About Weslaco The city of Weslaco was formally organized on December 10, 1919. Within a year, the town had a post office, bank and Chamber of Commerce. In 1921, the community established its school system. For most of its life, Weslaco’s economy was largely based on farming a variety of crops from ranging cotton to oranges to vegetables. In the 1960’s, tourism began to flourish when the town’s subtropical climate started to draw large numbers of persons from the northern tier of the United States and throughout Canada. At first, the people spent the winter months in this area. Lately, increasing numbers of these people are relocating here permanently. Historically, South Texas has been one of the most economically depressed areas in the United States. The region has been flourishing for the past two decades, however, thanks to programs such as the North American Free Trade Agreement. This expansion is forecasted to last for the foreseeable future. Manufacturers are flocking to our area to take advantage of low cost Mexican labor. The lower Rio Grande Valley is the center of the primary transportation corridor between Latin America and the eastern two-thirds of the United States and Canada. As a result, the long term prospects for the region have been likened to those of the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex about 40 years ago. Brownsville / Harlingen (approximately 20 miles east) is roughly equivalent to Dallas – McAllen / Edinburg (approximately 20 miles west) is roughly equivalent to Fort Worth – Weslaco is roughly equivalent to Arlington. At the present time, Weslaco has about 30,000 inhabitants, about 85 percent of which are Hispanic. The city’s population has increased by 16 percent since 2000. Last year, the area was the third fastest growing in the United States. This year, it is forecast to take over the top spot. The median home in Weslaco costs $76,100. Living costs are 26 percent lower here than the U.S. average. The founding of FBC Weslaco All denominations met for worship services in the town’s community center for the first 18 months after Weslaco was founded – located at the site of the library-city hall complex a few blocks north of our campus. Then in 1921, an evangelist, Rev. R. L. Cole, and two gospel singers, Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Blankenship, led a revival in Weslaco. Three days after the revival began, 56 people with a Baptist background decided they were in sufficient number to call a conference for the purpose of organizing a church. By the end of their third meeting, their number had grown to 65. From that day to the present, the church these people started, First Baptist Church of Weslaco, has been the largest and most active protestant Body of Christ in this community. FBC Weslaco’s physical facilities The first services were held in the old Stephen F. Austin School for a few months. In the fall of 1921, a tabernacle was built on the site of our present church at a cost of $2,000 (about $30,000 in 2007 dollars). Construction on FBC Weslaco’s church sanctuary began in 1926. The building was completed about a year later in June 1927 at a cost of $80,000 (about $1,000,000 in 2007 dollars). Over the years, the church has been renovated and the campus facilities have been enlarged many times. One of the most significant improvements came in 1951 with the addition of an educational building and chapel at a cost of $150,000 (about $1,200,000 in 2007 dollars). Another was the addition of the Family Life Center in 1995 at a cost of $500,000 (about $700,000 in 2007 dollars). FBC Weslaco’s pastoral leadership Various Baptist pastors in the Rio Grande Valley filled FBC Weslaco’s pulpit for the first few months after the church’s founding. Then, shortly after the tabernacle was finished in December 1921, the church called its first pastor. FBC Weslaco has employed a full time pastor ever since. Our church has also employed full time Directors of Music and Education since 1953. For most of its history, the congregation of FBC Weslaco recognized it would obtain excellent pastoral leadership by seeking individuals who would regard the church as a beneficial career move rather than a permanent position. This strategy has worked well. For example, eight years ago, FBC Weslaco’s last pastor, Dr. Jonathan Becker was the youth minister at an independent Baptist fellowship. Recently, he left our employ in order to accept the position of Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of McAllen, the largest SBC congregation in this region. Dr. Becker’s predecessor, Dr. Walter Crouch, left our pulpit to accept the position of Vice President of Church Relations at Carson-Newman College, Jefferson, Tennessee. FBC Weslaco intends to follow the same strategy in recruiting Dr. Becker’s successor, but recognizes that given the area’s growth in general and the church’s growth in particular, the new Pastor may find FBC Weslaco the perfect place to fulfill his ministry. FBC Weslaco’s ministry to Weslaco FBC Weslaco has historically placed a strong emphasis on taking the Gospel Message throughout its community. In addition to ministering to the needs of its own congregation, FBC Weslaco has established seven churches in Weslaco. These include: the Mission Templo Bautista in 1946; the Grace Avenue Mission in the early 1950’s; the El Calvario Bautista Mission in the mid-1960’s; El Buen Pastor in the mid-1980’s, the Mission Bautista Las Palmas in 1987; and within the past two years PIB of Weslaco and Iglesia Bautista Belen. All of these missions were established as an outreach to our Spanish speaking citizens. Among other things, FBC Weslaco provided the land, buildings, and funded the pastor’s salaries for each of these churches until they became self-sustaining. Outreach to the world For most of the time since its founding, FBC Weslaco has been one of the leaders (if not the leader) among congregations in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in giving to worldwide missions. About two years ago, the church changed its emphasis from giving to going in order to take advantage of the special gifts of our congregation: we are bilingual, we know how to interact with the culture and people of Latin America, and we have family members, business associates and close friends who can open doors. The results have been spectacular. For example: We have trained more than 900 pastors in Mexico and Peru who minister to more than 250,000 persons. We have founded 10 churches who are flourishing through our continued support and assistance. We have made more than two dozen mission trips to Mexico and Peru to preach the Gospel, teach Sunday school, deliver dozens of cases of Bibles and Sunday school material, and provide food and financial aid. This work alone has led to over 800 people being saved. Thousands more are now studying the Bible for the first time because they have one.  We have treated more than 1,000 people at our “eye clinics.” We have fitted more than 700 pairs of eye glasses and have provided medicine to hundreds of others. You can read more about these and other missions programs, as well as learn about our missions plans in the near future here. Looking ahead Presently, FBC Weslaco is a congregation of about 300 families with a year-round attendance of about 550 persons. The church’s growth rate has averaged around six percent per year over the past decade. The church is financially secure and looking forward to an excellent future. On January 6th our church called Steven Parker to be our pastor.  Steven and his wife Lisa are both Rio Grande Valley natives and have felt God’s call to minister in the Valley.  We ask everyone who reads this to pray for our new pastor as he strives to serve us with integrity, to lead us in a shared walk with Jesus Christ, and help us work toward building one family of faith. You can read more about our plans for both the near and long term here.