For more than a year, Trinity Baptist Church in Kerrville has been more than a place of worship. It has been a place of refuge, recovery and service for families affected by flooding — and a home base for Texans on Mission volunteers working to rebuild the community.

So when flooding damaged the church’s children’s wing in July, TXM had an opportunity to give back to a church that had given so much.

The damage came as the Guadalupe River spilled into neighboring creeks, sending water into nearby areas. Trinity opened its doors once again, this time providing shelter for 13 families who lived near the creeks.

That morning, Pastor John Wheat realized a part of the church had been affected by the flood.

Water had risen in the children’s wing, leaving a few inches of standing water and damaging drywall and tile. TXM volunteers quickly stepped in, removed the damaged materials and began restoring the space. With the children’s wing back in use, teachers could return and children’s activities could resume.

“It’s not easy for givers to be receivers,” Wheat said. “But it’s been such an honor because TXM wants to help us so we can help others in the community.”

After the 2025 flood, Trinity initially welcomed families who were waiting for news about missing loved ones. The church became a gathering place for people experiencing unimaginable grief.

“You walk alongside people in their biggest grief, and it becomes your grief,” Wheat said. “People stayed in our church and they stayed in our worship center, sleeping on our pews.”

TXM arrived shortly after those families had left and has remained involved in Kerrville’s recovery ever since, helping assess and mud out homes before long-term recovery teams followed.

“This is God’s building — not ours,” Wheat said. “God used it in the way he needed to, and we were blessed to see groups come in and really support our community.”

Trinity has continued to serve as a place where people can find help, encouragement and a listening ear. Wheat said the church adopted “blessed to bless” as a guiding mantra after the 2025 flood, helping wherever and whoever they could.

“We sat with people who didn’t have anything to say for hours and just got to sit with them. We got to give them a hug and just be around them. The blessing has been really that there are groups like Texans on Mission that have helped us to be strong for them.”

For TXM volunteer Kendall Collier, the opportunity to return to Trinity and help restore the church was especially meaningful. Collier, part of the Marble Falls team, served in Kerrville during the 2025 flood and stayed at Trinity while working in the community.

“Kerrville holds a special place in my heart because I grew up in the Hill Country,” Collier said. “To come here and be able to help this community twice is an amazing blessing for me.”

This time, Collier was among the volunteers hanging drywall in the church’s children’s wing.

“This church has supported Texans on Mission all year long,” Collier said. “They’ve provided so much. For us to have the chance to come back and help their church is an amazing opportunity for us.”

For Wheat, the work is part of a larger story of a community helping one another through recovery.

More homes were affected by the 2026 flooding than during the first flood, he said. And even for people whose homes were not damaged, the storm brought back difficult memories.

The community is now working toward the next phase of recovery — getting families back home and businesses operating again.

Through it all, Trinity has continued to give. Now, TXM has had the chance to serve the church that helped make its work in Kerrville possible.

“My heart can’t contain all the blessings that've been brought to us from other groups,” Wheat said.

Collier said he sees the opportunity to serve as part of the calling that brought him to TXM in the first place.

“When I first learned about Texans on Mission and what they do, I knew that’s what I was supposed to do,” Collier said. “Every opportunity I get to go serve wherever and whenever and whoever, I do it. I’m a firm believer in loving your neighbor as yourself. I love helping people and being a part of their recovery.”

Teaming up to help Kerrville recover

Our recovery work and relationship with Trinity Baptist Church in Kerrville have been ongoing for over a year now. Learn more about how we are working together with this pillar in Kerrville to bring hope and healing to the community.