This May marks a milestone in Texans on Mission history — a Builders project that still stands today, continuing to bring hope and healing to hurting families.
On May 23, 1986, TXM built the Hospitality House — a free place for families to stay while visiting their fathers, sons, brothers and husbands held in one of the 17 correctional facilities in the Huntsville area. The Hospitality House would become the first of its kind in Texas, the second in the nation, and the only to ever be constructed in an impressive 24-hour period.
According to an account of the event in TXM’s written history, “Anyway, Anytime, Anywhere,” the idea for the house was first proposed at the 1983 Texas Baptist Men Convention in Amarillo. The TBM prison ministry committee brought awareness to those traveling great distances to visit inmate family members, many of whom had been sleeping in their cars in roadside parks because they could not afford motels.
Within a matter of months and with the help of local Royal Ambassadors, TXM raised $150,000 for the two-story, 7,000 square foot building. Its rooms would be able to accommodate 66 overnight visitors.
Forty years later, TXM Chief Executive Officer Mickey Lenamon reflected on his experience placing plywood and decking the building alongside 270 other volunteers in the May heat.
The endeavor was akin to an old-fashioned barn raise, he said. The women provided hearty meals throughout the day and the Builders worked through the night to raise walls and partitions, install windows and lift trusses into place.
At 9 a.m. the next morning, the 24-hour completion point, the Builders stepped back to take in their work and dedicate the structure, removing their hats in a moment of reverence.
“It was a great sense of accomplishment,” Lenamon said. “We knew we weren't just building a house — we were building something for ministry. Still, we didn't know how big the effect was going to be.”
Hospitality House director Debra McCammon (left), who has been involved with the ministry since 1989 and has held the role of director for 17 years, said she still marvels at the efficiency of the TXM Builders and the quality of their work. Because of their efforts, the Hospitality House opened and began housing visitors by August 1986.
The structure has stood the test of time, McCammon said.
“I think [the Builders] have just proven the excellence of work that they are capable of doing,” McCammon said. “The [Hospitality House] ministry wouldn't have been possible if it hadn't been for Texans on Mission’s vision. They saw the need, and they said, ‘Hey, we can meet that need. We'll raise the money, we'll get the support, we'll get the builders.’ And they did. They brought it all together. And now there's a ministry that is celebrating 40 years.”
McCammon said some locals were originally against the Hospitality House being built, fearing it would bring a “bad element” to town.
“I think there were so many misunderstandings at the time about what it actually was going to be,” McCammon said. “But its purpose was always to minister to the families.”
Since opening, the Hospitality House has welcomed nearly 100,000 families through its doors, providing bunks hand-made by TXM Builders, hot, homemade meals and overwhelming support and prayer from McCammon and her team.
The ministry has also branched off into numerous other supportive programs and resources over the years, especially for children of the incarcerated. McCammon said they provide children with backpacks and school supplies and collect donated toys for Christmas gifts. They even have an art building to entertain the children during their stay, courtesy of TXM Builders.
“We're really trying to change the future of these children by providing a pathway of hope beyond the shadow of crime,” McCammon said.
The ministry also supports wives of the incarcerated through a marriage seminar, designed to mend broken relationships before husbands are released.
In some situations, families are visiting for the last time — to say goodbye to their loved ones on death row before executions. McCammon said these families are treated with extra care and support, and are usually allowed a longer stay.
What has kept the Hospitality House afloat all these years isn't just the hard work from volunteers and the generous funds from donors — it was God at work. McCammon recounted several occasions in which God provided in abundance, when food donations would show up out of nowhere and when local churches would pitch in to provide hot, fresh meals for families during their stay.
McCammon said she hopes this spirit of generosity continues, even as she transitions out of her director role, effective at the start of the new year.
“I would love for the ministry to continue to expand and grow — for more churches to get on board, for God's people to continue to support it, to embrace it wholeheartedly, to see the needs of these families and their hardships,” McCammon said. “We can reach them through Christ.”
Lenamon said the same dedication and craftsmanship that built the Hospitality House still holds true today among the TXM Builders.
“Our people take great pride in what they do,” Lenamon said. “The Hospitality House has done tremendous work for the kingdom, more than we could have imagined.”
There’s a place for you on the Builder’s team here at TXM. Visit the Builders website to learn more and get involved in a build.