Mr. Jack Terrell (’91) earned a degree in Christian Ministries from East Texas Baptist University. He has spent many years on staff and as a Pastor of several churches, and is the Founder and CEO of KiDs Beach Club. Today, his organization has reached over 119,900 children, equipped more than 25,000 volunteers, and distributed over 75,000 Bibles. He has been married to his wife, Tammy, for over 40 years, and they are proud parents of their daughter Kristen. The family enjoys snow skiing in the winter, walks on the beach in the summer, and you might even find them on the gun range shooting skeet.
Follow along to hear more about Jack’s journey to ETBU and his calling to give back and serve others.
My wife, Tammy, and I both grew up in Houston. However, early in our marriage, Tammy and I began volunteering in the bus ministry at FBC Genoa under our pastor, Dr. Robert Welch, an ETBC alum. In 1985, Tammy and I both trusted Christ as our Savior. In 1987, I surrendered to ministry. It was later that year that Dr. Welch introduced me to ETBU, and it just felt right. We loved it, and in the Fall of 1988, we moved from Houston to Marshall to attend ETBU. Dr. Welch and Dr. Franklin Atkinson believed I needed to begin my vocation as soon as possible, so two weeks before my first day of classes, I was hired by Second Baptist Marshall as Minister of Students and Children. We fell in love with the people, the church, and the leadership, and experienced great growth.
In 2000, the Lord called and moved my family to Euless, TX, to serve as Pastor of Children and Preschool at FBC Euless. It was during this time that I was challenged to take our children’s ministry outside the walls of our church. So, in 2003 we piloted Beach Club® an afterschool preteen version of The Good News Clubs and with their blessing in2005 we began the official paperwork to file for a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and in 2006, KiDs Beach Club® was born as an afterschool Bible club to give every preteen boy and girl a Jesus experience … All the Glory to God!
My, how I cherish my years as a “Tiger” at ETBU, for it was during those years, from 1988 to 1991, that my heavenly Father shaped my heart to follow His Son and focused my calling on reaching the next generation for the cause of Christ. My passion for discipleship was shaped and developed under Dr. Donald Potts, Dr. Bruce Tankersley, Dr. Bob Utley, Dr. David White, and Dr. Lynn New’s spiritual leadership. I could name more, but these men invited me into their lives to do ministry, and it was a turning point for me. My studies moved from hearing lectures to joining in and experiencing ministry. After that shift, I could not get enough. I’m eternally grateful to all the faculty and staff, for I am what I am today, due in part to the love, care, and ministry of those who lived Jesus in the classroom, on campus, and in life. Over the years, it has been quite remarkable to hear of students who attended a Beach Club® and have gone on to attend ETBU. As I have spoken on different occasions and mentioned my time at ETBU, students across Texas have shared their affection for ETBU and KiDs Beach Club®.
Paul writes in Philippians 2, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Sprit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being likeminded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”