Robert Pinder, Bob Feather and First Baptist Belton honored by Texas Baptist Mission Foundation

Texas Baptist Missions Foundation (TBMF) honored two individuals and one church Monday at its annual missions awards luncheon.

Don Cramer presented the Adventurer Award to Robert H. Pinder.

“I wanted you to get a glimpse of his heart, so I asked him two questions,” Cramer said. “The first question was, ‘What was the most rewarding experience of your ministry?’” 

“Pinder said, ‘Starting four churches in Argentina and training six young deacons how to share their faith.’ That stood out among everything he’s done. Then I said, ‘How would you summarize your life and ministry?’ He said, ‘Seeing people come to know Jesus and maturing in Christian ministry has been my greatest joy in all those years.’ 

Pinder can look back and truly say life has been and continues to be an adventure. In three months he’ll celebrate his 90th birthday, and he hasn’t slowed down. His wife, Joyce, confirms that everywhere he goes he shares his faith with people every opportunity he gets. 

When presenting First Baptist Belton with the Innovator Award, Tom Henderson described the church’s passion, creativity and perseverance in obeying the Great Commission with the question, “Well, why not?”

“Too many churches make excuses as to why they can’t engage in missions,” Henderson said. “First Belton has the attitude, ‘Well, why not?’ From starting and staffing a free clinic for Belton’s poor to building cabins at a Christian camp in Moldova, when opportunities come to join God in His work, the question is not ‘Why?’ but ‘Why not?’”

Before Gwin Morris took the stage to present the Pioneer Award to Robert O. “Bob” Feather, TBMF President Bill Arnold said the foundation owes much of its success to Bob’s creativity, innovation, leadership and relationships.

“One of our tasks in life is to plant trees under which we may not sit, because we all sit under trees we did not plant,” Morris said. “Our body of work is always paying it forward. In Bob’s 64-year career, he has planted well. The trees Bob Feather planted can be seen in the religious education work he did at First Baptist Church of Bowling Green, Ky., Wilshire Baptist Church and Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas; philanthropic projects he developed and accomplished with the Billy Graham Association, Baylor University and the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation; and through the numerous fundraising professionals whose careers he helped to launch or promote.”

For more information about the continued work of the Texas Baptist Mission Foundation, visit texasbaptists.org/tbmf.