Texas Baptists Hunger Offering luncheon offers ministry report, honors top givers

The Texas Baptist Hunger Offering (TBHO) celebrated a year of fruitful giving during their annual luncheon at the 2024 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting. Attendees heard firsthand of the Offering’s impact from a recipient in Sierra Leone and were encouraged to continue being a part of this collaborative offering by keynote speaker Texas Baptists Treasurer/CFO Ward Hayes.

Craig Christina, associate executive director of Texas Baptists, and Katie Frugé, director of the Center for Cultural Engagement, opened the luncheon by thanking everyone in attendance for their generosity. They both celebrated that 100% of the donations given to the TBHO go directly to people in need.

“You are the heartbeat of what this ministry is all about,” Frugé said. “Caring for the least of these is the embodiment of all we do.”

The opening prayer was led by Kalie Lowrie, associate vice president for Communications and Alumni Engagement at Howard Payne University and one of the commissioners of the Christian Life Commission (CLC). 

Irene Gallegos, director of  Hunger and Care Ministries, introduced a video featuring Agraverse, one of the ministries supported by TBHO. She shared that Agraverse has partnered with TBHO for two years to bring food security, environmental sustainability and economic empowerment to Sierra Leone. 

Paul Conteh, founder of Agraverse, shared in the video that the Offering allows the nonprofit to provide farmers with seeds to plant sustainable, much-need crops. When their harvest comes, they are able to pay back Agraverse and turn a profit. One of the first families to participate in the program, the Massah-Contehs, were able to send their son to college using the funds they made through their harvest. 

Hayes gave the keynote address, saying that the Offering embodies the Lord’s love for each person in the world. He shared that God knew and felt the unique hardships of each individual.

“The God who made over 200 billion trillion stars knows everyone that hungers, knows everyone in crisis, knows everyone in severe need… Our God is an amazing God,” he said.

He then shared about Jesus’ interactions with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. Hayes said that the disciples did not think that she was worth sharing the gospel with, but Jesus saw that she was eager to receive the Good News. 

Hayes shared that TBHO has provided almost seven million meals to 1.2 million people in 2024 so far. 155 ministries have received funds from the Offering. Additionally, the community care grant has served over 600,000 people and seen over 4,000 confessions of faith as a result of their work.

“May you continue to give, promote and encourage churches to have a part in this ministry…” Hayes said. “Open our eyes and look at the fields. They are ripe with harvest. Thank you for helping with the harvest.”

Following Hayes’ speech, Gallegos thanked the Texas Baptists Christian Life Commission (CLC) team and ministry assistants who make TBHO possible. 

Gallegos also honored the top giving churches to the TBHO, which included: Vanderbilt Baptist Church, First Baptist Church Richmond, First Baptist Church George West, Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, Southland Baptist Church, First Baptist Church Kilgore, First Baptist Church Arlington, First Baptist Church Midland and Pioneer Drive Baptist Church.