Texas Baptists churches are at work strengthening churches to fulfill the Great Commandment and Great Commission every day in Texas and beyond. This is a story about a person who was recently impacted by your church’s gifts to the Cooperative Program.

Tarleton State Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) kicked off the fall semester with 19 new student outreach events during the Week of Welcome. During these events, BSM students collected 458 contact cards from students who said they are interested in learning more about Jesus. One of those students was a freshman named Madi.

Madi stopped by the first BSM outreach event which was an information table outside the dining hall offering ice pops. She filled out a connection card saying although she hadn’t been to church since the third grade, she was interested in learning more about Jesus. Jessica, a senior BSM leader, reached out to Madi after the event and met up with her on campus. She shared the gospel with Madi using the three circles method and gave her a Bible, which piqued her curiosity about Christianity. She became excited about getting involved.

Madi attended several BSM events that first week including a freshman Bible study, a free lunch and 402 worship. With minimal exposure to the Bible and her struggle with dyslexia, Madi found it difficult to find the scriptures easily during the events. The next week, she began showing up to BSM events early to find, underline and bookmark the scriptures being discussed that evening.

During this time, a man named Danny Gose reached out to BSM staff to give financially toward a specific ministry need. Gose partnered with Tarleton State BSM through Texans On Mission during Week of Welcome. He had been burdened by the number of students on campus needing the gospel. He purchased a Bible created especially for dyslexic readers as a gift for the ministry. BSM staff gifted this to Madi and she responded with, "This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

After a month of reading in her new Bible and searching for truth, Madi realized that she could never earn a place before God, but Jesus had willingly bought that place for her. And at 402 Worship, Madi prayed to receive Christ with her small group leader.

This kind of impact only happens through local churches making a difference right where they are. Thank you for your generous gifts through the Texas Baptists Cooperative Program. Because of your gifts, we are able to strengthen churches to fulfill your calling to love God, love others and make disciples.