Texarkana church ‘loving’ community to Jesus Christ
by: Stella Prather - Apr 18, 2008
A little over two years ago, South Texarkana Church of Texarkana was in danger of shutting down.
Worship attendance at the church, located in a depressed area of Texarkana, had dwindled to about a dozen senior adult members. The church’s one and only Sunday school class averaged five in attendance.
“We were just above closing the doors,” said Scott Page, church member since 1953. “Over the years, attendance had just gone down and down. People had died off, and we didn’t have young people at the time. There was no one to replace those who went on to be with the Lord.”
In spite of the daunting situation, the faithful few did not give up, but started “loving” on their community, said Travis Payne, church pastor since March 2006. “When I arrived as pastor, the church was ready to minister; ready to do something for the Lord. They knew they had to do something or die.
“We realized that if they were going to do anything for the Lord we had to get outside the building. So we started looking for ways to love our community,” said Payne.
Not long after Payne was called as pastor, the then tiny congregation began “loving their neighbors” through a food ministry. An elderly church member initiated the idea to help out residents of the economically depressed area.
“One sunny Thursday afternoon in April 2006, a man from our church stopped by the church with his car trunk full of fresh produce—lettuce, carrots, potatoes—and wanted to make them available to needy in the community,” recalled Payne. “He asked me where could he put the food. I told him that we really didn’t have anywhere to store it. It would spoil if left at the church.”
As a result, Payne and his granddaughter, who was with him that day, took the food and went door to door in the neighborhood giving out the produce.
The following week, the man returned with more produce and again Payne and a few members sacked up the food and took it door to door.
“It got to be a weekly event…and it started getting larger and larger,” said Payne, adding that soon there were not enough church members to handle the task. “So we started asking people in the community to come and help. Several agreed and started coming. When they did, they fell in love with our people and the atmosphere of helping others…Many have been saved and baptized.”
Today, the church has a full-fledged food pantry, staffed by about 30 church members and open Monday and Wednesday. Each Friday, members still go door-to-door distributing food.
Area needy can visit the pantry once a month. Depending on the size of the family, visitors can take home 13 to 25 pounds of food, including frozen meats, canned goods, pasta and even baby food.
Those visiting the pantry meet with a church volunteer, who befriends and often counsels each visitor. They also share the gospel message.
Each week, Payne said eight to 10 people report making professions of faith in Christ while at the food pantry. Since Sept. 12, 112 have committed their lives to Christ.
Church membership is also booming. Average worship attendance in March was 115. Nine Sunday school classes are filled to capacity. The nursery averages 14 in attendance.
They also have active prayer, youth, men’s and women’s ministries.
“We are hurting for space around here,” said Payne. “God is working.”
In the last year, 71 people have been baptized. Many others have made other spiritual decisions.
“Every once and a while we will have a Sunday where nobody is baptized,” said Page. “Every once in a while but not very often, not very often.”
Among those recently saved was an area resident who agreed to help in the food ministry, but told Payne up front she was not interested in “getting saved.”
“She kept coming and coming to help out, and our people kept loving her,” he said. “She even started attending Sunday church services but continued saying she did not want to talk about getting saved.”
About six weeks ago, Payne said, “she walked down the aisle on Sunday evening and was saved.”
Also recently committing her life to Christ was Shirley Turner. She volunteers two days a week in the food pantry and is an active member. “I love the church. I love the people and working in the pantry…It is like a family, loving each other.”
Another member, John Gossett, recommitted his life to the Lord after his wife and daughter made professions of faith during a revival last year. He had attended South Texarkana as a child but as a teen had succumbed to alcohol and left the church.
“My wife came home from that revival and told me that I had to choose between my family and my alcohol. I chose my family and started going to church…I have not been the same since.”
Changed lives like these, Payne said, are common. “We are just people loving people to Christ.”
He believes God is blessing the church’s obedience to “ministering to those less fortunate. That’s what the Bible teaches us to do.”
Applauding the growing congregation, Jerry Creek, South Arkansas Association missionary, said, “South Texarkana is a ‘Matthew 25:40’ church. They are reaching out to ‘the least of these’ and the Lord is blessing their work by saving many lost people.”
This article is reprinted from the April 3, 2008, issue of the Arkansas Baptist News, the newsjournal of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.
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