Brett Bagwell was only a child when an F-5 tornado ripped apart his hometown in 1997. But it is those memories, in part, that led him to start the disaster-relief organization that he calls Shine Through Missions Inc.
“I was young, but I remember the day vividly,” said Bagwell, now 21. “There was mass chaos and havoc. As I grew older, every year on March 1 we celebrated another year of rebuilding from that devastating day. I wanted to start an organization that was able to help other storm victims in their time of need as did the hundreds of people that flocked to our city following the disaster of 1997.
“My family wasn’t directly affected by that tornado, but many were. I grew up with a strong desire to help people who are affected by tornadoes and other natural disasters.”
Bagwell, who is the son of Brian and Jennifer Bagwell of Arkadelphia, was on a mission trip to Belize in 2012 with International Sports Federation of Acworth, Georgia, when he said he “felt the call to preach and to start Shine Through Missions.”
“We used sports as an icebreaker to share the Gospel. We spent two weeks playing baseball and futbol (soccer) while ministering to children and teenagers.
“I felt the call to ministry around the age of 15 but did not want to accept it until I witnessed the great commission at its fullest on this mission. I actually got to preach to a large group of individuals while on this trip, and I really felt God calling me into a life of full-time ministry while on this mission trip.”
Bagwell returned home to Arkadelphia and began preaching at Mount Bethel Baptist
Church, where he served as its pastor until December 2014, when he had to step down because of health reasons. He now serves as youth director of the church.
Since its inception in 2012, Shine Through Missions, a Christian-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has helped victims in Moore, Oklahoma, and Botkinburg, Arkansas, following tornadoes that struck those communities in 2013. Most recently, volunteers worked in Ferndale, Arkansas, in April 2014 to help clean up after a tornado and distribute 5,000 travel packs containing personal-hygiene products.
In addition to distributing the travel packs, volunteers with Shine Through Missions also mobilize food centers, clear roads and highways, and offer times of worship and prayer.
“Financial support has been a problem for us,” Bagwell said. “We were under the umbrella of the church (Mount Bethel Baptist) for two years. Everyone thought we were part of the church, but we are not.
“Now we are a nonprofit and can apply for grants. The big grant programs know who we are now.”
Bagwell said the organization “needs people to support us on a regular basis, not just yearly.”
“We want to help people in other ways, too. We’ve helped cancer patients and others who have medical emergencies. We hold fundraisers to help families with medical bills.”
In addition to accepting monetary donations, Shine Through Missions needs a variety of items for the gender-sorted travel packs the group assembles. Needed items include washcloths, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, lotion, hand sanitizer, dental floss, conditioner, bars of soap, deodorant, cases of bottled water, gallon jugs of water, work gloves, trash bags and large plastic containers.
“We also need gift cards to Walmart, Home Depot or Lowe’s,” Bagwell said.
“We do not need clothes,” he said.
Donations may be dropped off in Arkadelphia at the Phillips 66 gas station by Walmart, Cuddle Bugs Daycare or Mount Bethel Baptist Church. Monetary donations may be mailed to Shine Through Missions Inc., 6582 Arkansas 8, Arkadelphia, AR 71923.
Bagwell is hopeful that Shine Through Missions will continue to grow.
“We have applied for a large grant through the Rockefeller Foundation that would allow us to build an official Shine Through Missions location in Arkadelphia,” he said. “Our location will be called The Shine Through Plaza.
“The building is going to be around 10,000 square feet and contain offices, a warehouse for supplies, a conference room, classrooms, a weather room and a large space to house disaster refugees.”
Bagwell said that if this grant is not approved, he will apply for other grants.
“Our organization is expanding,” Bagwell said. “We are currently working on an expansion project called Amplify Youth Outreach that will be organized, established and operated by Shine Through Missions.
“This will be an after-school program in Arkadelphia in hopes of lowering teen crime rates in our community. If the plan is a success, we hope to establish our outreach in Hot Springs and Little Rock.
“We are currently working on major expansion projects for our organization to help better the community. The students we reach would be able to volunteer for our organization in the afternoons when they leave school by assisting in packing travel packages for disaster-relief efforts, along with assisting in many other areas of our organization. Our hope is to let these kids see that when disaster strikes, they are wanted, and they are needed.”
Bagwell graduated from Arkadelphia High School in 2012 and attends Henderson State University, where he is pursuing a double major in history and pre-law with emphasis in political science. He also works in the Clark County prosecuting attorney’s office as the felony-case coordinator.
“I either send you to prison or I don’t,” he said.
He is engaged to Mallory Bell, who is a pre-med student at Henderson State and a member of the Shine Through Missions’ board of directors.
Bagwell is assisted at Shine Through Missions by an eight-person board of directors. They include Charles Holland of Gurdon, vice president; Zara Loye of Bismarck, secretary-treasurer; Darlene Fendley of Arkadelphia, reporter; Mallory Bell of Arkadelphia, director of projects; Colby Bagwell and Andrew Diehl, both of Arkadelphia, directors of Internet services; Debbie Seale of Arkadelphia, director of supply; Janelle Thomas of Arkadelphia, director of shipping; and Jennifer Bagwell of Arkadelphia, director of publications.
“We have had hundreds of volunteers since the beginning,” Bagwell said. “Without my board we could not function, and without the hundreds of volunteers over the years, we would have not been able to do anything.” He also credits his parents and his grandparents, Willie and Jeannette Bagwell, for their help.
“Being able to help people is the reason we are here,” he said. “For me, it is uplifting to help others. I encourage others to volunteer. It can be a life-changing experience.”
For more information on Shine Through Missions, visit shinethroughmissions.com, or contact Brett Bagwell at (870) 260-0723 or brettbagwell@gmail.com.