Moving Beyond Relief

David came to us looking for food. He's 51 but life on the streets made him look much older. He would park his shopping cart in the shade of our Thrift Store/Food Pantry and slept there at night. Thrift shop manager, Kay Richardson called him our night guard, protecting our properties from vandalism.

Cathy McShane, one of our counselors, worked with David to get him an ID card and a debit card so he could receive his Social Security payments. He had $1600 available but could not access it without a debit card. Once this was settled, he was able to find a place to live.

David is one of many people who are unaware of available resources such as SNAP, medical care, free dental care, etc. It is easy to provide relief in the way of food and clothes to people in need but there are other issues that are less obvious and more important. Every person that comes to us looking for food sits down with a social work student. We work with the client to discover available resources and paths to greater independence.

Most of our social work students come from Our Lady of the Lake University and University of Texas in San Antonio. The students are fulfilling their field work requirements under the supervision of our Community Ministries Program Director Elizabeth Cruz. The students gain valuable, hands-on experience and provide a much-needed service to an under-resourced community.

People come to us with a variety of needs beyond food. One woman told a counselor, through tears, that she didn't need food. She had a job interview but lacked suitable clothes. We were able to find her an outfit in her size that was appropriate for an interview. Our thrift store offers some nice items at nominal prices (most things are less than a dollar). By charging something we take away the stigma of charity and preserve our client's self respect. The thrift shop is open to everyone, not just the needy. Purchases keep serviceable items out of the landfill. Proceeds help fund the food pantry and other community ministries.

Some folks come in to our thrift shop in dire need. A homeless man came in looking for some pants. He'd been wearing the same shorts for three months. He picked out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt from the ten cent bin. We did not charge him the the twenty cents.

Our clients receive more than material help. I met a young man one Sunday morning in church wearing a nice suit and some crude tattoos. He had been referred to our thrift store by one of our deacons who volunteers at a rescue mission. He was made to feel so welcome by the seniors who staff the thrift store that he came to church the following Sunday.

Come by our store at 848 E. Drexel if you would like to volunteer, drop off a donation or shop. We are open Tuesdays (9-4), Wednesdays (9-1) and Thursdays (9-1). We are closed Thanksgiving week.

Education and the Most Powerful Weapon

Interns Geraldine (L) and Alicia (R) ready to hand out school supplies.

Guest blog by Geraldine Garcia

 
Nelson Mandela once said, “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” I agree but I also know that you, yourself, are also a powerful weapon that can be used to help change the world.

To understand my passion for education and the people who have impacted me to try and change the world, you need to step into my world. My family and I refer to this time in our lives as “03”. It was the end of my 7th grade school year. My dad started to get sick and we weren’t exactly sure of the cause. His feet would swell up so bad, he was unable to wear shoes, and his sugar levels were all over the place. He began to miss work and his boss had to let him go. My dad was in and out of the doctor’s office undergoing tests. Foot ulcers would lead to amputation if he didn’t stop working and gain control of his health.

My dad is what we call in Spanish, “trabajador” [worker]. I remember, as a child, my dad worked two, sometimes three jobs, just so we could have what we needed and a little extra. Growing up, my sisters and I didn’t have much but we did have all the necessities and love, which goes along way. We didn’t know anything else so we thought we lived pretty good.

“03” changed everything for us. Now, my mother was the main bread winner, and my dad was struggling with health issues; coming to the realization that he no longer could take care of his family the way he used to.

Somehow, we managed to stick together as a team. The Bible teaches, “for I know the plans I have for you declares the lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11.)”

The struggles my family faced that summer came and went and I realized school would be starting soon. The best way to sum up how I felt about school was simple; I just didn’t want to go. I remember clearly going into my closet trying to dig out old school supplies and looking for the pencils and pens that still “looked new”. This way the kids around me couldn’t tell that they were the same old supplies from last year. We needed assistance paying our light bill and turned to our neighborhood church. It was here that my family met Maggie.

Maggie was a warm-hearted, caring volunteer who was able to offer us some assistance. During one of our meetings, she asked me if I was ready for school. I didn’t know how to answer her. Do I tell her the truth or just smile and nod my head? She could tell I wasn’t looking forward to the new year. When she finished talking to my dad, she ask me how many of my sisters were in school (At that time it was my older sister and I.) and asked me to follow her to a room with new school supplies laid out on tables. She told me to take an HEB bag and go around the table and fill it with the amount listed of each particular school supply. She gave me an extra bag so I can fill it with supplies for my sister.

“Hope anchors the soul (Hebrews 6:19).”

My hope was restored in that moment, by an act of kindness. Although I was only 12, I knew that I never wanted to feel hopeless again. I didn’t want other kids to feel discouraged to go back to school because they didn’t have supplies.

Once the school year progressed and my family got back on track, I didn’t forget the kindness or generosity I felt. I started to attend the church that helped my family, and every summer I would buy not only my school supplies but extra. I would wait and collect and find families that needed the help and donate it to them. I’ve done this just about every year. Now as a teacher I find myself stocking up for my kiddos and classroom.

Children are our future. If we don’t invest in them, who will? One day these kids will be doctors, lawyers, financial advisers, and educators for generations to come. So, I leave you with these final thoughts. First and foremost, I am grateful to be a part of this extravaganza that will impact the lives of many children.
 
Thank you for allowing me to reflect on my own personal experiences and draw strength from them. I feel that I have the best of both worlds because, as a teacher, “we take a hand, open a mind, and touch a heart” and, as social worker John Fitzgerald Kennedy once said, “one person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”

Geraldine Garcia is an elementary school teacher and masters level student in the social work program of OLLU. She served an internship through Baptist Temple Ministries where she provided counseling and groceries to the food insecure, free meals to the communities and tutoring for at risk children.

Elizabeth Cruz Joins the Baptist Temple Team

We welcome Elizabeth Cruz as new Program Director. She will be coordinating our community ministry efforts through our Highland Park CAN ministry. She has already made arrangements for social work students from Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) and University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) to serve as interns at our food pantry. Working with Wesley Nurses, Nancy Parker and Sandy McKinney, she will arrange for healthy living classes on Wednesday evenings and health screenings on Tuesday mornings.

Elizabeth has a wealth of experience in the social services field. She has worked with the homeless, foster children, and food pantry clients. While at Christian Hope Resource Center (CHRC), she was instrumental in developing a case management program designed to help individuals become more self-sufficient. She, also, introduced the client-choice pantry to CHRC.

I met with Elizabeth three years ago to learn more about mentoring-based food pantry operations. She graciously offered to help us develop our program. I took her up on her offer a few months ago. She was ready for something new and was excited at the prospect of leading a program she had designed. Moreover, this would be an opportunity to use her skills in a church setting.

Elizabeth earned a BSW from Texas State University (TSU) and an MSW from UTSA. She, also received a Nonprofit Management Certificate for Veterans Service Organizations through the San Antonio Area Foundation.

She has worked for SAMMinistries, Casey Family Programs and, most recently, Seton Home.

Elizabeth has been leading Zumba classes twice a week at BT and is adjunct faculty at OLLU.

A learning lab for multicultural ministry in an urban context

A student from St. Phillip's College contacted me recently. He is interested in studying Deaf culture for a class project. He is one of many who have come to Family Deaf Church over the past few years to learn more about American Sign Language and the Deaf.

The Baptist Temple campus has become a learning lab for multicultural ministry in an urban context. We currently host three Christian Social Ministries interns and one music intern from the Baptist University of the Americas. Last month we entered into a formal agreement with OLLU and UTSA to help train students in their MSW programs. Earlier this year we hosted conferences for Deaf ministry and small church/bivocational ministry, as well as, the Immigration Service and Aid Center's Summer Institute.

Hands-on experience in a real world environment enhances classroom learning. In the business, non-profit and government worlds internships have provided mutually beneficial vocational opportunities. The host organization receives free or very cheap labor and the intern receives resume enhancing training and experience.

My personal experience of serving a two year internship in a new church start was foundational to my ministerial career. It not only gave me confidence in my first paid ministry position but, perhaps most importantly, paved the way for that job and the next as well.

Beginning with that first ministry position I have committed myself to help ministry students to develop their call. My internship experience allowed me to practice ministry skills under the mentoring and protection of a pastor. On more than one occasion he stepped between an angry church member and myself; even though I was in the wrong. His point was that I was a novice and our church was to show me grace and prepare me for the mission field. It was not until I had to do the same for one of my own interns that I fully understood the risk he took in protecting me.

Beyond traditional ministry training, Baptist Temple has had the opportunity to work with AARP to provide job training in office and janitorial skills. Furthermore, we wish to provide training in early childhood education and cooking.

Being a learning lab for multicultural ministry in an urban context requires providing a network of experiences that are both mutually supportive and independent. Spiritual formation, life skills, emergency interventions, recreation, health improvement and more all offer opportunities to develop marketable leadership skills.