FERGUSON – Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Executive Director Wes Fowler delivered a $50,000 gift last month to the Send Relief Ministry Center.
Approved by MBC executive board members during their latest meeting on March 3, funds for the gift came out of the MBC’s 2025 underspend.
The Send Relief Ministry Center expressed gratitude to Missouri Baptists for their “generous support” in a social media post last week. The ministry center is led by Traci Byrd, who is also a pastor’s wife at Faith Community Bible Church in north St. Louis, where her husband Michael serves as lead pastor.
“Because of partners like this,” the social media post read, “we’re able to dream bigger—like expanding our laundry services to better serve our neighbors. The Lord continues to provide!
“Our laundry services continue to grow through partnerships with the Ferguson-Florissant School District and the expansion of services for our guests—meeting real needs with dignity and care.”
The MBC’s Fowler expressed his own gratitude for Missouri Baptists who made this gift possible, as well as his excitement to support the Send Relief Ministry Center.
“The ministry center,” he said, “provides assistance for those in need, life skills for those seeking employment, food for the hungry, clothing for the underprivileged, and gospel focused fellowship for everyone.”
Several months ago, he added, he met with Traci, who explained the ministry center’s need for a commercial-grade laundry room.
“As we stood where the laundry-room might one day be,” Fowler recalled, “I thought it was a wonderful initiative for Missouri Baptists to consider! So, I asked Traci to provide an official bid for the project, hoping that as funds became available, we might be able to assist.
“Financially, as 2025 came to a close, Missouri Baptists Cooperative Program giving exceeded expectations! This provided an opportunity for our executive board to allocate funds to multiple ministries,” Fowler said. “The Send Relief Ministry Center laundry-room initiative was considered and enthusiastically approved. Traci was beyond excited to learn that Missouri Baptists would be providing $50,000 to cover all expenses.”
Fowler continued, “Real people, who are truly in need, who simply desire clean clothes, will one day soon use a commercial-grade laundry room provided through the generosity of Missouri Baptists. Many, who were merely coming to do laundry, will learn of God’s love for them—a love He demonstrated so beautifully through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
“Thank you, Missouri Baptists, for giving so generously to support strategic initiatives across our state. I never see opportunities such as this as an expense. Rather, I believe this is an investment. And, as an investment, I believe God will provide a great return through the faithfulness of the Send Relief Ministry Center in Ferguson!”
