Children's Education
 | ission |
Understanding the Goal and Scope of the Chapel's Mission Programs | |||
| oment | Posted February 14, 2019 | |||
by Tommy Edgar
Chair, Missions Committee
In the early 2000’s, a group of people had a vision of forming a church for the White Bluff community. With no building and no pastor, this group held bible study sessions in their homes. It wasn’t long before God gave them a pastor and Double Diamond allowed them use of their conference center. From that humble beginning, the Chapel has grown to about 300 members from many denominations.
One of the goals of this early group was to have 50% of the Chapel budget designated for missions. The Missions budget for 2019 is about $130,000 which represents close to a remarkable 40% of the Chapel budget. From Whitney to Africa, our gifts are being blessed by God and helping many, many people. Sharing God’s word from Judea to Samaria and to the ends of the earth is what we are about.
With so many recently-new members to the Chapel, this article was put together to heighten awareness of the missions that are sponsored in part by the Chapel. As you can see below, there is a large variety of missions supported. This will be a three-part series beginning with the Local Mission sub-section of the main Missions Committee. Education and Global/National Mission sub-sections will follow in subsequent publications.
If you check with anyone involved with the Chapel's mission program, they will tell you how rewarding it is to be able to assist these missions with their efforts in sharing God's word.
You can find information and updates on all of the missions by clicking on "Get Involved with Missions" in the menu at the top of any page of the Chapel website. The website is whitebluffchapel.org.
Local Missions
WBC Sponsor: Charlie & Chris Whisenand Email
Befriend a local nursing home resident; participate in Chapel-hosted picnics and other events.
Through the Chapel's Adopt an Aunt or Uncle program, volunteers regularly visit residents of Town Hall Estates nursing home, especially those who have no local family or friends.
WBC Sponsor: Kay Miller Email
Provide Christmas gifts for children of prisoners.
The Angel Tree Ministry is a unique ministry which gives churches an opportunity to share Christ's love by helping to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the families of prisoners. Angel Tree Christmas works by connecting parents in prison with their children through the delivery of Christmas gifts. Local churches and volunteers purchase and deliver gifts and the Gospel to children in the name of their prisoner-parent.
White Bluff Chapel also provides a summer camp opportunity for these children by arranging for them to attend the Sandy Creek Bible Camp in August. The Chapel pays the camp tuition for each child and volunteers provide transportation to and from the camp. W.B. Chapel provides backpacks and money for snacks, etc. while the children are at the week-long camp.
To learn more about Prison Fellowship you can go to their web site at www.angeltree.org.
WBC Sponsor: Dottie Briggs Email
Provides advocacy for foster children as their cases are dealt with in the court system.
WBC Sponsor: Tommy Edgar Email
Pays for a portion of the van expense for transporting kids to Wednesday night bible study.
Volunteers of White Bluff Chapel have joined with the membership of Cedar Creek Baptist Church for the purpose of leading as many children as possible to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
WBC Sponsor: Becky Watkins Email
Financial funding to CPS, which provides shelter, clothing and other essential items for children suffering from neglect and child abuse.
White Bluff Chapel supports the Hill County Child Protective Services Board as one of its local missions. The purpose of the Board, acting as an extension of County Government, is to make decisions on how and when funding from Hill County is spent to assist the children of Hill County who are in foster care or family-based care and who are under the conservatorship of Child Protective Services of Texas.
The CPS Board has non-profit, 501c3 charity, status that allows it to seek additional funds through donations from outside sources. Funds are used to further assist the children on items such as clothing, Christmas gifts, beds, special medical expenses or equipment, air-conditioners for special needs children, and other such items that are not State approved expenditures or when County funds are insufficient to cover needs.
Trained facilitators are retained by the CPS Board to train groups or organizations in Identifying Sexual Abuse and Prevention. Statistics show that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before age 12.
In 2011, the State of Texas had 68,326 confirmed cases of abuse and neglect for children. 17,183 cases resulted in children being removed from the home. Nearly all do not have the most basic of needs – shoes, socks, clothes, diapers, formula, car seats and beds.
Currently Hill County has 87 children in conservatorship care, 58 in foster care and 29 with family based care.
WBC Sponsor: Cheryl Robinson Email
Make hand-crafted stuffed animals for children in crisis situations, small gifts for nursing home residents and caps for cancer patients.
This group of volunteers meets twice a month to make stuffed animals to donate to various organizations serving the community. By the beginning of 2008, they had made over 7,000 gift items which have been donated to hospitals for children, to local nursing homes, and included in gift boxes for children in Iraq and Africa.
WBC Sponsor: Tommy Edgar Email
A building fund has been established, under the auspices of the Lake Whitney Ministerial Alliance (LWMA), to build a new center for the Food Bank.
It will also allow for all other organizations under LWMA to be housed in the same building. This will greatly enhance the services that are provided to the community.
WBC Sponsor: Diane Frederickson Email
Assist in various events at a local retreat and learning center for the deaf community.
Guests hailing from locales throughout Texas receive enrichment materials and participate in activities geared to building communication skills, confidence and self-esteem. They also have the opportunity to develop relationships with an appreciation for the country/ranch lifestyle and its Creator. Visit Isaiah's Place's web site at www.isaiahsplace.org.
WBC Sponsor: Kathy Murphey Email
Originally formed over 20 years ago, the Joint Committee for Christmas (JCC) is organized to discover the real needs of individuals at Christmas time, and to avoid unnecessary duplications in the efforts to meet those needs.
WBC Sponsor: Betty Newman Email
Umbrella organization for multitude of services for those in need in the Whitney Area, including the Food Bank, Benevolence and Joint Committee for Christmas.
The purpose of Lake Whitney Ministerial Alliance, a non-profit organization, is to provide an organization through which churches and other organizations in the Lake Whitney area may cooperate with pastors and ministers of the Lake Whitney area in meeting the needs of people who reside in or visit the Lake Whitney area. Committees include benevolence, chaplaincy, and community worship.
This association qualifies recipients and distributes funds through the Federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program. It is the umbrella organization for Our Daily Bread, the local food pantry, Joint Committee for Christmas and the area School Supply Project.
There are many varied volunteer opportunities through this community ministry.
WBC Sponsor: Becky Watkins Email
Benevolence function of the Lake Whitney Ministerial Alliance.
WBC Sponsor: Becky McKee Email
Provide medical services for the working poor in the area who do not have insurance.
WBC Sponsor: Diana VanWagner Email
Whitney area food pantry.
WBC Sponsor: Ed Bercier Email
Provide care for those facing end of life issues; medically, spiritually and emotionally.
WBC Sponsor: Becky Watkins Email
Reach Middle and High school students from Whitney and Aquilla with the truth of God's Word.
WBC Sponsor: Bob Buckner Email
Provide funding for local disadvantaged children to attend a Christian summer camp.
A nondenominational, not-for-profit camp for children and adults in a relaxed rural setting. Visit Sandy Creek Bible Camp's web site at www.sandycreek.org.
WBC Sponsor: Harry Seurkamp Email
WB Chapel members assist The Salvation Army in its annual fundraiser by ringing Christmas bells to raise money for needs in Hill County.
WBC Sponsor: Harry Seurkamp Email
Donations from the Chapel missions committee are generally used to assist with the cost of equipment for the firefighters.
Staffed entirely by volunteers who are on call day and night to put out fires and provide other emergency services in White Bluff Resort and surrounding areas. The WBVFD provides emergency services for the White Bluff community and also provides reciprocal aid assistance to the other VFD's in the local areas.
Several members of White Bluff Chapel volunteer with the fire department.
| ission | Athletes in Action - A Glimpse of Glory | |||
| oment | Posted February 14, 2019 | |||
Brian Firle with Athletes in Action (AIA) regularly submits a report of his activities and growth of his ministry within the Pro-Cycling world. His latest report, "A Glimpse of Glory," contains a wonderful recounting of cycling with two of the pros he has been working with for several years. It provides firm evidence that Brian and the AIA team is making wonderful inroads within that arena.
Brian has started a blog that promises to be quite interesting. It is based on the past reports he has generated and should be very meaningful for anyone searching to better know our awesome God or to share with someone who may be just searching for God. You can sign up for his blog at brianfirle.com. The following is a portion of Brian's latest report.
If you want more information about Brian and AIA you can contact Bill Burris, Chapel liaison for AIA.
A Glimpse of Glory
I was out riding last week with two guys whom I have spent loads of time discipling and encouraging in their faith. They are two pros that have really weathered the storm of professional sport and are somehow still in one piece, both physically and spiritually.
They were riding hard that day, much too hard for me as I only had a few weeks of consistent riding in my legs. But that day I was given a gift. Of course I hear their stories one-on-one and work with them through the majority of their big issues, but this was different. I sat behind both of them, like one sitting behind two thoroughbreds as I eavesdropped on their conversation. For over an hour, riding north out of Boulder, I listened to them recount their last year of racing and struggling to know God in the midst of it. Rarely do I get to hear athletes share their story to one another. Usually these conventions take place when I'm not around... on a team bus, training camp, or over a post-race meal. But for this hour I sat behind them in their draft, and listened to them explain all that God had done within them through the ups and downs of 2018. Both had sustained major injuries, both had started and stopped relationships with significant others, both had toed the line with the world's best and had come out the other side. From moments of complete despair, from moments of elation one receives upon crossing the finishing line first, they unpacked their last year before me.
I was blown away. I sat behind them shaking my head with a smile from ear to ear as I listened to them encourage each other in all that God was accomplishing within them. Both of them had matured greatly in 2018, now seeing life from a higher perspective; not bogged down with the day-to-day funk, but seeing the forest through the trees; seeing God in the mundane and experiencing His presence. God was in our midst, in their midst, and I was a fly on the wall. Read more>>
