March 20, 2026
During spring break, East Texas Baptist University’s Baptist Student Ministry sent a team of 28 students to participate in Beach Reach, a ministry outreach in South Padre Island. The ETBU students joined hundreds of fellow Christian college students to share the Gospel with those they encountered as they sought to meet their physical needs for food and transportation.
The first day, March 7, was a travel and orientation day. From ETBU, it takes nine hours to get to South Padre Island without stops. These nine hours were not wasted, though. They were spent in deep, intentional prayer and moments of community building among the team.
“When we had about two hours left on our drive, there was an accident on the road. All of our vans were safe, praise God, but it did result in a long stand still,” senior communication studies major Erin Owens said. “We tapped our feet, we stuck our heads out the windows, we prayed. I don't think there is anything that matches the humbling experience of driving past a brutal accident on the way to speak to spring breakers about their eternal destiny. It was an incredibly poignant reminder of just how important our work would be.”
On Sunday, the entire Beach Reach team of 800 joined with the congregation of Island Baptist Church for worship in the South Padre Island Convention Center; the message was on Joshua 1:9, which encouraged the teams to be strong and courageous in the Lord. After lunch, ETBU’s team of Beach Reachers went out to the streets to pass out “hotline cards” to spring breakers and families who wanted free rides and pancakes. Each night, spring breakers can call the hotline to request a ride anywhere on the island, and Beach Reachers are in the van ready to engage, encourage, and share the God’s love. After a break for rest, dinner, and worship, the team began night one of giving free rides and sharing the Gospel with spring breakers from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.
“Once we reached orientation, we stepped into a sea of 800 college students, 800 missionaries, and 800 children of God,” Owens said. “We were going to evangelize. We were going to pass out van ride invites. But first, we prayed… Our group exercise was to find two people we didn't know, ask for their excitements and fears, and pray over them. For some, it was their fifth time with Beach Reach. For others, it was their first.”
Monday, March 9, was a day filled with worship and prayer. The team served at “Clayton’s,” a lively beach access point, by sharing the message of hope in Christ and praying with spring breakers. After dinner and a time of worship with all 800 Beach Reachers, the ETBU team broke into two groups with two serving tasks. One group spent the night in the prayer room, where they spent their time praying for the outreach taking place on the island. The other group spent their time offering free pancakes and van rides to spring breakers, giving way to Gospel conversations.
“Worship was powerful and it encouraged us to keep going in the good work we were doing,” junior criminal justice major Luis Correa said. “God moved throughout the whole day. We saw five people rededicate their lives to Christ, one prayed to receive salvation, and we had many other amazing spiritual conversations.”
All day and night on Tuesday were spent sharing the good news of Jesus with spring breakers. During the evening van shift, the team had several meaningful conversations that pointed people to Christ, and they were able to witness one person come to salvation. The ETBU team was struck by the importance of unity during a time of intense and intentional Kingdom service.
“It was incredibly encouraging to see our team united, not only during the activities we were assigned, but also during our free time,” senior sociology major Christian Dews said. “For example, everyone was intentional about being open and praying for each other. This unity was a key part of the trip. In this, we constantly remind one another of the truth found in Genesis 2:18, ‘that it is not good for man to be alone. Seeing 800 college students gathered together in unity, praising the name of Jesus Christ, was truly powerful.”
Wednesday morning began with breakfast outreach. Students and spring breakers fellowshipped together—they listened to music, ate pancakes, played yard games, prayed, and continued to introduce others to the message of Jesus. During the afternoon, ETBU students continued to talk about Jesus with spring breakers on the beach until it was time for dinner and worship. The night ended with another van shift, where the team gave free rides and pancakes to spring breakers as an avenue to share Christ’s love with them.
“Learning to pray over everything has been the highlight of my trip,” junior biology major Leondrea Peake said. “Prayer was so imperative for us. When we gave free rides, we encountered so many amazing people that were willing to share their stories, beliefs, and even allowed us to pray for them. That was so special to me.”
The last day of the trip, March 12, was deeply meaningful, as the ETBU team and other Beach Reachers were able to witness baptisms on the beach. Afterward, all of the Beach Reachers were able to spend a time of worship on the beach to prepare them for the last night of praying in the prayer room and serving in the vans. During the night shift, the team was able to have a meaningful conversation with someone about how much Jesus truly loves them.
“It was an amazing moment,” senior history major Diego Narezo said. “Sometimes we do not get to see the fruit of our labor in this life, but getting a glimpse of what God has been doing over the past few days is a powerful reminder to keep sowing and to not grow weary.”
Beach Reach began in 1980 with 20 students who had a vision to reach their peers and serve the city of South Padre during spring break. The special mission emphasis has progressively developed into the extensive ministry it is today.