Winter Volunteers at Rio Grande Bible Ministries (RGBM) will hold a Craft/Quilt/Bake Sale on Saturday, February 1, from 8 to 11 a.m. to benefit students of both the seminary and the Intercultural Studies Program. It will be held in the multi-purpose room of the campus in Edinburg, 4300 S. Highway 281, (Closner Blvd.). Parking is available at the Closner entrance. The quilt auction will begin at 10 a.m. Free coffee will be provided all morning and cookies/baked goods will be available for purchase.

A variety of gifts, goods, and quilts will be for sale, all made by volunteers. These make perfect gifts for family and friends and include wood items, cutting boards, aprons, embroidered towels, soft baby items, cell phone purses, table runners, and coin banks made from the old campus mailboxes. There are wood items made from trees which used to be growing on the property. Quilts of all sizes will be for sale, and some will be auctioned at 10 a.m.

The Winter Volunteers hold this event each year to benefit the Bible Seminary and Intercultural Studies student scholarships. RGBM exists to develop Christ-centered leaders with a Biblical worldview for the global church. Students come from all over the world to study at RGBM and many speak only Spanish when they arrive on campus. Seminary classes are predominantly taught in Spanish although as students work hard to master their course content, they desire to improve their English skills to broaden their impact in the global church.

The majority of students who are earning either Associates, Bachelors, or Master of Arts degrees in Biblical Studies return to their home countries to pastor churches, plant churches, become missionaries to other countries, or work in ministry service. RGBM also offers Intercultural Studies which consists of two semesters of intense Spanish language study and cross-cultural training for missionaries preparing to go into Spanish speaking cultures.

Winter Volunteers come to the RGBM campus in Edinburg from across the US and Canada and their goal is to support the students, staff and ministry by contributing financial support, building and maintaining campus structures, landscaping the grounds, library cataloging, childcare, and office support along with mentoring students in language and spiritual growth. Most of the Winter Volunteers are retired couples who arrive in their RVs and stay on campus or at Bibleville which is part of RGBM and is a retirement park and conference center in Alamo.
Many students and Winter Volunteers develop close relationships during their time on the RGBM campus with the Winter Volunteers being affectionately called “abuelitos” (the Grandparents).

All monies raised during the Craft/Quilt/Bake Sale on February 1 will go directly to help defray students' education and living expenses.
Story submitted by Susan Finney. Photos submitted by Deb Wittleder