Children’s Day Camp is August 4th for children who have completed 1st through 3rd grade. The theme is “Created by God” and the cost is $25. The TBCK form and $25 is needed to register.
 
Parents, Pizza, and Snowballs returns with an ultimate game of Parents vs Kids snowball fight on July 13 at 5:30pm. Children who have completed PK – 5th grade will enjoy this awesome time with their family. Childcare will be provided for the younger children. They can enjoy the pizza time before going to the children’s area for their own fun time. Please let Paula know you’ll be attending (RSVP) so we can have plenty of pizza.
 

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Meet Trinity’s 2023 Summer Interns

We are thrilled to have two interns this summer: Ryia Neuman and Cailin Powell, who are both currently Trinity members! For this month, I asked Ryia to share a few words. Enjoy!  –Wes Henson
 
Hi! I’m Ryia Neuman. I am 9th generation from Kerrville, and Trinity has basically been my second home for about eleven years. Interning for Trinity has been something I’ve dreamed of doing for a couple of years now, and I am humbled and honored to be given the opportunity to serve as one of your summer interns this year!
 
I just graduated from high school and am filled with a strong sense and calling to ministry. Though the exact shape of this calling remains uncertain as of right now, I’m very interested to see what God will reveal over the next few months. I am looking forward to getting to work, as well as learn, alongside so many wonderful Jesus-loving people and getting to know my home church even better than I already do.
 
I am super excited to develop stronger and deeper relationships with the youth as well as the wonderful youth workers who have poured so much love and wisdom into my own life. It is an honor to walk alongside them. I am also looking forward to helping these students grow in their relationships with Christ. I am excited to watch the friendships among the students grow stronger during our time together at camp and throughout the summer. Above all, I am eager to watch and see how God works and uses this summer for His glory!
 

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For the Journey – May 2023

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,

Pastor John

 

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Women’s Bible Study – May 2023

by Chana Johnson
 
What a great year we are having in our Wednesday morning and Thursday evening Bible study classes! We continue growing in our numbers as we study God’s word together. Not only do we have our TBCK women in our study, but as we reach out beyond our church to our community, more and more ladies are coming to hear the message of the Gospel.
 
WBS has been studying the book of Acts, from the Joy of Living Bible Studies. Debbie Williams, our teaching leader, blesses us each week as she expounds on the message God has for us in each chapter of Acts. Debbie’s teaching videos are available on the TBCK website and You Tube channel.
 
Upcoming News:
  • WBS will use Debbie Williams’ study of 2 Peter for the 4 weeks of July; Wednesday mornings at 10 AM and Thursday evenings at 6:30 PM.
  • In the fall, our ladies will study John, from the Joy of Living Bible Studies. Debbie Williams has committed to be our teaching leader through April, 2024.
  • The first part of John will be September 13 – November 21. We will finish the study of John in the spring of 2024, January 17 – March 27.
  • We are planning a 4-week study in April 2024 using one of Debbie Williams’ studies: Jude or selected Psalms.
  • Ask any lady in our WBS weekly study, and you will hear “we are blessed!”.
 

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Jubilee Class – May 2023

by Jerry Cobb
 
Bill Parr and Gene Ayers have led us through the Book of Job. From healthy and rich, to sick and poor. All he had left was a nagging wife and a sick body. Against the council of friends, enemies and family he refused to lose his faith in GOD. Could we withstand the trials he faced and not lose sight of our trust that God will take care of us?
 
We have a new teacher beginning with the April 2nd lesson.  Barbara Jordan began by informing us that she taught 10-year-old children for years and was sure she could handle us. Sounds a lot like Chris. We can’t wait.
 

Our class met after church on a Sunday in February for a Memorial Gathering to remember and acknowledge the loss of fourteen of our class members that have moved to ‘Higher Ground’ in the very recent past. A  poem written by Doug Lusk, a member of our class, is offered with his permission.

 

Someone is Waiting by Doug Lusk
There in the distance is someone I see.
He stands there so patiently, waiting for me.
I know who it is and I knew He would come;
I’ve counted on this when my journey was done.
He knows who I am and He knows I believe
That He’ll end all my pain and my
struggles relieve.
I know that his son cannot be far away;
He knew I’d come home and was waiting today.He’s prepared me a place where I’ll
stay from now on,And He will forgive all the things I’ve done wrong.
 What a comfort for me that I knew of this friendWho would be there to greet me when
I reached the end;
For the journey was long, though I loved
every mile,
And now I am ready to rest for a while.
Once again, I’ll see loved ones,
what stories we’ll share,
And dear friends I’ve missed will also be there.
I love each of you that I’m leaving behind,
And I want you to know that I’m doing just fine.
For there in the distance is someone I see;

It’s God and His Son and they’ll take care of me.

 

The Jubilee Class meets each Sunday at 9:45 in the Chapel.

 

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Children’s Ministry – May 2023

by Melissa Morris
 
I have two core memories from my early childhood in church. The first is waving palm branches on Palm Sunday. The other is Vacation Bible School. It was my favorite week of the summer!  I loved the music with hand motions, cookies with Kool-Aid, pledges to the flags and Bible, crafts, and getting to see my church friends every day. I was also learning Bible stories and memorizing verses I can still quote. I can still remember the first summer I was in the youth group and got promoted to worker. I got to help my mom go all out decorating her classroom and imparted Biblical wisdom on children SO much younger than my very mature 12-year-old self. (I also discovered that the snacks for teachers are far superior to the kids’ snacks.)
 
As an adult, VBS is still one of my favorite weeks. I have taught the Bible story for several years now. Like my mom, I fully theme my room so that the kids can become immersed in the story. I have enjoyed lightly spraying the kids with water when teaching about Paul being shipwrecked, playing sound effects, and dressing up in costumes. I pray that all of these sensory experiences can help the Bible stories come alive and imprint on kids the way that it did for me.
 
It is time to consider what role you will play in VBS this year. There are several ways you can help. We need Family Leaders who rotate with the children. You don’t have to plan anything and you get to build relationships with precious children as you guide them through activities. We also need teachers for crafts, recreation, snacks, missions, music, and Bible study. Please contact Paula for more details and Kellee to sign up to help. The dates are Monday, June 12 to Thursday, June 15 from 9am to noon. Kids who have completed kindergarten through 5th grade will be able to participate and register beginning in May. The theme this year is “Babylon: Daniel’s Story” and the theme verse is 1 Chronicles 16:34 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”  
 
I can’t wait to see how God is going to show us his goodness and faithful love during VBS this summer!
 

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Student Ministry – May 2023

 
 
Who is someone who has invested in your spiritual life? I can’t help but think about Bro. Lance who asked me if I would be willing to meet with him each week when I was in high school. During those weekly meetings, he taught me about spiritual disciplines, about discipleship, about prayer, about mentoring, and so much more. 
 
I also think about my dad, and the work we got to do together. Looking back, I’m grateful for the countless hours I spent working alongside him. Things I dreaded and resented in the moment have now shaped me into who I am. And the lessons I learned from him cannot be counted on paper.
 
I also think about my prayer grandmother. Every Sunday we would find each other and she would hug me and say, “Wes, I love you and I’m praying for you.” And I knew she was. She was an encouragement to me through some of my hardest parts of high school. And long after I graduated, when we would cross paths, she would repeat the same refrain, because it was still true.
 
What’s the constant in each of those relationships? Time. Each one of those influential adults invested time into me, some intentionally and one partially because I was cheap labor. But time made the difference. And time continues to make the difference.
 
As we enter the month of May, I want to give a shout out to our Youth Workers who have invested time in students this school year. Your efforts may not always produce the result you want or expect, but know that your time is not wasted.
 
And if you’re reading this and aren’t a youth worker (yet!), let’s talk. Maybe you can step into a role where you hug a neck and let a kid know you’re praying for them.
 

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Kenya Mission Trip

by Sharron Hawk & Judy Stevens
 
When I received a message stating that Trinity Baptist was known as a church invested in missions, I was more than excited. IMB (the International Missions Board) was asking for a team from Trinity to volunteer to instruct children while their missionary parents were participating in a Home School Conference in Africa. Because I knew how important these conferences can be to families serving in remote locations, I was ready to go. But was this what God would have us to do? I began to pray, and went to Pastor John, who encouraged me to proceed. Would God lead members of our congregation to become involved in this type of mission? As people began to hear about this opportunity, God brought together a wonderful team of thirteen people who said yes to God’s call. God placed it on Judy Stevens’ heart to help in coordinating the trip. I was thrilled that she and Frank were willing to take on the leadership role as the winter months are busy for pastoral care. God faithfully brought together every detail of the trip and bonded a team of individuals, some who were meeting each other for the first time.
 
On March 9th we began our 24-hours of flights to Kenya. The mission effort was not without challenges. Illness was part of our journey. Team members who were healthy ministered to those who were sick, making sure they recovered while the work of the mission continued without interruption. Judy kept our church members updated on prayer needs and we kept seeing God answer those prayers. We gained strength from knowing our church family and prayer partners were praying for us. For security reasons, we cannot identify the children we taught but I assure you their smiles told the whole story. This was God’s mission not ours. He blessed in so many unexpected ways and left each team member with memories they will never forget. To God be all the glory.
 

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