Jerusalem
Midland/Eastern Permian Basin
MIDLAND BAPTIST CRISIS CENTER
The Midland Baptist Crisis Center (MBCC) began over 30 years ago as a joint effort of local Baptist churches to address the needs of those living in poverty in Midland County, Texas. Through all our areas of ministry, we desire to show the kindness, compassion, grace, and love of Jesus Christ to everyone. Our daily operations include assisting individuals and families in need through our food pantry, clothing room, and financial assistance. Many members of First Baptist Church of Midland have sacrificed their time and energy as volunteers over the years, and we pray that the Lord Jesus would stir in the hearts of many more to come. Thank you for all the love shown through FBC Midland!
FBC CHRISTMAS STORE
The Christmas Store Ministry takes place in the FBC Activities Building each December where families-in-need “shop” for free to find new toys for each child in their family. They are welcome to have these new toys gift-wrapped by FBC volunteers. The Christmas Store Ministry impacts over 350 families each year. 1,200+ gifts are wrapped, food boxes for over 1,000 meals are packed. Each family is also given a Bible, and presented with the Good News of Jesus. Over 200 church members volunteer to pack, wrap, and share God’s message each year.
FBC JAIL MINISTRY
The Jail Ministry is the fastest growing missions project in First Baptist Church, Midland. The ministry started years ago when Sunday morning services were held in the Midland County Jail. There was a need in the 90’s to extend the Sunday morning instruction during the week; so correspondence courses were started and continued when inmates went to State or Federal facilities. Then roommates of Midland students wanted lessons, and the sending of lessons exploded. We also have 51 graders ministering by mail to over 1250 inmates. We have prospective students waiting for graders and we need the help of FBC volunteers who will grade, send lessons and mentor new students. Inmates are hungry for mail, words of wisdom, and a caring friend. It is amazing how inmates grow spiritually from lessons and encouragement while in prison. Come help us send those in prison back to their homes with spiritual maturity.
FBC FOOD FOR KIDS MINISTRY
Food for Kids ministry provides food items for the weekend for students at three local schools in Midland. MISD teachers and counselors insure the students who benefit from the ministry receive the food bags each Friday during the school year. The RAs and GAs alternate each Wednesday packing the bags and become an integral part of the ministry.
FBC REC TEAM
FBC of Midland produces two REC Teams comprised of college age students every summer. Our traveling REC Team goes to small towns throughout Texas for eight weeks of the summer. Each week they put on a day camp in the city park for the entire city. The day camp has song time, games, nature walks, sno cones and bible stories. This team also has youth activities and bible study in the evenings and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday they lead a revival at the host church. The local REC Team stays here in Midland and leads our day camps, basketball camps, soccer camps and volleyball camps. Both REC Teams go to Paisano Baptist Encampment at the end of July and lead the Day Camp for General Week. Every year God uses these teams to bring hundreds of children to ask Jesus to be their personal Lord and Savior.
CHRISTMAS IN ACTION
The mission of Christmas in Action is to follow God’s teachings by working together to preserve and revitalize houses and communities, assuring that low-income elderly and disabled homeowners live in warmth, safety, and independence. We grateful to be given the opportunity to help the most vulnerable, and many times overlooked, members of our society. We are the only ministry in Midland that provides major home repair services for elderly and disabled homeowners. Repairs include new roofs, windows, siding, exterior doors, storm doors, exterior paint, wheelchair ramps, grab bars, plumbing, heating, air conditioner repair and replacement, electrical repair, and miscellaneous carpentry.
FBC ENGLISH SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL)
This ministry has students from all areas. Some of our attendees have fled religious persecution; others have never heard the Good News. During the regular school calendar year, our Baptist ESL ministry offers 4 levels of adult English classes, a citizenship preparation class, a children’s Bible class, and child care for infants and toddlers. Each class starts with learning a Bible memory verse then continues reviewing English lessons from ESL workbooks. We also teach American culture. At the conclusion we assemble together for singing and a devotional which reinforces the Bible verse and includes a clear presentation of the Gospel every week.
TEEN F.L.O.W.
Founded to empower local teenage youth to surpass the perceived limitations of socioeconomic adversity and transform both their character and self-confidence by providing support to aid in spiritual development, social responsibility, and future aspirations. By offering implicit acceptance of students from any and all backgrounds, guiding them through the teachings of the Gospel, and encouraging social development through peer leadership and community service, Teen F.L.O.W. provides the kind of support one would expect from a second family. Through possibilities for personal betterment and spiritual fulfillment, students can grow into healthy and responsible young citizens in the community, realize their own potential, and become confident in who Christ created them to be.
ReaCHINA
Our original goal was to outreach every local Chinese in Midland/ Odessa with friendship/servant evangelism. Since 2006, we have built up wonderful relationship with around two hundreds of Chinese. Pastor Stephen Lee is the name which people think of first when they have problems. Reachina is like the lighthouse in the Chinese community which shines upon them to give them hope, encouragement and guidance for better life. Since 2014, God opened the evangelical door in Big Spring through the FBC of BS. It is not like east or west coasts where Chinese like to live, but God still cares for them and would like to save them.
THE LIFE CENTER
We have partnered with The Life Center involving both people and financial resources since the eighties. As a non-profit, faith-based, alternative-to-abortion organization programs were developed and offered in three areas: teaching Prevention education in schools, Intervention for pregnancy decisions through medical services and Restoration programs with emphasis on spiritual healing. Prevention: abstinence-until-marriage, sexual integrity programs include 4-12th grades and are free to public and private schools. Over 27,000 students are taught annually across the region. The Intervention programs help mothers and fathers through education programs and support services make informed, life-affirming decisions. Over the last ten years, satellites centers now offer Intervention services in Andrews, Odessa and Big Spring. Restoration healing programs provide practical educational tools combined with spiritual support and prayer based on Biblical principles. Programs include, Integrity, sexual healing, anger- management, post-abortion support, The Joshua Project for teen dads developed to complement the M.A.R.Y. Mentor teen mom program which was adopted in 2012.
MIDLAND FAIR HAVENS
A Christian faith-based program designed to help determined single mothers with young children over-come and break cycles of unemployment, abusive relationships, homelessness, and generational poverty. Midland Fair Havens seeks to equip struggling families with the skills and knowledge they need to become independent and self-sufficient. By addressing the needs of the body, heart and soul, families can change their life story and find hope for their future as proclaimed in Jeremiah 29:11.
Residential Services include: Rent-free, safe & secure housing , Individual Case Management , Bible centered Life Skills Training, Counseling , Assistance with Referral & Coordination with community resources, Children’s Services. Non-Residential Services include: Individual Needs Assessment with Information & Referral Assistance, Financial Assistance with rent & utilities to prevent homelessness, Basic Needs Assistance.
MISSION AGAPE
Devoted to demonstrating God’s love on earth. We demonstrate God’s love through our community food pantry where we meet the food needs of families who do not have enough to eat. Here we are able to love them, encourage them, and share our faith. We meet their food need and pray with them. We build a relationship by helping direct them to other services if needed and being available until their need is no longer a concern. Mission Agape provides weekend food support for over 300 children every week through partnerships with five MISD elementary schools. We have two packing sites and over 100 volunteers involved in this program. We provide school supplies and adopt families for Christmas through this program. We have a partnership with Community in Schools to provide needed food bags in our freshman and high schools. Our Mobile Food Pantry blesses families at Buckner Family Place and Midland Fair Havens and we have a Mobile Outreach Program designed to meet food needs beyond Midland County.
BAPTIST STUDENT MINISTRY
Baptist Student Ministry takes the gospel to college campuses. College students need strong leaders and communities of believers to help them persevere, hold them accountable, model a Christian lifestyle in an increasingly post-modern culture and train them to share Christ on campus if the church is to thrive.
The purposes of BSM are to reach students for Christ, to disciple believers, to develop leaders, and to provide opportunities for students to practice selfless service through volunteerism and missions.
YOUNG LIFE
Young Life doesn’t start with a program. It starts with adults concerned enough about kids to go to them, on their turf and in their culture, building bridges of authentic friendship. These relationships don’t happen overnight — they take time, patience, trust and consistency.
We believe in the power of presence. Kids’ lives are dramatically impacted when caring adults come alongside them, sharing God’s love with them. Because their leader believes in them, they begin to see that their lives have great worth, meaning and purpose.