Looking at refugees, but seeing Jesus
advocacy / Fellowship Southwest / immigration

Looking at refugees, but seeing Jesus

By Elket Rodríguez “Look at me,” Jesus whispered every day as I participated in a recent tour of Fellowship Southwest’s immigrant relief network. Many times, I saw him on the U.S.-Mexico border. But I also saw children of God providing ministry for Jesus’ sake. I saw tired Jesuses in pastors Juvenal González, Carlos Navarro, Lorenzo … Continue reading

Immigrants witness “miracle,” thanks to Hearts4Kids & CBF’s coronavirus fund
bold faith / COVID-19 / Fellowship Southwest / immigration

Immigrants witness “miracle,” thanks to Hearts4Kids & CBF’s coronavirus fund

By Marv Knox When the COVID-19 pandemic forced many nonprofits in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley to shut down, Hearts4Kids rallied volunteers to take up the slack. And thanks to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship donors, the CBF Coronavirus Emergency Relief Fund fueled the effort for almost a month. “H4K’s mission is to stay committed and focused to … Continue reading

Your voice can protect immigrants from perils of the pandemic
advocacy / COVID-19 / immigration

Your voice can protect immigrants from perils of the pandemic

By Marv Knox Through its extensive network of churches, missionaries and nonprofit partners, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship serves thousands of immigrants who live in the United States. They are not government statistics; we know them personally. They are our friends and neighbors—in colonias along the U.S.-Mexico border, Eastern Seaboard cities, and neighborhoods in-between. Because we … Continue reading

Together for Hope participates in Relay of Kindness and Models Collaboration
Featured / Missions / Together for Hope

Together for Hope participates in Relay of Kindness and Models Collaboration

By Jennifer Colosimo A story’s most profound message most often comes from the people who lived it. So, in the case of the first Relay of Kindness, hearing it called “a story of collaboration,” transfers the focus of the story from numbers to people, from statistics to hearts and hands. Those words come from Mark … Continue reading

Hurricane Hanna, COVID-19 compound misery across the Rio Grande Valley
COVID-19 / Disaster Response / Fellowship Southwest

Hurricane Hanna, COVID-19 compound misery across the Rio Grande Valley

By Elket Rodríguez Hurricane Hanna left a trail of devastation as it tore through Texas’ Rio Grande Valley near the Gulf of Mexico July 25. Hanna dumped more than 15 inches of rain on the region, severely flooding rural areas and colonias. Hanna’s impetuous winds also wreaked havoc, overturning trailer homes and ripping roofs off … Continue reading

Rio Grande Valley churches adapt ministries to serve suffering neighbors
COVID-19 / Fellowship Southwest

Rio Grande Valley churches adapt ministries to serve suffering neighbors

By Elket Rodríguez COVID-19 not only tests the limits of medical care, economic endurance and society’s willpower, but also congregations’ ability to meet burgeoning needs all around them. Three pastors from Texas’ Rio Grande Valley experience the pandemic’s stress on their churches and communities every day. Ivan De León of Iglesia Vino Nuevo—New Wine Church—in … Continue reading

Border pastors’ spouses provide the foundation of their immigrant ministries
advocacy / COVID-19 / Fellowship Southwest / immigration / refugees

Border pastors’ spouses provide the foundation of their immigrant ministries

By Elket Rodríguez The pastors on the front lines of Fellowship Southwest’s Immigrant Relief Ministry do not labor alone. Their strongest allies—their spouses—support, encourage and fortify them as they fight hunger, deprivation, exploitation, injustice and vulnerability all along the U.S.-Mexico border. These women’s tenacity, commitment and passion is unparalleled. They willingly sacrifice most of their … Continue reading

On the Ground: Fellowship Southwest immigrant ministries remain resilient in face of COVID-19
COVID-19 / Fellowship Southwest / immigration / refugees

On the Ground: Fellowship Southwest immigrant ministries remain resilient in face of COVID-19

By Elket Rodríguez COVID-19 has transformed Fellowship Southwest’s immigrant relief ministries all along the U.S.-Mexico border. Among the pastors who guide the effort, some are reinventing their ministries, others have identified new service opportunities, and still others have suffered losses and obstacles that put their work at risk. Yet they demonstrate resiliency only achieved through … Continue reading

An immigration “bottleneck,” Chiapas is home to misery
COVID-19 / Fellowship Southwest / immigration

An immigration “bottleneck,” Chiapas is home to misery

By Elket Rodríguez A crisis among global immigrants who hope—or who once hoped—to obtain asylum in the United States is playing out in desperation and hunger hundreds of miles from the U.S-Mexico border. Chiapas, Mexico’s southernmost state, is one of the world’s most important migration corridors. Races, nationalities, hopes and frustrations clash in Chiapas. Northbound … Continue reading