San Antonio, TX - In a statewide survey by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, or Texas Baptists, 30 percent of pastors admit to being under financial stress, 40 percent work more than 60 hours per week, 9 percent of pastors do not have health insurance and another 25 percent are on a government health insurance plan.
These stressors can negatively impact a pastor. But, the Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio is awarding Texas Baptists, $1 million to – for the first time – address the health of pastors. In the eight counties that the Foundation serves, there are more than 600 Baptist churches.
The Spiritual Initiative Grant will fund a program that will hire a pastor to serve other pastors, will create a pastors’ relief fund and will also help to pay for holistic conferences and retreats.
“In thinking about a grant meant for a spiritual initiative, we realized if your pastor’s healthy, then your church is healthy, and if your church is healthy then your community is healthy,” said Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio President and CEO Cody Knowlton.
The $1 million grant is just one of dozens being awarded to worthy organizations in Bexar County and its surrounding counties. The Foundation will be awarding $7.2 million in grants to nearly 100 nonprofit organizations to help fund health-related initiatives. Other grants include:
- $160,000 to the Medina County Food Pantry in Hondo, where the money will be used to construct a new 3,000 square ft. commercial grade metal building for a new Food Pantry to serve the residents of Medina County.
- $50,000 to the Adult and Teen Challenge of Texas, a yearlong, residential, faith-based program for men, women and teens struggling with addiction. The grant will fund a new program serving pregnant women and women with young children. Plans call for the organization to build out an existing 5,000 square foot metal building on their South Side campus into a 36-bed dorm which will become home to their existing women’s program. And the home currently housing residents will then become a home for 7-10 pregnant women and women with children.
Grant recipients will be recognized at the Annual Grant Awards Ceremony at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 11, at First Baptist Church of San Antonio, 515 McCullough Ave, San Antonio, TX 78215.
The Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio began awarding grants in 2005 in an effort to improve health in the community. Its purpose is to fund not-for-profit health care services and health education in an eight-county geographic area –Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina and Wilson. To date, $75 million has been awarded over the past 13 years and inspiring individuals and organizations have received the “Spirit of Health Award.”