A Blog for the leaders at Calvary McAllen

This blog is a place for Lead Pastor Julio to share updates on leadership ideas and developments at Calvary. I encourage feedback and comments as we together seek God's leadership for our church and for His mission.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Calvary's Response to Refugee Influx*

Today I share with you an update from Pastor Chad Mason regarding Calvary's response to the Central American refugee influx in our city:
 
“And then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me I was in prison and you came to visit me… The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Matthew 25: 34-36, 40


As you all know since about June 9th, the City of McAllen has been responding to the overwhelming needs of Central American Refugees who were being released by the Immigration and Customs officials to “sponsor” family members already living in the US.  They were being released at the McAllen bus station in anticipation of their immediate departure for other locations in the US.  Because of the conditions that these refugees were in, the need arose to provide a relief center to help provide for their immediate needs.  This includes providing a shower, clean clothes, a meal, some provisions for their immediate travel.  For the few that had to wait overnight a tent shelter with cots has been provided.  


Calvary became involved during the first week of the relief center’s operation.  Catholic Charities responded to the City’s need immediately and established the Relief Center at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.  The Church’s Community Center proved to be the best location to host the center.  Since getting involved Calvary has responded in the following ways: 



  • Recruited Volunteers to Serve at Sacred Heart with the Refugees
  • Recruited Volunteers to serve at the Food Bank of the RGV.  
  • Collected Items to be given to Sacred Heart & Flip Flops for the Unaccompanied Minors 
  • Volunteered to host a Mobile Laundry Unit and staff volunteers to meet the daily laundering needs of the Relief Center.  
  • Provided Leadership to the BGCT to engage teams from around the State that have a desire to help.  
  • Acted in an Advocacy Role in representing the need to government leaders, officials, and media. 

We have responded in this manner with the heavy investment of volunteers over the last 60 days.  These volunteers have sacrificed massive amounts of time, invested of themselves with tremendous passion and skill.  Jeanette Ahlenius has been a God-sent as we first got involved and then transitioned to providing the Laundry service.  Her willingness to design systems, recruit and train volunteers, and to serve as a representative of Calvary has truly been a blessing.  Ron Corbett has been another tremendous blessing!  Since day one he has made himself available in any capacity that is needed, installation of the laundry units, pick-up and delivery of the clean and dirty laundry, and much sweat and some tears in interacting with the refugee families.  Lastly Denise Love has been involved since we first became involved.  She and her husband David have spent a great deal of time at Sacred Heart and recruited teams and leaders from other Churches to get involved.  She has been a huge support through out this time.  


There have been many other volunteers who have been heavily involved in the various ways Calvary is engaged, and I cannot thank them, you, enough.  I have never seen a need like this, and I have never seen the overwhelming response poured out by so many.  Thank you!!!!!


Today I want to update you on some of the changes that have emerged in the last few days.  



1.  Sacred Heart:  Since last Saturday Aug 2, the border patrol (BP) has begun to detain the Family Units that are defined as a Mother and her Children.  They are transporting them now to a facility just south of San Antonio.  The Relief Center has been seeing between 50-200 people a day since they started the center in June.  Now they expect to see 20-25 people a day.  The people we will now see at the Center will be the Family Units that are defined as a Father with Children, or Pregnant Mother’s.  These are the only population groups that the BP is continuing to release.  This changes the needs drastically.  The biggest is an immediate halt to collecting donations of items such as clothes, shoes, baby supplies…  The biggest ongoing need will be volunteers and funds.  


2.  Laundry Service:  Calvary has committed to continuing the Laundry service, but the volume will be much decreased.  This means that we will only need one shift per day in the morning.  Unless there are new changes, the laundry should be finished by 12 noon daily.  Jeannette has needed to step out of her leadership role with the Fall season approaching.  Tammie De Los Santos has stepped up to organize the Laundry need for the immediate future.  The initial mobile laundry unit was lent to us by Texas Baptist Men.  Our current mobile laundry unit, which is bigger than the first one, is on loan to us from Baptist Child and Family Services.  


3.  BGCT Mission Teams:  Calvary has been asked by the BGCT to take a role in hosting teams who are coming to serve from out of the area.  We will begin providing breakfast and a devotional for visiting teams (larger than 15) starting the week of Aug 15th.  This will be ongoing, and we are working to develop a team to take this need on.  Betty Flores will be organizing this ministry opportunity. (These teams may not be staying at CBC but at the Valley Baptist Retreat Center in Mission.  However, we will play an important role in receiving them and connecting them to volunteer opportunities).


4.  Border Patrol Care: Calvary has found that there is high interest in finding ways to care for the many Border Patrol Agents that have been overworked and highly stressed throughout the time that this crisis has occurred.  Several of our member have organized a Cookie-Bake on Friday September 12 that will seek to provide many dozens of cookies that can be given to Law Enforcement along with an encouraging thank you note.  This we hope will be the first event, that will help us to recruit a team to help us organize a larger BBQ for a Saturday late in September welcoming Law Enforcement Members and their families.  


5.  Calvary Relief Director:  Because of the many roles that Calvary is involved in with this Crisis the BGCT offered to provide us with some help in staffing. They have offered to fund a full time person on a month-to-month basis to be a liaison for our church at Sacred Heart and to direct the various ministry opportunities that we are involved in.  This person will provide onsite leadership to the Relief Center at Sacred Heart.  This person will provide Relief oversight in the various areas discussed above, in partnerships with the Missions Ministry Staff at Calvary.  Denise Love has been selected as the person to lead our Relief Response. 


6.  Southtexasrefugees.org website: Calvary has continued to develop and administrate the Relief Response Community Bulletin Board at www.southtexasrefugees.org.  We daily receive 10-15 emails inquiring how people can help and respond to the many needs that continue to emerge.  Because of the massive amounts of information and constant attention the site, and the information requests have required, we hired a 20-hour a week intern to manage the communications.  This has been Arnold Garza, who is returning to Truett Seminary this weekend.  We will seek to replace his position with a bilingual intern who is technologically proficient and able to respond to emails and phone calls, as well as daily update the website.  This position has been funded by designated funds for this cause.


7.  Partners:  We have been blessed to work alongside local partners such as the City of McAllen, Catholic Charities, the Salvation Army and the Food Bank of the RGV.  In addition, we have also received the support of our denominational partners such as the Rio Grande Valley Baptist Association, the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Texas Baptist Men, the Hispanic Convention of Texas, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (Diann Whisnand has secured multiple gift cards from churches around the country to provide supplies for our operation).


8.  Financial Cost:  We have received in excess of $8,553.42 in designated donations by individuals for this cause.  In addition, the BGCT has also provided other funds.  All of the financial cost for this operation, including utilities, supplies, staffing, etc., has been/will be covered by these designated donations. 


9.  Articles in State and National Media:  Because of our involvement, our church has been featured in multiple articles or news pieces by state and national media.  Here are some of them for your information:


Baptist Press:  



CBN News:


Buckner:


Fox News: 


Facebook video:


Facebook video:




At the beginning of September we will reevaluate our staffing needs and shift according to the emerging needs.  Thank you for all your help, your service, and your love for these, “least of these”.  I believe that God has been honored in our response.  


“Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.  Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”
Hebrews 13:1-2


*Biblical basis for this ministry: Leviticus 19:10, 34; Job 31:32; Isaiah 58:7-10; Matthew 10:43-45; 25:34-46; Luke 14:12-14

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