A sea of yellow-capped volunteers crowded into Texans on Mission headquarters in Dallas on Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2 for the first Yellow Cap Gathering, an event hosted to celebrate Yellow Caps and familiarize new volunteers with the deployment process.
Nathan Buchanan, Director of the Volunteer Engagement Team and organizer of the Yellow Cap Gathering, said the idea for the event had been in development for five months. Ninety-seven volunteers were in attendance on Friday and 83 attended the Saturday program. Over the course of the two days, 67 TXM leaders assisted in the planning and organization of the events, ensuring the program ran smoothly.
As volunteers registered, they completed a survey that revealed nearly half had never been deployed, while just over 20% had been on only one or two deployments, Buchanan shared.
“The idea is to help people get our volunteers from interested to engaged all across the board, not just in Disaster Relief, but including Water Impact, Missions and Discipleship, Builders and more,” Buchanan said.
Volunteers who attended on Friday attested to the event’s success in making them feel more united as a team.
“It's kind of a synergy when everybody gets together,” said Dennis Keith Leach, a Yellow Cap working with the chaplaincy program. “It creates its own energy.”
Michael Evans, who serves with the mass feeding and shower and laundry teams, said the gathering has served as a way for him to reconnect with those he was deployed with.
“I think [the Yellow Cap Gathering] is great because it's helping to answer a few questions, since each unit operates a little differently,” he said.
Evans said he hopes to see the gathering become a yearly event, since it serves to strengthen volunteers’ relationship with the organization.
The agenda for the day included several information booths where volunteers could learn more about different units, such as feeding, shower and laundry and chainsaw. There were also self-guided tours of the trailers used for deployment, a climbing demonstration, an entertainment portion with an illusion show by David and Kylie Knight, and plenty of time for reconnecting and fellowship among Yellow Caps.
A few seasoned volunteers — Jim Lawton, Johnny Thompson, Javier Jacobo and Butch Moore — were able to share testimonies in front of the large group, telling anecdotes from their time serving. They recounted several moments when God was able to put them in the right place and time to help bring people they were serving to Christ.
While the physical assistance Texans on Mission volunteers provide is a huge factor, what it’s really all about is something more spiritual, according to Incident Management Team coordinator Jim Lawton.
“My favorite saying about Texans on Mission is when we go to tell people about Jesus, we take a few tools with us,” Lawton said.
Before lunch, John Hall, Director of Missions, touched on continuous efforts in Runaway Bay, Mineral Wells and Springtown after the recent inclement weather that struck North Texas. He thanked volunteers, highlighting the distribution of 1,545 boxes in Runaway Bay and Mineral Wells, and encouraged continued support, noting that additional units — including chainsaw, feeding, shower and laundry, and asset protection — were scheduled to deploy to Springtown on Monday.
“When disasters happen and folks are hurting and they're praying for help, the folks in this room are the answer to prayer,” Hall said.
After lunch, Buchanan and Associate Director of Disaster Relief Jacob Moneybrake walked the group of Yellow Caps through the general deployment process, offering tips along the way. They emphasized the importance of prayer, communication and preparation once deployments are announced.
With deployments sometimes ranging from local day-long commitments to two-week out-of-state missions, Buchanan and Moneybrake encouraged coordination with Blue Caps and team leaders and noted that flexibility is key.
LaDonna Hagler, a Yellow Cap working with the shower and laundry team, said she encourages new volunteers to embrace deployments with confidence, since God will use them to brighten the lives of those in need of hope.
“Don’t be afraid,” Hagler said. “You are surrounded by your brothers and sisters. No one's going to let you fail.”
If you would like to attend a Yellow Cap Gathering but haven’t registered yet, there are still spots available for the gatherings on Aug. 8 at First Baptist Church San Antonio and Sept. 26 at First Baptist Church Pasadena. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with fellow Yellow Caps!