Hands & Feet of Jesus

By Bo Gendke

In September 2021, Deborah and I began our first day on the job at Texas Conference Adventist Community Services (ACS) by delivering supplies to help with Hurricane Ida. During our training, we prayed for guidance on getting more churches involved. We soon realized that a few churches needed supplies, some needed encouragement, and others needed someone to step up and lead.

Through various councils, we decided to have a big giveaway, and 50 churches registered to take part. We then added 10 more churches by taking materials down to the valley area in southern Texas. The next day we received phone calls from church members who told us they had been praying to start a ministry but had no materials, then our email came through as an answer to prayer. Various churches brought their trailers, U-hauls, and even one 18-wheeler, and we were blessed to hear their miracle

Texas Conference 2022 End-of-Year Report

stories as we loaded the vehicles with supplies. Joining us to pray over the individuals and materials were Carlos Craig, Southwestern Union Conference president; Tony Anobile, Southwestern Union Conference vice president for Church Ministries; Elton DeMoraes, Texas Conference president; and several others.

Our ACS team led training events throughout the Texas Conference. While meeting with a group of churches in the San Antonio area, we told about the different ministries that ACS helps throughout the conference. Geraldo Alonso mentioned that the Somerset Spanish Mission Group was looking for help—just to get a Sabbath off now and then to recharge—but they didn’t want to let their “church family” down by not showing up. He explained that their “church family” is a homeless community that comes together every Sabbath for a hot meal, shower, laundry, etc. On hearing this, a Philadelphia

Seventh-day Adventist Church member stood, wiped away tears from her eyes, and said, “We have been praying for a way to get involved and decided to come to the ACS training to learn more. God just answered our prayers. We would love to help your group.” To date, nearly 30 members of this “church family” have been able to get jobs, find a place to live, and dedicate themselves completely to God in the baptismal waters.

By bringing together our members who want to be involved in their local community, ACS training sessions encourage outreach by relating inspiring stories and creating new opportunities to partner together.

Our youth and young adults are so important to my wife and me that when we were approached by the Texas Conference Office of Education to be part of Outdoor School and Freshmen Bible Camp, we had to say yes. After explaining that serving others in the community is a calling from God that can be rewarding, we presented ideas for how young people can prepare for disasters.

We also worked with some of our schools to assemble hygiene kits for school-aged children. Now, when a disaster hits, we can share an age-appropriate kit with our youth and even offer some for younger children, including a small stuffed animal.

As a result of praying for additional ways to work with young people, we connected with Texas Conference Youth & Club Ministries to do a shark-tanklike event for our Master Guides. Watching kids of all ages get excited about doing something for others is amazing. I can see why Ellen G. White speaks of the impact that an “army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, [and] how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Saviour might be carried to the whole world!”

We continue to encourage you to find a way to be relevant in each church community. Find out your local needs, take stock of your members’ abilities and talents, and pray that God will show you how to minister to your community. It doesn’t have to be a huge project, but we must get off the pews and out the doors.