From Obligation to Belonging

Sean Murphy’s connection to the church began unexpectedly. Assigned community service, Murphy asked to serve somewhere close to home. A decision that brought him to the Highland Park Community Assistance Network on the BT Campus. At first, he expected to do little more than complete the required hours by helping at the thrift store and food pantry. Instead, relationships began to form. “I just kept coming and it became a regular thing,” he said.

He began attending worship and Bible study with his wife, Nancy and daughter, Makala. They felt welcome and the Holy Spirit began to work on their hearts. Nancy and Makala made a public commitment to Christ and were baptized last year. Nancy sings and plays guitar with the church praise band.

Murphy describes himself as a handyman, a role shaped as much by necessity as by skill. “When something broke, nobody knew how to fix it and we ended up having to pay somebody,” he said. So, he learned to work with hands.

He worked in construction until a falling beam nearly crushed his leg. “I almost lost my leg. I was real lucky,” he said

Now retired, Murphy is present at the church most days. He helps where he can—fixing appliances, tending to the landscape, assembling meal packs for the homeless, whatever is needed. He is not only a handyman, but he plays the guitar and cooks. “It's giving me a sense of purpose, and I feel like I'm actually doing something,” he said.

Deacon Vernon Liverett said, “I have seen that when Sean gets involved with something, he becomes totally committed to it. He does research and will learn new skills to become more proficient at that activity.”

Murphy’s spiritual journey has had some twists and turns. He was raised Catholic but his grandmother, while Catholic, also practiced tarot reading during the Great Depression to support her family—a detail Murphy recounts with both irony and affection. As a young adult, he explored a wide range of religious traditions, including the Mormon Church and Wicca.

When Murphy began to read a Bible provided to him be the Gideons, he came full circle to Christianity. Opening it at random, he encountered the story of Job. The suffering was so overwhelming that he could not finish the account at the time, unaware that restoration followed loss. Still, the experience marked a turning point. “Now I find myself doing it more and more with Bible study and hearing the sermons in church and just kind of being more active than I've ever been in a church setting before,” he said.

Under the gentle and steady discipleship of Minister of Outreach, Daniel Arredondo and Liverette, Murphy committed himself to following Christ and was baptized on February first this year.

Murphy does not frame his faith in doctrinal terms. He speaks of following Jesus through action—helping others, fixing what’s broken, showing up when someone needs help. For him, faith has become more present and embodied than ever before.

Church is a place where he belongs, contributes, and grows. Murphy’s faith is active and grounded in compassion. He helps because he knows what it is like to need help—and not receive it. That knowledge shapes both his work and his walk.

A Seasonal Job Becomes a Lifetime Calling

It was meant to be temporary. As the Christmas season approached, Baptist Temple was without a Minister of Music for the usual holiday worship events. Experienced and available, Kirby Follis was invited to lead the church through Advent and Christmas.

It worked out well. The choir was talented and musicians were already in place. “We had a great celebration,” said Follis.

The church, pleased with the results, invited Follis to remain on staff full-time. Follis had a promising career in banking and prayed fervently before accepting the call. He said, “The Lord fulfilled my call to step fully into ministry.” 

Although he had been a worship leader for five years, this was his first experience leading a big program. There were choirs, handbells, a worship orchestra, and dinner theater, but he grew into the job. “I had complete freedom to lead and try new things or evaluate and revise old things,” he said.

Follis served during the final years of Bill Perdue’s pastorate and was part of the team of staff that led the church during the interim months between pastors. The team which also included Gary Bradley, Danny Johnson, and Guillermo Rolando ensured that the spiritual vitality of BT remained undiminished and yielded eleven baptisms during this time.

When Mark Newton was called as pastor, the next phase of Follis’s service began. A five-year period where his additional duties changed from children’s ministry to missions. A highlight of this era was BT’s active participation in the Billy Graham Crusade held in San Antonio. Follis helped mobilize volunteers, counselors, and follow-up teams. He was one of sixty BT church members who sang in the crusade choir.

Training sessions brought together participants from a range of congregations, including meetings hosted at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church. Follis remembered the remarkable cooperative spirit among churches in the city at that time. Legendary Billy Graham Crusade music director Cliff Barrow lead the choir. “To be under his guidance is something you remember your whole life,” said Follis.

One of the most popular worship-related ministries during his time was the dinner theater. Follis inherited this program that was created by Mary Ann Stevens, whose leadership had expanded children’s choirs, introduced handbells and instrumentation, and developed resources to support music education. Building on that foundation, Follis and co-director Nancy Pennington continued the ministry and oversaw a stylistic shift toward musical theater productions with Christian themes. 

Kirby Follis was at BT from 1993—2000 and today serves as Executive Pastor of Cityrise Church in Houston but still remembers the joy of serving a vibrant San Antonio church “with a desire to embrace, love, and serve as changing community.”

“Baptist Temple has long been 

a beacon atop the I-10 freeway.

May her light continue to brightly shine!” 

Kirby Follis

Rooted in Friendship, Renewed in Service

Bobann Moore returned to the church of her childhood to help serve the Tuesday night community dinner after retiring from a long career in clinical research. With newly available time, she made a decisive commitment: Tuesdays would belong to Baptist Temple.

"Bobann is a great cook but has been happy to help in any way she can,” said Kay Richardson, who leads the community dinner crew. “She preps vegetables, butters bread, cuts and plates desserts, and gets ice in cups. She also provides some of our desserts when needed. And she is always ready and willing to serve our community from the line.” 

With a constant smile on her face that reflects her inner joy, Moore makes it a point to greet and speak to community members and is an encouragement to the other volunteers. Soon her service expanded to organizing neighborhood donation drives, collecting clothing and household items, and delivering them weekly to the church’s thrift store. Her car—and often her garage—fill quickly.

Her story at Baptist Temple spans nearly a lifetime. She first arrived as a child of nine, when her family moved from Oklahoma to San Antonio. Her father, Bill Leikam, was Pastor Loren White’s college roommate at Oklahoma Baptist University and was invited to serve as BT’s minister of music while also teaching full-time at San Antonio College. 

She was baptized at age eleven by Loren White and grew within the full rhythm of church life—Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, and Wednesday nights—at a time when the sanctuary was full and the ministries were thriving.

She was married by BT Pastor Bill Purdue, and later her daughter was dedicated at BT. Generations overlapped naturally; friendships formed in childhood extended into adulthood.

Moore is part of a group of friends who get together once a month for dinner, sustaining bonds formed in pews and classrooms long ago. They grew up at Baptist Temple and have kept ties throughout the years even though many now attend other churches. “Since seven of us still attend BT, when we get together, we talk about what's going on at BT,” said Richardson.  

Although her church home is at Cornerstone, Moore has always shown particular interest in BT's ministries to the community and the homeless. She understands that volunteer-driven ministries depend on faithfulness across generations. “I want to keep this place going as best I can,” she explained, mindful that seasons change and servants age. Her commitment is steady, practical, and deeply relational.

Her memories of Baptist Temple are shaped by leadership and mission. She recalls the warmth and kindness of Loren White, the energy and vision of Mark Newton, and the organizational strength of Bill Purdue. She remembers bold ministries—the methadone clinic, the bus ministry, and outreach to housing projects—that embodied a willingness to serve neighbors even when such efforts made some uncomfortable.

In the past, Moore had served faithfully BT for years as nursery coordinator during a season when the church overflowed with young families. She volunteered to work church events and spearheaded a fundraising drive that raised thousands of dollars to assist a family in need. Her service was usually behind the scenes, but always effective.

Today, Moore continues to encourage generosity within her circle of longtime friends—redirecting gift exchanges toward donations, organizing care bags, and quietly modeling what it means to remain invested in a church that shaped her life. Baptist Temple, she says simply, “means a whole lot to us.”

For Bobann Moore, Baptist Temple is not only a place of memory but a living mission—one worthy of time, effort, and faithful presence. “Bobann has a giving, servant's heart and I am blessed to call her my friend and serve alongside her,” said Richardson.