By Stephen Reeves

As we sit down for dinner at our house, my wife Deborah asks us each to say one thing we’re thankful for that day. Nearly every night we begin the blessing of our meal with gratitude. This is a discipline that requires intention and depending on the mood of our young kids, the answers might include NOTHING… or EVERYTHING!  

For many this Thanksgiving focusing on gratitude is difficult. Far too many families are celebrating their first holidays without a loved one. Pastors and church leaders are facing uncertainty about what their church will look like when we’re finally in living in a post-pandemic reality. 

Our political debates seem to have gone from divisive, to uncivil, to toxic, to downright volatile. For many, the Rittenhouse verdict has once again demonstrated the biases at work in our criminal legal system while others praise a rifle-wielding teenager waltzing into a charged environment playing the good guy. 

Tens of thousands of migrants are still on the move, fleeing desperate conditions and praying for a chance at peace and security for their families in a new country. 

Yes, the world is still a mess. As hard as it may be, take time to be grateful. 

Despite these societal challenges, Fellowship Southwest has much for which to be thankful. First and foremost, we are immensely grateful for each individual and church who supports this ministry. 

We’re also thankful for the incredible work and ministry of the pastors and churches who make up our border network. Every day they demonstrate the love of Christ by welcoming, feeding and protecting the strangers on their doorstep. Fellowship Southwest is blessed to be able to support each ministry. If you’ve not taken a moment to watch our short documentary about our trip last to visit each of them last summer, you can do so here. Contributions to the Knox Fund for Immigrant Relief are critical to sustaining these ministries, and we’re grateful to each of you who have given.

We’re in debt to Jorge Zapata, whose relationships helped build this network, to Elket Rodríguez who provides support and advice to the pastors and helps tell their stories, and to Cameron Vickrey who maintains our website and puts together this newsletter making sure the stories reach you.

This Thanksgiving I’m grateful for the Fellowship Southwest board of directors. I’m thankful for their trust in me to lead this young organization. Their time, support, excitement, and vision for Fellowship Southwest give me energy and confidence. Our future is bright because of them.

I’m also grateful to Paul Baxley, executive coordinator of CBF, who has allowed me to take on leadership of this ecumenical organization while maintaining my leadership duties with CBF Advocacy. 

I’m immensely grateful for my family. Deborah and her mother Susan have carried a heavy load while I’ve been on the road so often since assuming this role. This fall I have visited pastors, churches, and supporters or attended events in Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Dallas, Waco, Austin, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Lubbock, and Kansas City. In this season of personal transition, we’ve also prepared and sold two houses in Georgia while (slowly) building a new one in Texas. 

Finally, I thank God for Marv Knox. This week marks the end of his service with Fellowship Southwest. I’m grateful to the Baugh Foundation whose generous grant enabled our overlap in service these past eight months. The chance to learn the organization, as well as executive leadership skills, alongside someone I have respected and admired for years made the opportunity to lead this organization one I could not pass up. Our time together has been all that I could have hoped…just not long enough!

Marv Knox is a Christian leader with an incredibly compassionate heart and keen mind. His work ethic cannot be matched, and I can only hope to be half the writer he is one day. 

Marv has given Fellowship Southwest a strong foundation while his commitment to agility means that we’re free to respond and adapt to what this region and our supporters and churches need. Marv is a true Baptist statesman who has earned respect from so many across the country. There is no way Fellowship Southwest would have had such a strong start without his leadership and experience developed over decades of service to people of faith. 

Thank you, Marv. Blessings on you and Joanna as you live into your well-earned retirement. Enjoy your grandkids and all those big green trees in North Carolina. I thank God for your service, leadership, and friendship. Gracias, hermano. Dios le bendiga. 

Stephen Reeves is the executive director of Fellowship Southwest.