Lighting the World with Hope: FBC Abilene
by Laura Gomez Reyes, CBF Texas communications intern
November 2025
At First Baptist Church in Abilene, missions are not just a program — they are a way of life. For the past 17 years, John Moore has served as the church’s Pastor for Missions, guiding both local and global outreach efforts. Alongside his pastoral work, he also serves as the Executive Director of City Light Community Ministries, a downtown ministry dedicated to serving neighbors in need. Married to his wife Beverly for 33 years and father of three grown sons, Moore describes his role as the best job on staff because it allows him to build relationships, meet people where they are, and help them find hope. “We’re not just taking trips – we’re transforming lives,” he says.
Under his leadership, First Abilene’s outreach has flourished, from affordable daycare and counseling services to City Light, a center providing meals, showers, mail service, and compassion to people in poverty. In 2023, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) recognized the church with a Mission Excellence Award for “actively responding to the needs of their community” and “breaking cycles of poverty.” Through it all, Moore insists that the work isn’t about accolades, but about seeing God at work in every heart, community, and nation.
First Abilene stays connected with people and families serving globally in North Macedonia, Southeast Asia, Cambodia and Cyprus. Closer to home, they have partnered with individuals serving along the Texas border helping with migration, Texas Baptist cooperative missions, and Baptist Student Ministry at Abilene Christian University.
When thinking about the impact of First Abilene’s work, John points to the family who moved out of a barely livable shack and into a brand-new home built from a partnership with Buckner International. Watching the parents and children walk into that house was life-changing for both the family and John himself; he recalls the joy and tears in their eyes. This project was supported in part by CBF Texas’s inaugural Border Building Grant; to learn more about the Border Building Grant and to apply, click here.
Transforming Lives, Not Just Taking Trips
John stresses that real mission work isn’t just sightseeing or drop-and-going. Instead, it’s about transformation – both for those served and for those who serve. He has seen how God can radically change lives through long-term partnerships. One story he loves to share is from Tepipilly, a high poverty neighborhood outside Mexico City. There, he and church volunteers partnered with CBF in a tiny Montessori school where local teachers devote themselves to a handful of children. John’s team helped deliver shoes and supplies to the kids, and he watched the pride the teachers took in each child’s success. Those simple moments – a child’s smile after receiving a new pair of shoes – are the “special memories” that inspire him.
Another example is a ministry to adults with disabilities in North Macedonia. Historically these men and women were kept in harsh institutional settings. But a CBF-supported project called Poraka transformed a former facility into warm, loving group homes. Now each resident has a room, a family environment, and opportunities to learn and work at their own pace. John says it’s “a picture of heaven” to see the joy in that community. “Those are stories that keep me moving forward,” he says.
These experiences underline a key lesson: seeing the world firsthand helps people grow in faith. John notes that when someone travels to serve, they can’t help but learn more about God’s work. “It’s life-changing when you go and see ministry in a different context,” he explains. Participants discover that the same love of God motivates people everywhere to help their neighbors, whether in Abilene or abroad. This realization leads to deep spiritual growth and discipleship. Volunteers often return home with broadened hearts and new questions about how to live out of their faith. For example, someone helping build homes in Mexico might come back eager to serve the homeless in Abilene. In John’s view, those ripples of change are just as important as the projects themselves. He reminds his church that through offerings and prayer, “we get to support field personnel around the world” and share in God’s ongoing work of renewal.
Serving Together as One Body
John loves that none of this must be done alone. He is quick to highlight the cooperative spirit of Baptist mission: “We do it together,” he says, echoing CBF’s ethos. The church, denominational partners, and countless volunteers all bring their unique gifts to the table. In fact, John thanks everyone he works with – from the missionaries overseas to the newest volunteer at City Light – for telling the story of hope. “You’re helping to tell the story that I can’t get out,” he told the interviewer with a grin. Whether it’s photographers, teachers, cooks, or simply people willing to pray, every role matters. He loves seeing the local church help the global church: for instance, the fbc children worked to provide the funding for Tepipilly children to go bowling, many for the very first time. The smiles on their faces were priceless. Back home, artists, business leaders and neighbors all come to City Light to pack food boxes or share a warm meal. John celebrates this teamwork because it reflects how the Body of Christ is meant to function – each person doing their part, together expanding God’s kingdom.
Facing Challenges, Holding Fast
Of course, John is the first to admit it isn’t always easy. “Time just gets going quick, and you’re busy,” he says with a chuckle. Explaining that fitting missions into already-full calendars is a constant challenge. He also struggles with the weighty decisions of stewardship. As budgets tighten, he and his committee often debate: should they send a team halfway around the world, or direct that money instead to a local project? “Maybe it’s more effective to send our funding there instead of spending to get there,” he asks, seeking the right balance. He also warns against doing things just for the sake of it. “We want to be God’s presence, and we want to let God be the Savior, not us,” John emphasizes. In other words, the goal is to point people to Christ, not to make the church look good.
Such challenges can be discouraging. Sometimes a mission trip might not “feel fruitful,” he admits. But even frustrated, he encourages his congregation to persevere. “It’s hard. It’s messy. It’s not always easy,” he acknowledges, but “it’s worth that extra effort… worth those hard times to do what we feel God is calling us to do as a church”. In other words, even when logistics are tough or results slow to appear, John trusts that God is at work in unseen ways. He has seen enough glimmers of new life to know it’s true.
Looking Ahead: New Dreams on the Horizon
With the new City Light facility completed downtown, John’s thinking is already moving to the future. Now that Abilene neighbors have a bigger, better space to eat, clean up, and connect, he asks, “What’s the global vision that God has in store?”. The church remains committed to its field personnel around the world, faithfully praying and giving support to their work. But John is also eager to go deeper. They are ramping up involvement in CBF’s Latin America strategy, aiming to make a lasting impact in Mexico and beyond. Back in Texas, leaders are already asking how to do even more for people living in poverty. Having witnessed what a second of care and dignity – a hot shower or a meal with a kind word – can do for one person, they wonder what more God might accomplish through expanded efforts.
John describes this phase as a time of dreaming together. The church celebrated that 95% of its members voted to build the new City Light Center, and now they’re praying for equal commitment to “how else can we serve?”. One of John’s favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:7 – “seek the peace and prosperity of the city… and pray to the Lord for it, for in its peace you will find your peace.” He sees First Baptist Abilene living that call, and he invites everyone in the church to keep asking, “Lord, where do You want us next?” By God’s grace, he trusts the answer will come.
How You Can Join the Mission
John’s excitement isn’t reserved only for church staff – he believes everyone can play a part. His advice to anyone feeling stirred by this story is straightforward: stay committed, work together, and trust that God can use your efforts for good. As he puts it, “It’s worth that extra effort… to do what we feel God is calling us to do”. Even small contributions count.
Pray. Ask God to bless the work of missions – both the local outreach at City Light and the global teams supported by CBF.
Volunteer. Whether it’s serving a meal, leading a Bible study, or teaching a skill, find a way to give your time. City Light and similar ministries always need more hands and hearts.
Give. Financial gifts make mission projects possible. Consider donating to build homes through Buckner, to supply shoes in Tepipilly, or to keep City Light’s kitchen running.
Go. If you have the opportunity, join a short-term trip. Students and seniors alike have life-changing experiences on mission trips – just ask John and the Abilene teams!
Share the story. Talk with your church, family, and friends about what God is doing in your community and around the world. Your voice can inspire others to get involved.
John reminds us that missions isn’t only for a select few, it’s a calling for the whole body of Christ. As he says, every gift is needed to tell the story of God’s love. His church has seen first-hand how one answered call can bring hope to a family, a neighborhood, even an entire community. He invites you to be part of that call. Moore points to the Baptist tradition of cooperation: “We can do more and make a greater impact by working together.”
In the end, John believes, God will use each willing servant to bring light and transformation. “Having the heart to respond in love and kindness to those around us – that’s the message I hope others get from our story,” he says. And that could be your story too. When we all step out in faith, even the smallest candle can light up the darkness. Will you let your shine?
