A Legacy of Faithful Ministry

For more than one hundred years Baptist Temple has witnessed the examples of people living according to the teachings of Jesus Christ; wonderful examples of lives that bring honor and glory to Him. Two of those faithful servants were recently added to the honored roll of Deacons Emeriti: JoAnn White and Muriel Persky.

White, a deacon’s wife for many years was ordained a deacon in her own right in 2017. Her emeritus status is granted in honor of many years of service prior to her ordination. Today, she is best known through our ceramics ministry, where with her husband Boyd and her son Robbie, she provides a weekly recreational outlet with a healthy dose of Jesus. But her service record is deep and wide. 

Since coming to Baptist Temple in 1970, her positions include WMU president, Sunday school teacher and department director, Cub Scout den mother and scoutmaster in our Troop 22’s Cub Scout program, and kindergarten teacher in our early learning center. She used her CNA nursing skills in BT’s TOUCH methadone program, working alongside Rose Flynn and Dr. E. J. Gregory. “I took them into the room, settled them down, took their blood pressure and temperature and all that. Dr. Gregory told Rose what to do and she did the medication,” she said.

She served the community as well, serving as PTA president at Kate Schenck Elementary, Rogers Middle School, and Highlands High School, following her children as they grew up.

Like White, Persky had been a deacon’s wife for many years prior to her ordination in 2017. She has taught Sunday school, Mission Friends, and Vacation Bible School. She has cooked at youth camps for as many as one hundred hungry teenagers — and few people are hungrier than teenagers. She worked behind the scenes on our legendary dinner theaters and children’s musicals. She worked with adults, too, teaching Bible study for the Christian Women’s Job Corps—helping women gain a fresh start in life. She even developed and wrote Bible study curriculum for the program.

One of Muriel’s fondest memories was serving with the planning team for the Billy Graham Crusade during the four months of preparation leading up to the San Antonio crusade.

While serving so faithfully in church ministry, she worked many years at Buckner Baptist Benevolences. She began as a cook, advanced to receptionist, then bookkeeper, and eventually administrative assistant before retiring.

Following retirement, she would accompany her husband, Robert, on short-term missions to the border and on Young in Heart excursions. Locally, Robert and Muriel worked on two Habitat for Humanity houses.

In 2020, Persky completed fifty hours of training to become certified as Stephen Minister, enhancing her skills to walk alongside people in need of extra grace.

Hope in the Heart of the City

An organization that prevails is one that adapts to a changing environment in order to meet the needs of people. It does not rest on past successes, nor does it rage against gathering clouds. Instead, it uses the past as a prelude and presses on to greater heights.

Its leaders understand the times, looking for where God is at work—because God is always at work.

For more than 100 years, we have navigated community change. From pastureland to upscale suburbs to the inner city, we have sought to meet the spiritual and physical needs of our neighbors.

During the Great Depression, a “Tent City” of homeless people formed a mile east of us. We brought blankets, clothing, food, and medicine. At the same time, we operated a soup kitchen a mile to the north.

In the late 1960s, the construction of I-10 and HemisFair ’68 radically changed the neighborhood. Homes were demolished. People and financial resources migrated north. But we stayed.

Sewing classes, ESL instruction, a medical clinic, a methadone program, sports and recreation for all ages, and an early learning center emerged to meet community needs. They were later joined by a food pantry, clothing closet, and counseling ministries.

Today, we serve in a community where life expectancy is ten years lower than in some neighborhoods on the north side of San Antonio.

Yet, in the middle of this so-called under-resourced area, stands this magnificent facility: eighty thousand square feet on three acres. We are located on I-10 near a major exit, close to Interstates 35, 37, and 410, just one block from two bus routes, with ample parking and a dedicated cadre of workers—many from this very community.

Around us stands a growing network of churches, businesses, nonprofits, foundations, and individuals committed to breaking the bonds of generational poverty.

There are many success stories. The hungry are fed. The homeless are housed. Addicts are finding sobriety. But some of the greatest victories are among our youth.

Let me tell you about Coby. He grew up in our children’s and youth ministries, nurtured by caring adults who faithfully brought him and his sister to church. He became one of the 60 percent in our community who graduate from high school and later received a full scholarship to the University of the Incarnate Word… as a saxophone player.

Though he attended a high school often viewed as less competitive than those in more affluent communities, he was given the tools, encouragement, and support needed to succeed at a major university.

Then there is Meosha, who lived in Denver Heights as a child, and went to college om an athletic scholarship.

This month, another of our students, Diego, will graduate from St. Mary's University and be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Texas Army National Guard. Destiny will also graduate from St. Mary’s this month.

There are many others who have continued their education beyond high school thanks to the John and Mary Ellen Long grants. There is hope.

We have also provided internship opportunities for students from Baylor University, Our Lady of the Lake University, The University of Texas at San Antonio, and Baptist University of the Americas, along with a workforce training program for special-needs students through SAISD.

This summer, we will host the Texas Baptist Deaf Conference for the second time, along with a two-week camp for children with special needs.

Each month we:

    •    provide 623 boxes of groceries,
    •    serve 775 free dinners,
    •    distribute 182 lunch bags,
    •    provide 83 clothing changes for homeless individuals, and
    •    serve 2,620 free school meals.

But we offer more than handouts. We offer friendship and dignity. We provide support groups, counseling, and classes in life skills and health.

From the Early Learning Center to Funeral Caring USA, we care for our community from cradle to grave. In between, we provide respite care, Empower House, Divine Women, ceramics classes, and five churches working together in a multifaceted, holistic approach to loving our neighbors.

We receive generous support from foundations including the Baptist Health Foundation, the Charity Ball Association, the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation, and H-E-B Tournament of Champions. Their support has helped fund major repairs and improvements, including our inclusive playground—where children with disabilities can play alongside their typically abled friends—and our gymnasium, where six youth basketball teams practice. Sports help keep young people healthy, engaged in school, and out of trouble. Children and adults alike use these facilities.

Support also comes from individuals, churches, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. During COVID, a government grant allowed our Early Learning Center to remain open and continue serving the children of essential workers.

As the needs have increased, so have the resources. This year, HP CAN became a Texas nonprofit organization recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3). We are preparing to bring in additional partners, expand our services, and increase the number of people we serve.

Work, Dignity, and Opportunity

In recent years, a partnership has taken root between Baptist Temple and the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) that has steadily reshaped expectations for students with disabilities preparing to enter the workforce. What began as a practical collaboration has matured into a life-giving pathway marked by dignity, skill, and surprising independence.

At the center of this effort is Kirbe Hunt-Montgomery, a work-based learning teacher at Sam Houston High School. In her role, Hunt-Montgomery serves as both advocate and architect, guiding students through the often-daunting transition from structured school environments into the unpredictability of adult employment. Her work reflects a broader vision within SAISD: to ensure that all students, regardless of ability, are equipped not merely to graduate, but to participate meaningfully in the workforce.

Through SAISD’s work-based learning programs, juniors and seniors are placed in real-world environments where they can develop practical skills. Among these placements, Baptist Temple’s thrift store has emerged as a particularly effective training ground. There, students encounter not only the mechanics of retail work—sorting, organizing, assisting customers—but also the relational rhythms that define any workplace: communication, initiative, and responsibility.

Hunt-Montgomery describes the partnership with clear gratitude. The structure and support provided by Baptist Temple allow certain students to leave campus and engage in off-site work, an opportunity not easily secured for those with additional challenges. This access, she notes, is transformative. “They went from not being able to tie their own shoes to working at the register, to bagging groceries, to working in retail, to working in warehouses,” she said.

Several students who began their training in this environment have progressed into more advanced opportunities, including internships through Project SEARCH at CHRISTUS Children’s Hospital. There, they complete a year-long program that often leads directly to employment. Some have found work in local businesses ranging from restaurants to car washes, and even daycare centers.

Yet the most compelling outcomes are not merely vocational. They are personal. Hunt-Montgomery recounts the stories of students whose parents once doubted their capacity for independence. In many cases, those same students have learned not only to work but to thrive—mastering tasks once thought beyond their reach, securing driver’s licenses, and in some instances, living independently. These are not incremental gains; they are profound shifts in identity and expectation.

Such transformation does not occur in isolation. It is sustained by environments that communicate worth. For many students, Baptist Temple has provided precisely that. Hunt-Montgomery emphasizes that without places willing to welcome and train these students, their opportunities would remain severely limited. 

This sentiment is echoed by Tnisha Nation, an instructional assistant who works closely with the students. Having transitioned from a role as a bus monitor into the classroom, Nation brings both experience and empathy to her work. She speaks candidly about her motivation: a desire to build meaningful relationships with students and to embrace the challenge of working with those who have special needs.

At the thrift store, Nation has witnessed growth that is both practical and deeply human. Students who once struggled with basic life skills—such as folding or hanging clothes—begin to demonstrate competence and even initiative. Over time, familiarity breeds confidence. Tasks that once required careful prompting become second nature.

Equally significant is the environment in which this learning takes place. Nation describes her first experience at Baptist Temple as one of immediate welcome. The staff, she notes, created an atmosphere of encouragement not only for the students but also for those guiding them. “Daniel [Minister of Outreach] is awesome. He's very helpful. He made me feel comfortable because this was my first year,” she said.

This sense of belonging extends to customer interactions as well. Regular patrons often respond with warmth and patience, reinforcing the students’ sense of acceptance.

One moment stands out. A student named Kayleena, noticed a customer struggling to carry an armful of clothing. Without prompting, she stepped forward, helping transport the items. It was a small act, easily overlooked, yet it revealed something larger: the internalization of both skill and empathy. Such moments, Nation reflects, are evidence that these students are not merely learning tasks—they are becoming contributors.

Kayleena has been accepted into Project SEARCH. Her story, like many others, underscores the broader impact of the program.

What emerges from these accounts is a consistent theme: students with disabilities are often underestimated. Yet, as Hunt-Montgomery insists, they share the same aspirations as their peers. They want independence. They want community. They want meaningful work and the dignity that accompanies it. What they require is not lowered expectations, but genuine opportunity.

Baptist Temple’s role in this partnership reflects a quiet but powerful theology of presence. By opening its doors, by structuring its ministry to include rather than exclude, the church has become a place where potential is recognized and cultivated. In doing so, it participates in a work that affirms the inherent worth of every individual and redefines what is possible.

The results are visible not only in employment statistics or program outcomes, but in lives redirected and futures reclaimed. And in that sense, the partnership stands as a testament: when institutions align around purpose and compassion, even the most tentative beginnings can lead to enduring transformation.