A Familiar Gym, a Larger Purpose

The Baptist Temple Campus gym has long been a place where neighbors gather and build community. Recently, that space was used for a study connected to assistive technology and rehabilitation, giving researchers and participants a familiar setting in which to observe movement, communication, and access outside a clinic or classroom.

That setting matters. For people living with limb loss, access to care is often shaped by transportation, trust, and relationships. By making the gym available, the Highland Park Community Assistance Network (HP CAN) helped reduce those barriers and supported practical learning that can inform how assistive devices, therapies, and services are designed for everyday use.

The study also reflects a larger effort in South Texas to improve support for people with complex mobility and rehabilitation needs. At UT Health San Antonio, programs such as Project ASPIRE (Advancing Successful Preparation of Interprofessional Related Services in Education Settings) prepare future occupational therapy and speech-language pathology professionals to serve children with high-intensity needs. This work is strongest when it is connected to the places where people live, learn, and participate in community life.

For HP CAN, this connection is mission based. The gym served not only as a place for recreation and fellowship but also as a practical site for study activities tied to mobility and rehabilitation.

Assistive technology is most useful when it works in the normal conditions of daily life: walking across open floors, communicating in busy rooms, managing fatigue, and participating at home, at school, at church, and in the community. A community setting can help researchers see practical barriers and strengths that may not appear in more controlled environments.

The BT Campus gym has been part of the community from its beginning. Basketball and volleyball leagues, summer camps, and open recreation have all used the space for fellowship and physical fitness. Grants from the Baptist Health Foundation and the Charity Ball Association, along with contributions from individual donors, have helped create a community space that serves the spiritual and physical needs of our neighbors. By opening that space for this study, HP CAN used what it had—hospitality, trust, and a familiar gym—to support work aimed at improving mobility, participation, and independence.
 

Inconvenient Children

Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people:

“Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile,

but let every girl live.”
Exodus 1:22

Jacob and his clan moved to Egypt to escape the famine in Canaan. Over time they became enslaved by the Egyptians and were forced into labor, making bricks for Egypt's building projects. The Hebrew slaves grew in numbers to a point that Pharaoh feared an uprising (Exodus 1:10.) As a population control measure, Pharaoh ordered that all male Hebrew children be killed at birth (Exodus 1:16, 22.)

This was not the only time in the Bible when inconvenient children were destroyed. When King Herod learned that a child was born who was destined to be King of the Jews, he set out to kill him. Failing to locate the child, he ordered the slaughter of all the boys aged two and under in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16-18.)

Moses was spared by the midwives and “By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict (Hebrews 11:23.”) Moses was a special child, destined by God for a unique role in history but isn't every child special?

The Bible tells us that “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them (Psalm 127:3-5.”) Yet, some find children an inconvenience. From 1980-2015 China enacted a one child policy that led to forced contraception, abortions and the abandonment of baby girls.

In the infamous 1982 case of Baby Doe, a child was born with Down syndrome and a blocked esophagus. The parents refused to allow the surgery that would have corrected the blockage. They allowed their baby to starve to death. The law and the hospital let this happen. He was allowed to die because he was considered defective and inconvenient. Ultrasounds and amniocentesis are routinely used today to detect congenital anomalies. An abortion is recommended if the child does not fit the “quality of life” model of our society.

A little over 20 years ago, a woman discovered that the child she was carrying would be be born with limb anomalies. She refused an abortion and raised her son (and his brother) as a single mom. The boy required multiple surgeries and greater care than would have been typically required. He grew up to be a handsome young man; a college graduate with a career in information technology who drives customized van.

Not all stories have such a heroic plot. Children are valued because they carry the image of God, not because of what they can contribute to society. A man I met told me of his four beautiful children. They were smart, athletic and talented. He was proud of them but it was his fifth child that taught him about love. She was born with Down syndrome and would never be the things his other children were. He realized that part of his love for the older kids lay in pride and their accomplishments. The youngest he loved unconditionally. He considered her a gift from God

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me,
and do not hinder them,
for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

Showing God's Love

“Who sinned,” the disciples asked Jesus upon encountering a man who'd been blind from birth, “this man or his parents?” (John 9:1-2)

It is commonly believed that one's physical state is a sign of God's judgment. A cousin of the tendency to “blame the victim.”

While we often want to debate the reasons for suffering and pain, Jesus cut the debate off abruptly. “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3)

Jesus saw this man's disability as an opportunity to show God's love by healing him. Jesus wants us to show God's love to those who suffer. In fact, he closely identifies with the suffering.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me...’ ‘...Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” Matthew 25:34-36

Spiritually successful Christians serve others. In this way, we show God's love in practical ways. When we encounter a person in physical or spiritual pain, our first instinct ought to be to offer love and help. We must act quickly or lose opportunities. Hurting people will withdraw from church if they feel unloved. Jesus said, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.”

View a video of “Sharing God's Love”

This is part of the sermon series “How To Be Spiritually Successful.” It is based on the Masterlife study “The Disciple's Cross.”

GET THE BOOK:

MasterLife: Developing a Rich Personal Relationship with the Master

Servant Spotlight: Angel Jimenez

Guest Blog: Robert Newman

Angel, Robert and Terry

Some people have, at least, a little warning that they are going to be dealing with a special needs child, but Terry Jimenez had no warning at all.

Terry's first learned something was wrong when Angel went to daycare, he started biting and hitting other children. Angel was referred to Any Baby Can and was diagnosed as having had oxygen deprivation at birth, due a breech delivery.

As Angel was growing up, he had no access to school playgrounds and played in the classroom. He was not allowed to play with children his own age at school since he acted like a much younger child but was too big to play with the younger students. No one would play with him at the public park.

Terry believes Angel would have benefited from an inclusive playground. He is apprehensive around regular playground equipment − if it doesn't have pictures showing what it is used for, he doesn't know what to do. He doesn't like it if it goes too fast or too high.

Today, Angel is 32 years old and developmentally disabled. He cannot read, write, or understand money. He attends the ARC of San Antonio on Saturdays, learning to tell time and count money. Terry reinforces that training at home.

Angel is called a VIP at the ARC because he is so helpful. He helps push people in wheelchairs, helps with Meals on Wheels, and volunteers at the dog pound. Angel likes to be on the go and enjoys interacting with his peers but is still shy when interacting with strangers.

Angel looks forward to coming to worship at Baptist Temple each week. He feels love and acceptance. He especially enjoys working with the children during VBS. The recent gift of a hat from Immanuel Motorcycle Ministry President Armando Acosta is a reminder that he is an important part of the Baptist Temple family. 

Armando (L) gives Angel an Immanuel Motorcycle Ministry hat,

Belonging

Guest Blog: Diana Aranda-Curtis

I was born in 1958 with Cerebral Palsy, due to a complication during birth. My first memory of learning that I was disabled came to me during a doctor visit at the age of seven. My life changed. The doctor told my mother about a school for children with disabilities. They decided that it would be better for me.

I had just started 2nd grade at the same school my siblings were attending. We all walked to school together but now I was being sent to a different school. A school bus would pick me up and bring me home each day. I would no longer be able to be with my siblings.

I didn’t want to go to a different school. I protested when the bus came to pick me up. It was a struggle to get me on but soon I was on this school bus filled with children with many different disabilities. I saw children in wheelchairs, children with crutches and walkers, and children who needed to wear braces to walk. I examined myself and wondered why I was at this school. I didn’t use a wheelchair. I didn’t need a walker, crutches nor leg braces.

My life was now very different and I had to adjust. I grew up not being around my brothers and sisters. They all shared or knew the same principals, staff, teachers, and friends. I had a life of loneliness. Even though I went home each evening, I was going home to a family who didn’t know anything about me. They didn’t know my principal, my teachers, or any of my friends.

The school I went to was for children 1st through 12th grade, located in the Southeast side of San Antonio, and had students from all over San Antonio. Most of those in my grade, and there were not many, lived in the Northside or Westside. I lived on the Eastside. I couldn’t go to a friend’s house after school or during the summer. My siblings were able to visit their friends but I felt left out.

It wasn’t until I was in the 10th grade that many students were being streamlined to regular schools. Some were able to make it and some did not. I was one of the students who could not make it at a regular school. I had no idea what to expect at a regular school. I didn’t know anyone there. I felt insecure and afraid of this change.

The school became an elementary school and still uses the mascot that we voted on but there is not anything left of the school that I attended. There are no school reunions; many of my friends died at an early age due to their disability. I was left to find a way to live in a world that I never got to know.

I have struggled since graduating and I still struggle today. Bringing those with disabilities to be a part of this world is very important. It teaches everyone that we are all different; but that we all matter.

*****

Diana Aranda-Curtis became a wife and mother, raising four children and has eight grandchildren. She is a compassionate person who serves at Baptist Temple in many ways but particularly through the Highland Park CAN thrift store and food pantry.

Motorcycle Ride to benefit an inclusive playground on San Antonio's Southside

This Saturday, November 9 at 9 AM, motorcyclists will gather at Baptist Temple Church, 901 E Drexel St., for a ride to benefit Southeast San Antonio's first inclusive playground. They playground will allow children with disabilities to play with their friends of typical abilities. Children need free play to build their physical, mental and social skills. Also, this type of playground breaks down the barriers that lead to loneliness for disabled children and lack of understanding for others.

Riders include Immanuel Motorcycle Ministry, Soldados de Cristo, Fishers of Men, Last Chance Ministries, King Jesus Riders, and Guardian Devils.

Riders will meet for breakfast at 8 AM for the 9 AM start and will return at noon for lunch where they will be welcomed by friends from the disabled community.

Inclusive playground website and video

Reaching people on the margins

Ribbon cutting ceremony for the
San Antonio Clubhouse site on the BT Campus.

San Antonio Clubhouse is the newest member of the Baptist Temple Campus family of churches and service organizations that meet the spiritual and physical needs of our community. SA Clubhouse is a self-help program where adults with mental health conditions can volunteer, learn, and grow. The Baptist Temple site is a satellite of the main campus and will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Founded in 2003, The SA Clubhouse serves as a model of success for people living with mental illness by promoting life skills, job skills, employment, wellness, recreation, connections to resources and healthy meals. Executive Director Mark Stoeltje reports, “Ninety one percent of clubhouse members reported a reduced need for psychiatric intervention and 84 percent reported fewer run-ins with law enforcement.”

Baptist Temple's efforts at serving people with special needs began in 2009 when a Texas Baptist representative called Pastor Jorge Zayasbazan and asked if they would host a Deaf congregation. Pastor Zayasbazan enthusiastically answered, “Yes! It's an answer to our prayers.”

The result of that call has been FamilyDeaf Church worshiping in American Sign Language on the Baptist Temple Campus for ten years. They not only serve the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community but, also, their hearing family members. Family Deaf Church is the only Baptist church in San Antonio that is centered around Deaf Culture.

John Richey, pastor of Family Deaf Church said, “The Deaf are a distinct culture with its own challenges. They have common needs that are best understood in their own context. That requires more than an interpreted service.”

Baptist Temple continues to find ways to provide services to people on the margins. They are now in the process of developing an inclusive playground so children with disabilities can play with their friends of typical abilities. Play is an important part of every child's development. It helps develop social, physical and problem solving skills. However, children with disabilities often lack places to play. This is especially true in the Southside of San Antonio; an area declared to be a very low opportunity area for children (according to DiversityDataKids.org.)

Inclusive playgrounds allow children of different ability levels to play together. They can inspire mutual understanding, friendships, and a real sense of community. Children who learn to play with children of all ability levels will be better prepared for a diverse work environment. This will be the first inclusive playground on the Southside open to the community.

Baptist Temple has already raised 80% of their funding goal through a combination of donations, fund-raisers and grants from the Baptist Health Foundation and the Charity Ball Association. They seek to raise another $24,000 this Fall. Donations can be made online at www.mybtsa.org or mailed to Baptist Temple, 901 E. Drexel, San Antonio, TX 78210.

A place for children of all abilities to play together

Jeff and Jonathan assemble a playscape

Baptist Temple recently received a check for $7395 from the Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio to build an inclusive playground on the Southside. Inclusive playgrounds allow children of different ability levels to play together. They can inspire mutual understanding, friendships, and a real sense of community.

Play is an important part of a child's development. It helps them to develop social, physical and problem solving skills. However, children with disabilities often lack places to play. This is especially true in the Southside of San Antonio; an area declared to be a very low opportunity area for children (according to DiversityDataKids.org.) Furthermore, we are in an area identified by the federal government as economically depressed (Eastside Promise Zone). A community survey estimates that there are more than 1000 children with disabilities in Baptist Temple's immediate vicinity (Highland Park).

Social isolation can be more painful to live with than the physical or development disabilities themselves. Many kids with disabilities spend less than two hours a week with their peers outside of classroom. A study by the Odette School of Business at the University of Windsor, shows that 53% of disabled kids have no friends.

Nora Gonzales, mother of a child born missing arms and parts of his legs, remembers her son playing at Respite Care's inclusive playground, “I remember seeing my little boy having a good time. He could explore and excel in his environment,” she said.

Her son, Xavier, is now a 19 year-old college student. Nora attributes his growing independence to services that she and Xavier were able to access. They want that access for other children with special needs.

Everyone benefits. Children who learn to play with children of all ability levels will be more prepared for a diverse work environment. An inclusive playground shows that everyone has value. “[Inclusive playgrounds] are a big step to making the world a more inclusive place,” said Xavier.

The first phase of the playground is complete and features accessible playscapes suitable for children aged two and under. This was was made possible by the Baptist Health Foundations grant plus additional gifts through the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation and from Baptist Temple members.

“We are currently raising funds for the second phase for children age five and up,” said Jorge Zayasbazan, pastor of Baptist Temple.

This phase, too, will include wheelchair access and features for the mobility impaired. “We want all children to feel welcome and included,” said Zayasbazan

God's Champions Overcome Their Weakness and Seize the Day

Judges 3:12-30

What some may view as a handicap can become a strength in God's hands. In fact, God’s ability to use us should raise our expectations.  

 

Ehud was unable to use his right hand. So, he could not be a soldier and would not be seen as a threat by the Moabite warlord Eglon. Eglon (who was the original Jabba the Hutt) had taken over Israel.

Although, he was disabled, Ehud creatively used what God had given him. He would be the one bringing the required payment of protection money to Eglon, so he made a dagger that would be concealed on his right thigh. He knew they would not search a cripple very closely. He would get Eglon alone, kill him and escape before his guards could react.

Ehud could have dwelt on his disability and doubted his value to God. He could have passed on the opportunity of taking the tribute to Eglon. Instead, he trusted God and seized the opportunity.

Two shoe salesmen were sent to Africa during the early 20th Century. One sent a telegram home that said: “Get me home. Nobody here has shoes.”

The other’s telegram said: “Send me all of the shoes you can. Nobody here has shoes.”

No matter how weak or limited we might feel, we are capable of great things for God. What brings victory in our lives, allows us to serve and be used by God, is neither our own strength nor our list of credentials. It is our faith in God through Christ.

You can be a spiritual champion like Ehud if you are ready to act when God presents an opportunity, even if you have to act alone. Someone has to be first.

You have to be courageous. Ehud was willing to do a scary thing. God's will can take us out of our comfort zone and turn our weakness into strength.

You have to be a leader: Victory was not complete until Ehud got others involved. He rallied his countrymen and completed the defeat of the Moabites.

Be a spiritual champion in your generation.

Through the roof worship

Mark 2:1-12

It all began when a man with leprosy was healed by Jesus (Mark 1:40-45). This man went out spreading the news and it spread fast. He couldn't help himself. People kept asking, “Where's you leprosy?

Jesus would now draw a crowd wherever he went. Many, however, were motivated for selfish reasons. Some came for a cure and others out of curiosity. When Jesus returned to Capernaum, the crowd was so great that it was standing room only – outside the door (Mark 2:1-2).

Today there are churches with hundreds and even thousands in attendance. Just as in Jesus' day many go to church for self-centered reasons: personal blessings, programs, entertaining worship, etc. In this passage in Mark's gospel, the crowd prevented a man in need of healing from getting to Jesus. The people were there to have their own needs met and were unconcerned about others. The Christian satire website, www.larknews.com, posted a fake news release about a mega-church that was downsizing. The fictional church sent a letter to Christians who attended the seeker service declaring that they needed to step up in their participation or worship somewhere else. They were being accused of being freeloaders standing in the way of evangelism.

This tongue-in-cheek look at church life points to the fact that people who wish to honor God make personal sacrifices for the gospel. Able-bodied followers of Christ ought to park in the far spaces so new comers will find a convenient spot. Space should be left in the back rows for people who arrive late or unsure of what the will encounter in the worship service. We need to always be alert to the need around us so we don't crowd out the people who need Jesus.

This paralyzed man had four friends willing to carry him to Jesus. They were determined. They had carried their friend this far and would not let the crowd deter them. They carried him to the roof, cut a hole and lowered him down while Jesus was preaching. They boldly believed that Jesus could help their friend and would not let anything stop them (Mark 2:3-4).

God needs people of faith and determination who will work together to bear another's burdens so that others may find the salvation and wholeness that only Jesus can provide. Do you want to be part of the crowd or do you want to be an agent of change; a soul winner?

Jesus saw the faith of the four friends and forgave the paralytics sins (Mark 2:5). No mention of the paralytic's faith is mentioned. The Bible teaches that Jesus is present whenever 2 or 3 gather in his name. Also, that the prayer of the righteous is effective, especially when two agree.

The power that transformed the paralytic is available to us today but we need the faith of the faithful four.

Ministry to the Deaf

There are over 750,000 deaf people in America. They are among the most unevangelized people groups. Fewer than 8 out of every 100 deaf people in the US ever attend church. Fewer than 4 out of 100 claim a personal relationship with Christ.

Ministry to the deaf is complex. One reason is that deaf people who use American Sign Language (ASL) form a distinct culture. The Deaf have unique legends, social customs and experiences. 

Like other people with disabilities, the Deaf have been discriminated against in their jobs and are often left out, ignored or mistreated. Past experience may make them wary of your motives. They also tend to be straight forward and blunt in their communications.

Another complexity is that deaf ministry is a family affair. Ninety percent of deaf children have parents with normal hearing, but only about one out of 10 of those parents can carry on a conversation in ASL. Most of these parents begin with little knowledge about the deaf world and are unaware of available resources. They feel overwhelmed by the challenges of raising a deaf child and feel alone in their struggles.

Children who have a Deaf parent are bicultural and often find themselves torn between two worlds. Like all bicultural children they have challenges and issues that are difficult to understand.

Children who have a Deaf sibling often feel they have to compete with the deaf child for parental attention and can become resentful. They usually learn sign language better than the parents and find themselves serving as interpreters between the parents and their deaf siblings.

Mixed marriages between hearing and deaf people face challenges as they try to blend deaf and hearing cultures and lifestyles and families together.

Baptist Temple has been blessed with the privilege to host the San Antonio Baptist Deaf Mission; a work started 20 years ago by the San Antonio Baptist Association (SABA). Baptist Temple did not not invite them. They were sent to us by God.

Several weeks ago the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) called to ask if we were interested in hosting this mission. We were recommended as a church with a heart for ministry by Patty Villareal, a professor at the Baptist University of the Americas.

The Missions Committee enthusiastically recommended that we do this. The church responded with a similar spirit and the vote to host the Deaf Mission passed without opposition.

The San Antonio Baptist Deaf Mission is an independent church sharing our facilities. They will be part of our Sunday School and other ministries but will hold their own worship service in FLC101 at 11 AM on Sundays.

The mission is led by John and Mary Ann Richey (both hearing) and currently numbers around 40 with an average attendance of around 25. We expect the move to Baptist Temple to generate excitement and allow us to minster to more deaf people and their families. They had their first worship service at BT this past Sunday and had four first time visitors.

Deaf churches are rare. Most deaf ministries involve having a deaf interpreter translate a service that is primarily intended for the hearing. This is certainly polite but not empowering. A true deaf church holds its own worship service, has its own officers and determines its own destiny as led by the Holy Spirit.

We are blessed to be able to partner with people who expand our ability to spread the gospel.