Debbie Carter, Church And Community Missionary In Kansas
By Eva Wilson
Southern Baptists in northeast Kansas are joining God’s work by meeting people’s needs.
Debbie Carter’s face breaks into a wide smile and her blue eyes shine as she tells about exciting developments in Kaw Valley Baptist Association.
Carter is the association’s ministry evangelism consultant. Putting it simply, she assists churches in sharing the gospel through meeting people’s needs. Carter has served Kaw Valley for 10 years.
The oldest and best-known ministry is the New Hope Food Pantry located in the inner city of Topeka. Leon Parker began the ministry in 1983 while serving as pastor of New Hope Baptist Church. Although the church disbanded, the Food Pantry is growing and serving more people during these challenging economic times.
New Hope Baptist Church’s building was remodeled for the Food Pantry, which officially opened there in January 2009.
Jeanne Hurr, a member of Northern Hills Baptist Church in Topeka, is the Food Pantry director. Volunteers assist her in distributing food every Monday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
At New Hope Food Pantry, “our vision has always been to offer more to the people than just food,” Carter said. “We’re at a place where we can do that.”
Potential ministries at the Food Pantry include classes in reading and writing for adults. Plans also call for offering classes in money management aimed specifically at low-income people.
The goal is to share the gospel through all of the Food Pantry ministries.
But Carter’s smile grows even brighter as she tells of other ministries developing in Kaw Valley.
In late March 2009, Jess Bluvan and his family moved to Topeka to begin outreach in the Hispanic community. Bluvan is carrying on his family’s ministry tradition. His parents are Enrique and Francisca Bluvan. Enrique is a Hispanic church planter in Western Kansas Baptist Association. Francisca assists her husband in ministry and serves on the KNCSB Vacation Bible School team.
Bluvan is developing ministries to Hispanics based out of Casa de la Gracia (House of Grace) Ministry Center. It is located in the former Trinity Baptist Church building on California Avenue in east Topeka.
Wilbur Noble, pioneer church planter in Kansas, started Trinity Baptist Church. Although the church disbanded, its legacy lives on this new ministry.
“The plan is to start a Hispanic church through meeting needs. I’ll be working with Jess to support him in ministry evangelism,” Carter said.
Other ministries are supporting Casa de la Gracia and New Hope Food Pantry. Classes in English as a Second Language (ESL) are being held at Casa. Gayle Davis is team leader for the Kaw Valley ESL team.
“That’s where her passion is,” Carter says of Davis.
Adult literacy classes also are being planned. Lisa Dabney, KNCSB Ministry Assistant for Language Ministries, will lead this ministry.
Carter flashes that wide smile as she tells of how Kaw Valley churches are reaching out beyond their walls. “That’s what’s so exciting. That’s what’s so rewarding.”