JCBC West-Presidio, Texas

JCBC joined the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s, Together for Hope’s missional outreach initiative, to the poorest twenty counties in the country, almost ten years ago. We were asked to visit Presidio, Texas, which by our standards, might as well be on Mars. Most of us had never heard of it and we quickly figured out why. It was very difficult to get to, as it’s close to a million miles from here, but we went. We developed relationships and began sports camps through the Presidio Independent School Board, and the rest, as they say, “is history.”

Visit Presidio today, population 4,426, and you’ll see JCBC t-shirts all over town even though we do not have an actual relationship with any church in town. All of our work in this town, that’s been inhabited since 1500 BC and has been a city since 1683 AD, has been in conjunction with the school board. Obviously, we do not go in evangelistically, due to the nature of our relationship, but when your calling is to be “salt and light,” even softball and baseball camps emanate faith.

Every other year, a group of Presidio teenagers visits JCBC for a week of cultural immersion, and Junior Achievement classes (we call it “Brainiac week”). The group picture above, was this year’s visiting group, and if God ever created a nicer, better mannered and classier group of kids, I’d love to meet them. The week was “one for the books.” Our relationship with the city of Presidio, Texas continues to flourish and lives continue to change, and I’m guessing, ours more than theirs…which the Apostle Paul might say is how it’s supposed to work!

Praises be to the God on Mission who has a Church he allows to assist.

Michael McCullar
Formations Pastor
Johns Creek Baptist Church