“To know Him and to make Him known.” That is the mission of First Baptist Church in Weslaco, TX. Founded in 1921, it is a church rooted in carrying out the Great Commission and continues to do so, as is evident in the variety of ministries it offers its congregation and community.
Currently, a church with about three hundred weekly attendees, First Baptist Church has a place for everyone to foster community with like-minded individuals and families alike! From their Youth Group to their Women’s Ministries or even their Fantasy Football ministry, they make sure there’s a spot at the table for each person. Their largest ministry—their children’s ministry—thrives due to the support of the church’s Childcare Center.
Cindy Cortez, who has been serving on staff at First Baptist for the last 14 years, serves as the Administrator of Church Operations and also oversees the childcare center so she is a primary user of their church management tools. First Baptist uses a blend of ACST products, Realm Connect, and its tools to manage and streamline all information related to its people and ministries, along with the ACS Financial Suite for its accounting needs.
Whether she’s using the communication tools inside of Realm or recruiting volunteers, updating the church regarding needs for their Warming Center, or running payroll through the ACS Financial Suite, Cindy and the church rely heavily on their software solutions to keep the ministries informed.
“We use Realm for most things really. It’s a great way for us to relay congregant needs to our four Pastors. We utilize groups and subgroups in Realm to streamline all information for our different ministries, including our Child Care Center. It truly plays a vital role in our church operations.”- Cindy Cortez, Administrator of Church Operations
As a ministry of First Baptist Church, the Childcare Center utilizes Realm to share events with its students’ families, which provides a steady stream of new kids and prospective young families in the church’s children’s ministry. Cindy is able to oversee the church AND the daycare communications in one platform as opposed to hopping in and out of different programs, saving time and creating efficiency and consistency among her processes and communications.
Because she oversees the finances of the church and the childcare center, Cindy also frequently uses the Contributions tool in Realm along with the ACS Financial Suite.
“Using Realm with ACS Financials makes my job easier and faster so I can get back to working in the ministry itself. Unlike other software, ACS Financial products are tailored to the needs of the church. It’s easy to generate contribution statements and other things related to church finances. ”- Cindy Cortez, Administrator of Church Operations
Cindy was also excited to learn about our most recent integration with Planning Center, as those in the worship ministry have been using that for some time to plan and run their services.
“I hear people say how they’re bogged down from using 3-4 platforms in an attempt to do one job. So, I’m able to tell them that Realm allows them to have one software to do all that they need. It simplifies the necessary stuff that needs to get done in a much more efficient way so you can get back to doing ministry work.” – Cindy Cortez, Administrator of Church Operations
To learn more about First Baptist Church in Weslaco, TX, click here.
To learn more about Realm, click here.
To learn more about Realm’s integration with Planning Center, click here.
To learn more about ACS Financial Solution for Realm, click here.
Jenna Wallace
Jenna joined the ACST team in February 2020 as a Ministry Consultant for small to mid-size churches with a focus on empowering these ministries with the tools they need to accomplish their goals. She believes regardless of the size of the ministry, each church can utilize technology to fulfill the calling God has given them. Prior to joining ACST, she spent several years as a Sales Consultant across multiple industries, all focusing on relationship building, which she feels has allowed her to provide trusted advice to those in need. Jenna is passionate about helping others which fuels her eagerness to serve.
